Year 8 Revision and Examination Preparation Guide 2019 · 2019-04-26 · YEAR 8 EXAM TIMETABLE 2019...

Year 8 Revision and Examination Preparation

Guide 2019

YEAR 8 EXAM TIMETABLE 2019

Day 09.00-10.00 10.30-11.30 12.00-13.00 14.30-15.30

Monday 20 May

History RS German House Events

Tuesday 21 May

Geography Revision Latin English

Wednesday 22 May

Maths Revision Mandarin House Events

Thursday 23 May

Chemistry Revision Spanish Physics

Friday 24 May

French Computing Biology House Events

Year 8

1

Pathway to Effective Exam Preparation

Year 8

2

TOP TIPS

GET ORGANISED

1.

2.

3.

4.

SET THE MOOD

1.

2.

3.

THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE

1.

2.

3.

Year 8

3

REWARD YOURSELF & TAKE A BREAK

1.

2.

MIX IT UP

• You only remember ___ of all that you read.

• Your revision therefore needs to be _____ and _______.

Over the next few weeks, you should aim to try some of these methods as part of

your revision. Think about what you might try this year and record it on the

following page. After your exams you will return to this to decide how successful

the method was.

Here a few examples, you may have others.

Year 8

4

MAKING A REVISION TIMETABLE

• Planning your revision is essential if you are to take control of your revision and not get too stressed.

• It requires you to think about which exams you have when and which subjects you find more difficult than others.

• Remember the Pomodoro Technique

• It is better to do a few hours each day rather than cram at the last minute.

You could use a proforma like this:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

AM 1 8-10

AM 2 10-12

PM 1 12-2

PM 2 2-4

PM 3 4-6

PM 4 6-8

PM 5 8-10

AVOID WORKING DURING THIS SLOT WHERE POSSIBLE…

Year 8

5

Or you could stick closer to your school timetable, with additional end of day slots

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

8.30-9.00

9.00-9.35

9.35-10.10

Break

10.30-11.05

11.05-11.40

11.45-12.20

12.20-12.55

Lunch

2.05-2.40

2.40-3.15

3.15-3.50

Break

4.30-5.30

5.30-6.30

Break

7.00-8.00

Year 8

6

Subject: Biology Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

One 55 mark paper

Questions will assess understanding and application of Biology in addition to factual recall

Content

The exam will cover the following topics:

• Movement & Understanding Experiments

• Microorganisms

• Food to Cells

Recommended material for revision

• “Key things to know for exams” section at the back of the Food to Cells book, located on pages 37-46

• Chapters 1-3 of textbook; Cells and Life Processes, Food and Nutrition, Releasing Energy

Recommended revision activities

• Make condensed revision notes on “Key things to know for exams” section, written out by hand. These facts

must be memorised.

• Read chapters 1-3 of the textbook to aid understanding

• Read through the practicals covered this year to ensure understanding of scientific variables etc

• Look through previous test corrections and homeworks in order to improve exam technique

Year 8

7

Subject: Chemistry Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

The paper will contain a mixture of question styles. These will include multiple-choice questions and short answer

questions where a clear, concise response is required. There will question(s) requiring you to plot or analyse data –

precise plotting and accurate lines of best fit will be needed, so you should ensure you have sharp pencils. You

should also expect to be asked to plan or evaluate experiments similar to those you have completed throughout the

year.

Content


• Metals and their Reactions

• The Reactivity Series and Displacement

• Extracting and using Metals

• Corrosion and Rusting

• Reactions of Acids

• Types of Reaction


• Textbook

• Topic Checklists available from your teacher

• Notes in your exercise book and homework material


1. Condense your notes

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the topic checklists)

3. Practice questions

Year 8

8

Subject: Computing Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be one section in the paper, comprising of a mixture of multiple choice, short response and long response

questions.

Content


• Programming in Python

o Variables and calculations

o If statements

o For Loops

o Subroutines with and without parameters

• Hardware components of a PC

o CPU

o Hard Drive

o RAM

• Logic Gates

o NOT, OR and AND gates

o Tracing Simple Circuits

• Binary

o Converting to Binary from Decimal

o Converting to Decimal from Binary


• SharePoint – Year 8 pages

• Python tasks on repl.it

• Notes in your exercise book


1. Review all coding activities on repl.it

2. Complete revision questions hosted on SharePoint

3. Review notes in exercise book.

Year 8

9

Subject: English Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be 2 sections in the paper.

