Ep. 83 -"There's no right or wrong answers!" declared by the teacher as if it's a good thing.As if that's helpful.Argh - I hated hearing that as a student and, to be honest, still hearing that today as a teacher and examiner who does know how to deal with those types of questions, it’s still not helpful. It doesn’t give any direction or guidance. And actually - there clearly IS a right answer. Otherwise everyone would be getting 20 out of 20 for those big essay questions, and that definitely isn’t happening.Listen in to discover: - how your teen can figure out what at least one of the right answers is, - the official proof of why this is the case and - how they can compose a clear and focused response.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 18: The Truth Behind Creative TasksFollow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 82 -Here are my three bold predictions of what assessment and exam questions will and won't look like for your teen this year, and what I hope are some helpful insights to have them approach them with more confidence and less confusion.You will learn:What no question will ever ask - even though lots of students try to answer it!What proportion of mark schemes are directly related to subject content - and what else is on them that your teen needs to focus on just as much. The Chief Examiner feedback that repeats EVERY year - and how your teen can use it to learn from others' mistakes.And much more!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Ability Vs Capacity: Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast - Ep. 81Hardworking Vs Overworking: Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast - Ep. 34 Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

We use the word 'potential' a lot when it comes to students and their performance.But how do we bridge that gap between your teen's current ability and their potential?Here's how I see it:Ability is what your teen IS achieving right now.​​​​​​​Capacity is what they could be achieving right now, with their existing subject knowledge, IF they had the tweaks, insights and skills to MAXIMISE that knowledge.Capacity is what they could be producing, not with a ton of extra work, knowledge and intelligence, but if we just removed 'the kinks of the hose', or 'took off the handbrake' that's holding them back as they push hard on their accelerator.It's what they have now, already inside of them, just OPTIMISED at full capacity.   FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades."Getting better results, and taking less time": Tara and Kevin's case study videoFollow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program

Ep. 80What could your teen consider doing less of next year in their study to create success, rather than always thinking about doing more? This is definitely something I need to consider too - as I’m naturally a 'more is more' person, so if your teen also has the tendency to think they need to do more and more in their study in order to get more marks, but is already working really hard, then maybe it's time to consider how to be more strategic, by doing less of certain things.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 34: Hardworking Vs. OverworkingEpisode 71: What Are You Doing Differently?Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program

Ep. 79Who wants to waste time or effort treating the symptoms of a a problem when we could eradicate the cause?  Understanding the issues (symptoms) and figuring out the root problems (causes) of your teen's study struggles - and then solving those root causes - is how we create lasting change and BIG improvements.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by Katie in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: (for 10WGT grads only) Work with Katie personally to apply the skills and strategies from the 10WGT accurately and effectively, and then amplify them to take things to the Next Level.

Ep. 78 -Here's how my response has changed over the years when a student says, “I’m just no good at this.” (whatever ‘THIS’ is) Or “I hate _____”   -  a subject, a type of task - like an essay or a speech - or maybe a text they’re reading.The thing is, it's not realistic to think that they're going to love or be good at everything. So, I no longer try to convince them that it's actually great or useful. But instead, I tend to acknowledge and hear their feelings, and show them how to 'embrace the suck'!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program

Ep. 77 - I’ve reverse-engineered almost everything I share and teach so that instead of ‘guessing forwards’...- I’ve taken what I KNOW is required, - worked back to figure out what students need to do and then - figured out steps and systems so they can do it for themselves. In this episode, I’m sharing what I do to reverse-engineer tasks and skills, how I do it and why, so that you know where my info is coming from, and maybe have your teen reverse-engineering their next assessment.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program

