Why Your Child is Stuck with Poor Academic Results

child struggling with poor results

If we asked you what academic success looks like for your child, how would you describe it?  

It’s a 99 ATAR, right? Or good marks 

We understand that numbers are specific, precise and nice to look at. And a lot of parents get hyper-focused on grades and numbers because it’s a tangible marker of their child’s progress.   

But what parents often miss out on is the fact that focusing on numbers also gets overwhelming fast. When your child misses their ideal marks, and the shortcomings pile up, it makes them feel like they’re drowning in the sea without any chance of getting to the shore.   

It’s the constant cycle of disappointing results that triggers a decline in their motivation and fosters feelings of disillusion. This drags your child’s self-esteem down and influences bigger undertakings and other aspirations. 

If your child struggles with their confidence to face challenging moments, like exams, then they’ll be less likely to get better results. It’s a very real problem faced by 55% of students, as confirmed by a 2022 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). More than half of students admit to still feeling very anxious for a test, even if they’re well prepared for it.   

In this article, we explore what you can do to help your child pull their poor academic results up to their ideal marks this Term 3, and ensure they don’t drown in overwhelm throughout the rest of the school year.  

How Amelia Overcame Her Overwhelm  

Two years ago, Amelia was an overwhelmed, stressed and exhausted student. Unsure about starting her assignments, she’d stay up late night before trying to finish things off.  

Amelia’s teachers and friends commented on how bright she was, and that she just needed to work harder. She couldn’t understand why she wasn’t getting low marks when she studied more than her friends.   

Amelia started to burn out, believing she was the problem and that she wouldn’t make it to sit the HSCs.  

The first thing we did was to help Amelia remove her stressors, so her academic position did not slip any further and she wouldn’t have to drop the subjects she selected for Year 11.   

Once her marks stopped declining, we helped Amelia design a strategic plan to rebuild positive learning patterns, so she could improve her marks without overwhelming herself again. We created an assessment battleplan to address her procrastination and break assessments into structured sprints. Her study plan came with an accountability tracker so she could monitor progress.    

teenager overcoming poor results

From failing Year 10 final exams, Amelia achieved 60-70s in the first Year 11 exam block. Most students struggle to adjust during this period due to increased academic rigour, but she was able to exceed expectations.  

What’s even more remarkable about Amelia is that she was able to keep raising her marks and overcome the hazards of Year 11 despite her negative learning history. The following year, she was ranked in the top 5 across her HSC subjects, received a 94 ATAR and was admitted straight into her first preference of course.  

Turn Poor Results into Excellent Marks  

Poor results do not automatically mean your child is lazy or ‘broken’. Many students are, like Amelia, facing specific challenges that’s hindering their chances for getting high marks.   

We understand that all you want is to see your child give their 100% effort and achieve excellent academic results in return. But it’s not just about getting those 1 or 2 points higher in their marks. Excellent results are driven by consistent behavioural changes that come with addressing your child’s unique challenges, just like how Amelia battled her procrastination and transform her results. 

education coach helping improve poor results

That’s why at Kalibrate-Ed, we provide parents with many resources to implement the necessary behavioural changes that will boost your child’s academic results: 

1. Study Effectiveness Amplifier

We’ve found that there is an 80-20 rule when it comes to students’ effective learning. To get 80% of your child’s ideal results, they should be focusing their attention and study efforts on a specific 20%. A study effectiveness amplifier helps students find that 20%, so they won’t waste any time and energy as they go along.  

2. Exam Mastery

We help students build exam mastery, which is the ability to sit down during exams without struggling because you’ve mastered the skills to tackle any unseen question with confidence. This helps your child prepare for exams and eradicate feelings of overwhelm so they can focus on finishing exams and providing the right answers. 

3. Cognitive Adaptor

We also help students develop their cognitive adaptor so they can ‘plug’ into any source of knowledge despite their preferences and challenges – favourite teachers, neurodiversity, and more. It helps close their learning gaps and ensures your child remains engaged and focused to study. 

Helping your child get out of the rut and improve their academic results isn’t something easily done alone. If you want to know more and brainstorm ways to help your child pull up their marks and reach their academic goals, our education strategists can give you a hand.  

You can click here to get started.