Time is ticking by...

Well now, it's already time for the Easter break. Your teen is probably keen to be either relaxing at home or out in the sunshine with their friends (depending on what type of teen you have!!)

Now is really the key time to make the most of not being in the usual school routine and knuckle down on some of those problem areas.

When revising for language subjects I recommend:

1. revise the basics

It might seem obvious but do you remember the real basics that you learned back in year 7 or even at primary school? What about questions like 'what is your name?', 'when is your birthday?' and 'do you have brothers and sisters?'

It's often not re-visited in detail in a classroom environment, so it's well worth reviewing 'days of the week', 'months of the year' and 'numbers' as the real basics.

I also recommend digging out workbooks or notes from year 7 or year 8 for a quick re-read. They may be handy to refer back to!

2. make flash cards or visual prompts

Particularly useful for reviewing the more tricky stuff like tenses and conjugations (verb endings).

I am a BIG advocate of Pinterest for handy little images and reminders. Teens these days have the internet in their pockets, handbags or rucksacks - follow my Pinterest board for GCSE level French here.

Otherwise - there is nothing like handwritten flashcards. Grab those coloured felt tip pens!

3. review exam techniques

It can be hard to know what exact topics to revise, and this dilemma can lead to lack of focus on exam techniques; things like how to identify the key words in a question and being aware of the pitfalls of cognates (e.g. a French word that sounds like an English word but actually have a different meaning; like 'sensible' - sounds like 'sensible' in English but actually means 'sensitive' in French.

I have ended up quite familiar with AQA's French GCSE specification and I would recommend reviewing this exam board's 'communication strategies' here.

With these three points as a focus for revision, your teen will feel as prepared as they can for upcoming exams. Bonne chance!