Ep. 76 -Who of us doesn’t want to spend more time on things we enjoy, find fulfilling or that contribute positively to things we want for our lives? It's not a problem spending time on something that may not bring us a 'productive' outcome if we're using that time for pure enjoyment.But, if we're using it doing something we don't want to be doing, thinking that it will create an outcome we want - which is not actually the case - then we'll likely want to change that. Gaining knowledge and awareness of these things, and then intentionally choosing how we use and spend our time, means we're more likely to create outcomes that align with our own personal goals AND have us experience more enjoyment in our lives. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 69: Perfect Vs. Productive Follow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 75 -Uncertainty in the exam hall sounds like your teen's brain either screaming out or just quietly muttering things like: - What does the question really mean? - What is it actually asking? - What do they want in the response? - How much detail should I go into? - What will get marks and what WON’T get marks? So, let’s talk about how to turn that uncertainty into confidence - and results. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 73: Not All Stress is BadEpisode 74: Fear of the UnknownFollow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 74 -One common cause of exam stress is the 'fear of the unknown'.Not knowing what topics will come up.Not knowing what questions will be asked.Having to prepare for something unseen.Although a moderate level of stress is healthy - and even beneficial... see the previous episode! - if you're looking to reduce your teen's stress level, addressing the root causes of this 'fear of the unknown' might be a way to do just that.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 52: Active RevisionEpisode 73: Not All Stress is BadFollow Rock Solid Study on FacebookFollow Rock Solid Study on InstagramHave your teen trained by me in the 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 73 -Stress often comes from uncertainty, a lack of control or feeling like we can’t get done what needs to be done.These issues are all in play when it comes to exams.However, it's important to remember: Stress is normal and has its benefits.Stress hormones are released to help us cope.In the 'right' amounts, these actually increase our focus, our energy, our alertness. The exact things we need in the exam hall.This episode is about helping your teen operate within the healthy and yes, actually beneficial, amounts of exam stress.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Follow Rock Solid Study and find the Open Q&A recording on FacebookHarvard Business Review:  Are You Too Stressed to Be Productive? Or Not Stressed Enough?(including the Yerkes-Dodson Law of performance graph)The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 72 -Students often think that if they 'could just see an A-grade exemplar' they'd be able to emulate and produce at that level themselves. I agree that the land of top marks can sometimes feel kinda mysterious (which is what I strive to uncover and simplify for students!) and so seeing a real life example can help.But seeing a model answer or example only gives half the story (or even less). In this episode, we dive into how exemplars can help and how they don’t help when your teen’s trying to achieve similar results for themselves. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 35: Questions That Create SuccessFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 71 - "If nothing changes, nothing changes."If your teen would like something about their study to change - maybe it's their results, maybe its how long assignments are taking, maybe it's something else - then this might be a good time to ask “What Are You Doing Differently?”.Listen in for an example of how one student made changes that had them go from results in the 40s to the 80s for one of her subjects.Plus, ideas for what your teen could change in their study this term.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Case study video with Maxine and Natalie: Her teacher asked 'What are you doing differently?Rock Solid Study Facebook page Rock Solid Study Instagram pageThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 70 - Special episode!Audio reading of the Free Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades. Get the PDF copy for FREE at:www.gradetransformation.com FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 1: The Study Success FormulaEpisode 63: 'The Game' - Playing The Game of AcademicsThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet your PDF copy of the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 69 -I often see students aiming for perfection when perfection is not needed, and moreover, is actually hindering them and their performance. On the other hand, I also see students (sometimes the exact same student!) not paying enough attention to getting as close to perfect as possible, when actually that’s what they do need to be doing.This is the battle between perfection vs productivity.Listen in to find out which one is required - and when - for best possible results and optimal return on effort.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Monthly FB Live Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook PageThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 68 - It's almost inevitable that at some point your teen will get a result that is, to them, disappointing. Maybe they put in lots of time and effort...Maybe they thought they'd given correct, or good, answers...But the result isn't what they expected or hoped for.After hundreds of conversations over the years, helping students come to terms with and create positive outcomes from a disappointing result, I've found two critical aspects in conversations that may help your teen connect with and then constructively move forward and upwards from a result they felt disappointed with.Listen to find out what they are and how I use them.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 13: Assessment Post-MortemsThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades. 

Ep. 67 - I sometimes see students 'hedging their bets' in exams and assessments because they aren't:-  certain what the question is really asking;-  sure how the marks are going to be allocated or what’s really required for the top criteria;-  confident in the subject content. So they give more than is asked for in their answer, in the hope that at least some of it will get them some marks.However, this is rarely a good strategy and in this episode, I explain why.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 66: Minimise Decisions in the Exam HallThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 66 -In this episode I share an example of exam prep decisions that I recommend students make AHEAD of the exam, rather than in the exam hall. Plus, I'll explain how this ties into being efficient as well as effective during exam prep, practice and revision.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 60: How to Choose a GREAT Topic in Open TasksThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 65 -Has your teen ever received the feedback or red-pen comment of 'add more detail' ?I'm sharing:what ‘add more detail’ really means(and what it DOESN'T mean!)what teachers are actually after when they say it.Plus, I give you:the two-letter word that will help your teen quickly and easily 'add more detail' in their writing> whether it’s an essay, assignment, research inquiry task, speech or even in something more creative like a story or design.two ways to use that two-letter word and provide examples of how this sounds when it's put into action> so your teen 'triggers' more marks on the scheme and moves up the levels of response.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The full Facebook Live video with Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook PageThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 64 -If you were like me as a student and thought that writing a short story, was all about the storyline, then listen in.This week, I explain why the story itself is actually one of the least important factors when it comes to the marking of the task.Plus, I’ll share with you 4 shortcuts you can use to help your teen write a stunning short story, creative writing piece or narrative.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.The Naplan Writing Test: Narrative Marking Guide https://www.nap.edu.au/_resources/2010_Marking_Guide.pdf QCS Y12 WritingTest Mark Scheme https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/senior/qcs_retro_18_3.pdf

