GCSE predictions and mid year assessment in year 10

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My dd was predicted 7/8 for most subjects at the beginning of year 10. The mid year assessments have just landed and are predicting a handful of 4as, 5as and a 7. She has weekly tutoring for English, occasional tutoring for maths and we are just starting tutoring for German. Does anyone have any positive stories or tips of how she can increase her grade predictions (apart from more knuckling down). She always does her homework but I would say doesn’t push herself out there. Tia

It could be that she is not understanding how to answer the questions to gain maximum marks so lots and lots of past paper practice. Definitely try and identify what is going wrong and work with her tutors to build on it. She may just be rushing through and not providing enough depth or be missing some key understanding of a concept that is letting her down. There is certainly time to build exam techniques.

She needs to look at mark schemes and see why she dropped marks in the assessments. If she is generally able, then the most likely thing imo is she isn't answering what is required.

Or she isn't as able as you think.

Or she isn't putting effort in to revising / classwork.

Thanks so much. This is really useful

I think you are right on this. She does revise but for her revision is once and not consistent. Thanks for replying

I think you could really help her with revision if she'll let you. Mastering revision technique now in y10 will be way better than this time next year.

Active learning, not just passive reading.
Make notes / mind maps that can be reused in y11.
Try to write out or repeat to you key points.
Many online things too such as Tassomai & Seneca.
Have an aim like 'properties of covalent bonds' not just 'Chemistry'.
Revise a topic. Then switch to something else. Then come back to it.
Go back the next day, then 2 days later, then a week later.
For end y10 exams aim to have revision notes on all of y10 topics.

Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions

Good points from @TeenToTwenties on how to revise.

I wanted to add, make sure the tutors are knowledgeable about GCSE and the spec she is doing in particular. MFL is my subject and I have come across students tutored by a native speaker who clearly (sadly) had no idea what they needed to know to pass the exam. Hopefully your tutors are better but it’s worth checking.

The mark scheme is definitely your friend here. My DD had an encyclopedic knowledge of this for every subject. Incredibly valuable.

Ty so much

Really good advice and thanks

Does she know what kind of learner she is and what revision techniques work best for her? If not that’s key to spending her time effectively.

She may well have a lot of the knowledge needed already but she also needs to be familiar with and understand the curriculum for each subject and also understand the mark scheme for each paper. Exam technique is a very important skill to master. Doing lots of past papers and getting feedback from her teachers will help with this.

were they topic tests or mock style exams? If the later our school said expect them to improve by 1.5 grades so 5+ to a 7 as they are only a quarter to a third of the way through the 2 years of content. Additionally they do more past papers with them towards the end of year 11. Fingers crossed for your DD and my DTs.

Have they gone over the papers in lessons where they walk through each question and inform them what the correct answer should be? At my son's school they do it in a certain pen colour, "green for growth" so that they know this is assisted work. It also helps them use these papers for their future revision. However, their school is an incredibly supportive push every child school.

That way they learn that you start all papers with a zero and gain marks. It is basically a game and you learn how to gain points and move up levels. Further analysis can be to see if there is a pattern to not achieving higher marks ie does not know topic or does know it but cannot apply it, or did not write enough if say a 6 mark answer or did not use specific terminology needed.

Your DD needs to understand that this is not a level playing field. There are state schools like my child's who go the extra mile to help the children achieve amazing results and their progress 8 score reflects that. There are expensive private schools where parents are paying a crap load of money to try to ensure their child has an advantage (no judgement here) and your DD is competing with every child who will be sitting their GCSEs. She can easily improve her grade but she has to want to. It does involve work but in all honesty if you wrote down the number of hours she is awake over a week and work out how many free hours she has it might surprise you both.

My own child was probably around where your DD is now and decided he was going to do well in his GCSEs as all his mates were academically higher than him. He is a determined hard worker, resilient and had our backing, me especially. He did exceptionally well and finished in the top 5 children in his school. He saw the bigger picture, GCSEs help with A levels grades and then university options. It is about working smart, read the revision books yourself and see how to help her if she will let you.

In short, yes she can do well but she has to want it. You can help her identify how with revision books, youtube and talking to her teachers.

It also depends which subjects. English (mine) we'd be happy if not achieving prediction in y10 as there's a lot of additional skill learned as well as content. Media (also mine) has a narrower gap as once the topics been learned you should be pretty much there with content and the skills affect fewer long answer questions, there's more short response where you know or don't.

Where's the best place to help understand marking schemes?

Mark schemes for each paper are on the exam board website. The ones I use are pretty clear IMO. Are there specific subjects where you are struggling to understand?

No. I've just not looked so wasn't sure if other sources. I need to check exam board

Ah ok sorry. I would say done mark schemes are perhaps less detailed than the lay person might like. I’m thinking of level of detail expected in Eng lit essays for example, not sure how much is spelled out. Also obvs they presuppose some knowledge (eg MFL talks about accuracy and errors but if you don’t know the language well, you might not know when there are errors IYSWIM)

Than you. Tbh it's made me think it's something I really need to look into. And try get my dc to see it's good idea to understand

It’s completely understandable to feel concerned about the drop in predicted grades, but there’s definitely plenty of time for your daughter to turn things around. I’ve worked with many students in similar situations, and with the right approach, they can regain and even surpass their original targets.
A few key strategies that can make a big difference:

Targeted Exam Practice – Encourage her to work through past papers under timed conditions, focusing on exam technique as much as content. Identifying patterns in mark schemes and learning how to structure answers effectively can be a game-changer.
Active Revision Strategies – Passive revision (just reading notes) isn’t always effective. Techniques like blurting, spaced repetition, and teaching topics to someone else can help her retain information better.
Structured Tutoring Approach – Since she’s already receiving tutoring, it could be worth reviewing whether the sessions are targeting the key gaps in understanding and exam technique. A focused approach, rather than just covering topics broadly, can be more effective.
Mindset & Confidence – If she’s not pushing herself out there, it could be due to a confidence gap. Setting small, achievable goals (e.g., answering one more question per lesson, aiming for a slightly higher score in the next assessment) can help her build momentum.
Feedback & Reflection – Looking at her recent assessments, it would be helpful to identify exactly where marks are being lost. Is it content gaps, exam timing, or specific question types? Once these patterns are clear, the focus can be on targeted improvement.
The fact that she’s doing her homework consistently is a great sign—sometimes, it’s just about refining technique and approach rather than working longer hours. With the right tweaks, she can definitely get back on track.

If you’d like more tailored advice, I’d be happy to chat! 😊

Interesting , true about mark schemes, and gaining a few marks here and there.