GCSE Exams 2018 A guide to studying and revision

GCSE Exams 2018 A guide to studying and revision

The GCSE exams begin in May 2018. This booklet provides you with some essential information about revision and the examinations. You should use the information in conjunction with specific guidance from your subject teachers. Revision can be difficult to do and it can be hard to motivate yourself to begin it. But if you have clear revision strategies in place that work for you it should be manageable, straightforward and leave you feeling confident about tackling the exams. All of your teachers and support staff are here to help you and see you do well so use them all. We are in this together. Ask questions if you are unsure. Complete all of the work in lessons and at home. Complete mock exam questions under exam conditions. Revise as you go. It s never too late to start now!

General Exam Advice for Parents You can t do the revision but there is plenty you can do to help your child to get organised, stay motivated and stay calm. Getting organised... 1. Drawing up a revision timetable can certainly help with organisation. This should list dates, details of the subject and topics to revise. There is an example of a timetable in this pack, however, alternative revision planners can be found online. 2. Make sure that their social life not interfering with their studying. 3. Work with your child to set goals that are realistic. 4. Know their exam timetable and use the family calendar so that everyone knows the key dates. Make sure morning and afternoon exams are not mixed up. 5. Encourage them to attend revision sessions during study leave. 6. Ensure your child has completed past papers as part of their revision programme. 7. Ask your child to teach you something about their learning. 8. On exam days make sure the alarm is set so they re not rushing and have time for breakfast. 9. Encourage your child to take five minutes to check they have all the correct equipment for the exam, particularly calculators for specific papers. Getting motivated... 1. Use the revision timetable to plan out small rewards when a certain number of targets have been met. 2. Help your child to see beyond the revision. The exams will finish earlier than the end of the summer term so having a reward at the end of the process will help your child to stay motivated. Staying calm... 1. As far as possible try to make sure that revision time is quiet. A healthy diet and regular exercise are also especially important when your child is under pressure. 2. Make sure your child does not overwork. Breaks are essential. Remind your child that even a short break at regular intervals will refresh her mind. 3. Making a drink, playing some sport, listening to music or watching TV are all good ways to relax before the next revision session. 4. Talk to your child about the subjects and exams, what they feel confident/less confident about. Encourage them to talk to their teachers if they are unsure. Stress... 1. Stress and anxiety during exams is very common. While small stress levels can make students alert and focussed too much can reduce concentration and confidence. 2. Encourage your child to get enough sleep. Tiredness can increase levels of anxiety. 3. Avoid large doses of caffeine. 4. Eat healthily. 5. Encourage your child to not to dwell on previous exams. This can also increase anxiety about later papers.

Stress advice for students 1. Be prepared Make sure you know what you are supposed to have learned and that you have all your notes, books and essays to hand. Make sure you know what format the exam takes and how the marks are allocated. Use the guidance from Subject Leaders in this booklet. 2. Make a plan Working out how much time you have to revise and planning how you can use it best by making a timetable is a key factor in how to deal with exam stress. Another technique recommended by all time management experts is taking what feels like an overwhelming task and breaking it down into manageable chunks. 3. Know when and where you work best Work when you are most alert. We all have slightly different body clocks are you a night owl or a dawn lark? Everyone has different revision styles. Wherever you feel calm and in control is the best place for dealing with exam stress. 4. Take a break Psychologists suggest that we can only concentrate properly for about 45 minutes at one stretch, while neuroscientists tell us that the longer we try and focus on one thing, the less our brains are able to deal with it effectively. Take breaks to stay refreshed. Instead of cramming in more revision or, indeed, stressing over how to deal with exam stress, the best thing might simply be to do something completely different. 5. Eat well Keeping your blood sugar levels steady so that you don t have energy dips during the day and can sleep well at night is a vital way of dealing with exam stress. Avoid lots of processed, sugary foods like cereal, biscuits, sweets and chocolate. Lean protein like chicken, salmon or egg, plenty of veg and carbs that release their energy slowly like wholegrain bread, rice and pasta will keep energy levels steady. Pulses like chickpeas and lentils are great for vegetarians (and others), since they contain both protein and slow-release carbs. 6. Drink well Staying hydrated with lots of water. Juices or sugary drinks can make you feel jittery and disturb your energy levels. Caffeinated tea and coffee perk you up, but stick too much caffeine, and if you feel jittery or have problems sleeping, drink your last tea or coffee in the late afternoon. 7. Get exercise This is probably one of the best ways of dealing with exam stress. Anything from walking the dog to going for a swim, run or bike ride helps reduce physical tension that can lead to aches and pains, and releases natural feel-good brain chemicals. If you can t get motivated, rope in friends it s much harder to make excuses. 8. Sleep well Being unable to sleep the night before an exam is understandable, and our bodies are able to cope with lack of sleep for a day or so. If you worry about not being able to nod off only makes matters worse. A hot bath

and having somewhere dedicated just for sleeping (and not for watching TV or going on a computer, phone or tablet) will help you switch off. 10. Relaxation If you are really anxious, find a calm, quiet space and try breathing deeply in and out for a few minutes, focusing your mind on something pleasant, like a beautiful place with happy memories anything that helps you wind down. 11. Talk about it with someone Almost everyone finds exams stressful so you are not alone. Expressing your worries to a good friend, family member, your form tutor or subject teachers will help get them out of your system. 12. Reward yourself Build in treats to your timetable anything you can look forward to as a reward for sticking to it. Plan something exciting to celebrate the end of the exams. 13. Keep it in perspective If you feel you have really messed up an exam, there s nothing you can do until you get the results. Worrying about it won t help and may reduce your chances of doing well in other exams you are taking. Avoid post exam post mortems. Don t worry about what you wrote for question 5b and what your friends say they wrote. Focus on the next exam and prepare for it with a clear mind. Think about what you could do about a disappointing result that will help you feel in control.