Ep. 63 - Your teen is playing a game right now in their study and exams, whether they signed up for it or not.The game is all about responding to demands.- How well can they do it, with the knowledge they have.I want your teen to enjoy playing the game and ideally, WIN at the game - if they want to. Therefore the game I'm playing is to give you, your teen and their teachers the 'how to play' sheet, by delivering the insider info, skills and tactics to help them win AND make it fun.FEATURED ON THE SHOW: Episode 1: The Study Success FormulaThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 62Help your teen identify and prioritise the best thing for them to work on, at a particular time, and then to do it in the optimal way.This week, I'll help you in supporting your teen to become more strategic in their study, so they get more bang for their buck, with higher results and less hours slaving over their assignments, homework and revision. FEATURED ON THE SHOW: Episode 1: The Study Success FormulaEpisode 41: Hope is NOT a StrategyThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 61So, your teen’s picked a topic for their latest research assignment, investigation or inquiry task, now they have to come up with a Research Question. Today we’re going to talk about what makes a great Research Question. How should they word it? And how should they craft it so that their response ticks as many of the top criteria as possible?FEATURED ON THE SHOW: Episode 1: The Study Success FormulaEpisode 41: Hope is NOT a StrategyThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching:  Open to graduates of the 10WGTGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 60When your teen has some free choice on what to study for their next investigation project, inquiry task or presentation, it's not just about picking a topic that they love or that sounds interesting.There are three key considerations that will help them select a topic that means they can meet the requirements of the task and the demands of the marking criteria at the grade they're aiming to achieve.Enter... the Triple A Topic Chooser system!FREE RESOURCE LINK BELOW!A way to reverse engineer their choice so they can complete the task with maximum success (and hopefully, enjoyment along the way).FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get the 'Triple A Topic Chooser' Resource: Free Download (+ Coaching Call Excerpts!)Video clip: Two excerpts of me coaching students on choosing the best topic for their assignmentThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 59Just setting a goal doesn't give the HOW to achieve it.And just saying 'I'll study harder'  isn't strategic enough to ensure your teen hits the goal, or does it in the most efficient or effective way.The 3 steps of setting a 'HOW Goal' mean your teen not only knows exactly what outcome they're setting out to achieve, but they also: - have the exact 'how-to' path to get there in the most direct way,- chunk it down into manageable pieces and - know how to deal with any set-backs that may (or will!) arise. The key is to focus on making the HOW the goal. Doing 'the things' IS the goal, so that the outcome takes care of itself.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 2: Why Your Teen Procrastinates (even though they want to get it done)Episode 53: Motivation Mindset HackEpisode 54: Staying Focused When StudyingThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 58.Have you ever heard a celebrity, or even your teen's school, proclaim that their 'results don't matter'?Maybe you've said it to your teen.Maybe they've said it to you.I'd love for this statement, which honestly feels pretty extreme, to stop being banded around every year. And I'd love for students, parents and anyone else who wants to care about results, to feel like they have the permission to care about them and go after them. I get that we don't want students pinning everything on their grades or exam results,but do we need to go straight to the other end of the spectrum, just to balance it out?Because in the big scheme of life, I totally agree - their results DON'T matter.But sometimes for some students, in some ways... (which when joined together make a LOT of ways)... they DO.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 57 -Here's a way that your teen can INCREASE their marks by writing LESS:By shortening the quotes that they reference in essays and assignments, in order to show that they can be discerning in their selection of evidence.Listen in to discover how this shows up in marking criteria and how you can help your teen do this in their own assessments.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 56: 'Clear' is NOT Basic, 'Succinct' IS SophisticatedHSC Advanced English exam paper - Examination Feedback: 2022: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/resource-finder/hsc-exam-papers/2022/english-advanced-2022-hsc-exam-packThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 56 -How can your teen write with sophistication, but without being verbose?How do they give detail, whilst also being succinct?Is it better for your teen's writing to be clear but more basic, or all professional and fancy-sounding?And how can they get the perfect combination of detailed AND concise, withOUT the waffle?In this episode, I'm dishing the details on why -'Clear' is NOT the same as 'Basic'and'- Succinct' does NOT mean 'Simple'when it comes to your teen's writing!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:HSC Advanced English exam paper - Examination Feedback: 2022: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/resource-finder/hsc-exam-papers/2022/english-advanced-2022-hsc-exam-packBehind the scenes and bonus tips: Rock Solid Study Facebook page The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 55I love task 'reflections', also called ‘critical reflections’.I know that to many students, a critical reflection can just feel like an added piece of work bolted onto the main assessment and therefore they might be tempted to just dash it off. But these small but mighty critical reflections are a golden opportunity to boost marks not just in the reflection itself, but also in the major assignment piece that your teen is having to reflect on.Listen in to hear how.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 54It's harder than ever to stay focused and on task.With notifications flashing up on screen, phones pulling us away from the task at hand and a thousand other things at our fingertips that are more exciting than the thing we're supposed to be doing.If you have a teen who wants to reduce their susceptibility to distractions and stay more focused on each of their study tasks, then this is the episode for you.Listen in to find out my advice on helping your teen resist the lure of the phone or the temptation to open a new tab on the laptop when they should be studying >>> so they get tasks done faster, to a higher standard and have more time and freedom for other things (that they can fully enjoy, rather than half-enjoy because they're multi-tasking).FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 5: More Free Time (WithOUT Sacrificing Grades)The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 53This motivation mindset hack is a small but mighty reverse psychology trick that can be super-helpful when your teen has a task that they just don’t want to do. It'll help them turn it into something they DO want to do, so they finally get it done - minus the moaning!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 2: Why Your Teen Procrastinates (even though they want to get it done).The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 52If your teen has ever:- gone blank or 'frozen' in an exam,or-wished they could better memorise information,ORif you've seen them revising BUT... - doing it in ways that are taking for.ev.er ​​​​​​​(like writing out pages upon pages of notes, or stacks and stacks of revision cards)or - in a way that just isn’t really very effective ​​​​​​​(like just watching tutorial videos or 'reading over' their notes)---then they're likely using 'passive' revision techniques in their exam prep.​​​​​​​This is not good. Because this type of revision is usually time-consuming and ineffective.Help your teen use more active revision techniques so they have the information they're working so hard to memorise go in, stay in and flow easily from brain to paper in the exam hall.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Parent webinar: Exam Technique - How your teen can excel in their exam prep and performance.The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 51There's ONE question that no exam has EVER asked (and never will). WHY are we talking about a question your teen will never be asked? Because so many students still try to answer it. Argh! Listen in to make sure your teen doesn't fall into this trap!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:LIVE Parent webinar - Tue 30th May: The Exam Success Framework: What's required for ULTIMATE EXAM PERFORMANCE (and what isn't!).Episode 50: The 6 Elements of Exam TechniqueHSC 2022 Biology: Exam Paper and Marking GuideThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 50Exam technique is what turns your teen's knowledge into marks.From marking tens of thousands of exam papers, I've distilled the overall skill of exam technique into 6 elements:Q - Quality of  written communication U - Using resources provided explicitly E - Examples and case studiesS - Structure T - TimeC - Command words  In this episode you'll discover why they’re important and how each of them can increase your teen’s results with their existing level of subject knowledge.