gcse revision 2017 advice for parents - ies schools

GCSE REVISION 2017

ADVICE FOR PARENTS

Contents

Contents .................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Exam Tips: Advice for Parents .............................................................................................................................................. 4

Preparing to Revise ................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Revision Techniques – Mind Maps, Spider Diagrams & Graphics Organisers ............................................................ 8

Effective Revision Techniques............................................................................................................................................ 10

SAM Learning ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

E-Learning .............................................................................................................................................................................. 12

Effective Use of Revision Guides ....................................................................................................................................... 13

Using Past Exam Papers as an Effective Revision Tool .................................................................................................. 13

Preparing for GCSE English ................................................................................................................................................. 18

Preparing for GCSE Mathematics ..................................................................................................................................... 18

Exams 2017 – Timetable for Year 11 ................................................................................................................................. 19

Exams 2017 – Timetable for Year 10 End of Year tests .................................................................................................. 20

Strategies for Coping – Advice from The Guardian ...................................................................................................... 21

Exam Technique ................................................................................................................................................................... 22

Notes ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 23

Exam Tips: Advice for Parents

A dedicated quiet space with good natural

light or lighting is best for studying, with no

distractions. If you have other children who

are not studying for exams, make sure that

they know the importance of revision time.

Ensure that your son or daughter has one

evening a week away from their studies. It’s

also important that they take regular breaks

during the study periods.

Be around as a 'feeding station' – feed your

child lots of healthy

food and proper meals –

not too many sugary

snacks and junk food.

Offer to help with testing or ask if there is

something that you can do for them.

Reassure them you are concerned about

their welfare more than the results.

Know your son or daughter's revision timetable. Encourage them to tell you about what they are studying.

If you know that they are not at their best first thing in the morning, encourage them to rest then and work

when they are livelier. They should choose their weakest/sleepiest time of day to be sociable and go out, or

watch TV at those times.

Make sure that your child is using the

internet to study and not as a resource to

give the appearance of study!

Break revision time into small chunks with

short breaks at the end of each session often

work well.

Time your child's attempts at practice

papers.

Know exactly the date, time and location for each exam and incorporate this into the revision plan.

Make sure that they have the correct equipment they need for the exam (calculators, rulers etc).

Know what they are not allowed to take in to the exam (mobile phones).

If your son or daughter has a medical

condition, for example diabetes or hayfever,

make sure that the school knows about it.

There are special considerations for some

conditions.

If there is a family crisis, for example divorce

or bereavement, again ensure that your son

or daughter's teacher knows about it, since

the additional stress can affect your child's

exam performance.

Remind them of the importance of revision. These exams are

the passport to their future!

Preparing to Revise

Preparing to revise is almost as important as the act of revising it-self. It is important for students to structure their revision appropriately, ensuring that all subjects are covered and that appropriate rest periods are included. It is also important to ensure the environment in which your son or daughter is revising in is appropriate and distractions are removed.

The Process:

1. Rank subjects most difficult to least difficult.

2. Identify topics within subjects.

3. Identify the barriers and remove them.

4. Decide what time you plan to commit.

5. Block-out leisure, work and school time.

6. The most difficult should appear more regularly in your plan.

7. Mix in one evening subjects you enjoy most and least.

8. Revise in 30min bursts with short breaks.

Top tips:

1. It is tempting to spend more time on the subjects that you enjoy or find easy- give more time to those

you find more difficult.

2. Have a quiet, clean and tidy place to revise.

3. Get a balance between revision, homework, hobbies and rest.

4. Avoid Facebook etc. and put your phone in another room.

REMEMBER…PROCRASTINATION IS THE THIEF OF TIME

Subjects- most difficult to least difficult Subjects- most enjoyment to least enjoyment

Revision Timetable Template

Monday 24th April Tuesday 25th April Wednesday 26th

April Thursday 27th April Friday 28th April

Revision Techniques – Mind Maps, Spider Diagrams & Graphics Organisers

For many students simply reading pages of content or practicing using past exam papers does not provide

effective results for their revision. Using Mind Maps and Spider diagrams to make links between content is a

proven way of condensing key content to a manageable, memorable amount.

