How to Be Successful in Exams

Use of Effective Revision Strategies

Throughout their time at King Charles I School, students are taught what constitutes effective and ineffective revision strategies. Often the easiest strategies prove to be the most ineffective. The following have all been proven by research to have little or no impact on learning:

• Rereading
• Copying notes
• Summarising
• Highlighting key words

The two most effective revision strategies are testing and spacing coupled with good motivation and organisation. Research shows that students who test themselves regularly remember significantly more information and are less likely to suffer from the negative effects of stress associated with exams. Students have been told that although testing and spacing out their testing may feel uncomfortable and more difficult than other strategies, they are the most effective. Please click here for further information on these strategies.

Good Organisation

As a school we are fully aware of the link between disorganisation and anxiety and during the run up to the mocks and final exams, students need to be calm and in control. At the start of term we give students time to plan out their directed study and create a plan of what their days would look like to ensure that they have time to complete the work set. Having a plan reduces the anxiety of not knowing and ensures that students are in control of their own day. During directed study we are encouraging students to plan out their time to ensure that they are as effective as possible. All teachers when setting homework provide time limits for the different tasks. This is to ensure that students to not spend a disproportionate amount of time on one task and then become anxious and rush to complete the other tasks. Please speak with your son/daughter about these timings and support them to keep within the time limits set.

Work During the Holidays

The courses that you follow, whether it be GCSEs, BTECs or A levels, are extensive and as such require students to be working at a high level over the full 18 months of the course. Cramming for a GCSE, A level or a BTEC exam is not possible due to the amount of knowledge required. The homework tasks that you are set incorporates topics that you have covered from the start of your course. This enables you to revise throughout the course and again reduces the anxiety and stress linked to exams. Due to the fact that your GCSE, A level or BTEC courses are studied over a period of 18 months, it is expected that you will spend time during the holidays on the work set by their teachers. All work set over the holidays will be targeted preparation for the exams, preparation for new topics or consolidation of already taught topics. We understand that this may be unpopular, however, this preparatory work completed over the holidays will ensure that the exams and assessments pass without increased stress caused by lack of revision and preparation.

Awareness of Common Revision Mistakes

Finally, the link below highlights the most common mistakes that students make during their studies and when revising for exams. We regularly discuss these with students and we would urge you to do the same to ensure they don’t fall into the same traps.

Please click here for more information.

Feeling Anxious?

Feeling anxious – where to get help!

Tests and exams are an important way of finding out what you know and don’t know and what you can and can’t do. Without this information, teachers would not be able to adapt their plans and fill in gaps that you may have.  Like any situation in which a person’s performance is being evaluated, the outcomes may feel very significant. We understand that exams have the potential to be stressful.

It is perfectly normal to experience anxiety and, research shows, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Anxiety and stress cause the body to release adrenalin which can be helpful when responding to challenging situations. Stress will help students focus on preparing for, and then apply themselves during, the exam itself.

If you are feeling worried about exams, check out webpage below by clicking the link. On this page you will find lots of support and contact details of people who can help:

http://thefourstonesmat.co.uk/index.php/health-and-wellbeing

Intervention Timetable

Please click here to see the intervention timetable.

Attending lessons and completing homework are the most effective ways of ensuring students are prepared for their examinations. In order to support our students this year, identified subjects will be offering targeted intervention sessions. These interventions will be regularly reviewed in order to assess their impact. With this in mind, sessions may change as we move through the academic year.

When looking at the timetable, you will see that sessions have been labelled either ‘targeted’ or ‘all’. Sessions labelled as ‘all’ can be used as a ‘drop in’ as and when students need extra support. It is advisable for students to attend where possible in order to ask specific questions, gain guidance on a key area or spend time completing homework tasks alongside the subject teacher. Sessions labelled ‘targeted’ will be by invite only. Subject staff will contact the parents/carers of students who are required to attend these targeted sessions.