Looking for new ways to help your child revise effectively for their AQA science GCSEs? We’re here to help with the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor, in association with ExamJam. Read on to find out more about how the Tutor can support your child and grow their exam confidence.

Helping your child succeed with the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor

As a parent, you want the best for your child – especially when it comes to their GCSEs. We know how stressful exam preparation can be, but with the right tools and support, your child can walk into the exam hall confident and ready to succeed. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor, a FREE revision tool designed to support your child’s learning and GCSE Science exam preparation.

What is the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor?

Oxford Revise is an award-winning series that teachers and students trust! It has a proven three step method to effective revision and exam success: knowledge, retrieval and practice. For the 2025 exams, we’ve created the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor, in association with ExamJam, a FREE digital revision tool to support students with preparing for their AQA Science exams.

Help your child make every minute of revision count with:

• All the knowledge they need for their AQA Science GCSEs broken down into manageable chunks
• Quick-fire digital flashcards to help information stick and build up their long-term memory
• The AI Oxford Revise Exam Tutor on hand just like a teacher to answer questions and support them if they get stuck
• Lots of exam-style questions which the Tutor will mark just like an examiner, so they know how they are doing, and what to revise next
• Progress tracking to help them stay motivated and on-track with their revision

Ready to get started?

Help your child prepare effectively for their science GCSEs and share the Oxford Revise Exam Tutor with them. The perfect companion to their trusted Oxford Revise Revision Guides.

What are other parents saying?

“My daughter found it useful and engaging” AQA Science GCSE Parent

“A very useful tool especially when it goes into detail if the student gets the question wrong” AQA Science GCSE Parent

“Helpful and effective due to the variety of revision methods – e.g. Flashcards, questions and information.” AQA Science GCSE Parent

“Especially liked the flashcard element for testing revision” AQA Science GCSE Parent

More from Oxford Owl

• How to support your child with their GCSEs
• Discover the Oxford Revise Revision Guides

As part of an ongoing programme of language research, the department of Children’s Dictionaries & Children’s Language Data at 51șÚÁÏÍű has analysed children’s creative writing submitted to the BBC 500 WORDS story competition in 2023 and the results are out today!

You can find all the details about the winners of the 500 words story competition on the , and download the full for all the language analysis from OUP.

The analysis is undertaken by a team of lexicographers, editors and teachers, and is based on the Oxford Children’s Corpus, the largest children’s language database in English.

Key Findings from the Report

‱ Themes around contemporary conflicts feature more prominently in the stories than in previous years.
‱ There is a shift away from the topic of Brexit, with very few mentions of this word (and none in a political context).
‱ There is a substantial increase in the frequency of AI in the stories – often in relation to a dangerous entity that could take over the world.
‱ The stories indicate an increasing awareness of neurodiversity, and conditions are often portrayed as a strength.
‱ Barbie occurs twice as frequently in stories from 2023 than 2020.
‱ TikTok is seen as a more established app and part of everyday life in 2023.
‱ Lioness(es) increased in frequency compared with 2020, and over half of the mentions were in reference to football. In 2020, almost all mentions of lioness(es) were references to the animal.
‱ The 2023 stories are the first to demonstrate a lived experience of Covid in the UK, and the pandemic is evidently still a reference point for children.

Insights from the 2023 stories

‱ The proportion of boys and girls who submitted a story in 2023 was 39% and 61%respectively. Excluding names, words that are used much more frequently by boys than girls include: Madrid, titan, league, Godzilla and champions. Meanwhile, words that are used much more frequently by girls than boys include: gymnastics, pony, foal, makeup and tiara.
‱ Words that appear much more often in stories from the 5-7 age category than the 8-11 age category include: mammy, baddy and teddybear. Meanwhile, words that are used much more frequently in stories by children in the older age group than the younger age group include intrigue, commander and murder. Adverbs, including practically, seemingly and sincerely, are also used more frequently in this age group.
‱ Words which had much higher frequency in stories from 2023 than 2020 include seasonal trends such as pumpkin and Halloween, footballers such as Haaland and Raya, and animals such as capybara and axolotl. Camilla is also used much more often in stories from 2023 – both in reference to the Queen and as a general character name.
‱ Meanwhile, words which had much higher frequency in stories from 2020 than 2023 include ps4, bushfire, trump, Brexit and coronavirus.

Do check out the full report for more interesting facts about how children used language in the 2023 500 words competition, and congratulations and well done to everyone who took part and submitted a story, as well as to the well-deserved winners. 

Blog: 4 top tips for writing great plots

Blog: 4 fun ways to develop characters for a short story

Blog: How to find the perfect words for your story

Blog: Using storytelling to help develop reading and writing skills

Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast

By Harriet Muncaster

Age 5+

If you’ve got an Isadora Moon fan who’s looking for their next read that’s full of magic, adventure and a little bit of mischief, meet Mirabelle! Isadora Moon’s naughty half-witch, half-fairy cousin has a whole chapter book series of her own for emerging readers to enjoy.

