21 things parents can do at home to help children prepare for their GCSEs
These next few months will be crucial for young people sitting their GCSEs this summer✍
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There are now just months to go until GCSE exams begin
Secondary schools say there is plenty parents can do to help the exam process go smoothly
These can start right now, while students are still in the classwork and preparation phase
It’s always worth being mindful of young people’s feelings and the pressure they are under as well
The 2025 summer exam season is fast approaching, and many secondary school pupils will already be feeling the heat.
Across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, this year’s GCSE exams will kick off on 5 May. For many young people this will be their first real brush with formal exams, and they’ll have as much as two years of learning to go over in order to reach their full potential.
Fortunately, there is plenty parents and caregivers can do at home to streamline this process. We’ve taken a look at two parent guides written by secondary schools; one from Unity College in Burnley, Lancashire, and one from Kingston College in Southwest London.
Unity says that parents can play a big role in the exam process, without having to become subject matter experts or give up their own life or responsibilities. They can even be the difference between students passing or failing, or getting low or high passing grades.
Both schools agree it comes down to spending the time you do have in the best possible way, at each stage of the pre-exam process. Here are some of their tips for what you can do at each:
Tips for the classwork and preparation stage
As this summer’s GCSEs candidates enter their last months of schoolwork, they’ll be preparing to start revising for exams soon - if they haven’t already. The schools say that there are a number of things you can do to help this go smoothly, and pave the way for revision:
Make sure your child gets to school on time - and understands the importance of making the most of their remaining time in class.
Encourage them to empty their bag and file handouts and information from lessons at the end of each day, for easy access later.
Go to parents’ evenings and ask questions about how you can best help your child at home.
Talk to your child about how you can support them and what they would find helpful.
Buy revision tools like folders, dividers and wall charts so they have everything they need to start.
Help them choose one good revision guide for each subject - ask their teacher if you’re not sure which is best.
Sit down and create a revision timetable together, planning what they’ll study and when over the next few months.
Tips for the revision stage
Pupils can often spend years at school covering the course content for their GCSEs. With each young person typically taking seven to nine of them, that’s a lot of material to cover - some of which won’t exactly be fresh in their mind. Here are some of the schools’ tips for supporting and guiding them once revision is underway:
Help your child stick to their revision plan, including start and end times.
You can even help them come up with a reward structure for meeting their study goals.
Keep topping up their study area with pens, notepads, and other basic study tools - and don’t make a big deal about them getting misplaced
.Offer them water and their favourite snacks while they’re revising.
Be flexible - if a social occasion comes up during planned study time, agree on when they can make it up.
Stick to regular ‘check in’ times while they’re studying to see how it’s going.
Be sensitive to the pressure they’re feeling - and help them keep things in perspective.
If they start falling behind (as most students will at some point) or feeling anxious or overwhelmed, encourage them to talk about their feelings and help them find a sensible solution.
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Tips for exam day
For the most part, when the big day finally arrives it’ll be all up to your child, and the revision they have done. But there still a few things parents can do to help it go smoothly:
The exam period can be very stressful.
Remind your child they’ll soon be on the other side, and try to keep the home environment as stress-free as possible.
On the day, make sure they know where to go and have everything they need - from black pens, to calculators, to water.
Remind them to store or hand over their phones or smart watches to you first - these are not allowed in the exam with them.
On exam days, ask them if there is a breakfast study session they should be attending (and make sure they have a good breakfast regardless).
Make sure they set off with plenty of time to spare to avoid being late.
Before the exam, remind them that you love them no matter how it goes.
After an exam, ask how it went, “but don’t insist on a post-mortem”. If it went badly, remind them that tomorrow is another day.
If you’d like to learn more, check out some of our other GCSE content. To learn more about the different grades pupils can get and what they mean, try this one. If you’re interested in how GCSEs might be different in 2025 and beyond, try this one.