Key Content for inclusion in a Mind Map

Effective Revision Techniques

Revision techniques are a very personal choice – what works for one student might not work for another. It is

important that students know what revision techniques work for them and are then used as part of a

balanced revision programme.

Below are several effective revision techniques that students can use to prepare for exams:

Mind Mapping / Spider Diagrams

Using Past Exam Papers

Condensing Course Notes

Reading content

Use of Revision Guides

Read – Cover – Recite

Flash Cards

Sketch Notes

Questioning by Parents

Displaying Post-it notes of key content in room

Creating Videos and Podcasts

You-Tube for instructional videos

Teaching Others

E-Learning

SAM Learning

Peer Revision

Highlighting or Underlining Key Content

SAM Learning

Logging in:

1. Visit samlearning.com

2. Enter the Centre ID - For IES Breckland this is IP2IB

3. Enter username and password. Each student has their own username and password. Both username

and password are the same.

Usernames are set to the following format using the students’ date of birth and initials

ddmmyy followed by their initials

E.g. a student with the date of birth of 1st January 2001 and initials A.A would have a username of

010101AA

4. Select the subject and level the student wishes to study.

5. Revise!

www.samlearning.com

SAM Learning is an online revision tool for use in order to prepare for

GCSE exams

10 hours of revision on SAM Learning can help to raise your GCSE

results by up to 2 grades in a single subject

http://www.samlearning.com/

E-Learning

The use of technology, apps and software to support students’ revision is an ever popular method for preparing for

examinations. E-Learning should be used in addition to traditional methods of revision, rather than as a substitute.

Below are some recommended websites and apps that can help support your son or daughters revision.

Websites • My Maths – Booster activities and revision lessons

• BBC Bitesize – Revision notes and tests for many subjects

• You Tube – Great for instructional videos on topics students are unsure of

• GetRevising.co.uk – Plan revision timetable online and revision activities for many subjects

• Revision World.com – Condensed revision notes on many topics across range of subjects

• Method Maths – contains large volume of past papers for maths

Applications

• imindmap – mind mapping tool

• Revision App – quizzes and revision notes

• Pixl Maths App

• Remember the Milk - note taking app for condensing revision notes on the go

• Evernote – note taking app for condensing revision notes on the go

• Gojimo – revision quizzes

• Subject specific apps

Effective Use of Revision Guides

• Contents Page is a list of what students need to know for that subject

• Each page contains condensed notes on each topic along with exam style questions to practice

• Students have been given a revision guide for each subject they study where available

Subject Exam Board

Year 11

Exam Board

Year 10

Art & Design AQA AQA

Business Edexcel Edexcel

Computing OCR OCR

Drama WJEC WJEC

English AQA AQA

French AQA AQA

Geography Edexcel Edexcel

History OCR OCR

ICT Edexcel Edexcel

Maths AQA AQA

Physical Education Edexcel Edexcel

Psychology N/A AQA

Religious Studies Edexcel Edexcel

Resistant Materials AQA AQA

Science Additional OCR Edexcel

Comb.Sci

Science Core OCR

Using Past Exam Papers as an Effective Revision Tool

The use of past exam papers is vital to practice whether any revision that has been done has been

successful. Use the web links below to access the exam board site for past papers. From here exam papers

and mark schemes can be downloaded and used. It is recommended that students attempt a series of

questions then check against the mark scheme to see how they have done.

Subject

YEAR 11 YEAR 10

Exam

Board

Specification Title /

Number

(Use this on website

when searching)

Exam Board

Specification Title /

Number

(Use this on website

when searching)

Art & Design AQA 4200 AQA 8201

Business Edexcel N/A Edexcel N/A

Computing OCR J275 OCR J275

Drama WJEC N/A WJEC N/A

English AQA 8700 (Lang) 8702 (Lit) AQA 8700 (Lang) 8702 (Lit) French AQA 4655 AQA 8658

