Given the enormous amount of time and effort poured into the creating and marking of mock exam assessments, it is vital to fully mine the wealth of information the results provide.
Yet, with the unrelenting pressure to keep the curriculum juggernaut moving forward, it is tempting to simply hand back the papers, laboriously plough through the answers with the whole class, and then press on. This would be a mistake.
Mocks hold crucial insights that, if harnessed effectively, can shape your teaching to meet individual student needs during this critical final stretch of the year – paving the way for strong results in August.
A focal point for targeted improvement
Mocks, with their high-stakes environment, offer some of the clearest evidence of where students falter under pressure – and where your focus as a teacher can make the biggest difference.
The best teachers I have met do not stop at delivering content, they use their assessment systems to pinpoint knowledge and understanding gaps, ensuring that both they and their students know exactly where the weaknesses lie.
Then comes the strategic work – figuring out how to fill those gaps as effectively as possible.
As important as the mock itself is that “afterburn” and your role in ensuring students and parents understand what it tells them – too often at parents’ evenings a student with disappointing results will resolve to “revise more” or “work harder", neither of which mean much.
Students can often fixate on their mark, letting it overshadow the true purpose of a mock exam. As a teacher, your role is to shift their perspective, helping them see the mock not as a verdict but as a diagnostic tool. Whether their result was a triumph or a disaster, the real value lies in understanding what it reveals – and using that insight to improve.
Four ways students lose marks
The real value of mocks is not just about pointing out what students got wrong – it is about uncovering the reasons behind their mistakes. As professionals, if we can help students understand the “why”, they will be in a much stronger position to make targeted efforts that lead in my experience to rapid and meaningful improvement.
Every lost mark can typically be traced back to one of four areas:
- Didn’t know the information.
- Didn’t recall the information.
- Didn’t understand the information.
- Poor exam technique.
A student will usually lose marks across all these areas, and each requires a different solution.
Didn’t know the information
This is often linked to absence and highlights students who don’t routinely catch-up on missed work. Addressing this requires a two-pronged approach: first, identifying and closing the existing gaps in their notes, and second, establishing a clear and consistent routine to prevent future gaps. This might mean introducing systems for catching up on missed lessons or fostering a culture of accountability among students to ensure they stay on top of their learning.
Didn’t recall the information
This is firmly the student’s responsibility, and it is essential to be clear with them if their revision has been ineffective. Too often, conversations about revision focus on how much time was spent rather than how productive that time was. You can support students by reviewing their revision strategies and encouraging techniques like retrieval practice, which is proven to embed learning.
Students often gravitate towards what they believe “works for them”, but this is frequently just what feels most comfortable. It is important to introduce them to the concept of the “fluency illusion” – the false sense of confidence that comes from easy, low-challenge revision methods.
Helping them to overcome these illusions of competence and understand that effective revision requires a desirable level of difficulty can empower them to step out of their comfort zone and make genuine progress.
Didn’t understand the information
This is one of the most critical issues to identify, as no amount of revision can compensate for a lack of genuine understanding. It is not uncommon to encounter hard-working students with a meticulously crafted, color-coded revision timetable who still fall short on exam day. Often, this stems from a superficial grasp of concepts, leaving them unable to apply their knowledge when faced with more complex or unfamiliar questions.
The first step is encouraging students to move beyond simply saying, “I forgot”, and instead acknowledge when they do not truly understand a concept. Once this is admitted, the solution is clear: re-teach the material. This can be done through various means, such as intervention sessions, online resources like YouTube explainers, or even peer-to-peer instruction.
Mocks provide an invaluable opportunity to pinpoint where misunderstandings are holding students back. Without this intervention, those same gaps will remain, no matter how many hours they spend revising. Addressing these areas head-on can make a profound difference in their ability to succeed.
Poor exam technique
As the course nears its end, refining exam technique becomes a priority for teachers and students alike as it is often where many will fall short. From managing timing to decoding the specific demands of each question, every exam requires a tailored approach that varies by paper and question type, and while familiarity and practice are helpful there is a body of “knowledge” required for each exam in terms of technique which needs to be given serious attention. For many students, the final stretch of revision has to centre on sharpening these skills.
It is easy for teachers to feel frustrated when students struggle to remember the precise techniques needed for particular questions, but it is important to step out of your “subject bubble” and recognise the sheer volume students are managing – 10 different question types across nine subjects, each with its own expectations. It is no wonder they struggle.
To support them, ensure they have explicit, written notes on exam technique. Too often, this guidance is delivered verbally or assumed to be understood, leaving students without a clear reference point. While exemplars and personal attempts are useful, a concise rubric outlining the requirements for each question type is invaluable. An increased understanding of their gaps and issues with techniques should encourage them to create granular revision plans that are strategic, rather than just allotting a token hour to “science” in the most general terms. Giving students a straightforward guide to revisit as they revise will boost their confidence and improve their ability to tackle the real thing effectively.
Final thoughts
As the memory of the marking mountain of mock papers begins to fade, the ideas and suggestions here can ensure that your investment of time pays off, allowing you and your students to optimise the remaining time you have left until the real exams start in earnest later this year.
- Paul Jenkins is secondary effectiveness adviser specialising in curriculum at HFL Education. Formerly Herts for Learning, HFL Education is a not-for-profit organisation providing services, training and resources for schools. This year SecEd is working with HFL Education to publish a series of subject-specific best practice articles. Find all the articles in this series via www.sec-ed.co.uk/authors/hfl-education