GCSE Biology help needed

[doorornottodoor]

Hi,
Hoping someone can help. My son is struggling with GCSE biology. He’s year 10, sitting the GCSE in 2023. He just got a 3 in his recent exam.

He’s dyslexic so a lot of the definitions are hard for him. He’s doing the trilogy and doing ok in the other two (5/6)

He’s doing well in PE (7) which has a lot of Biology content so I’m not sure why he finds it so much harder.

Videos are no good as he just zones out. His focus is poor when he’s not engaged. We revised together for the exam with me testing him do his mark is really disappointing.

Any advice/tips? I didn’t do Biology and so am not sure how to help,

Thanks.

Can he listen to podcasts? Use bbc bite size?

Has he come across Quizlet? It's a wonderful free app for revision. You can make your own sets or use other people's and it has some game type features which is useful.

Can you contact one of the dyslexia charities and ask for advice?

Seneca learning is really good for science revision, especially for students who struggle to concentrate.

When you say he zones out with videos, is that immediate? The cognito you tube channel is good if he can manage 5 minutes watching.

Flash cards are also a perfect tool for kids trying to learn key facts (such as definitions).

Has he had any feedback on his recent test?

My DD is dyslexic too and did find biology a challenge compared to chemistry and physics, although she is doing biology A level it's her weakest subject. It's because it's more wordy and subjective.

Workbooks with practice exam papers ad nauseum, and another vote for quiz let, it is very engaging and can be done on the phone.

I sympathise, I've spent many an evening dissapating meltdowns over revision and it's not got any easier, she's very determined though and works so hard.

Dyslexic people really do have to give 150% and definitely, the definitions are what threwDD. She did get extra time and I'm considering insisting on a scribe for her a levels, she can't really write so does touch type, however at A level they don't make concessions for spellings.

Biology is seen as a soft science, it really isn't (I have PhD in biochemistry and struggle to support DD sometimes)

I think DD was at a 3 in year 10 actually. She ended up with a six

Thanks all. He uses Seneca already. I’ve looked at Quizlet but there are so many cards in there it’s hard to know where to start. It’s a bit messy!

Feedback attached

Ps thanks I appreciate all your help!

You need to know his exam board and then you can search for the specific topics e.g. AQA then cells.

I recommend physicsandmathstutor.com - for flashcards and questions on each topic.

Flash cards are more effective if he makes them himself rather than using pre-made ones. Quadrant flash cards can be useful too if he is struggling with using the terminology in written answers. And there is a technique to using flash cards - I have a pdf somewhere with a good diagram to explain so PM me if you want it.

Did he get his exam papers back? Ideally he should go through each paper and wherever he lost marks due to incorrect terminology he should make a flash card with the correct word and its definition.

Also, the CGP workbooks are often helpful to bridge the gap between recalling facts and applying those facts to a question. They aren't overly expensive either (around £5 plus £2 for the answer book).

Be careful with physicsandmathstutor.com because many (most?!) of the past paper questions are based on the old specification and some may not be relevant to his current study. The underlying science hasn't really changed, but the phrasing of the questions and the expected terminology has. I'm not a biology specialist though (I'm physics), so the difference may not be much.

Finally (and sorry for the essay!) if you are supporting him in answering past paper questions it is likely to be helpful for you to be able to decode exam questions. My exam board (AQA) produce a couple of documents which help - again, PM me if you want them. I wouldn't give them to a year 10 student but they really do help me when I'm explaining to my students exactly why their (often scientifically correct) answers didn't get credit.

I'd start by looking at the questions where he lost marks and going through them against the mark scheme. He needs to learn what questions are asking for and that is best done by trying questions and comparing to the mark scheme.

Also stay aware in the back of your mind that as he is doing separate sciences, he could eventually if needed drop to foundation for biology. He would be capped at a 5, but there would be less content to revise and slightly more straightforward questions.

The mark scheme is very important in biology - if he's not answering the questions the correct way, or not using the correct terms he will not get the mark, even if technically correct.

I would recommend the CGP revision guide for his exam board. This will help you to help him if you haven't done biology.

Then doing lots of past paper questions (you can download them from the exam board websites). I would suggest doing them verbally to begin with, referencing the mark scheme to ensure he is using the term required.

BBC bitesize is very good for the basics - and in short chunks!

Short videos aimed at gcse videos are really helpful - look at cognito and free science lessons. Both are amazing. Get the CGP books.

Hi @doorornottodoor,

Take a look at www.coresciences.co.uk. This is an online platform where pupils can perform GCSE Science experiments virtually and learn about the theory behind the experiments. All of the required practicals for Biology are there, as well as Chemistry and Physics.

Students can also play games and take tests based on what they have learned.

I hope this is useful!

Wow thanks so much everyone - hugely appreciate this. Amazingly helpful! ❤️