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Exam Technique: Tips and Tricks from a York University lecturer(you'll see a LOT of overlap here with what I teach and preach!)The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 49We know that 'teaching to the test' is not a good thing.It's sometimes likened to 'giving a man a fish'.A quick fix, with little to no long term benefit.In this episode we explore more about why this is and what to do instead to increase the likelihood of success in exams, tests and assessments.In this episode you will learn:-  what exactly 'teaching to the test' looks like.-  why it doesn't produce any long term benefits (beyond getting a mark on a report card).-  how it's different to 'TRAINING FOR the test' and why 'training for' is a more successful way to play the game of academic assessment (and win!).FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 3: What Exams are REALLY TestingThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 48Is your teen cycling on the long, hard path to reach their study goals? (Because they don't know any other way.)What if they were handed the keys to a car that means they can get to places they never realised they could reach?Those are Phases one and two.The next is to learn to drive the car. That's Phase 3.And then they have an option to become a master of 'driving'. To take to the racetrack. To make everything fast yet accurate. To achieve controlled precision. To be confident and in control, no matter what course or race they're faced with.The fourth phase of mastery - and the reality of this in their study - is having practiced, proven systems for success, so they tackle any task they're set confidently, efficiently, accurately and do it all 'automatically' throughout their classwork, homework, assignments and exams. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open 1-5th May, 2023   (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)Get my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 47What's required for the top criteria in extended response exam questions, essays and assignments?In this Quick Tips episode taken from my recent Facebook Live Q&A + Bonus Tips session, you will learn:The difference between what's deemed 'Effective' and what's considered 'Skillful' according to marking criteria for assignments,> PLUS - the nitty-gritty of what 'Skillful' actually requires in your teen's writing. How to create a 'sustained' and 'strong' extended response or essay. What QWC is and how to achieve a high mark for it.>>> See the full replay, including my 30 mins of in-depth answers to the excellent Q's that were asked by a range of parents and students.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Waitlist (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)Monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook PageJump on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 46 Whether your teen's aiming for top marks in English, or hates reading and just wants to 'get through English', this episode if for you.Gemma Toms is our English-Focus Coach, Shakespeare ninja, literature lover and examination extraordinaire.As well as being an in-demand high school teacher in the UK, she's also an external examiner, lead marker, senior examiner, moderator AND she even works as a professional editor, too (just for fun)! Here's WHAT YOU'LL LEARN from my conversation with Gemma: What your teen should do BEFORE they start reading any substantial text they're set (and the two things they should know before they dive in). Better ways to develop a deep understanding of a novel or play (rather than re-reading it). How to encourage a reluctant reader. How to choose the BEST evidence when planning or writing an analytical essay. What to do (and NOT do) in top responses when aiming to achieve top criteria. Tips for proofreading and critiquing your teen's writing if they ask you to read over it.  Small edits that will make a BIG difference to final marks in creative or original writing. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Waitlist (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)Monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook PageJump on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 45Confidence is a feeling created by thoughts  like 'I can do this' or 'I'm good at this sort of thing' or 'I'll be able to figure it out'.Confidence varies over time and also between different situations. It can be dented or it can be built and when it comes to your teen's study, some of the best ways I've found to build their confidence is by giving them: - the knowledge and skills to create success (evidence that they CAN indeed do it!) AND - do it in a way where they have control and know HOW they created that success.So they can do it AGAIN.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Monthly Facebook Live Open Q&A: Rock Solid Study Facebook PageThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Waitlist (Enrolment open to 10WGT graduates only)Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 44There's a lot of talk and media spotlight on artificial intelligence at the moment.I’m pragmatic about things. I don’t think that the education system and exams and assessment are changing any time soon. Not within my lifetime and therefore not within your teen’s education. I’m working with the system we’ve got to make education as successful, positive and enjoyable as possible for students. I want to equip parents and students with the skills to be able to create their best possible success in a way that is sustainable for them.And with that said, these are my current observations and thoughts on how I see A.I. impacting education at the moment. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: (For 10WGT graduate students only)Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 43What are some of the best skills and tips to set your teen up for success as they start high school?I'm not talking about the basics like organising their pencil case or laying out their uniform the night before.Listen in for my top three study habits I recommend setting up in the early years of high school, the overall purpose of instilling them AND what to do if your teen’s further along but doesn’t have these in place yet.YOU WILL LEARN:- Why awareness is the most important 'competence' and how to build it.- Exactly why I recommend the 10WGT for Y9 - 12 / Y10 - 13 and the certain situations where it might be appropriate to start earlier.- How to make sure your teen isn't studying longer or harder than they need to, without dampening their spirit or work ethic.- What's important to know and do in order to get maximum return on their effort.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 5: More Free Time WithOUT Sacrificing GradesThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: (For 10WGT graduate students only)Get on my email list and receive my Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 42Does your teen wish they had more time?More time to prep for their exams.More time to hang with friends.More time for whatever they want in life.Do you wish they had more time so they have a better life balance? Or,  so they could do the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program to become more efficient and effective in their study so they spend LESS time studying and get MORE marks along the way? ;)(Or maybe just put away their laundry?!)In this episodeYOU WILL DISCOVER:- 5 ways your teen can create more time in their week. - How faster can also mean higher quality and more marks.- Why 'having too much to do' is NOT the cause of stress - and what IS.- The skills and actions that will have your teen feeling calm and in control of their study.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 2: Why Your Teen Procrastinates (even though they WANT to get it done).Episode 5: More Free Time, WITHOUT Sacrificing GradesEpisode 24: The Skill Web10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to graduates of the 10WGT only. Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 41Today we’re talking strategies. I’m going to tell you some of my top study strategies that I train students in AND the strategy that I see many students using (and that they and their parents are in fact sometimes relying on), that isn’t a strategy at all. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 29: The Two Words I NEVER Say (Anymore)The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlistGet on my email Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 40Exams and tests where students have a prompt to respond to, either a text statement or an image, and have to produce an extended piece of original writing (like the NAPLAN Writing Test, the GAT Writing Task and Module C of HSC Advanced English)often have students agonising over things that, in terms of the mark scheme, don't matter.Writing tests are simply vehicles for your teen to show their writing skill and level.The actual topic or story-line they choose is not important overall.Join me behind the scenes of these types of exams and tests to discover:- what is most important in them,- the specific TEN criteria your teen will be marked on, one way of another,and- why your teen should select an idea that allows them to showcase all ten elements to the highest level.