GCSEs are right around the corner, and if you are the parent of a child who is about to take these important tests, you might be wondering about the best ways that you can help prepare them to ensure success.

Effective Exam Revision – What Can a Parent Do to Help?

There are many different ways that you can help your child during the revision period.

• Provide a calm and quiet place for revision – Can you do your best work with music blaring or the TV on? Probably not – and neither can your teenager. Ensure that they have a quiet and distraction-free zone in the home for at least a few hours each night. This can include keeping younger siblings occupied, turning down any external noise (radio, TV, music) and giving them some uninterrupted time to study.
• Hire a private tutor – Practice makes perfect, and some subjects do not come easily to otherwise bright students. Your child has the capacity to be clever at maths/ geography/ sciences etc., but their early difficulties grasping the subject may have left them convinced they are no good at the subject. Hiring a private tutor, such as Fleet Tutors, for some focused one on one tuition can empower them and arm them with the skills and knowledge that they need to succeed at their GCSEs.
• Go through past exam papersOne of the best ways to prepare for the impending exams is to do practice exam papers in exam conditions. Again a private tutor will help your child get the most out of these by providing more realistic exam conditions than their own home setting and by going through the answers with them afterwards and providing targeted help when it comes to areas that need to be improved.
• Provide healthy snacks and well balanced meals –While the common trope of someone “cramming” for an exam features a student slugging back cola drinks, munching on sugar and overdoing it on caffeine, studies show that we focus better and learn more when we have balanced nutrition. Encourage your child to drink plenty of water, and cook them healthy and delicious meals packed with vitamins and minerals.
• Be their cheerleader – By continuously communicating to your child that you believe in them and know they can succeed, you will boost their confidence. Do note – this is different than providing pressure or stressing them out with high expectations! Reassure them that you love them no matter what and that you believe that they will do their best.

By following these tips, you can encourage and support your child to do their best and succeed in their GCSEs. Start as soon as possible, as the earlier you hire a tutor or begin the other tips, the more you increase their chances of success.

This post was brought to you in collaboration with Fleet Tutors. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Mum in the Mad House possible.