My Child Understands the Topic… So Why Are the Marks Still Low?

This is one of the most common and confusing frustrations parents face during GCSE and A Level
years.

Your child seems to understand the topic. They can explain it out loud. Homework is completed.
Teachers describe them as capable. Yet when test papers come back, the marks tell a different
story. Lower than expected. Inconsistent. Sometimes disappointing.

Naturally, parents begin to question what is going wrong.

The truth is uncomfortable but important: understanding a topic is not the same as scoring marks
for it.

Exams do not reward general understanding. They reward very specific responses written in a very
specific way. Mark schemes are narrow. Examiners are trained to look for particular steps, phrases,
and structures. Anything outside that framework, even if logically correct, often earns fewer marks.
Many capable students lose marks because they skip steps that feel obvious, misunderstand
command words such as “explain” or “evaluate”, or fail to structure answers clearly. They know the
idea, but they do not present it in the way the exam demands.

This is why students often say, “But I knew this.” And they usually did. They just did not show it in a
way that earned marks.

Schools do their best, but large classes limit how much personalised feedback students receive.
Often, feedback explains what went wrong, but not why marks were lost repeatedly or how to fix the
issue permanently.

As exams approach, this gap becomes critical. Students continue revising content they already
understand while repeating the same exam mistakes.

At SmartEdge, we work closely with students to close this mark gap. Our tutors break down mark
schemes, examiner expectations, and answer structures so students can translate understanding
into marks. With over 100,000 hours of one-to-one tutoring delivered, our focus is always on clarity,
confidence, and exam execution.

If your child understands the work but their results do not reflect it, focused exam support can make
a meaningful difference. You can contact SmartEdge at info@smartedgestudy.com.