It can be a daunting thing when you receive a grade that’s lower than you were anticipating or you’re not able to keep up in class.
If you’re struggling with your grades, or have a child that’s struggling to keep up, then you might be wondering how to improve grades fast.
To improve your grades fast, you should:
Watch teaching videos and podcasts
Complete practise questions
Read exemplary top grade answers
Collect a list of topics for the exam
Get a tutor
Make a revision plan
1. Watch Teaching Videos & Podcasts
One of the best ways to improve your grades fast is to watch teaching videos and podcasts.
There are plenty of educational teaching videos and podcasts on platforms such as YouTube and Spotify that are free to watch. A few educational channels include, but are not limited to Corbett Maths, Dr Frost, Mr Bruff, AudioPi and Massolit to name a few.
Incorporating listening to these resources into your routine can help you to familiarise yourself with topics you’re less confident on, and will also help you to cement what you’ve learned from studying in school and during your revision sessions.
2. Read Exemplary Top Grade Answers
A good way to improve your grades quickly is to read exemplary top grade answers.
Reading top grade answers helps you to gain a better understanding of what the examiners are looking for and will allow you to prepare ahead of time.
This is a particularly useful strategy that you can try when time is limited. That said, you will need to ensure that you’re not just reading top grade answers, but are also studying them.
Be sure to use the top grade answers to your advantage by making notes on what you should include in your own answers, and to determine what they’re doing that you’re currently not.
3. Complete Practise Questions
You won’t get very far with improving your grades by simply reading textbooks, so it’s crucial that you also complete practise questions.
As writing ‘stimulates an area of the brain called the RAS (reticular activating system), which filters and brings clarity to the fore the information we’re focusing on’, completing practise questions helps you to retain information better than only reading.
You will need to ensure that you have the answers available for subjects like Maths and Science at the ready so you can self-assess your practise questions.
On the other hand, for essay-based subjects like English or History, you’ll need an expert such as a tutor to mark it and give a grade and feedback on how you can improve next time.
4. Collect A List Of Topics For The Exam
A highly strategic way to improve your grades fast is to collect a list of topics for the exam.
This is a good habit to get into regardless of the amount of time you have to prepare for an exam, as this will ensure that you’re not wasting precious revision time on topics that aren’t relevant to the exam.
After all, how can you adequately prepare for an exam thoroughly if you don’t know what topics are going to come up? Collecting a list will ensure that you’re revising the right topics and that you’re as ready as you can be prior to the exam.
Be sure to get ahead of the game by asking your teachers or your 1-2-1 tutor on what to expect from the exam, and be sure to incorporate each of the topics into your revision timetable. Start with the easy topics, then gradually introduce the harder ones.
5. Get A Tutor
Getting a tutor is by far the most effective way of improving your grades fast.
Tutors are highly effective in achieving the grades you desire. In fact, a study has found that 72% of students that received private tutoring improved their grades dramatically.
With the help of a 1-2-1 tutor, you’ll be able to highlight areas you need to focus on, get feedback on what you did well and need to improve on, and have the extra study support you need.
That said, it’s important to do your research to find a good quality tutor, as there are as many if not more low quality tutors than there are high quality tutors.
At GCSE Masterclass, we only use the very best tutors that can help you work on topics and areas you’re not confident in, helping you to improve your grades ten-fold.
6. Make A Revision Plan
Last, but not least, to improve your grades fast you will need to make a realistic revision plan.
Aim to do 1 to 2 hours of work every day alongside your studies. While it’s good to be disciplined with your time, it’s no good to assign yourself hours and hours of work to try to cram as much as you can into the time.
Considering that studies show that you’re more productive when you take ‘frequent breaks’, it’s important that you do the same.
That said, to get the most out of your revision sessions, you will need to ensure that you’re eliminating distractions when it comes to getting back to work.
To do this, place your phone in a drawer or somewhere you won’t be tempted to pick it up and make sure that you’re taking plenty of breaks throughout the day.
How We Can Help
At GCSE Masterclass, we use only the very best teachers. All our staff are fully qualified, experienced teachers who have a proven track record of high quality teaching and excellent results within their GCSE classes.
Contact us to find out more about how we can quickly improve your child’s confidence, grades, and future.
Written by Jemima, for GCSE Masterclass.