How can I help my DC with GCSE revision?

[anothertry1]

Do you help your DC revise for GCSE's? If so, how exactly do you help, especially if you haven't got a clue about a subject?

How do your DC revise and make sure they cover absolutely everything for each subject?

I didn't help with the actual revision generally, unless specifically asked to test her on things.

But I helped support her to make a good revision timetable. She chose to do it on a shared apple calendar, which she shared with me. She said it helped to keep her focused if she thought I would also know what she was supposed to be doing when. She then had a large desk top planner which she copied it in to, but added more specifics of what she was going to study in each subject that week.

We paid to go and see relevant shows - either the plays shown via the cinema (such as MacBeth) or at home, via streaming services or buying them, and by buying any revision guides/books, audio books of plays/novels that she was studying. Dd was doing English Lit and Drama so plenty there.

Access to various revision books/guides if required, especially for certain subjects.

Paid for a tutor for maths to increase her confidence. It worked for us.

Provided a quiet peaceful and pleasant place for her to revise, with whatever stationary, etc she would need such as flash cards, highlighters, etc.

Provided opportunities for time out for a complete break every so often.

And was just general there and available as much as we (me and dh) could be.

16y look like adults but they aren't yet actual adults yet. In my experience support is needed in different ways. Schools do some revision support but many no longer have time to show teens how to revise. What works for one person won't work for others, so it's showing them various ways and them deciding what works best for them at the time.

There's being supportive, and there's spoon-feeding to the extent that your child doesn't develop resilience or self-motivation and doesn't learn what happens when they don't put the effort in. Then you risk them dropping out of university or not coping with their first job when mummy and daddy aren't cushioning them from everything. I've taught in independent and state schools for nearly 30 years and have seen both ends of the scale in terms of parental involvement in both settings.

I just encouraged my kids. Also: Talked to them in general about revision techniques, time planning and testing them on things when asked. I got an English tutor for one of my DCs.

@Cornishmumofone I am not an educational psychologist so perhaps I phrased my point incorrectly. What I meant, I guess, is that some teens are able to sit down and memorise things on their own. But my dd finds that unhelpful as she said she ends up switching off after a while and just staring at the page. So talking it over is very helpful to her. So much of GCSEs, including English, is about memorising huge volumes of information.

This is the best reply to the OP

As a contrasting perspective (also from a teacher) I do think that most students need some help during GCSEs- some don't, but some parental involvement is usually a good thing.

General things to do to help:

1. Set times for revision, and come up with a timetable of which subject(s) they will do when. Depending on the teen, you may need to motivate them to stick to this.

It may also help to decide which topics to revise at which times.

2. Buy resources such as revision guides- sometimes these will be sold via the school for a subsidised cost, too. Flashcards etc are also good.

3. Test them on flashcards/key words etc.

4. Print past paper questions and markschemes for them. Yes, they could do this themselves, but it gives them more time to focus on actual revision! Lots are available for free (and usually organised by topic) online.

If your teen is unclear on the full subject content, then all exam boards have syllabuses on their website where you can find out what will be included in the exam or not. But depending on the grades they are aiming for, it may not be worth revising certain topics/skills, so their teachers can also advise.

It's all very well saying leave teenagers to get on with it, but I assume you're asking because you don't have a well motivated teen who is naturally organised. And if they don't understand how to organise their revision, then they can struggle- and this is a place where parents (or teachers) can really help. Many schools will put on structured revision sessions for a lot of subjects, which will give students some idea of what to revise when- so if your school doesn't do this then you may need to offer more parental input.

Leaving them to get on with it if they are doing nothing is not a great idea.

I offer to help in what we ever way my Dd wants but she always refuses.
I worry it can be monotonous as she seems to spend hours. I want to interfere but have held back until mocks.

This is the best reply to the OP

Thanks @Bretonbear . Judging how much help to give your children with school stuff is hard. Seeing it simultaneously from a teacher's perspective and a parent's perspective sort of helps, but sort of complicates things too!

I'm a secondary school teacher.

Every year I prepare a revision document explaining how they have to revise for my subject and how to find all materials.

Every month in the lesson I spend around 10 min reminding them about it and 90% of my time in parents evening is about this so parents are aware.

I do this because I teach a language so parents doesn't know how to support their child.

I'm sure all teachers do something similar but maybe they don't share it to parents? In my school is mandatory.

I have supported my two sons through their GCSEs. I tested them on their flashcards that they had made to make sure they had retained the information. With both of them we talked through one subject, watched lots of YouTube videos on it, went through past papers with the mark scheme and worked out what they were looking for because they were struggling with it. These were not subjects that they were going to take for A level but they wanted high grades and I was available to help them understand what the examiners are looking for.

I even tested one on a language I don't speak for their MFL oral but I could get the gist of the sentences they were meant to be saying. They were both driven to come to me and ask for help testing them, I didn't spoon feed them anything. They made a timetable for revision and we talked about the best times for me to help and they scheduled those subjects in. They achieved very high grades from a state secondary school that does push and motivate students. My eldest child is now at a very high ranking university having achieved the highest grades possible at A level.

I don't know why anyone would leave their child to it. The child sits the exam so they need to be as prepared as they can be. If a parent can help with that why wouldn't they? The higher the grades at GCSE the better the outcomes at A level, the better grades at A level, the more choice they have for choosing a university.

Talking to your child about intellectual issues, and taking them on walks and to the theatre, isn’t spoon-feeding. It’s called great parenting.

This was surely a reference to the flash cards and going through their essays though

No one said this.