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 18: The Truth Behind Creative TasksNAPLAN Narrative Writing Marking GuideNAPLAN Persuasive Writing Marking Guide(Both from: https://www.nap.edu.au/resources)The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlistGet on my email Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 39Get the most out of parents' evenings. Here are three questions you can ask your teen’s teachers that’ll help you get tangible take-aways and feel like you actually know what’s going on, without feeling like you’re grilling the teacher. (Or maybe you’d love to grill the teacher, in which case these will also work. Just ask them with your best 'stern face') ;)FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Get your FREE Resource! >>> Get the Most Out of Parent's Evenings: Useful questions to ask (+ Bonus Tips!) that'll give you tangible take-aways (and leave you feeling like you actually know what's going on).Episode 19: Q&A ~ Doing 'Extra Study' + Making Your Teen a Better WriterThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlistFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 38If the skills of 'application' - dissecting questions, responding to specific commands, note-taking, active revision and more - are so critical to students' success, why aren’t they being taught in schools? AND - a less common question, but one I got recently - why aren’t there more teachers or tutors or tutoring companies out there delivering this stuff?Listen in to discover my answers and find out more about how I came to be delivering this training and coaching.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlistFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 37Is it really as easy as just getting the skills of application on board in order to achieve study success?Do we really want your teen's study to be easy? (Answer: Yes AND no) ;)Listen in to hear what I believe SHOULD be easy (and how to make it so!), so that your teen can focus on challenging themselves in the right ways with the right things, so they work at and achieve their true potential, without it being harder than it needs to be.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Episode 1: The Study Success FormulaEpisode 7: Reducing Exam StressEpisode 13: Assessment Post-MortemsThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: for 10WGT graduate students onlyFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 36.Whether your teen is feeling unmotivated across the board in their study, or maybe they’re just having a bit of a temporary slump, or perhaps they struggle to get motivated for certain subjects, then there will likely be ideas in here that will be helpful.  It can be helpful to take the focus from them being unmotivated as a personal character trait when it comes to study, to thinking about why they are feeling unmotivated.Therefore, this isn't so much about how to GET them motivated in the moment, but rather taking a long term view on getting to the root of WHY they're not motivated, and then finding ways to solve that.FEATURED ON THE SHOWEpisode 2: Why Your Teen Sometimes Procrastinates (even though they want to get it done)Episode 13: Assessment Post-MortemsEpisode 35: Questions That Create SuccessThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: for 10WGT graduate students onlyFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 35Why did they get that result?Like really, really why?What specifically, on their page, had the marker tick that criteria?These and more questions that your teen can ask about their study, will create more success in future, when they answer them in detail.We’ll talk about why most students don’t do this and the misguided reason behind it, and discuss the benefits that are waiting for your teen when they do.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching (for 10WGT graduate students only): Join the waitlistFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 34The difference between hardworking and overworking and how to ensure your teen can work hard without doing more than is required, so they achieve great things and still have a great life balance.FEATURED ON THE SHOWEpisode 30: If it's Not Difficult, it's Not Doing AnythingFree Parent Webinar: Your Teen's New Year Group - How to Have Them Nail it!The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 33As a student I always thought two things changed when you moved up a year level: the difficulty of the subject content, and the type of task you had to write. E.g. essay instead of a project, exam instead of a test.But as a teacher, exam marker and assessment moderator, I know now that these aren’t the only things that up-level.And it’s the hidden, more subtle changes that catch students out. Listen in to discover how these hidden new demands show up and the essential skills that'll help your teen meet them so they succeed this year and every year beyond.FEATURED ON THE SHOWEpisode 1: The Study Success FormulaEpisode 6: If Your Teen's Grades Dropped For No ReasonThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 32Here are seven things I see a lot of struggling students doing, that are keeping them stressed, keeping them working longer and harder than is necessary and stopping them from achieving the results they’re truly capable of.If your teen is struggling to get the results they want, or getting top results but doing it the hard way, then take a listen and see if it's because they're doing any of these...FEATURED ON THE SHOWEpisode 30: If it's Not Difficult, it's Not Doing AnythingThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 31An easy and effective way for you to help your teen create practical strategies to achieve their goals this year.Just ask these three simple questions to help them highlight good things they're already doing and identify potential improvements - all in a super-tangible way.Extension task ;)- Make sure they know 'WHY' for each answer, so they have logical reasoning and a clear link to the outcome they want.FEATURED ON THE SHOWEpisode 22: How to Support Your Teen (and Survive) During Exams - with Michelle Mitchell.The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 30If your teen ever finds their study (especially exam revision or test prep) challenging, the good news is, they're likely 'doing it right'.​As long as the challenge is coming from the content rather than any feelings of overwhelm or stress, that is.Because I often see students busy 'studying', but... being 'busy' does not necessarily create progress.Increasing the amount of activity, does not necessarily increase results.For your teen to get most return on effort, they need to be doing things that will make the biggest difference.This means doing - the right type of activities- at the right level of challenge.Therefore, if it doesn't feel 'difficult' in some way, then the truth is, it's probably not really doing much to advance them or their results.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide:3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 29I want to share with you two words I used to say all the time to students, and you’ve likely said them to your teen too.But, I’ve very intentionally stopped saying them over the past few years (or at least tried to - they do slip out every once in a while).Listen in to find out what they are and - more importantly - why I never say them anymore.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation Program Next Level Coaching: Open to 10WGT graduates only Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 28More from inside the world of exams!In PART 2 I explain:- why your teen doesn't need to be a natural writer to succeed in English written assessments.- the 10 criteria the marker is looking for in writing tasks. - how one command word can make a Maths question smooth and simple, or tricky and lengthy.Because if your teen can master exams, they can nail every other part of their study as well!FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 27Join me inside my world of external exam marking as I share my most memorable exam marker experiences that I think will be helpful to you, and that you can pass on to your teen. These will give you the story behind how I’ve become a self-confessed exam geek, seeking out every opportunity to get involved with all things exams.In PART 1 I explain:- how and why I got into external exam marking- my first big take-away on the stark differences between levels of descriptors and why it's so important for students to know them for their subjects.  - the 'magic-teacher-moment' of GOLD that made me realise how valuable this information and training was to boosting the confidence and performance of hardworking students.Because if your teen can master exams, they can nail every other part of their study as well.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 26If you've ever heard 'scare stories' of the 'Summer Slide' and how much learning your teen's going to lose over the summer, then I want to reassure you that, from my experience, the Summer Slide is 'a thing', but, it isn't THE thing holding hardworking students back from their goals and their potential. So, good news if you’d like your teen to step away from the textbooks this summer, AND a must-listen if your teen wants to get ahead, but wants to use their time and effort in ways that will give them maximum return on effort.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Ep. 25 If you’ve ever seen your teen seem like they’re hanging on for dear life in their study, just to stay afloat and thinking, 'just get to the holidays', then this episode is for you.    Join me to discover how to make term time less stressful, so that holidays can be enjoyed, not just 'needed' for recovery.And be sure to grab a seat at my 'Get Your Teen Ahead Over Summer' free parent webinar (available for a limited time) to get the insider info and proven steps to make this happen. Register for free at:https://www.gradetransformation.com/summerFEATURED ON THE SHOW:FREE Parent Webinar: Get Your Teen Ahead Over Summer - WithOUT even touching a textbook (and still having PLENTY of time to relax!)10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

