Following on from Preparing your child for their GCSEs – Part 1, here are three more ways to ensure your child is going into their GCSE years with confidence:

1. Choose a good mix of subjects. For the first time in their academic career, your child actually has a say in which subjects they want to study. However, they will still need your guiding hand to make sure they select subjects that support both their individual strengths and their future university applications. Languages are always a good idea, if your child has an aptitude for them.

2. Identify weaknesses as soon as possible. Every child is stronger in some subjects than others, and it takes a great deal of discipline to focus study time on the more difficult subjects, particularly if they are mandatory and your child does not enjoy them. Using the services of a private tutor for the more challenging subjects can be a good way to boost your child’s confidence, as well as improve their exam scores.

3. Practise makes perfect. Most kids are terrified of exams – even if they won’t admit it to their parents! The more preparation you can give them, therefore, the better. Obtain practise papers and revision guides for each of their GCSE subjects so that your child can get used to the format of each of their exams. For subjects like English, which require essays to be written during the exam, you or your child’s home tutor should set “fake exams” to help them learn to write essays within a restricted timeframe.