Revision Timetables Plan the time between now and the exams by making and using a revision timetable. Make sure you include school time, the holidays, weekends and evenings. You should split your revision time up into manageable chunks and take regular breaks. Some people revise for 40 minutes and then take 10 minute breaks between each session. This may work for you, however, if it doesn t experiment with session times to find out what works. Try not to revise more than two subjects a day and don t attempt to do all of the subjects in one go. Decide what time of day you work most effectively: mornings, afternoons or evenings and keep this in mind when planning your timetable. Make sure you have time to relax before going to bed and try to get plenty of sleep. Use the template on the next page

Revision Timetable Use the Writing a Revision timetable sheet to help you complete this. And then use it! Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Restructure your notes Just looking at your notes will not help you learn them. Instead, you need to reorganise the information in some way. You could make notes of your notes, practice examination questions, design mind maps, write test questions and prepare the answers. This approach, called "depth of processing", is the way to ensure material gets lodged in your memory. Many of the following suggestions are all about restructuring your notes. Image Chains Try to remember information using silly and funny images. Make the images outstanding so that you can recall the information easily without getting it wrong. An image chain helps you to remember information by creating an imaginative story. See below: Mnemonics A mnemonic is a way of helping you remember information using abbreviations, words or phrases. The funnier these are the better. Take the first letter of each word you need to remember and use them to make an imaginative sentence. The first letter then triggers the original word when you need to remember it.

Mind Maps First take a blank piece of A4 paper. Use the paper in landscape. Start in the centre by making an image or use a word which describes the topic you wish to revise. The main themes whích come off your central image can be thought of as chapters. From these add smaller themes linked to the larger one it ís coming off. Repeat this until you have covered the whole topic.

Practise the thing you are being tested on The big mistake many students make is not practising the thing they will be tested on. If your exam involves writing an essay, you need to practise essay-writing. Merely memorising the material is not enough. Time yourself doing exam questions. You need to train yourself to produce good answers in a set time. Make it visible Copy your typed notes into Wordle and create a word cloud of them. Print out and stick somewhere you can see it all the time. Equally you could print out the wordles and stick onto a smaller sheet and put onto a key ring see the next idea. Key Rings Simplify your notes onto index cards. Punch a hole in the corner and place on a key ring. Use these notes for short bursts of revision. Writing up the index cards will be a revision activity in itself.

Dominoes/Loop cards There comes a point in revision when you need to start testing what you have learnt. There are a number of strategies to do this. Domino/Loop cards are a good way to quickly test your knowledge but also to test how much you have learnt. If you struggle to come up questions you know you need to go back into your revision. Come up with 15 questions. Write the questions on the left hand side of each domino. Now write the answers on the right hand side but start the first answer on the second domino. When you get to the last answer write it on the first domino. Cut out the dominos and lay them out in front of you jumbled up. Start by answering the first question and see if you can answer all of the questions without hesitating.

Think link Revision THINK LINK strategy - use a three layer system: Colour one Add FACTS around each bubble (mini spiders) Colour 2 Create a link between the bubble and the central statement (spiders on a thread) Colour 3 Create links between the different bubbles which factor is most significant? (spiders on a web). See the History example below:

Make it visual We ve already mentioned typing notes into a Wordle. You could also use different coloured post it notes to write up key ideas for individual topics. Display your post it notes around your room/study space even on the refrigerator and use them for short bursts of revision. Study Groups Meeting with friends for study sessions can be really effective as long as you do study. Discussing exam questions and brainstorming ideas with your friends breaks up your revision time and you may find you learn new facts.

Get a good night s sleep. Before the exam... Eat something to give you energy. Pack your school bag with a bottle of water, pens, pencils, ruler, protractor and calculator. Use a clear pencil case to keep your stationery. Turn your phone off And above all arrive on time!

Some important final instructions Venues We will mainly use the hall, the new hall and the library however, please check your individual timetable for specific rooms. Start times Morning exams will start at 9.00 Afternoon exams will start 1.30 Check your timetable for some variations. Seating Before you go into the exam room check the seating plan so that you know your seat number. Make sure you sit at the correct desk. If someone is sitting in your seat inform an invigilator. Uniform Full school uniform will be worn for all examinations. Equipment Make sure you bring the correct equipment for the exams. You should know which exams require specific equipment like a calculator. At the end of the exam Results Day The invigilator will collect your exam papers. When all the papers have been collected you will be dismissed. You must leave in silence as other examinations may still be taking place. Results day is Thursday 23rd August 2018. Your results will be ready to collect from the school hall at 9.00.