What an exam coach does, and why peers can help
When you learn to ride a bike, an older kid running beside you can help a lot. They remember what was hard for them, and they explain it in kid words. An exam coach is that older kid for tests.
Before this course: High-Stakes Exams: pressure (course 13.16.3). You already build pressure-proof memory with retrieval practice, learn the official rules of your exam, rehearse real conditions, reframe nerves, write out worries, and follow a recovery plan. Now you help other students do the same.
- A 1982 meta-analysis (Cohen and colleagues, American Educational Research Journal) looked at 65 independent evaluations of school tutoring programmes. Tutoring had positive effects on academic performance and attitudes for both the students being tutored and the student tutors. Tutored students outperformed control students on examinations.
- A 2019 meta-analysis (Leung, School Psychology International) of 16 articles looked only at what peer tutoring does for the tutors. The weighted mean effect size was 0.43. Features linked to bigger effects included structured programmes, tutees with lower academic ability, mathematics content, and more weekly sessions of longer duration.
- Limits: the 1982 review is old and about school programmes; the 2019 review is small (16 articles). Both show averages, not a promise for your group.
- Tip: an exam coach helps peers plan, practise and review for a specific exam. A subject tutor mainly re-teaches content. You may do both; say which one you are doing.
| An exam coach does | An exam coach does not |
|---|---|
| Diagnose where marks are lost | Do the peer's homework or coursework |
| Plan spaced practice and mocks | Promise a grade |
| Run quizzes with feedback | Diagnose anxiety or learning difficulties |
| Teach exam rules and tools from courses 13.16 to 13.16.3 | Share real exam content or leaked papers |
| Refer to a teacher, counsellor or doctor when needed | Keep a safety worry secret |
- Write one sentence: "As an exam coach, I help peers plan, practise and review for their exams, and the work stays theirs."
- List the tools from courses 13.16 to 13.16.3 you can already model well (for example spaced plans, retrieval practice, timed mocks, recovery cards).
- Mark one tool you would need to practise more before teaching it.
- Find one or two peers with the same exam coming up, and agree a regular weekly time (structure matters).
- Agree the ground rules with them: what you will and will not do (use the table above).
- Check: you have a role sentence, a peer group, a weekly time and written ground rules.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Can a student really coach another student for exams? Research says yes, and the coach learns too."
[Text on screen: 65 tutoring programmes] "A review of 65 tutoring programmes found gains for the students being tutored and for the tutors."
[Text on screen: Tutors: effect size 0.43] "A newer review found tutors gained on average, especially in structured programmes."
[Host] "So set it up properly: a regular time, clear ground rules, and the work always stays theirs."
Write your exam-coach role sentence and ground rules, and book a first session with one or two peers.
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I'm learning "Exam Coach: coach" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "What an exam coach does, and why peers can help". What the lesson teaches: - A 1982 meta-analysis (Cohen and colleagues, American Educational Research Journal) looked at 65 independent evaluations of school tutoring programmes. Tutoring had positive effects on academic performance and attitudes for both the students being tutored and the student tutors. Tutored students outperformed control students on examinations. - A 2019 meta-analysis (Leung, School Psychology International) of 16 articles looked only at what peer tutoring does for the tutors. The weighted mean effect size was 0.43. Features linked to bigger effects included structured programmes, tutees with lower academic ability, mathematics content, and more weekly sessions of longer duration. - Limits: the 1982 review is old and about school programmes; the 2019 review is small (16 articles). Both show averages, not a promise for your group. - Tip: an exam coach helps peers plan, practise and review for a specific exam. A subject tutor mainly re-teaches content. You may do both; say which one you are doing. - An exam coach does - An exam coach does not - Diagnose where marks are lost - Do the peer's homework or coursework - Plan spaced practice and mocks - Promise a grade The exercise I'm working on: Write your exam-coach role sentence and ground rules, and book a first session with one or two peers. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "What an exam coach does, and why peers can help" from the course "Exam Coach: coach". Here's what the lesson says: When you learn to ride a bike, an older kid running beside you can help a lot. They remember what was hard for them, and they explain it in kid words. An exam coach is that older kid for tests. Before this course: High-Stakes Exams: pressure (course 13.16.3). You already build pressure-proof memory with retrieval practice, learn the official rules of your exam, rehearse real conditions, reframe nerves, write out worries, and follow a recovery plan. Now you help other students do the same. The activity: Write your exam-coach role sentence and ground rules, and book a first session with one or two peers. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Cohen and colleagues (1982), Educational outcomes of tutoring: a meta-analysis of findings, American Educational Research Journal (ERIC record EJ272101): eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ272101
- Leung (2019), An updated meta-analysis on the effect of peer tutoring on tutors' achievement, School Psychology International (ERIC record EJ1210472): eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1210472
Diagnose with a past paper and an exam wrapper
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Read the exam like an examiner
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Run practice quizzes and mocks for a group
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Coaching a stressed peer, and your limits
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Coach with integrity
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Run a peer exam-prep group, measure it and review other coaches
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Final project
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Quiz
What did the 1982 review of 65 tutoring programmes find?
Both the tutored students and the student tutors gained in performance and attitudes.
In the 2019 review of tutors, which kind of programme was linked to bigger gains?
Structured programmes.
What is an error analysis?
Sorting every lost mark on a past paper into one reason, such as a knowledge gap or running out of time.
What did research find about exam wrappers?
Mixed results: one study found no gains, others found modest gains.
In the lesson 2 example, which reason cost the most marks?
The knowledge gap (12 of 28 lost marks).
How is an IELTS overall band worked out?
The average of the four section scores, rounded to the nearest half band.
What does reliability mean for a test?
A student would get a similar score on another day or with another marker.
Which three things made classroom quizzing work better in the 2021 review?
Corrective feedback, a format like the final test, and repeated testing.
When should an exam coach refer a stressed peer?
When worry is intense or lasting, affects sleep or eating, causes school avoidance, or there is any safety worry.
Name the six fundamental values of academic integrity.
Honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.
What range of effect sizes did the 2014 review of Supplemental Instruction report?
From d = 0.29 to d = 0.60 on final grades, in the seven studies where it could be calculated.
What should you do if someone may be in danger right now?
Call your local emergency number and tell a trusted adult.
Final exam
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Certificate
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