If you’ve ever wondered (or doubted ;) ) how students completing the 10WGT see such incredible changes in just 10 weeks, 'The Skill Web' is how.The Skill Web is the combination of skills and strategies that all come together to create outcomes bigger than the sum of its parts.It's the magic that happens when everything clicks, makes sense and creates a whole lotta clarity (and crazy-good results) on e.v.e.r.y task.In this episode you will learn:- what the Skill Web is,- how it worksand- how your teen can create theirsand experience the magic of compounding returns in their study.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Tune in for answers to these listener questions:- What are your top revision tips? My daughter is currently spending hours writing notes and although I’ve heard you talk about active revision, I’m not sure how to explain what she should be doing. - What is an ideal pre-exam routine? - Heated debate in my home right now! I know all teenagers are different, but I’m pretty sure that having music on is NOT helping my teen study, though they beg to differ. Would love your professional opinion. - Do you have any tips for time management in exams? My teen’s problem is he runs out of time to get every question done in as much detail as he’d like.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:- Episode 15: Q&A: Subject Selection, Command Words and Perfectionism- Episode 19: Q&A: Doing 'Extra Study' + Making Your Teen a Better Writer- 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation Program- Next Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT. Spaces are limited. - Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

This in-depth conversation with 'Teen-Parenting Expert' Michelle Mitchell covers the wellbeing side of all things study and exams.With finals approaching for many students, this can bring stress and pressure and it can be difficult for parents to know what to do or say to help.In this episode, you will learn:- How to easily get your teen to communicate to you how they're going.- Why your teen's unique personality can be the key to their peak performance.- The one question that may reveal some surprising (and easy to help with!) answers.- What to let go, and when.- A better way to think about what 'your best' really means!FEATURED ON THE SHOWMichelle Mitchell: Website - https://michellemitchell.orgFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/michellemitchellspeaker Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Get the final three secrets to what really goes on inside the world of exams, exam boards and marking hundreds of thousands of papers every year.I'm sharing my observations and experiences of the paper writing and scrutiny process, and of course the marking of student answers, to help you support your teen in their exam prep.YOU WILL LEARN:- The two critical steps required before your teen even thinks about writing an essay response.  - One action you can take with your teen NOW to have them learning from past students' performance (and mistakes). - How to find out detailed info on what Chief Examiners fed back about last year's paper.- How to strategically use mark schemes to help your teen gain more marks in their exams.Get your free copy of my '6 SECRETS' FREE REPORT with more examples, explanations and tips at:https://www.gradetransformation.com/secretsAvailable only for a limited time.