Section A = Prose comprehension

Section B = Creative writing

Content


• How meaning is created through literary technique

• Narrative and descriptive writing


• Guides to prose analysis tips available from your teacher

• Descriptive writing advice guide sheet available from your teacher



Read a range of prose fiction texts

Check that you can identify the following:

• Similes and metaphors

• Alliteration

• Pronouns

• Verbs

• Adjectives

Make a note of interesting words, phrases and techniques and explain how they show you what a text means.

Year 8

10

Subject: French Exam Length: 60 Minutes Exam Content

There will be 2 exam papers:

Paper 1 (30 minutes): Reading. You will answer comprehension questions with regards to a stimulus text.

Paper 2 (30 minutes) = Writing. You complete exercises based on vocabulary, grammar and conjugation; you will

also have to complete an essay for which you will be given a clear structure.

The listening exam will be in lesson time outside of the exam period. Your teacher will confirm the date.

Content

Listening section Reading section Writing section

• Basic information (name, age, personality,)

• Activities/ daily routine

• Une fête (Unit 4) (Physical descriptions and helping at home)

• Food / drink. (Unit 1+5)

• Comment ça se passe? (Unit 3)

• Une fête (Unit 4)

• Bienvenue en France (Unit 4)

• Chez toi (Unit 4)

• Food, repas, restaurant (Unit 1 & 5)

• Means of transport

• School subjects, opinion about school, describe your school…

• Present tense of regular verbs (_er, _ir, _re) and key irregular verbs (avoir, être, faire, aller…)

• Passé composé tense of regular verbs (_er, _ir, _re) and key irregular past participles

• Hobbies or activities

• School: times of the day; subjects and opinions

• Food and drink

• Daily routine: range of verbs (reflexives included) + times + other relevant info (e.g. where, what)

Grammar

• Genders

• Present tense (+ key irregular verbs eg : être, aller, avoir, faire…)

• Passé composé of verbs taking AVOIR (regular and irregular past participles)

• Future tense (aller + infinitive)

• Link words (aussi, mais etc) + Time references (le matin, le weekend dernier etc)


• Textbook(s)





1. Mind-maps per topic with relevant vocabulary and structures 2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the topic checklists) 3. Practise vocabulary on Quizlet and practice grammar online

Year 8

11

Subject: Geography Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format


Section A = 20 marks on Population.

Section B = 20 marks on Rocks and resources.

Section C = 20 marks on Crime and Geography.

There will be a mixture of multiple choice, long and short mark questions.

Content

Rocks and Resources Population Crime and Geography

• What is a rock?

• The three rock groups

• Weathering, erosion and the rock cycle

• Geology of the UK

• Renewable and Non-renewable energy – case study ‘windfarms in Wales’

• Oil and Gas in the North Sea

• Geothermal in Iceland

• Water in Ogallala

• World population growth

• Why is the population

growing?

• Population pyramids-

Representing change

• China’s one child policy

1970-2010

• Ageing population –

Globally

• The UK’s ageing

population

• What is crime?

• Using GIS to measure

crime


• Topic Checklists available from your teacher.

• Notes in your exercise book and homework material.


1 Create mind maps for each week’s work from your notes and PowerPoints.

2 Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the topic checklists).

3 Practice questions.

Year 8

12

Subject: German Exam Length: 60 Minutes Exam Format There will be 2 exam papers: Paper 1 (30 minutes): Reading. You will answer comprehension questions with regards to a stimulus text. Paper 2 (30 minutes): Writing. You will complete exercises based on vocabulary, grammar and conjugation; you will also have to complete a longer writing task for which you will be given a clear structure. The listening exam will be done in lesson time outside of the exam period. Your teacher will confirm the date. Content Topics:

• Fashion and shopping (clothes and opinions) • Going on a trip (holidays: what you did, do and will do) • Daily routine (giving the time, what you’ve done recently and opinions) • Festivals and celebrations (national holidays, organising a party, describing a party)

Grammar:

• Nouns (singular, plural, nominative and accusative, prepositions followed by the dative) • Verbs (present tense, perfect tense, future tense, möchten, reflexives, modal verbs) • Adjective endings • Question words

Recommended material for revision • Textbook(s) • Sharepoint – Year 8 pages • Notes in your exercise book and homework material • Memorise • Zoom 1 and 2 workbooks

Recommended revision activities 1. Create Grammar flashcards/cheat sheets 2. Answering reading and writing questions on pages 18, 34, 50 3. Completing the reading tasks on pages 148-150

Year 8

13

Subject: History Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

In the examination you will just be asked to write one essay. You should plan for around 10 minutes and write for

around 50. There will be some advice on the question paper to help you structure your answer.

