Exam preparation - hautlieu.co.ukReturn Tuesday 7th January Exams 7 thJan –14 Jan (Tuesday...
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Exam preparation
Transcript of Exam preparation - hautlieu.co.ukReturn Tuesday 7th January Exams 7 thJan –14 Jan (Tuesday...
Exam preparation
Mr Fowler– An introduction
Mr Swanwick - Science
Mrs Smith - English
Mr Durkin – Mathematics
16+ applications◦ Students have been completing these online
◦ Due in Friday 13th December
◦ Students have had careers assemblies and plenty of opportunities to discuss ideas with their teachers/mentors.
◦ Students must;
select their option choices for next year
Write a personal statement, outlining the reasons behind their choices
Return Tuesday 7th January Exams 7th Jan – 14th Jan (Tuesday – Tuesday) Full examination preparation for all subjects Timetable available on school website in due
course – will also be sent home
Outside the hall 15 minutes before start of exam Bring all required equipment – student
responsibility Opportunity to build revision resources - "money
in the bank" Develop understanding. Vital part of the learning process
Plan your day Lots of 30-45 minute sessions Meal breaks and short breaks scheduled Stick to your programme Little and often Students will be working on this in mentor
time Research has shown that if you want to study
effectively, you should spread out your revision rather than cramming.
Monday –1.50-2.10pm - Geography
Tuesday – Lunch - Maths (Maths 3)
Wednesday – Lunch – Maths (Maths 2)3.30-4.30pm - PE, Art and Chemistry
Thursday – Lunch - Maths (Maths 1)3.30pm-4.30pm - DT Maths (Maths 3) and Art
Friday – Lunch – Maths (Maths 2)
Other subjects will start support sessions imminently and this will be communicated home
Just looking at your notes won't necessarily help you learn them.
Instead, you need to reorganise the information in some way e.g. mindmaps, flashcards, practice questions
Revision should be challenging and active!
Mind maps1. Pick a topic – write out sub-headings
2. Write all you can about those areas
3. Read topics in notes/books, close book
4. Continue mind map using a different colour
5. Using a third colour, add/correct using your notes
6. What did you forget? Check through the gaps in your knowledge
Self-examination methods are one of the best tools for revision
Place a question/term/topic on one side
Answer/definition/information on the other
Test yourself
Teach a relative
Ask a relative to test you!
Writing exam answers is a skill. 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. This is usually what top-end students are good at. Merely memorising the material is not enough.
Different subjects will have different structural requirements within their examinations
Research confirms that practising retrieving information is one of the best ways to ensure you remember it.
1. Don’t just attempt and mark
2. Attempt in usual time allowance
3. Add using additional time – use a new colour
4. Add using your notes – use a new colour
5. Check the mark scheme
6. What did you miss? Revisit!
The suggested ideas relate to a process easily explained by ‘memory, add, mark’.
1. Memory – do something using your memory. Don’t cheat!
2. Add – add to what you’ve done using your notes or share answers with a friend.
3. Mark – now mark what you’ve got and add to your answers again using the mark scheme or other resources
New research shows that a brief rest after learning something can help you remember it a week later.
Other experiments have shown that a full night's sleep helps you learn new skills or retain information.
8 hours a night is the ideal amount!
They are worth 6 marks each. There are always two per exam paper. Each paper is out of 100, so 12 marks (12%)
are awarded for these questions. It is well worthwhile answering them as they
are generically marked, so marks are often easier to attain.
They usually have the command words “suggest”, “explain”, “discuss” or “evaluate”.
Weight given to ‘candidates’ ability to construct a sustained line of reasoning’.
1. Command word: the candidate will need to understand the command word to then provide the appropriate response.
2. Context/information/instruction: this may be in the form of tables or diagrams and could include data that the learner will need to use in their response.
3. Key terminology: look out for key terms used in the question stem, these will need to be used and/or applied in some way in your response.
1. A particularly long single specification point.
2. A combination of points across a topic area.
3. A key practical.
4. Putting forward an opinion or balanced argument (e.g. pros and cons, or where there are ethical, economic or environmental dimensions.
B1H – Describe the lytic pathway of a virus AND how this causes the spread of infection through a population.
B2H – Explain how marram grass is adapted to survive in the hot, windy & dry conditions of a sand dune.
B2H – Explain how substances are moved through a plant by transpiration AND translocation.
C1H – Diamond, graphite and a fullerene –Explain in terms of their structure and bonding, their relative melting points, strengths and abilities to conduct electricity.
C2H – Use the results of these experiments to explain, in terms of the behaviour of particles, the effect of changing temperature and the effect of changing concentration of A in solution on the rate of this reaction.
P1H – Explain how momentum is conserved in the collision. Use Newton’s third law and Newton’s second law in your answer. Newton’s second law can be written as:
Force = change in momentum/time
P2H – Explain, with the aid of a circuit diagram, the method a student could use to investigate how the resistance of a single lamp changes with the potential difference across the lamp.
The examiner looks at the ‘indicative content’. This lists material from the specification which students should include in their answer.
The answer is then put into a level based on the quality of the student response.
Once the answer has been assigned to a band, a judgement is made about which of the two marks to award.
This is influenced by ‘correct terminology being used appropriately and the answer should have logical connections’.
The flow of the lines of reasoning will be different, depending on the type of question. Where different substances/factors are being
compared, the answer should flow logically from one substance/factor to the next, making sure that all substances/factors are covered.