What really goes on inside the world of exams, exam boards and marking thousands of papers every year?In this episode, I share the first three of my top six secrets; insider info I'm totally allowed to share and that you're allowed to know.In fact, I think it's crucial that you know it.So that you, the parent, can feel like you actually 'get' what's going on,and your teen, as the student can make huge leaps in their exam prep, performance and confidence, when they use the info I'm sharing to their advantage.YOU WILL LEARN:- The main way I see students, EVERY YEAR, losing marks they shoulda-coulda-woulda got.- Why so many students fail to 'answer the question'. - How to identify exactly what a question is REALLY asking - and what's required in the response.Get your free copy of my '6 SECRETS' FREE REPORT with more examples, explanations and tips at: https://www.gradetransformation.com/secretsAvailable only for a limited time.

Real answers (that may not be what you're expecting) to real parent questions on:Whether your teen should be doing extra study.What makes extra study worthwhile - and what doesn't - with specific examples.What not to do if you think your teen should be doing more reading.Practical ways to help your teen widen their vocabulary and become a better writer.FEATURED ON THE SHOW- 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation Program- Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

If your teen's not naturally creative, or struggles in the more open types of tasks, OR if they are super-creative but aren’t achieving the results they really want, then is the episode for you!  Listen in to discover what creative tasks are really about (hint - it’s not creativity and unique ideas), and how your teen can take advantage of this, whether they're the creative type - or not.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Today I’m answering a question about Maths exams - in fact any kind of exam questions where your teen has to do calculations within time limits. This is one you might want a pen and paper for, or want to have your teen listen in on too. So grab one (or ideally both!) of those and get ready to take note of: - the most common ways students lose marks in Maths exams and - my 5 tips to make sure that never happens for your teen again. (Get your free resource below!)FEATURED ON THE SHOW:FREE PODCAST RESOURCE! 5 Tips to Avoid the Most Common Maths Exam Mistakes10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

If your teen is using past papers to prepare for exams by:- doing the questions- timing themselves to complete the paper- testing their subject knowledgethen that's good... but it's not GREAT.There are so many more strategic ways to use this gold mine of resources, and I'm sharing four of them with you in this episode. These BETTER ways to use past papers not only revise subject content, but ALSO develop and practise their exam technique, both of which are required for ultimate exam performance.

Real-life stories, examples and an alternative take on some common advice, as I answer your questions about: Subject selection / options subjects and my take on what to base decisions on.Command words across different subjects - are they the same?Perfectionist teens and how to deal with this in their study so they’re more efficient without sacrificing grades.FEATURED ON THE SHOW- Episode 12: Does Your Teen need a Tutor?- 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation Program- Next Level Coaching: Only open to students who've completed the 10WGT.- Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Emotions are a part of teen years and study-related situations are no exception. From elation and celebration, to frustration and disappointment all of these present opportunities for learning and growth. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:- Online references:https://www.psychologistworld.com/emotion/emotion-memory-psychologyhttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200713144408.htm#:~:text=Multiple%20neurons%20in%20the%20brain,emotions%2C%20new%20research%20has%20found.&text=Memories%20linked%20with%20strong%20emotions%20often%20become%20seared%20in%20the%20brain.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573739/ - 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation Program- Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Once your teen’s completed an assessment, whether it’s an exam, essay or other type of assignment, is the tendency to just bury it and move onto the next item on the to-do list?If so, they’re missing huge opportunities to develop their exam technique and build skills and understanding in how to achieve success criteria in the most efficient and effective ways.WHAT WE COVER:- Why most students don’t want to do this, and why doing it will therefore put your teen at a huge advantage.- The one-word question to ask your teen (or they should ask themselves) about a completed assessment or exam question.- Real life ways I’ve taken students through assessment post-mortems, what we did and their feedback.10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only available to graduates of the 10WGT.

Should you look into getting a tutor for your teen? Do they need one? Will it make any difference? How do you find a good one? Do you already have one and want to make sure you’re maximising what your teen is getting out of the sessions? Or, even if they don’t have one and you have no intention of hiring one, listen in, because I’m going to also be covering all the ways that may well be a perfect decision.WE WILL COVER:The critical consideration behind this decision (Hint: This is not about whether tutors are good or bad - it's about finding where your teen's holes are in their 'study-bucket'). Three things to look for in a great tutor.How to make sure your teen builds the skills to succeed independently in their study.The key question that'll tell you if a tutor is the best place to put your money and your teen's time.FEATURED ON THE SHOW10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Only available to graduates of the 10WGT.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Listen in for mistakes 6 - 10 of the top 10 mistakes I've seen  hardworking students making throughout my years of teaching, external exam marking, and coaching. I'm going into detail on mistakes around:- answering exam questions,- organising study and revision,- completing essays and assignmentsand more. I'll show you how to fix them if your teen is making them (or you've ever given them any mistaken advice!) and how to avoid them altogether if they haven't.FEATURED ON THE SHOWFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to 10WGT graduates only.

I'm sharing the top 10 mistakes I've observed throughout all my years of teaching, external exam marking, and coaching. I'm going into detail on mistakes around:- answering exam questions, - organising study and revision, - completing essays and assignments and more. I'll show you how to fix them if your teen is making them (or you've ever given them any mistaken advice!) and how to avoid them altogether if they haven't.FEATURED ON THE SHOWVideo of Coaching Call Excerpt: Cool Trick to Address the Key Focus of an EssayFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to 10WGT graduates only.

Ever said to your teen, in an effort to try to keep them calm or relieve the pressure when it comes to exams and assessment: “Just do your best” or “The results don’t matter, it’s the effort you put in that’s important”? If so, listen in because I'm sharing my experience of how this phrase can actually do more harm than good. And I tell you exactly what I now say and do INSTEAD to reduce their stress and give them more experiences of success.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to 10WGT graduates onlyFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

