COPING WITH GCSE EXAMS

WHERE ARE WE?? Friday 5th May Tuesday 16th May (French) to Friday 23rd June (Physics)

PAYBACK!!! PARTY TIME!!!! EXTENDED SUMMER BREAK! Most of you will complete your exams by WEDNESDAY 15TH JUNE PARTY TIME!!!! EXTENDED SUMMER BREAK!

What are the Big Questions for Now? Do you have a copy of your Exam Timetable? (On School Website – Curriculum – Exam Dates 2016/17) Are your Subject Folders / Notes organised? Are you missing important notes? Are you aware of Syllabus Content / Key Topics? What are the Big Questions for Now?

SCHOOL WEBSITE CURRICULUM EXAM DATES EXAM REVISION / STUDY SKILLS

BEWARE OF DISPLACEMENT!! AVIODANCE TACTICS!!! DO NOT SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON A SUBJECT THAT YOU ARE GOOD AT AND REALLY ENJOY TO THE EXCLUSION OF OTHERS!!!! FOR EXAMPLE, YOU MAY PREFER TO SPEND TWO HOURS ON ART RATHER THAN MATHS!!! BEWARE OF DISPLACEMENT!!

DO NOT GIVE UP ON ANY SUBJECT! “I only need Maths and English” “I’m so far behind in Science, I’ll write it off” “I can’t do French….I regret taking it”

REVISION TECHNIQUES Flash cards / Bullet points One of he most effective methods is condensing your work into: Flash cards / Bullet points Mind Maps / Spider grams Visual cues USE A METHOD THAT WORKS FOR YOU

REVISION TECHNIQUES HERE’S A GOOD TIP AT THIS LATE STAGE!! List everything that you don’t know about a topic / subject Work your way through that list Eventually reduce the list to ZERO!

REVISION TECHNIQUES AVOID AIMLESS TRAWLING THROUGH WEBSITES TAKE ADVICE FROM YOUR TEACHERS

COPING WITH EXAMS STAY POSITIVE! Be wary of NEGATIVE INFLUENCES!!

IN THE END……. IT’S YOUR GRADE

BE SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER! COPING WITH EXAMS BE SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER!

COPING WITH EXAMS 96% of students feel anxious about exams (no matter what your friends say they ARE stressed too) 59% of students feel pressure from family SOURCE: CHILDLINE

EXAM PREP PRACTICE EXAM PAPERS WORK ON TIME MANAGEMENT

COPING WITH EXAMS FINAL PREPARATIONS Do not overdo your revision – “cramming”!! Use some of the time to refresh your memory on a few of the difficult or essential points Remove distractions – phones!!

‘WORK AROUND THE EXAM TIMETABLE’ 16th May – AM FRENCH (Units 1 & 2) PM BIOLOGY (Modules B1, B2 & B3) 17th May – PM RE (Spec A: Unit 3 – Roman Catholicism 1) 18th May – AM CHEMISTRY – (Modules C1, C2 & C3)

‘WORK AROUND EXAM TIMETABLE’ WHAT OTHER EXAMS ARE THERE BEFORE HALF-TERM?? SPANISH (Units 1 & 2) PE (Unit 1 – Theory of PE) ENGLISH LITERATURE – P1 (Macbeth & AIC) DRAMA (Unit 1) FOOD TECHNOLOGY (Unit 1)

WHAT OTHER EXAMS ARE THERE BEFORE HALF-TERM?? GEOGRAPHY – (Sustainable Decision Making) APPLIED BUSINESS (Business in Action) PHYSICS– (Modules P1, P2 & P3) MATHS (Non-Calculator H & F) ENGLISH LITERATURE – P2 (Novel & Poetry)

BE CLEAR ABOUT THE FORMAT, TIMINGS & CONTENT OF EACH PAPER ENGLISH LITERATURE PAPER 1 1 HOUR & 45 MINUTES SECTION A: Macbeth Extract Question & Question on the rest of the play– (20 MARKS & 20 MARKS) SECTION A: DRAMA: AN INSPECTOR CALLS – 1 question from 2 options – (40 MARKS)

THERE IS A LOT TO BE GAINED BY MAKING A POSITIVE START COPING WITH EXAMS THERE IS A LOT TO BE GAINED BY MAKING A POSITIVE START

COPING WITH EXAMS HOWEVER…… DO NOT GET TOO DOWN ABOUT SETBACKS MOVE ON TO THE NEXT EXAM AND STAY POSITIVE

COPING WITH EXAMS GET PLENTY OF REST – SLEEP WELL BEFORE EACH EXAM (YOUR PHONES WILL PUT YOU INTO OVERLOAD LATE AT NIGHT!) EAT WELL - A GOOD BREAKFAST IS ESSENTIAL ARRIVE IN GOOD TIME (AM & PM)

IN THE EXAM HALL AVOID DISTRACTIONS – GET INTO YOUR OWN ZONE!!

IN THE EXAM HALL READ THE QUESTIONS CAREFULLY BIOLOGY Plants respond to different environmental factors. Describe how different environmental factors affect: the direction of growth of roots the direction of growth of shoots. In your answer you should refer to the role of plant hormones. Do not refer to the artificial use of plant hormones by gardeners or scientists.

MANAGE YOUR TIME CAREFULLY

MANAGE YOUR TIME CAREFULLY EXAMS ARE DESIGNED TO BE COMPLETED IN THE TIME ALLOCATED ENGLISH LANGUAGE P2 TWO HOURS!!!

KEEP YOUR MOMENTUM SOME OF THE LATER EXAMS 19th June –AM BIOLOGY A (Module B7 - Higher) 22nd June – AM CHEMISTRY A (Module C7 - Higher) 23rd June – AM PHYSICS A (Module P7)

AN INCREDIBLE FEELING!