Mock Results: What To Do Next?

If your son or daughter is studying for their GCSEs or A-levels they’ve have just sat mock exams and their mock results will be arriving. How can you now support your child?

Mock Results

If your child is happy with their result it’s still important to evaluate why it went well, and ideally, they should write down their answers to these questions:

Which revision strategies did they use?

How did they practise exam technique?

What will they do to maintain this?

If your child is unhappy with their result consider:

Did they revise? This is a tricky question as often pupils feel embarrassed that they did revise and it went wrong in the mock. It’s really important to distinguish whether it was a lack of revision, understanding, or difficulties with exam technique.

Are there particular topics they scored lower on?

Were there particular assessment objectives (AOs) they scored lower on? An assessment objective might be to describe, analyse or evaluate.

As much as possible follow up your child’s progress with these. The more they talk to you about their learning the better they do.

Tips for reviewing the mocks

Review mock feedback, if your child doesn’t understand encourage them to ask their teacher.

Look at the definitions for the assessment objectives (AOs) so that you are clear on what the examiner is looking for. See if your child can explain them to you.

Pick some practice questions that test the AOs, plan how you would answer the question and then write the answer, ask your teacher for feedback.

Parents’ evening

Year 11 Parents’ evening is on Monday 27 January. This is a great time for you to ask detailed questions about your child’s progress and what they need to do to develop future and prepare for the exams. If your child has coursework you can find out if any work is outstanding.

Top tips for Parents’ evening

Re-read any recent report

Talk to your child about their mock results and class and home assessments, are there any reoccurring mistakes or areas for development?

Take a pen and paper

Ask about extra revision sessions, revision tools and books

Find out when the exams are, under stress students often become muddled with exam timetables so it’s helpful if you’re aware of the dates

If it’s not clear from the mock feedback/report find out two or three clear action points

Fatal or Fruitful February

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that pupils are the least motivated in February. The stressful mock exam period is usually followed by stress-related colds and absence, then there’s the realisation they’ve got tons of information to revise and still lots of the course yet to cover, topped off with the impending coursework deadlines and the dreaded next group of mock exams. It’s not surprising students really struggle in this month. The message is to keep going and take all the advice and help on offer.