You want to support your teen as their parent,but you also want to help them with their study.BUT, very often...they don't want to take your advice (because... teenagers)oryou're not sure how best to help them (we never even got to see, let alone understand the rubric or success criteria in our day!)oryou end up walking on eggshells, trying to balance helpful suggestions with constructive criticism, and maintain the delicate balance of parent-teen relations.Today we’re going to talk about the similarities and differences between the roles of Parent and Coach for your teen in their study...AND how your teen can have BOTH.Listen in if:Your teen has ever shunned your advice when you’ve tried to help with their study and maybe even given you the eye roll or tut in the process ;)(yep, this was me as a teenager - and not just in my study - sorry mum!).You’d like to be able to help more, maybe they want you to help them, but you’re not always sure about how best to do that. You’re curious about the sort of coaching I do with students and how you can get your teen in on it.FEATURED ON THE SHOW5 day Facebook group:The 5 Step Plan for Parents of Teens Aiming HIGH in Exams.10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching - Only available to graduates of the 10WGT.Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

I think every hardworking teen will experience exam stress at some point (or many!) in their studies. And it can be hard to watch or try to help during these times.However, not all stress is bad. (Really). So, in this episode we look at what causes exam stress and then consider which causes to accept and which ones we can reduce - and how. FEATURED ON THE SHOW:10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to graduates of the 10WGTFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Students' grades dropping, even though they’re still putting in the same amount of effort, is a common yet often perplexing situation for many students and their parents.This common challenge is especially prevalent when moving up from Years 7 & 8 into Years 9 & 10 and then again as they move into the Senior years.If you’ve had this happen (or you just want to make sure it doesn’t happen!), then listen in for the two ‘behind-the scenes’ reasons why this happens - which have nothing to do with the subject content getting harder - and how to turn things around.YOU WILL LEARN:- Why 'what got them here, won't get them there'. What achieved success in Years 7 and 8 is not the same as what's required in high year levels. - The subtle but super-important changes in requirements and demands of questions and their mark schemes as students move up through the years in high school and college.- The two specific ways students need to operate at a different level (literally!) in Years 9 & 10 and then again in Senior Years.FEATURED ON THE SHOWThe 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

How can your teen get their study tasks done more efficiently AND effectively, so they have more free time, but without sacrificing their grades, and in a way that means they actually get to enjoy that free time guilt-free?By tweaking the systems they’ve most likely already been using, like long to-do lists or wall planners with assessment deadlines and turning these into ‘Scheduled Outcomes’, they’ll:- become a lot more strategic in their tasks and time, - create more free time, AND - produce high quality work.WE COVER:- Why a to-do list and big wall planner can make your teen feel demoralised rather than organised.- How ‘scheduling outcomes’ is the key to getting more done in less time AND guilt-free free time.- How to chunk down big tasks to reduce overwhelm.- What to take forward from the times when tasks go over time.FEATURED ON THE SHOWCatapult 2 ‘Organised, Efficient and Ready for Action’ andCatapult 4 ‘Reverse-Engineered Revision Planning’in:The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Essays don’t have to be quite so overwhelming, long, and arduous.The 2-step 'Topic and Focus' System is a proven, simple and super-effective way to get your teen on the right track in their response and ensure they ‘actually answer the question’. ;)In this episode I share a real life essay question and how to use the Topic and Focus system to help your teen avoid the ‘Topic Traps’ and answer the precise Focus of the question - even if you have no clue about the subject yourself!YOU WILL LEARN:- The most common pitfalls affecting students’ essays.- How to help your teen avoid major re-writes, waffling, and low-level responses (all of which can happen, even when the info they include is factually correct and there’s lots of it!).- The trick to checking the focus of the essay and making it super-clear to answer.- How this will help your teen make strategic decisions on what points to include or evidence to select for their essay.FEATURED ON THE SHOWTrick to Address the Key Focus of an Essay: Coaching Call video excerpt 10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramNext Level Coaching: Open to graduates of the 10WGT only. Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.Real parent feedback: “Lauren has been using … the essay writing skills on topic and focus to finish her latest English Literature essay last night. She had received feedback on her draft that it had gone a bit astray, so last night she went back a step to review the topic and focus and reworked it a little. Well today she got her grade: an A!!!!”

Exams are a source of stress and anxiety for many teens.What if they could be an opportunity to build confidence, success and pride?In this episode I draw on over a decade of working with multiple exam boards internationally and marking tens of thousands of external exam papers and coursework to share with you:- The two other things exams are REALLY testing apart from subject knowledge- The Exam Mastery Framework (Get your free copy here >>>  https://www.rocksolidstudy.com/3)- The three 'Exam Performance Killers' thwarting students’ exam results and confidence.- The solutions that mean your teen gets the results they’re capable of, in the most efficient way.FEATURED ON THE SHOW:Podcast Resource: The Exam Mastery Framework PDF download10WGT: The 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramFree Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

If your teen has ever left an assignment to the last minute OR gotten started early BUT taken waaay longer over a task than was necessary then this episode is for you.YOU WILL DISCOVERThe difference between procrastination and a lack of motivation.The 3 root causes of procrastination and how to solve for them.Why no amount of nagging, bribing, rewards or sanctions will fix the real issue.FEATURED ON THE SHOWVideo - Coaching excerpt: Why even top students sometimes procrastinate - and how to overcome it!The 10WGT: 10 Week Grade Transformation ProgramGet the Free Parent Guide: 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.

Welcome to the very first episode of the Parents of Hardworking Teens podcast!I founded Rock Solid Study to help as many students as possible to become happy, smart and successful in their study and I hope this podcast will give you, as the parent, the information that you need to help your teen boost their grades AND confidence…AND have you both enjoy the journey along the way.WHAT WE COVERThe (hopefully now, not-so-) secret formula for Study Success and the critical element many students are missing.The reason why many hard-working students aren't achieving the results they could, despite studying more and more.Why more knowledge does NOT automatically mean more marks (and what does).FEATURED ON THE SHOWFree Parent Guide: The 3 Huge Mistakes (Even Smart!) Students Make in Exams and Assignments - and how to fix them immediately so your teen confidently achieves their best ever grades.