Geography Edexcel Geography B Edexcel Geography B

History OCR History A OCR History B

ICT Edexcel N/A Edexcel N/A

Maths AQA 8300F or H AQA 8300F or H

Physical

Education Edexcel N/A Edexcel 1PE0

Psychology AQA 4180

Religious Studies Edexcel Unit 1 & Unit 8 Edexcel Religious Studies B 1RB0

Resistant

Materials AQA 4560 AQA 4560

Science Additional OCR Gateway J262 Edexcel

Comb.Sci

1SC0

Science Core OCR Gateway J261

Edexcel

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/exams/past-papers.html

OCR

http://www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/download-past-papers/

AQA

http://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/exams-guidance/find-past-papers-and-mark-

schemes

http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/exams/past-papers.html

http://www.ocr.org.uk/i-want-to/download-past-papers/

http://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/exams-guidance/find-past-papers-and-mark-schemes

http://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/exams-guidance/find-past-papers-and-mark-schemes

Using Past Papers – GCSE Maths Example

Use the Mark Scheme at the bottom of the page to mark the GCSE Maths Exam Question below.

1 Mark for the correct answer

1 Mark for seeing £60 - £56.75

1 Mark for correctly adding all

items

Using Past Papers – GCSE English Example

Use the Mark Scheme on the next page to mark the GCSE English Exam Question below.

The content that students might have included in

their answer – you don t get marks for simply having

this content in the answer

Award Marks based on the Quality of the response. English marking is

subjective rather than right or wrong.

Preparing for GCSE English English revision should be straightforward – after all, English is easy, isn’t it? - We all speak it. Unfortunately, the

examiner is looking for quite specific skills in the exams.

The new specifications for English Language and English Literature mean that your child will sit 4 GCSE exams, a total

of nearly eight hours of exams. There is no Controlled Assessment or Coursework anymore.

So, they must continue to read and revise the set texts for Literature. Please buy them the study guides to help with

this. They should also be reading generally- newspapers, magazines, web articles. These texts will help them in their

exams where they will be faced with previously unseen texts of various sorts which they must analyse and compare.

They should be reading generally anyway, as this will help to cement in their minds correct grammatical structures

and syntax which will help with their own writing in Section B of the Language exams. This is where you can really

help, by making certain that in their revision timetable they have at least 15 minutes set aside every day for reading,

in addition to their revision.

For English specific revision, they have revision guides and workbooks and should, by now, be quite a way through

those. They should carry on working through those as they really focus on the skills that the examiner is looking for.

GCSE English Language Exam Dates Tuesday 6th June & Monday 12th June

Preparing for GCSE Mathematics • Revision Guides & Workbooks

• Personalised Learning Checklist

• PiXL Maths App https://mathsapp.pixl.org.uk/ - FREE

Available from:

Apple App Store

Google Play Store

Amazon App Store

Or through your internet browser

• MyMaths.co.uk (booster packs)

GCSE Mathematics Exam Dates: 25th May, 8th June & 13th June

https://mathsapp.pixl.org.uk/

https://mathsapp.pixl.org.uk/

Exams 2017 – Timetable for Year 11

Date Start Component Title

Tue 2 May All Day Physical Education - Practical

Tues 9 & Wed 10 May All Day Art

Mon 15 May AM RE

Tue 16 May AM French Reading

Tue 16 May AM French Listening

Wed 17 May AM ICT

Wed 17 May PM RE

Thu 18 May PM Drama

Fri 19 May PM GCSE PE

Mon 22 May AM English Literature P1

Mon 22 May PM Geography Paper 1

Wed 24 May AM Business Paper 1

Wed 24 May PM Core Science Paper 1

Thu 25 May AM Mathematics Paper 1

Fri 26 May AM English Literature Paper 2

Mon 05 Jun AM History Paper 1

HALF TERM

Tue 06 Jun AM English Language Paper 1

Tue 06 Jun PM Geography Paper 2

Wed 07 Jun AM Computing

Thu 08 Jun AM Mathematics Paper 2 (Calculator)

Fri 09 Jun AM Core Science Paper 2

Fri 09 Jun PM Business Paper 2

Fri 09 Jun PM Music

Mon 12 Jun AM English Language Paper 2

Mon 12 Jun PM Geography Paper 3

Tue 13 Jun AM Mathematics Paper 3 (Calculator)

