Improve school grades: Tips that will save the half-yearly report card

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The 2024/25 half-year is almost over. And so the days are numbered in which students can improve their grades before the half-year report is written.

This doesn't just apply to children whose grades currently look abysmal. Even those students who are currently between two grades have to really give it their all in order to get the best out of it. But how do you do that? How can you improve your grades in the short term other than through classwork and tests?

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SOS tips for bad grades

In order to improve the grades in the short term for the current school year, the child must above all understand what is at stake. He or she must really want to improve the grades. If your child continues as before, it must be clear to him that he will remain at his current grades and if this continues in the second half of the year, he may have to repeat the school year.

A lap of honor, as repeating a grade level is also called, doesn't have to be the worst solution. It can be a special wake-up call for your child. Many a student has become a school achiever by repeating a school year.

However, if your child is determined to continually improve their grades and really wants to invest all of their 100% effort into school, you can achieve improvements in the short term, especially through the following measures.

It is very important that your child does something for school regularly from now on. This means that preparing and following up on lessons should become second nature.

Collaboration in class

Oral participation in class is a great way for students to show initiative. Anyone who actively participates in class, answers questions from the teacher and also asks important questions shows that they care about the school subject. Most teachers will reward increased cooperation.

But active participation doesn't just have an influence on the oral grade. If you want to take part in class, you have to be attentive and concentrated. This means that the learning material stays in your head much better and for a longer period of time. And that in turn can have a very positive effect on the next class test or exam.

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Voluntary lectures/homework

We claim that hardly any teacher enjoys giving students bad grades. That's why they offer children (and all other volunteers) the opportunity to do more voluntarily at the end of a school (half) year. We are looking for someone to give a presentation, someone to explain or present the homework to the class, or someone to hand in voluntary extra homework. These are all opportunities that your child should take advantage of to improve their grades.

Help your child find motivation for this. Talk about the subject that is causing him problems. Maybe you also had problems with this in your school career or maybe you were the high flyer and can help him with advice and support. Show your child that improving their grade in the subject is as important to you as it is to them.

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Study groups

Tutoring in this short amount of time is often difficult to find and is also a question of money. It's a little easier if your child sets up a study group or can join a group. Ideally, they will find classmates from their class who perform well to very well in the subject(s).

This means the children can use free periods to repeat school material or work on homework together. On particularly short school days, you can sit down together after class and clarify any open questions or problems together. As a rule, a study group works well for both sides. After all, even good and very good students have to do something for their academic success.

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In-school tutoring

If your child cannot find any other children to learn in his or her parallel class, he or she may be able to get support from older students. To do this, they can simply speak to their class teacher, who will definitely be able to establish contact. The good thing about this in-school tutoring solution is that it is cheaper than professional and external tutoring. On the other hand, an older student may know your child's teachers and can give valuable tips on how to deal with him or her.

Additional learning materials

In addition to the material and tasks that teachers set in class, your child should ask for additional materials such as worksheets or workbooks. Some educators even offer to discuss additional tasks together if problems arise or to take them to class and discuss them in class.

Plus, you definitely shoulduse, such as YouTube. The video portal is worth its weight in gold, especially in subjects such as math and German, but also English, geography, physics and chemistry. There are countless streamers that can teach your child school material in a way that will stick in their head.

Support from home

Even if your child probably plays it off, it won't matter to him if there are bad grades on his report card at the end of the semester. So instead of accusing him of exactly that or even threatening him with it, you or you parents should become his safe bank. Show understanding when your child struggles and has difficulty and help him to find his motivation.

Offer him your help. Look over math problems together, help learn vocabulary or formulas through queries, or look for solutions to particularly tricky tasks together. When your child realizes that they don't have to fight all alone, it can awaken a spark of motivation in them that may have been missing from their learning before.

And if in the end it's not enough

If, despite your best efforts, your child does not achieve their grade target or, in the worst case (for them), has to repeat the grade level at the end of the school year, catch them and.

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