There will be two essay questions, and you should choose one to complete.

There will also be a provided primary source, and you should try and incorporate this into your answer.

Content


• The reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII

• The causes of the English Civil War


• Your notes in your exercise book

• Photocopied sheets and worksheets in your exercise book

• Y8 History Sharepoint pages


1. Condense your notes (into lists of key events, mind maps and diagrams, etc)

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings

3. Look over feedback from previous essays and any guidance notes you have on how to analyse sources

Year 8

14

Subject: Latin Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format


Section 1 = Comprehension questions on the passage.

Section 2 = Translation of the text on alternate lines.

Section 3 = Classical Civilisation topic. You have to answer only one question.

Content

The exam will cover the grammar and vocabulary of Stages 1 -12

You will need to study also the following Classical Civilisation Topics: The Gladiators and The Baths.


• Booklets 5-12

• Your Latin Poster

• Some texts for translation practice available from your teacher


1. Revise your grammar from your Latin Poster

2. Create Flashcards for vocabulary revision

3. Translate texts online Cambridge Latin Course website

4. Use the Cambridge Latin Course Vocabulary Checker (online)

Year 8

15

Subject: Mandarin Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format


Paper 1 (30 minutes): Reading.

Paper 2 (30 minutes): Writing.

The listening and speaking exams will be done in lesson time outside of the exam period. Your teacher will confirm

the date.

Content

• Vocabulary: Jin Bu 1 chapter 1-5; Jin Bu 2 Chapter 1 booklet • Grammar List: Jin Bu 1 page 100 -112; Jin Bu 2 Chapter 1 booklet • Writing task: See writing task sheet


• Textbook Jin Bu 1 and Jin Bu 2 Chapter 1 booklet • GoChinese online exercise • Previous vocabulary and grammar test worksheet • Notes in your exercise book and homework materials


1. Practice writing tasks from memory 2. Revise grammar points 3. Practice listening and speaking using GoChinese

Year 8

16

Subject: Mathematics Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be one examination paper.

You will need a scientific calculator, pencil, ruler, compasses and a protractor for the test.

Content


• Factors and powers

• Working with powers

• 2D shapes and 3D solids

• Real-life graphs

• Transformations

• Fractions, decimals and percentages

• Constructions and loci

• Probability

• Scale drawings and measures

• Graphs


• Homework textbook

• MyMaths tasks



1. Work through the practice questions

2. Complete MyMaths tasks, repeating each task until a minimum score of 80% is achieved

3. Go to Maths Clinic to find out about any topics you do not understand

Year 8

17

Subject: Music Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

• There will be one 1-hour paper which you will sit in class in the week before the Internal Exam Week. This is

because it is a listening paper.

• This is a Listening exam. You will hear short extracts of music several times, some of which are related to the

topics studied in class this year, and answer questions about the musical elements and their effect.

• Music Theory questions and analysis will be integrated into one paper.

Content


• Elements of Music (pitch, melody, rhythm, dynamics, texture, instrumentation)

• Music theory: notes of the treble clef, note lengths and performance directions (e.g. dynamics), and how to

write major and minor chords

• Jazz and Blues

• Music and Space (Holst: The Planets)

• Film Music


• Revision sheet will be given out in class, and available on Teams / Sharepoint

• Your folders and booklets – make sure you have filled in any glossary pages!

• Revision lessons after Easter – you will be given resources to use.


4. Turn on the radio (try a range of stations to experience different styles of music! Try: Classic FM, Radio 1,

Radio 2, Radio 6 etc.), and ask yourself questions about the music (e.g. “how could I describe the dynamics?”,

“what instruments can I hear?”, “how does the texture change?”)

5. Even better, select a piece at random on Spotify (so you can listen to it a few times) or your phone/ipod, or

on Youtube, and write sentences about what you can hear – try to write one sentence about each element

of music. Don’t forget to ask permission from your parents to use Spotify/ Youtube!

6. Use www.musictheory.net for practicing recognising note names and note lengths if you are not confident

with this.

7. You can also log into MusicFirst Classroom and use some of the lessons in ‘Focus on Sound’.

http://www.musictheory.net/

Year 8

18

Subject: Physics Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

You will need to answer all the questions in the exam. There will be a mixture of short and long answer questions as

well as calculations. You will need to have access to a calculator, ruler, pencil and a protractor for the exam.