Wed 14 Jun AM Additional Science Paper 1

Wed 14 Jun PM History Paper 2

Fri 16 Jun AM Additional Science Paper 2

Fri 16 Jun PM D&T : Resistant Materials

Exams 2017 – Timetable for Year 10 End of Year tests

Date Start Component Title

Tue 02 May Period 1 Biology

Wed 03 May Period 1 Chemistry

Thu 04 May Period 1 Physics

Mon 08 May Period 1 English Paper 1

Tue 09 May Period 1 RE

Wed 10 May Period 1 English Paper 2

Thu 11 May Period 1 Maths Paper 1 (Non-Calculator)

Fri 12 May Period 1 Preparation for Working Life Paper

Mon 15 May Period 3 Maths Paper 2 (Calculator)

Tue 16 May Period 3 ICT

Thu 18 May Period 1 Option A (Hitory, Geography and Computing)

Fri 19 May Period 1 English Literature Paper 1

Mon 22 May Period 3 Option B (Psychology, PE, Business, Drama

Tue 23 May Period 1 Option C (History, DT, French)

Wed 07 Jun Period 3 English Literature Paper 2

Strategies for Coping – Advice from The Guardian With the examination season in full swing, more young people are finding it hard to cope with the

pressure. "Cracking up", is much more common than many parents realise and, once it has

happened, is difficult to treat.

For parents, there is a difficult line to tread between setting expectations and encouraging a child

to work towards challenging goals, as opposed to placing children in situations where they

cannot cope or putting them under unreasonable pressure at home.

The reasons why examination stress is becoming a much more common complaint are complex.

At one level, society now recognises stress – the advice used to be simply to "pull oneself together"

– but also schools are changing. As they are set more demanding targets by government, many

are encouraging competition among pupils and fostering an ethos that does not tolerate failure.

Another factor in creating stress is the inability to structure study. Study patterns are set very early

in a child's school career but are usually not taught in schools. It is almost impossible to revise for

an exam without notes you have made yourself, but it is common to find students wading through

textbooks or searching hopefully on the Internet in the days leading up to their first papers.

The best way to combat stress is to recognise and deal with it. It is perfectly normal to feel stress

over examinations – it is a matter of finding the best strategies to reduce it. Stress becomes a

problem when parents and children handle it by denying its presence or by doing things to

reinforce it. For parents, making a family joke of a child's anxieties or imposing a revision schedule

are sure ways of increasing the stress burden. For students, going to a party and getting drunk has

the same effect!

Parents

Don't go on about it. Being asked how you feel often makes things worse. Try to be a listener rather than

to give advice. It is normal to say that each examination paper was a total disaster, so don't join the

inquest!

Be encouraging. Even if your child has been lazy over the past few months, now is not the time to bring

it up. Don't organise family visits and days out as entertaining distractions, either.

Talk to teachers if you're worried. An apparently stressed child at home may be coping well at school

and vice versa.

Avoid the doctor. Slamming doors, arguing pointlessly and crying are simple safety valves and not a

cause for worry. However, watch out for the child who is having real difficulty sleeping or is very quiet

and withdrawn, or the one who is apparently "studying" diligently but really doing nothing – copying out

the text book, for example. Watch out for side-effects.

Students

Relax for an hour a day at least – listen to music, watch television or take exercise.

Revise hard in slots of an hour or less – write rather than read – and take a 10-minute break (time

yourself) in-between.

Get regular sleep and avoid too much junk food and caffeine (coffee, Coke and tea). The best revision

is done in the morning.

Don't wind yourself and your friends up with frenzied hyperactivity. Stop planning your after-exams

parties and holiday.

Exam Technique

Key messages to give to your child

• Read and re-read the question – do you understand what it is asking you to do?

• Understand the command words – Identify, Describe, Explain, Analyse etc.

• Timing – Keep track of time, don’t rush, but don’t take for-ever over one question.

An exam of 90 minutes should take 90 minutes – not 20 minutes

• Marks – If a question is worth 4 marks you need to make 4 valid points or 4 steps to

your working out – not one sentence.

IES Breckland

Crown Street

Brandon

Suffolk

IP27 0NJ

Tel: 01842 819501

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.breckland.iesschools.co.uk

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.breckland.iesschools.co.uk/

gcse revision 2017 advice for parents - ies schools

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