TRANSCRIPT:
 

You’re listening to The Parents of Hardworking Teens Podcast, episode 120 - the 80-20 rule and how it applies to your teen and their results in exams and assessments. I’m going to share one very practical thing you can do with your teen if they’ve just had or are about to have any exams or assessment results back - that could give you the most important info in how to have them get more marks, more easily in every future exam or assessment.

Hey VIP’s! How’s things?! I hope you and your teens are really well.

This is going to be our last episode for 2024. I can’t believe we’re nearing the end of the year. I’m genuinely starting to panic a little at how fast time is going these days and feel like I’m starting to understand the concept of mid-life crisis where you realise that time is just wizzing before your eyes.

Don’t worry - I’m not about to have a crisis, but I am for sure thinking carefully about how to make the most out of life. And seeing as Rock Solid Study is a big part of my life, that for sure includes you and how I can best help you and your teen. 

So, any feedback or requests you’d like to share, I’d really love to hear them.
Could be in relation to the podcast, any live online events I’ve held, or the program and training and coaching I provide. What’s been most helpful, what you’d like more of. What you’d like less of.

I’m up for hearing all of it as I always use this break to plan out next year and as a natural born planner it’s one of my favourite things to do. And my aim is always to give you more of what you and your teens want and need - and the BEST way for me to do that is by you telling me. My catch phrase that I always say to my students and you the parent is - the more you ask, the more you get. It’s the students that ask for the most feedback, put in requests, ask questions, submit for coaching that get the most support, guidance and from that - the most progress and outcomes. And that absolutely goes for you as well. 

Go ahead and ask. The more you ask, the more you’re likely to get in my world.

And so today, for this last podcast episode I want to give you something really tangible and specific.

To be honest, I was trying to think of something a little bit, kinda ‘meaningful’ to round out the year. You know something that seems to be the done thing - something reflective, or sharing gratitude or symbolic about the year, or about taking a break. But if you have come to know me even a little bit, you’ll know that’s not really my thing. Not that I’m not grateful or don’t reflect or whatever, but I also don’t think that’s what you’re here for. 

You’re here for specifics and specifics is what I am good at and I had one thing that I couldn’t shift out of my head when I was considering this episode. And that is ‘losing marks’.

Uplifting - I know!

Don’t worry - I will make it positive and uplifting. You know that’s also my thing. To show exactly how you and your teen can take what might look like a negative  - or currently genuinely BE a negative - and turn it to their advantage. So stick with me - because the reason this whole thing about ‘losing marks’ - specifically the REASON for lost marks - is in my head so much right now is because:

a)  I just shared a little snippet of it in the live webinar I ran a couple of weeks ago 

and 

b) because I know there are end of year tests, exams and assessments coming back or have already come back for a lot of students right now.

Rather than sweep them under the 2024 carpet. I want you and your teen to just consider ONE thing for any - or ideally EVERY - question.

Just focusing on ONE thing that will make a huge difference to how your teen views their study, their assignments and essays, and their exams from now on. 

In particular, how they approach them, prepare or revise for them, how they use practise questions or practise papers - AND specifically the PRE-TRAINING they do for them. Which I’ll get to in a moment.

So first, I’ll tell you MY observations and then hopefully you can use my experience to take a pro-active and productive look at this with your teen. 

First of all, I will say, that when I review or critique any students work, provide coaching or feedback, I look at both where they DID get marks and where they DIDN’T - and most specifically WHY they did and didn’t.

Reminder: It’s all about considering WHY - when we’re reviewing and asking HOW when looking at how to tackle something coming up.

HOW do I achieve that criteria, HOW do I respond to that command, HOW do I show the skill or knowledge in the right way? But for this example, I’m only going to talk about the WHY. Because we’re reviewing. And specifically, because like I said I want to focus on just ONE thing - it’s WHY certain marks were missed or lost.

And I have just one question for you and your teen to consider.

For any question or criteria where they didn’t get full marks, was that down to a lack of subject knowledge, or down to not responding to the way the question was asked in the way the mark scheme required?

