Many students have been sitting, or are set to sit, mock 13+, GCSE or A-level exams. I’ve never met a student who enjoys mocks – they’re stressful and disruptive (studying for these exams is not very compatible with a relaxing Christmas and New Year…).
Parents are often surprised by their children’s mocks results. Some are pleasantly reassured by a formal confirmation that their son or daughter is continuing in line with, or surpassing, teachers’ predictions. Others are disappointed, finding it difficult to reconcile results with recent complimentary end-of-term school reports, consistently high marks in the ongoing informal classroom tests and/or quantity of pre-mocks studying they had seen in the weeks or even months before.
Students can suffer a hefty knock to self-confidence and become disheartened if their mocks results aren’t in line with expectations and parents may feel uneasy, but the mocks play a vital role in the exam calendar. Teachers use the mocks to identify topics the class as a whole is finding challenging and to plan lessons accordingly. More generally, schools may use the mocks as another important factor when considering students’ predicted grades, for use internally and for circulation to the other institutions that may require them – if a student is seeking to enter another school’s sixth form, the student’s school will be asked to send predicted GCSE grades, while a student’s predicted A-level grades are included in the school’s Ucas undergraduate reference.
Entrance exams and academic qualification exams are significant. How students perform may impact which subjects they will be able to study next and where they will be able to study. The exams are substantial too, coming at the end of a vast two- or three-year syllabus. Candidates may find themselves facing questions centred on a particular topic, subtopic, sub-subtopic or even a particular (obscure) example or counterexample that tests their depth of knowledge and ability to apply analytical/interpretive skills in unexpected contexts against the clock.
The mocks serve as a crucial rehearsal which:
- Allows students to become aware of what they currently do and don’t know.
- Gives students early insights into the experience of sitting the full set of exams. For students sitting 13+ entrance exams or GCSEs these may be their first major external exams. Meanwhile, advanced qualification exams may a student’s first comprehensive formal assessments since GCSE (this is already the case with Pre-U students where assessment is focused on exams at the end of the two-year course, and will also increasingly apply to students in schools that choose to drop the standalone AS qualification from their curriculum to give full attention to the new linear A-levels uninterrupted).
- Serve as a beacon. Psychological research (and intuition) tells us that we often give a lower priority to events – even major ones – scheduled weeks or months in the future. A timely reminder helps us become conscious that we don’t have as much time as we think. For students in upper sixth, Ucas applications will already have obliged them to focus their thoughts on their academic interests, motivations and performance objectives in general terms. But the mocks provide a more particular reminder of the relevance, importance and imminence of the final exams.
Parents and students should try not to feel stressed by the mock results. These are, after all, ‘mocks’ – simulations organised in advance so that students have time to prepare appropriately for the ‘main event’.
Parents can help their children greatly at this time by:
- Consoling them, reminding them that these are mock exams, and not the ones that ultimately will count most
- Talking to their teachers to understand the mocks results in context and obtain guidance about what topic areas may require particular attention
- Encouraging them to start giving appropriate attention to their studies if they haven’t already done so
- Helping them start to create a clear and practical revision plan
- Prompting them to remain up to date with teachers’ revision notes and course materials
- Assisting them in prioritising and scheduling other commitments so they keep the workload manageable and minimise stress
- Ensuring they are having enough sleep
- Helping them maintain other interests – all work and no play doesn’t only make Jack/Jill a dull boy/girl, it leads to frustration, lack of motivation, loss of confidence, exhaustion and unhappiness
- Encouraging them to take advantage of any revision sessions offered by the school
- Being supportive – celebrating their progress so they continue to build self-confidence
Experienced tutors can make a substantial impact supporting students preparing for 13+, GCSE or A-level exams. A subject specialist with deep curriculum understanding can structure an effective programme of exam tuition that complements the student’s learning and revision at school. The tutor can help the student reinforce, stretch and deepen subject knowledge, move through blocks in understanding, develop exam techniques and build self-confidence for that final, real event.