Like the Isadora Moon books, Mirabelle’s adventures are engaging and accessible stories to build reading confidence.

Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast is a magical tale about friendship, siblings, and the importance of owning up to your mistakes. Will they be able to overcome their differences and come together for a midnight feast? Find out in this hilarious and heart-warming story.

Win Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast

For your chance to win one of three copies of Mirabelle and the Midnight Feast, we want to know who you and your child would invite to your own magical midnight feast. Comment on the pinned competition post on the Oxford Owl Facebook page with your answer to enter. Feel free to tag your feast friends so that they can join in the fun!

UK residents only. Entry closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 25th February 2024.

About the book

About the Author

Harriet Muncaster is the author and illustrator of the internationally bestselling Isadora Moon, Mirabelle and Emerald series of young reader books and the middle-grade Victoria Stitch series. So far Isadora Moon is available in thirty-seven different languages, including Spanish, Italian, Romanian and Korean, and is available as audio books. The Isadora Moon series won the El Corte InglĂ©s Children’s Book of the Year in 2019 and has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

More from Oxford Owl

• with Mirabelle (PDF)
• (PDF)
• Isadora Moon activities, videos and more on Oxford Owl

Science Words for Little People

Written by Helen Mortimer and illustrated by Cristina Trapanese

Age 3+

Get ready to meet some science words you can use every day!

Created by the language experts at 51șÚÁÏÍű, and informed by the Oxford Corpus of Children’s Language, these little books provide just the right words to explore science with even the littlest learners and to build their confidence with scientific vocabulary.

From the weather to space, discover and share all the words, facts, and meanings you need to talk about these fascinating topics together.

Win Big Words for Little people: Weather

To celebrate the publication of Weather, the latest Science Words for Little People book, we’re giving away all four books in the series to one lucky winner!

For your chance to win the books, head to the Oxford Owl Facebook page and comment on the competition post with your favourite weather emoji.

UK residents only. Entry closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 28th January 2024.

About the book

About the Author and Illustrator

Helen Mortimer has always loved words. After graduating, she placed her foot on the bottom rung of the publishing ladder and enjoyed every step of the climb until she had a fine view of the world of picture books!

Cristina Trapanese started studying illustration at the Italian School of Comix and later at the IDEA Academy in Rome. She loves painting and how it helps her learn how to manage colours, later discovering her passion for telling stories through images.

More from Oxford Owl

• The wonder of words: How learning new words can help your child (Blog)
• Building a strong vocabulary: How to help at home (Blog)
• Science for fun: Six super science activities to try at home (Article)
• Children’s Word of the Year 2023: Climate Change (Blog)

The Wild

Written and Illustrated by Yuval Zommer

Age 3+

Everything found a place in the Wild, and the Wild welcomed all


Discover renowned illustrator Yuval Zommer’s latest magical creation, which delivers a powerful modern fairy tale about how our environment needs us just as much as we need it.

The Wild explores concepts of healing, wellbeing and our relationship with nature through mesmerising illustrations, to offer a hopeful message for readers big and small.

Win one of three copies of The Wild

Want to get your hands on a copy of this beautiful book? We’re giving away three copies! Plant a tree 🌳 emoji in the comments on the competition Facebook post for your chance to win.

UK residents only. Entry closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 26th November 2023.

About the book

About the Author

Yuval Zommer graduated from London’s Royal College of Art with an MA in Illustration. He then worked as a creative director at many leading advertising agencies but his passion for picture books won, and he is now the author and illustrator of highly acclaimed children’s books, including the internationally bestselling The Big Book series for Thames and Hudson.

More from Oxford Owl

• (Video)
• Talking about Climate change at home (Blog)
• Fun outdoor learning ideas (Blog)

Realise or realize, organise or organize, analyse or analyze?

It might seem strange to see the same word with different spellings. Is it -ise or -ize at the end? Which one is right? You and your child might think the answer would be found in a trusted dictionary – an Oxford dictionary perhaps. But when you look, you might find that they are both correct!

There must be more to it though because some words are never spelt with an -ize ending! To find out which words can be spelt both ways, and which ones only one way, read on.

The first thing is that a dictionary will not give the ‘correct’ answer, but it will show how words are being used and spelt. If a word has two meanings, it provides both. Some words, such as foot has many more meanings: the thing at the end of your leg, a measure of length, a unit of rhythm in a poem. It also means the bottom of a hill or the muscular organ a snail uses to get about. Depending on the dictionary you are looking in, you will find all or some of these meanings. It will let you know if a word is old fashioned, for example, thrice, meaning three times. It may also tell you where a word originally came from, and this is the reason behind the different ways of spelling the same word.