Where an experiment is being described, the answer should proceed logically through the experiment. The answer should include naming all of the apparatus (so that a competent person could follow the intended method). It might also be necessary to explain how the data is analysed.
Where a calculation is required, the steps in the calculation should be laid out clearly.
Preparation and familiarity with this style of question. Practice them. Don’t panic at seeing a large number of lines. Read these questions at the start of the exam. Always sketch a brief plan of what you are going to write. Don’t repeat the stem of the question – you are just wasting space. Don’t write vague responses such as ‘it helps the environment’. Read the introductory sentences carefully and identify the command word. Know what is expected by the command words. For instance ‘explain’ questions
must have answers which include reasons backing up statements. Those which are ‘compare’ and ‘discuss’ will require students to think about both sides of an issue, weigh them up and then come up with a final answer/conclusion.
Identify the key words in the question. Consider the best structure for the response – bullet points, labelled diagram,
continuous prose, two lists a table. Write down the key words needed in your answer. Don’t include irrelevant/unnecessary content. Read your final answer to check for errors and that you have actually answered the
question. Timing – a six mark question should take six minutes.
The BUG approach
B – box the word which gives the type of answer required (command word)
U – underline key words/instructions/information required to answer the questions
G – glance back at the answer to ensure all key points are covered
A useful mnemonic, which may help students structure a response to a question in the context of an experimental investigation, is:
‘Weasels Hunt Dreamy Rabbits Accurately’
1) Explain how substances are moved through a plant by transpiration AND translocation.
2) Look for clues in the question and highlight key words.
3) Draw a grid as so:Key ideas to include Transpiration Translocation
Definition
Substance moved
Adaptations
Description & Explanation of
Method
AQA 8700 Language :
Paper 1: 2nd June, morning I hour 45 mins. 50% of GCSE – explorations in creative reading and writing.
Paper 2: 5th June, morning, 1 hour and 45 mins. 50% of GCSE – writers’ viewpoints and perspectives.
AQA 8702 literature :
Paper 1: 13th May, morning. Macbeth and Frankenstein one hour 45 mins, 40% of GCSE.
Paper 2: 21st may, morning. An Inspector Calls, power and conflict poetry, unseen poetry, comparative unseen poetry. Two hours and 15 mins, 60% of GCSE.
GCSE English Literature, mocks in January
GCSE English Language, mocks in March
Paper 1:MACBETHFRANKENSTEIN
Paper 2:AN INSPECTOR CALLSPOWER AND CONFLICT POETRYUNSEEN POETRY, comparative unseen
Paper 1:EXPLORATION IN CREATIVEREADING AND WRITING (FICTION)
Paper 2:WRITER’S VIEWPOINTS AND PERSPECTIVES (NON-FICTION)
Students need to know the text well enough to place events and actions of characters.
Know the order of events – beginning, middle and end? (The study guide is useful here).
Students should be able to comment about whether the characters remain the same or change and develop; contrast with others so that the author can showcase a theme/idea which may be supported by the use of symbols and motifs.
Students will have made pairings between the poems with the focus of power and conflict.
Knowing the Assessment Objectives that are required by each task helps the student to provide the examiner with what they want.
Manage time carefully, so that the whole paper is completed, so timing with revision materials is vital.
Read both fiction and non-fiction in order prepare to analyse literary techniques as well as using more sophisticated vocabulary in the writing tasks.
Practice exam papers, visit the AQA website and use the Assessment materials there.
Learn the names of language features.
Best for subject terminology and quotes. Don’t write masses on them, they should be concise
and manageable. Revise language for an hour a week and do the same
for literature, until the exam has been sat in the summer.
For literature, both exams do not allow students to have the text. It is useful to learn quotations.
As part of revision, recall is vital. After revising, handing over mind maps, notes, revision cards… to someone else, to allow recall, is really supportive. Verbalising material learnt allows the student to see how much they do know as well as working out which information needs to become a priority.
T e x t :
C h a r a c t e r / T h e m e :
Ext ension – Think/ discuss/not e down how t hey are present ed
and explain why t hey are present ed t hat way.
Beginning: Middle: End:
AQA website
SharePoint
School revision classes
Seneca Learning
BBC Bitesize
Revision time table
Mock papers - completed in January
They will highlight the Gaps in knowledge and allow the focussed revision so that students are working on topics they struggle with rather than topics they know well
What do YOU need to revise?
Content of the course will be completed by Early January – this means a lot of reviewing and revision in class time
Constant review of lessons – looking back in exercise books
1:1 with teacher to highlight targets
Students will all receive a copy of this next week in their lesson
Online resources
www.drfrostmaths.co.uk
www.corbettmaths.co.uk
www.mrbartonmaths.com
www.mathsisfun.co.uk
Khan academy on youtube
Many, many more to find….
YOUR TEACHER!
Ask for help – take in the question you are struggling with and get a teacher to work through the question with you.
Bite sized chunks – one technique
• Print off lots of questions• cut out each question and put in a pile• pick up a random question and try if for 2
minutes (maybe during an advert break instead of looking at the latest facebook post or snapchat)
• If you can do it – great• If you can’t then bring it into school the next
day
Little and often is the key to success in Mathematics
10-15 minutes a day is not arduous and will help the progress rise exponentially
