Why giving weak model answers is sometimes the best way to support GCSE English revision

It’s an easy trap to fall into – we may think that the best way to prepare for your exams is by studying full mark model answers. However, this approach may not always be the most effective – there are many reasons why exploring lower mark answers can be just as valuable. In my English tuition this week, I saw first hand how using lower band answers completely transformed the confidence of a wobbly Year Eleven student and facilitated a very effective revision lesson on GCSE Imaginative Writing skills.

Full mark model answers are often written by experienced teachers, GCSE examiners or exceptionally talented students who have a deep understanding of the assessment criteria. This means that their answers may be too advanced or complex for a 15 year old to fully understand. Students may feel discouraged or overwhelmed by these model answers and may struggle to see how they can achieve similar results.

There is solution: exploring lower mark answers can provide students with a clearer understanding of what is expected of them and how they can improve. Lower mark answers often contain common mistakes or areas for improvement that students can learn from – by analysing these mistakes, students can identify their own weaknesses and develop strategies to improve their writing. This can act as a huge confidence boost as the student becomes the authority, giving advice and suggestions on how to improve rather than being the target of constant feedback, targets and pressure to improve.

So how can this work for revision?

There are several practical revision strategies for GCSE English Language that we can introduce to our study over the coming weeks:

    1. Compare a lower mark answer with a full mark model answer and identify the differences between them. There’s one set here that may be useful for you to try. This will help students understand what they need to do to achieve higher marks and develop a clearer idea of what the assessment criteria require.
    1. Annotate lower mark answers, highlighting areas for improvement and suggesting alternative ways of phrasing or structuring sentences. This will encourage students to think critically about their writing and develop their editing and proofreading skills.
  1.  Redraft the lower mark answers to make improvements – after completing this task in one of my One to One English Tuition sessions this week, I saw a nervous and overwhelmed student transform into a happy and confident learner once they realised that they were improving the writing dramatically. Too often we focus on target setting and feedback for the student; it was nice to give control back to the student and they could see the difference they were making.

Have you tried anything similar? Why don’t you have a look at the resources page and try it for yourself this week as part of your GCSE English Language Revision? If you do, please get in touch to let me know how it goes!