Content

The exam will only be on topics that you have covered this year.


• Motion

• Electricity

• Sound

• Magnetism and Electromagnetism

• Moments and Hooke’s Law


• Textbook(s)

• Topic Checklists and revision material available from your teacher



1. Condense your notes (Mind Maps etc)

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings and equations (use the topic checklists)

3. Practice questions and check your answers against the mark scheme

Year 8

19

Subject: Religious Studies Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format


Section A = 10 key word definitions worth 1 mark each, 2 five-mark questions, 1 ten-mark evaluation question.

Recommended time spent on this is 30 minutes.

Section B = 10 key word definitions worth 1 mark each, 2 five-mark questions, 1 ten-mark evaluation question.

Recommended time spent on this is 30 minutes.

Content


• The Nature of God

• Cosmological Argument

• Design Argument and the Challenge of Evolution

• Miracles

• Religious Experience and Scientific Challenges

• The Problem of Evil and Theodicy

• Divine Command Theory

• Racial Equality

• Gender Equality

• Poverty


• SharePoint – Lower School pages

• Glossary word list available from your teacher



1. Condense your notes

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings

3. Practice questions

Year 8

20

Subject: Spanish Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format


Paper 1 (30 minutes): Reading. You will answer comprehension questions with regards to a stimulus text and do a

short translation.

Paper 2 (30 minutes): Writing. You will complete exercises based on vocabulary, grammar and conjugation; you will

also have to complete an essay for which you will be given a clear structure.

The listening exam will be done in lesson time outside of the exam period. Your teacher will confirm the date.

Content

Vocabulary

• Introductions (name, age, where you live, birthday)

• School bag items and objects in the classroom

• School (subjects, teachers, giving opinions, what you do in lessons)

• Snacks and prices

• Family members

• Pets and colours

• Physical and personality descriptions

• Numbers 1-100

• Places and activities around town

Grammar

• Regular ‘ar’, ‘er’, and ‘ir’ verbs

• The verbs ser/ tener/ llamarse

• Adjectival agreements

• Gender (un/una/unos/unas ; el/la/los/las)

• Singular/ plural nouns

• Qualifiers (muy, bastante, un poco)

• Connectives (también, pero, y)

• Use of the negative ‘no’

• Near future tense (voy a + infinitive)


• Textbook(s)




1. Mind-maps per topic with relevant vocabulary and structures 2. Plan in advanced stuctures and think about how you are going to show off your language. 3. Practise vocabulary on Quizlet and practice grammar online

Year 8

21

NOTES

Year 8

22

Top Tips: Exam Technique

Exam Strategy Success in exams involves not only having a thorough knowledge of the subject matter but also making the most of your knowledge in the exam through effective answering technique. Two pupils with identical knowledge and ability can sit the same exam and their final grades can differ by as much as 25%. The difference in result is down to having an effective strategy and exam technique.

Here are four golden rules to apply to all your exams:

1. Allow time to read the paper carefully

Make sure you really understand a) how many questions there are and; b) exactly what is being asked of you before

you rush into answering the paper. Mistakes are easily made by failing to fully understand what you are being asked

about, or even missing out a question that could be, for example, on the back page!

2. Stick to your “game plan”

For each subject you should have an idea of what will appear in the exam, and you should be able to come up with a

plan to deal with this. In most cases the questions will be as expected, but there will always be surprises to deal with

in some papers. Don't get flustered. Stick to your “game plan”, and trust your judgement.

3. “Sweep up” any mistakes

In the pressure of the exam room it is easy to make basic errors. These errors could cause you to lose you valuable

marks. Misreading an instruction is a typical example. Simple miscalculation can lose you time as you try to figure

out why your answer is wrong. Be disciplined with your time. Always leave a few minutes at the end to tidy-up

errors. Simply changing a definition / formula / calculation could be the difference between a good and an average

grade.

4. Attempt all questions

It is amazing how many exam scripts are handed in unfinished. Every year, capable pupils who didn’t get time to

finish a paper lose easy marks. Don't fall into this trap. Work on the basis that you will write an answer to every

question. It is much easier to get the first 20% of the marks for any question than the final 5%. You can always polish

an answer further but, if there is no attempt made a question, your teacher can’t give you any marks.

