Preparing your child for their GCSEs - Part 1

GCSEs are the first set of exams which have an influence on a pupil's career. Successful results enable pupils to take their pick of A-level subjects, and the top universities like to see a stream of A*s and As when it comes to GCSEs on UCAS forms.

With that in mind, it's so important to prepare your child well for their GCSE studies. Here are three ways in which you can do this.

1. Stress to your child how important their GCSEs are. This is a chance for them to shine and get their lives off to a great start. Tell them that it's time to knuckle down - and that you'll give them all the love and support they need for success.

2. Organisation is key and comes in two main forms: time management and information organisation. In terms of time, make sure that your child is spending equal amounts of time on each subject when it comes to their homework and coursework.

As for storing their work, make sure they have folders for each subject and that they know how to organise each folder. There are a lot of handouts and notes to collate, and organising them from the start makes the inevitable exam revision much easier to handle.

3. A challenge you will face as a parent is the fact that GCSEs happen at the same time that your child's interest in their social life will start to rise. They'll want to go out all the time - or spend all their time on Facebook. Set boundaries for their social lives. Friends are important, but their schoolwork has to take priority.