Every student is different and at this tricky age of 16, when they often feel like adults but also might not get yet the responsibility and the “get on with things” attitude sorted, a suitable help from the parents could be a real game changer.
I speak from the point of view of a tutor - being in close contact with both students and parents for their GCSE prep from the third party perspective (which is indeed naturally lacking the in-depth view but also allows to see things unbiased - there are always pros and cons).

For some students, working completely independently works well (I was like that back in school - I’d set myself very strict intense revision plan and I was able to follow through successfully). Some students need more or less guidance and support. And it’s not always because they would lack self-discipline, it is often cause by other issues, namely various SEN, overall lack of confidence (hence getting the task done seems impossible and doing anything about it feels pointless - here I often come to rescue, so I certainly agree with what some already commented here about the help of tutors - getting a specialised help for any subject that seems to require it, is usually a game changer too - just like the right support from the parents).

So whenever you see your help is needed - even for subjects that might be out of your expertise, the general idea is (I take this from maths perspective but a lot applies to other subjects as well)

• get appropriate revision guides (I really like - and my students too - working with CGP books) - to get some general guidance on what’s needed for each exam
• there are also specific targeted workbooks if aiming for high grades (very much worth it)
• working with past papers (for the specific exam board) to practice exam techniques
• find out what medium works the best for the student (text, audio/video, discussion with others, hands-on approach,…)
• find out what revision style works the best (short bits with a lot of breaks or longer focus sessions with longer resting time, or any other combination…?)
• definitely support good nutrition - that could be easily in parents’ hands and actually does a lot for the studies and brain function
• if at doubt, there’s never too late to get an assessment done for any suspected SEN - it could be the thing that makes or breaks the exams, having granted extra 25% of time or get special support during the exams (sitting it in a separate quiet room, having someone to read or scribe,…)
• get more involved if it suits your child - or just observe and push the right direction when needed
• measure learning progress - or at least keep an eye on it to know whether you’re on track (for example ticking off topics or using traffic light system, checking progress by doing self-assessments with past papers, etc.)

This is turning into quite a long message, basically a very brief copy of my own “revision guide book” I wrote after all the years of being a tutor for students who want to know how to revise for their exams. So these few pointers should help you too.

Split crowd here?

There is a difference between supporting and helping. I support (buy snacks/stationery/revision guides as requested) and ensure they get enough sleep and relaxation time. I am a caring lurker who tries to make sure they keep it all in perspective.

I don't 'help' - making flashcards/testing them on stuff etc. These are their exams and they have to work out what revision techniques work for them. Otherwise they're in a mess when it comes to A levels and degrees?

Plus my kids would hate me trying to test them on anything!?

The only time I have ever read essays is when ds was finalising his EPQ and needed a proof reader. And even then I was only commenting on grammar/spelling/layout.

@madelynrane "You’ve both got this!"

This person's DC did their GCSEs in 2023. I'm wondering why you resurrected this old thread...

unless it was to advertise the tutoring service you subtly mentioned in your thread.

Generally I left mine to it and was encouraging, checked in on how things were going regularly, made sure they were eating and sleeping well, got DD lots of files / highlighters/ index cards etc cos she wanted them. But DD had a real problem with maths and we spent about 3 hours a week going through basic sums together for 6 months prior to the exam, just going over class work and homework. She got a 5 in the end which was brilliant. My maths isn't great and I think we both learned quite a lot. She didn't want a tutor and was happy to work with me, otherwise it wouldn't have been worth while.

Of course you must help your child, if only to demonstrate that you really care how they do and are involved and offering moral support. If you sit watching TV while they study, what does that tell them.

My DS found English Language tricky so we worked through the Mr Bruff guides together. It really helped and he got a top grade. I got mark schemes for other subjects and helped him understand what examiners are looking for.

I had a card from a student last summer who said " Thank you for helping me to use my revision time properly" So here goes:
The key to successful revision is to start early . Draw up a revision timetable together. Starting early means you can plan plenty of short revision sessions for each subject rather than cramming and you can also plan in homework and breaks for other leisure activities which you can't do if you leave it too late
Put the timetable where all the family can see it - fridge door or similar, so everyone knows when revision is happening. You can check they are doing what was agreed and not skiving off. Some students spend all their time revising the things they like best if they don't have a structure. The timetable stops this happening.If using onine resources, leave the door open so you can check they don't drift onto social media or games. If that's a real issue, use paper based resources.
Crossing off the sessions done can be very reassuring for both the student and parent.
Start with the content. You need to know the key facts before doing past paper questions or you are just guessing . Too many students spend hours copying out notes in different coloured pens. Spending hours producing a pretty set of flashcards doesn't mean you have remembered anything or covered all the content. This is where revision guides and pre prepared flash cards come in. There are loads of revision resources online,( your teachers will have recommendations) many with short quizzes at the end of each chapter to test understanding (check they mark the questions. Obvious but surprisingly not always done). Sort content into easy difficult and hard topics. Do the hard ones first whist there is time to sort out any issues with your teachers and it also means that new revision is on progressively easier parts, which builds confidence and allows you to revisit the harder bits again if you need to.
There are also podcasts for many subjects on BBC bitesize. You can do half an hours revision on the bus or in the car using these. It's amazing how you can utilize this " dead time"
When you have grasped the knowledge and tested it with short answer questions, then you can do past paper questions.
Lots of students do the first half of a paper then run out of steam.
If you want top grades on whatever paper you are doing, do every other paper in reverse so you concentrate on the last 1/3 of the paper. Also, get your teacher to check your marking on the hardest questions so you are sure of the details you need to put in.