Karen Collins, one of our GCSE Survival Guide contributors and the Lead Science Associate for PiXL, writes for the Tassomai blog about the structure of the science GCSEs and how parents can best prepare themselves and their children for science assessments.

The science GCSEs cover so many topics in such a short space of time that parents (and students for that matter) can be forgiven for not always keeping up with what is going on. With all the subjects students are assessed on during this time, the sheer size of the science courses can cause students a lot of stress from simply not knowing where to start. 

Practical knowledge

For all three sciences, there are basic facts and premises the students need to learn but the real challenge comes in the exams when they have to apply this knowledge to questions. Parents often help their children cement these key facts and then wonder why exams don’t go well, so it is important to make sure that they fully understand what they are learning rather than just regurgitating a series of words and phrases.

Practical activities are now tested during the end of course exams, rather than forming part of the coursework that is spread throughout the year as it used to be when parents were taking their exams. Students often struggle to apply their knowledge in these papers - there’s one classic example where students had learnt about an experiment testing how different sugar solutions affect osmosis on slices of potato, and when students were instead asked about carrots in an exam they had no idea what to say. These exams aren’t trying to intentionally throw the students off, they just want to make sure they know the material rather than merely repeating it. 

Where to look

Not only can it be hard for students to know where to start with their revision, but it can be hard to know where to help as a parent. My best advice is to make sure you know the exam boards for all of their different subjects from the start of the year, that way you can look up past papers, question styles and even old examiners reports if you’re really engaged in the subject. Looking at these reports can be really helpful for identifying areas where students have struggled in previous years; for example osmosis, electrolysis, waves, photosynthesis, and particle models almost always come up on these reports as students tend to struggle with them the most.

Tassomai is great for this and looking at their Tree tool makes it really easy to identify these weaker spots. Any information you can get like this that helps you to identify problem areas is brilliant, because as we all know, students like to start with the things they find easiest to give themselves a confidence boost, rather than working on the stuff they find most challenging. 

If this doesn’t work for your child then it’s the perfect opportunity to go back to their teacher and ask them to go over the topic again in class or in a revision session. It is always worth getting in touch with teachers to let them know if a student is struggling with a particular area because often the students won’t express this themselves.

Exam boards also publish the structure of their papers, which is something that can be really useful to talk through with your child. Papers tend to start with easier questions and then get harder as they go on, but each section will contain a question for a lower attaining student so it is important to keep going through the paper and remember that even if they are stuck on the last question in a section, the start of the next question is likely to be easier.

Things to remember

Most science papers require a calculator so make sure your child has one of their own if you can and is familiar with how to use it for the papers. And always remember a ruler for plotting a graph! As well as knowing their exam board, it’s also important to make sure you’re aware of whether your child is taking the foundation or higher paper, as in the higher physics paper, for example, students are not given an equation sheet, meaning they need to learn these equations by heart. 

It’s good to remember that even if your child is aiming for 8s and 9s, they still probably won’t need to get 95% on each paper - grade boundaries fluctuate all the time, so looking at past papers and mark schemes can be really helpful for knowing where and how grades are awarded. There are some small details that will help them to pick up extra marks though, including focusing on their spelling. I know it might seem harsh to mark a student down for spelling in a science exam, but there are several key terms in science that have very similar spellings but very different meanings, so it’s crucial that students show they understand this. 

The spellings of meiosis and mitosis are frequently mixed up, but relate to completely different processes, so practicing these key terms is a great way to ensure they will pick up all available marks in assessments.

Feeling out of your depth?

It can be hard to admit when your child’s learning suddenly overtakes your own understanding and you find yourself unable to help with their homework. Many parents have their own anxieties regarding maths and science and lack confidence when it comes to explaining topics to their children. If you want to keep pace with your child’s work, one of the best forms of revision is for students to explain their knowledge to another person, but it might be worth having a glance at BBC Bitesize summaries to make sure they’re telling you the right thing! 

Science is a fantastic subject but it’s incredibly broad in what is covered at GCSE level, so let this be something that inspires your child rather than deterring them. You can learn together and build their confidence overtime, eventually they will know more than they ever thought possible. 

- Karen Collins