In other words, was it down to knowledge or application of that knowledge?

Remember the study success formula: Knowledge plus application equals success.

Was it down to a lack of subject knowledge or lack of skill or understanding in how to APPLY that knowledge in a way that ticked the boxes in the mark scheme?

In my experience - this is 80/20.

Around 80% of all marks lost or missed are down to not knowing how to actually achieve the criteria, or not having the skill of showing the info required in the right way or at the right level.

Only around 20% of all marks lost are because the student just didn’t know the answer. They either didn’t know or wrote factually incorrect information. Remember this is just of the marks LOST.

So, let’s say your teen got 15 out of 20 on their essay. Out of the 5 marks LOST, how many were lost because they didn’t know certain info that should’ve been included - or wrote something that was just plain wrong?

And how many of those 5 were because they just weren’t quite able to meet some of the very top descriptors on the mark scheme? Like they had good or appropriate evidence, but it wasn’t considered to be a discerning selection of evidence?

Or they had analysis, but not detailed and sophisticated analysis.

Or they’d discussed the question, but hadn’t fully ANSWERED the question.

If they got let’s say 70 percent on their Science exam, out of the 30% of marks they didn’t get, what proportion were because they just didn’t know the answer, didn’t have the subject knowledge they needed? Likely a few. But my guess would be that more of them were down to not properly knowing precisely what the wording of the question was demanding in their response and precisely what the mark scheme required.

This is such a valuable exercise to do - even for JUST ONE ASSESSMENT TASK.

Because it informs you and your teen as to what will give them most bang for buck, what will most move the needle for them going forwards.

Is it learning and revising more and more subject knowledge? Or is it gaining the skills of exam technique and savvy essay writing? Being able to predict the mark scheme just from reading the question? Being able to identify not just the topic of an extended response or essay question, but just as importantly, the FOCUS of the question. Exactly what it’s requiring them to do and how to respond and in what way, at what level of cognition. 

Now, getting to 100% on a task will require both. Excellent knowledge AND excellent skills of application. But most students are not aiming for 100% and nor do I recommend it.

If they are just aiming to increase their results - or keep what might already be excellent results, but do it all in a more streamlined and efficient way - then discovering this ratio and which side of the equation is bigger will give them the best chance of doing that in the fastest and most effective way.

So, I really encourage your teen to do a review of even just one task as they round out this year before they down pens and laptops for Christmas. Just do this one thing to take them forward into next year with a lot more clarity.

Look just at MARKS LOST and consider: what portion is down to not properly answering the question or meeting what’s on the mark scheme and what portion is down to not knowing their subject content well enough? And if you’re looking as the parent to support your teen, then it will be super-helpful to you. 

If it’s subject knowledge that’s mostly holding them back, then you know that’s where you can spend time and possibly money. Maybe on a subject tutor, maybe on additional subject resources or time with their teacher.

And if it’s the skills of applying that knowledge, then - you guessed it - I would definitely encourage you to check out the 10 Week Grade Transformation Program.

It’s open for enrolment at all times, so that you can choose the timing that best works for your teen. At www.gradetransformation.com/join and I’ll put that direct link into the show notes.

But knowledge and awareness is always the first step, so taking stock of marks lost and taking your best guess - it’s surprisingly not hard to work out  - at WHY those marks were missed is a brilliant way to build awareness around this.

So, as promised, something super tangible and actionable to round out the year. That does actually include a bit of reflection - even if it’s very much assessment based reflection, rather than life reflection - BUT most definitely a way to turn marks lost into a way to get ahead and get an advantage going forwards for your teen.

So here’s to a fantastic final couple of weeks of 2024 and an even more fantastic 2025 ahead.

Thank you so much for listening. If you have any friends or family who you think would also find this podcast helpful I’d just be so grateful if you could pay this forward by sending them a screenshot or the link. This podcast is on all of the main podcast apps, so they’ll easily be able to find it. 

I’ll be back here to kick off the year in mid Jan, have a wonderful break and I’ll see you back here soon - if I don’t see you, or more specifically your teen in the 10WGT over the hols. 

Bye!