Start from what they got wrong, not from the notes
A common revision plan is to read back through the textbook chapter and class notes. It feels thorough, but it mostly revises the parts your child already understands, because those are the parts that look familiar.
A better starting point is a list of what actually went wrong during the topic. Good sources are:
- Homework questions they could not do, or got wrong
- Marked worksheets, quizzes and class checks
- The end-of-chapter review in the textbook, attempted cold
- Earlier tests that touched the same skills
Sort the list into three groups: slips (knew it, made an error), forgotten steps (knew it once, could not recall it) and never understood. Slips need a checking habit. Forgotten steps need spaced practice. Anything never understood needs a worked example, a question to the teacher, or both, and should be dealt with first.
How to practise so it sticks
Two well-established ideas from learning research do most of the work: retrieving from memory, and spacing it out over time.
- Study one worked exampleRead through a worked solution for the skill, step by step, until each step makes sense.
- Cover it and try a similar oneAttempt a different question on the same skill without looking. This retrieval is where the learning happens.
- Check, then fixCompare with the solution. If it went wrong, find the exact step, and try another similar question.
- Come back in a few daysReturn to the same skill later in the week. If it is still right, it is ready for the test.
Mixing topics also helps closer to the test. Real tests do not label which method to use, so a set of mixed questions trains your child to recognise the type of problem as well as solve it. Our article on why practice tests beat re-reading notes explains the reasoning in more detail.
Formula sheet habits
Some schools allow a formula sheet or a page of notes in tests; others expect formulas to be memorised. Check the rules for each test, because they often change between topics and year levels.
- If a sheet is allowed, your child should make it themselves during revision. Writing it is revision. Include a short worked example next to each formula, not just the formula.
- If it is not allowed, practise writing the key formulas from memory at the start of each session, then check.
- Either way, know when to use each formula. A common error is picking the wrong formula, not forgetting it.
There is also a Year 10A formula sheet for students in an advanced class.
A simple one-week plan for a topic test
Short sessions of around 20 to 40 minutes, depending on year level, on most days work better than one long session. Adjust around sport, work and other subjects.
| When | Focus |
|---|---|
| 7 days out | Gather mistakes from the topic and sort them into slips, forgotten steps and never understood. Ask the teacher about anything in the last group. |
| 6 and 5 days out | Worked example, then similar questions, on the forgotten steps. Start the formula sheet if one is allowed. |
| 4 days out | Return to the first skills from day 6. Anything still wrong goes back on the list. |
| 3 and 2 days out | A practice test under realistic conditions: timed, calculator as allowed, no notes unless the test allows them. Mark it together. |
| Day before | Light review only: a few questions on the weakest skill, a look over the formula sheet, equipment packed. Early night. |
For end-of-term or end-of-year exams, stretch the same pattern over two to three weeks so each topic is revisited at least twice. Year-specific exam topics are on the maths exam preparation pages.
Parent checklists
The week before
- Know the test date, the topic and what is allowed (calculator, formula sheet, notes).
- Ask your child to show you their list of mistakes, not their notes.
- Protect a short slot most days, and keep it phone-free.
- Check the calculator works and is the type the school requires.
- Encourage a question to the teacher about anything never understood.
The night before
- Light review only. No new topics.
- Pack the calculator (in degree mode for trigonometry), pens, pencil, ruler and formula sheet if allowed.
- Screens off at a sensible time, and a normal bedtime. Sleep helps memory.
- Keep the conversation calm. “You have practised this” helps more than “this one really matters”.
The morning of
- A proper breakfast and enough time to get to school without rushing.
- A reminder to read each question twice and show working, because method marks count.
- A reminder to check answers if there is time left, starting with the ones they were least sure of.
After the test: where next term’s marks come from
The marked test is the most useful revision resource your child will get all term, and it is usually glanced at and put away. Spend 15 minutes on it together, calmly, regardless of the mark.
- For each lost mark, decide: slip, forgotten step or never understood.
- Redo the wrong questions without looking at the corrections.
- Keep the wrong ones somewhere they will be seen again before the end-of-term exam.
Topics build on each other, so a gap left now often shows up again later. Each year guide lists the skills that tend to carry forward: Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 and Year 10.
How Tuterly fits
Tuterly is designed around this loop. Through the term your child snaps the questions they get wrong; each one is saved with a worked solution and comes back as fresh, similar questions until it is mastered. Fix my mistakes drills the questions they got wrong with fresh versions, and a weekly review tests the week’s trickiest, and before a topic test your child can test themselves on that topic, so revision starts from the right place without a parent having to assemble it. It covers Years 7 to 10 maths, follows the Australian Curriculum, and is designed by Australian educators at Bayside Academics. See Topic check.
If test results show a whole topic has not made sense, more practice alone may not fix it. Our guide to choosing between a maths app and a tutor covers when a person needs to step in.