My son feels he did very poorly in his mocks and is getting very anxious. To be fair, he has not been particularly attentive to his studies to date and is much more engaged in his sport. Can you offer any advice for the run-in to the State exams?
It’s not unusual for students to focus on sport – sometimes to the detriment of their studies. I would estimate that almost half of the young men I had the privilege to guide through their senior cycle years at second level expressed an interest in pursuing a career in sport. Such is the nature of youth.
Sitting the mocks can often be the wake-up call that brings the reality of what is in advance of them academically over the coming months into focus.
A key benefit of sitting the mocks, which entails the loss of at least a week of tuition time, is the experience of having a dry-run through the entirety of what this year’s cohort of students will experience in June.
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My son did poorly in the mocks and is now very worried. How can I get him on the right track?
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In many ways the more mistakes a student makes the better – there is plenty of time to learn from them between now and June. The results are, in one sense, largely irrelevant in that they count for nothing in terms of his progression into life after second-level education.
But, in another sense, the mocks are hugely relevant as a learning experience for him and all others taking the Leaving Cert this year.
My advice to students sitting the mocks has always been as follows: after each exam sit down and write out in detail the thoughts that occurred to them as they contemplated the task ahead as they read each paper.
What were the topics or questions they felt needed more work? Were there gaps in their knowledge or understanding of sections of the curriculum? These simple written reflections will provide the roadmap for your son’s study plans for the next four months.
When your son gets the scripts back from his school, carefully read any comments or observations written by the person who corrected the script. They are the most vital part of the whole process, as they may provide invaluable guidance on how to improve your performance in June.
If you are disappointed by your results, I would strongly advise against dropping down from higher to ordinary level in a subject, unless specifically advised to do so by a subject teacher.
There is no need to worry about them right now. As a parent don’t panic: be assured, his mocks are the wake-up call he needs. He can achieve a huge improvement in his grades in the coming months if he puts his mind to it now.
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