Your child revises for a Science test. They read their notes, remember some definitions and seem to know the topic when you ask them about it. Then the result comes back lower than expected.

If this has happened more than once, it is easy to conclude that your child needs to study harder. But “Science is difficult” is too broad a problem to fix. They may understand the topic and struggle with calculations. They may know the facts but have trouble applying them to an unfamiliar experiment. Or a gap from earlier school years may be slowing down every new lesson.

For Nigerian and African parents with a child in Year 10 in the UK, the place to start is a recent marked question. Find the first point where your child’s answer stops making sense. That gives you a better plan than asking them to revise everything again.

First, find out which GCSE Science course they take

Ask your child’s school whether they are studying Combined Science or separate GCSEs in Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and which exam board they use. Combined Science is a double award; students taking separate sciences receive a grade in each subject.

Keep the answer with your child’s school course outline. A textbook, video or practice paper is more useful when it matches what they are studying. For example, AQA’s Combined Science: Trilogy specification includes Biology, Chemistry and Physics content, as well as practical skills.

Why can a child know the notes and still lose marks?

GCSE Science questions ask students to do more than recall facts. They may need to use a scientific idea in a new situation, work with measurements, interpret a graph or judge whether evidence supports a conclusion. AQA’s assessment objectives include applying knowledge and analysing or evaluating scientific information.

Imagine a question about how changing the temperature affects an experiment. Your child may know a definition from the lesson but still need to identify what was changed, what was measured and whether the results support a claim.

That distinction matters. A student who has forgotten the topic needs a different lesson from one who understands it but cannot unpack the question.

Four common reasons Year 10 Science marks fall

1. One subject is pulling down their confidence

Your child may say they are “bad at Science” when most of the difficulty is in Chemistry equations or Physics calculations. Review recent work from Biology, Chemistry and Physics separately. Which subject produces the most unfinished questions or repeated errors?

Begin there. A clear, manageable target can help your child feel capable of making progress.

2. They struggle with the Maths inside Science

Some students explain a scientific idea well but become stuck when a question uses a formula, units, a graph or a calculation. Check whether they can identify the information given, choose the right relationship and explain what their answer means.

If Maths is the barrier, the support should address that skill inside the Science question. Repeating notes on the topic may leave the calculation problem untouched.

3. They cannot explain an investigation

Practical questions can ask about methods, variables, results and conclusions. AQA includes required practical activities in its GCSE Combined Science course.

Ask your child to describe an investigation from class in four steps: What were you trying to find out? What did you change? What did you measure? What did the results show? If they can name the experiment but cannot explain those steps, that is a useful area to practise.

4. They misread what the question asks

A child may write a correct fact that does not answer the question. When reviewing a marked paper, ask them to read the instruction aloud and then describe what a complete answer would need to include.

Look at the teacher’s feedback alongside your child’s response. It may show whether they missed a key part of the question or could not explain their reasoning clearly enough.

What should parents do this week?

Choose one recent marked Science test. Sit with your child and identify three questions they found difficult. Avoid trying to correct the whole paper in one evening.

Sort the mistakes. Are they mainly about missing knowledge, calculations, practical investigations or understanding the question? You may find that two of the three errors have the same cause.

Ask the teacher a specific question. You could write: “We’ve noticed that my child struggles to interpret experiment questions. Are you seeing the same thing in class, and which skill should they work on first?”

Practise that skill with fresh questions. After reviewing an answer, let your child try a different question without copying the correction. Ask them to talk through their reasoning so you can tell whether the idea has become clearer.

Should my child start GCSE Science tutoring in Year 10?

If the same mistakes appear across several tests, your child regularly avoids Science homework, or they cannot use teacher feedback to improve, extra support may be helpful now. Bring the tutor a school test, the course details and an example of a question your child could not complete.

A useful first tutoring session should reveal a specific learning gap. The tutor can teach the missing idea, work through a question with your child and then ask them to attempt a new one independently. You should be able to hear what the next lessons will focus on.

Ask how the tutor will adapt support across Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Your child may need help in only one area, or a shared skill such as calculations may be affecting several topics.

Help your child regain a sense of progress

A disappointing Year 10 Science mark is information you can act on. Find out whether the problem is a topic, a skill or the way your child approaches exam questions. Then give them a focused chance to improve and check their progress with the school.

Glareminds offers one-to-one online tutoring for students following the British curriculum. If your Year 10 child is falling behind in GCSE Science, contact Glareminds about tutoring in the UK. Tell us their exam board, whether they take Combined or separate sciences, and which questions are causing difficulty so we can discuss suitable support.