Year 8

23

The Teacher’s View

The job of your teachers is to give you marks, not to take them away, but they are powerless to help you if you fall into the most common traps. These are the most common pitfalls they have identified:

1. Not reading the question correctly

This is one of the most regular and fatal errors: it is often called the 'triggered

answer'. You have your pre-prepared answer ready but you don't look at

exactly what the question is asking you, and therefore write the wrong

information in your answer.

2. Not finishing the paper Bad time management in an exam can easily bring you down a grade. The biggest exam 'crime' is to leave questions

that you have not even attempted. Remember: it is much easier to get the first 20% of the marks for any question

than the last 5%. Let’s pretend you have to answer five questions and you are stuck on question three: do not spend

your remaining time extending and perfecting that answer. Instead, move on to questions four and five, even if your

answer to question three is only a draft. If you have answered only three questions instead of five, the highest

mark you can get is 60%.

3. Ignoring the marking scheme You must take the marking scheme into account when you allocate time to each question or part of a question. Lots

of marks normally = lots of points to make; few marks = only a few points to make.

4. Repetition Make the point once. There are no extra marks for restating facts, even if you phrase them differently. Repetition is

a very common mistake. It also wastes time and can be irritating.

5. Missing part of a question

Sometimes part of a question can be carried onto the next page and, in the pressure of the moment, you don't see

it. As a consequence you might fail to do a compulsory part of a question or miss out on the chance to take an option

that would have suited you better. Always take time to familiarise yourself with the whole paper before you start

answering it.

6. Rough work

Include your rough work with your exam paper – you might get some credit for any plans or “workings-out” written

on it.

Year 8

24

Final Preparation for Exams

Performing on the Day

1. Get a good night's sleep

While the temptation can be to stay up half the night 'cramming' in more facts and figures, the evidence suggests

this approach is counter-productive. In the context of a year’s work, an extra night's studying can make very little

difference to your knowledge. Having a mind that is refreshed, alert, and ready to face the exam can make all the

difference.

2. Arrive in plenty of time To perform well on the day, you need to be relaxed and to feel in control of the situation. This is difficult to achieve if you have missed breakfast and are stuck on a bus in traffic or standing on a train for 45 minutes as the exam time approaches. You will need about 15 minutes 'quiet time' to mentally rehearse your exam and run through your 'game plan' for the final time.

3. Have your equipment ready

Each exam has its own requirements. Apart from properly functioning pens, pencils, rulers, etc. you may need a

calculator for the Maths or Science exam. Drawing pencils may be required for diagrams in some subjects. A lot of

nervous energy can be expended on last-minute hassle if these items aren't checked in advance.

4. Think positive

On the day of the exam remind yourself of the good things (the material you know well, the revision you have

completed, all the past exam questions done, the good grades achieved) rather than dwelling on areas of weakness.

Having that self-belief will give you the confidence to trust your judgement within the exam room and answer

questions with calm and confidence.

5. Maintain your focus

There can be a lot of tension, drama, and hysteria in the air on the days of an exam. You want to keep the balance

between maintaining your focus and interacting normally with your friends and classmates. Surround yourself with

people who are likely to add to the calm rather than add to the clamour.

6. Beware of post-exam analysis

The more you participate in the exam post-mortem, the more confused and disheartened you are likely to become.

You can't change what has happened, you can only focus on the present and this will need your full attention.

Year 8

25

Who to ask for help

YES

NO

YES

NO

YES YES

NO

YES

NO

YES

Ask your subject teacher for help,

and write their advice down in the

“revision strategies” area for that

particular subject in your revision

booklet.

Ask your subject teacher for help,

and write their advice down in the

“revision strategies” area for that

particular subject in your revision

booklet. Experiment with revision

techniques written about earlier in

this booklet.

Is the problem about what

you need to know for

particular subject?

Is the problem about how

to revise what you know

for a subject?

Is the problem about the

exam timetable, the date

or the time of an exam?

Check your exam timetable, which

is printed on the inside front cover

of the booklet, which will tell you

when all your exams are.

Is the problem that you are

unsure how to organise

your revision?

Use the “how to make a

revision timetable” template

and discuss it with your form

tutor, who will give you any

further advice you may need.

Is the problem to do with

feeling stressed or anxious

about the exams?

Talk to your parents, your

form prefect, your form tutor,

the nurses or your friends:

whomever you feel can

support you.

Year 8 Revision and Examination Preparation Guide 2019 · 2019-04-26 · YEAR 8 EXAM TIMETABLE 2019...

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Transcript of Year 8 Revision and Examination Preparation Guide 2019 · 2019-04-26 · YEAR 8 EXAM TIMETABLE 2019...