It is a common belief that -ize is an Americanism and the British is -ise: recognize rather than recognise. That if you spell with a -ize, that this is an American spelling. But for most verbs, either way is correct in British English and the -ize ending has been in use in English since the 16^th century. If the word came into English with its origin in the Greek root -izo, then it can be spelt -ize.

This spelling is used in a number of places including Oxford dictionaries. The National Curriculum opts for recognise and criticise although both of these words can be spelt with -ize.

Here are some words which are always spelt with -ise at the end:

• advertise
• advise
• comprise
• compromise
• despise
• devise
• disguise
• exercise
• improvise
• revise
• supervise
• surprise
• televise

Your dictionary will tell you when a word can be spelt in different ways. It will only give one spelling for the words above. If your dictionary is an English one, rather than American, it will also only give one spelling for analyse and paralyse. These two are always spelt like this in British English.

Overall, if this still seems confusing, the most important piece of advice to give your child is to be consistent: if you start with a ‘z’ spelling, stick to it. If you are using the ‘s’ spelling, use it all the way through your writing. And, finally, remember a dictionary can tell you so much more than the meanings of tricky words.

More from Oxford Owl

• How to find the right dictionary for your child
• How a dictionary and thesaurus can help your child discover a world of words
• Discover Oxford Children’s Dictionaries
• Dictionary Activities and Games

Thunderboots

Written by Naomi Jones, Illustrated by Rebecca Ashdown

Age 3+

Join Trixie, a little, but VERY loud, girl, as she realises that what makes her different is what also makes her unique!

Thunderboots is an empowering story about starting school with dyslexia, inspired by the author Naomi Jones’s own experiences growing up. It uses a fun story and energetic illustrations to draw awareness to the challenges and strengths that little learners with dyslexia might experience.

We’ve developed this book with a school that specialises in teaching children with dyslexia to make sure it helps spread awareness about dyslexia in a positive way. It opens with a personal letter from Naomi that will encourage little ones to embrace their individual superpowers.

Win one of three copies of Thunderboots

Learning differently is Trixie’s superpower. What’s your child’s special superpower that makes them unique? Comment with your answer on the competition Facebook post for your chance to win one of three copies of Thunderboots.

UK residents only. Entry closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 29th October 2023.

About the book

About the Author and illustrator

Naomi Jones worked in children’s publishing for eight years before leaving to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. She is the acclaimed author of the picture book The Perfect Fit (OUP); its sequel One More Try, How to Catch a Rainbow (OUP), How to Make a Story (OUP), and The Odd Fish (Farshore). She lives in Cornwall near the sea.

Rebecca Ashdown studied illustration at Westminster University and Central Saint Martins, working as a graphic designer, vector illustrator and motion graphics artist, before becoming a full-time illustrator. Her books have been shortlisted for several awards including the Sheffield Book Award, the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal, the Portsmouth Book Award and Hillingdon Picture Book of the Year.

More from Oxford Owl

• Supporting struggling readers

Amazing Animal Tales: Little Monkey and Tiny Tadpole

Written by Anne Rooney, Illustrated by Qu Lan

Age 2+

Part fiction, part non-fiction – completely perfect for little animal lovers.

Discover an exciting series following baby animals’ incredible stories of survival. These new books are a perfect mix of fiction and non-fiction, combining emotional family stories with fascinating nature facts in one beautiful package.

Little ones will love opening the flaps to reveal amazing facts and each book features an animal to spot throughout.

Win a pair of Amazing Animal Tales books

You could win one of three pairs of the new Amazing Animal Tales books, Little Monkey and Tiny Tadpole, over on the Oxford Owl Facebook page. To enter, simply comment on the competition Facebook post with the emoji of your child’s favourite animal!

UK residents only. Entry closes at 11.59pm on Sunday 24th September 2023.

About the books

About the Author and illustrators

Anne Rooney is a prolific writer of fiction and non-fiction for children and adults who has published more than 150 books and lectures in creative writing. As well as the Amazing Animal Tales series by 51șÚÁÏÍű, recent titles include Animal Atlas and Dinosaur Atlas (Lonely Planet Kids).

Qu Lan graduated from the China Academy of Art and now lives in France. She has illustrated for multiple publishers including Hachette, Usborne and Penguin Random House, as well as well-known brands such as Airbnb.

Carolina Rabei’s debut picture book illustrating Walter de la Mare’s poem, Snow (Faber), was published to critical acclaim, nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal, and featured on The Independent’s list of ‘11 Best Books for 4–to 7–Year-Olds’. Carolina has been published in 17 languages. She has also been published by Egmont and Templar.

More from Oxford Owl

• Animal-themed picture book ideas (Blog)
• Why is animal fiction important? (Blog)
• Four top tips for getting the most out of non-fiction (Blog)