2. This advice has been tried and tested by my own mother on me when I was 16 years old! 1) Offer help: Sit your child down and ask how you can help. Ask to see their revision guides and let them know that you are there to test them, or even just to bring in cups of tea! 2) Remove distractions: Facebook can be a big distraction, so turn off the internet router for set periods of time and look after mobile phones during revision sessions. Keep siblings away so that there is a quiet place to study. 3) Encourage an evening study routine with regular breaks: No one can revise all the time. Short breaks help the brain to take in information. 4) Look for signs of stress: check your child is sleeping and eating regularly. Stay calm and avoid nagging or shouting, but above all… 5) …Be tough: Your child needs to revise to succeed and needs you to make sure that they get it done. Talk openly about revision and about what needs to be done and then follow up to make sure that they do it.

3. 10 Know the difference between long and short term memory (check that your child is revising WEEKS, not just days, before an exam)

4. 9 Work in half hour bursts (time how long they are working for and pop up with a cup of tea after 30 minutes)

5. 8 Never just read and read and read (ask them what activities they have been doing when you give them their tea)

6. 7 Work with a trustworthy friend (allow friends to visit, but check they are working )

7. 6 Record notes onto tape or CD (if you have a recorder let them use it)

8. 5 Make question cards (ask to see them and use them to give surprise tests)

9. 4 Make Mind Maps (let them stick them on walls and ask them why they have connected different strands together)

10. 3 Allow post it notes everywhere around your house (not just in their room: on the fridge, in the toilet etc)

11. 2 Make topic cards (ask to see them and use them to give surprise tests)

12. 1 Test your child on what they have done (Short surprise tests before tea or bedtime. Reward good performance and, if they don’t know enough, make them go and do half an hour’s extra study and then test them again)

13. A final push now will make all the difference on results day! better paid safe successfulhappy Research has shown the huge difference that parents and carers can make to their children’s success in exams and that children who do well in their exams go on to gain better paid jobs and be more safe, successful and happy in their careers and life.