1. Welcome to Year 11 Parents evening on revision

2. Mock exams week starting 5th January Results Day: Monday 23rd January
Important Dates
Mock exams week starting 5th January
Results Day: Monday 23rd January

3. Students who know more do better in exams
Why Revise?
Students who know more do better in exams

4. Students who revise know more than those who don’t
Why Revise?
Students who know more do better in exams
Students who revise know more than those who don’t

5. Students who revise know more than those who don’t
Why Revise?
Students who know more do better in exams
Students who revise know more than those who don’t
Students who know how to revise do it more effectively

6. Revision Matters
With regular, well planned revision starting now, your son or daughter will achieve and exceed their target grades this summer.
Without regularly revisiting their work, they will not perform to the best of their abilities.
Key to successful revision:
Right conditions – Quiet? Music? Water? No TV & No FB!
Well planned revision timetable – no last minute panics.
Regular breaks – still plan time for hobbies.
Incentives – rewards are allowed.

7. Your son or daughter might tell you
“It’s too early to start yet”
“It’s too late to start now”
It is never too late to revise – a little knowledge is better than none. If they have not done enough preparation then help them to prioritise their remaining time by:
Focusing on subjects in which a pass is most likely
Identify key areas with the subject

8. Your son or daughter might tell you
“No-one else has started revising”
“Revision is boring. It’s just staring at a book”
“I can revise and listen to music or watch the television”
“All I can do is my best, I don’t need to revise”

9. Help them be organised in their work
Where will they revise? or
Help them be organised in their work

10. Get away from distractions!

11. Students need to plan their revision
What works best ?

12. Revision timetable
A revision timetable will help your son or daughter plan their time and achieve the most - avoid last minute panics and cramming.
Be honest & realistic – do they work best in the mornings, afternoons or evenings?.
Plan in breaks for regular hobbies.
Incentivise & reward.
Keep each session between 45 – 60 minutes max

13. REVISION TECHNIQUES

14. Visual Learners: Maps Posters Charts Spider diagrams Cartoons
Summary notes
Mental pictures
Mind maps

15. Key Word Cards/Flash Cards

16. Condensing Text
Postcards
A4 Pages
Diagrams
This forces you to think about the relative importance of the points you are dealing with. To condense information you have to decide what is important and what can be left out.
It leaves a manageable chunk of information for you to revise and test yourself on!

17. Exchange ideas with your friends Play quiet, relaxing background music
Auditory Learners:
Record ideas
Say keywords aloud
Tell another person
Make a presentation
Get someone to test you
Exchange ideas with your friends
Play quiet, relaxing background music

18. If you are an auditory learner you might try recording your own notes and listening to them last thing at night or on your MP3 player on the way to & from school.

19. Kinesthetic Learners:
Walk ‘n’ talk
Draw cartoons
Posters & storyboards
Make a model
Role play/drama
Make a mind map
Write a story
Annotate diagrams
Make cue/flash cards

20. Mindmaps

21. Using Technology for Revision

22. During the coming PSHE days all Yr11s will receive log-in details for a GetRevising account

23. What is Get Revising?
Get Revising is a website that helps students to learn and revise together. It helps you to get organised, learn from other students and prepare for your exams. In a nutshell, on Get Revising you can:
Organise your study life: create an interactive, personal study calendar that helps to prepare for homework deadlines and exams
Create smart study resources: such as mind maps, flashcards, quizzes and more
Get help fast: by searching our 190,000 study resources covering all subjects at GCSE, A-level, IB and Scottish Highers

24. Getting organised
Balancing studying with your hobbies can be tough. We created the Study Planner to help you plan your studies around your life.
The Study Planner:
Makes sure you know when your deadlines are
Books in enough time to meet your deadline
Prioritises the subjects you find difficult
Is flexible so can be updated at any point
Oh, and you can print it and stick in on your wall!

25. Getting creative
On Get Revising you can create and share study resources to help teach one another. You can create:
Quizzes
Mind maps
Revision notes
Flash cards
Crosswords
It’s quick and easy to create resources and it gives you a chance to explore different learning styles.

26. Finding help
On Get Revising it’s easy to find help. We have 190,000 student made resources covering all subjects and topics.
You can filter on the left hand side by subject, resource type (quiz, set of revision notes, crossword etc.) and exam board to get the help you need.

27. Past papers
On Get Revising you can find the right past paper in seconds using our smart tool.
If you’re unsure of your exam board just ask your teacher!

28. DURING THE EXAM PERIOD

29. ADVICE FOR PARENTS
Make your student’s environment comfortable and relaxed – encourage a routine
Encourage and commend your student when they are doing their revision
Have attainable expectations. Dialogue!
Appreciate that your student needs to relax during their revision period
Be a “sounding-board” for your student

30. HELPING STUDENTS DEAL WITH EXAM STRESS

31. What is stress?
Stress is one of the body’s natural responses to something that is threatening or frightening.
It is something that we all experience from time to time.
Stress is not necessarily harmful: mild forms can motivate and energise you
However, if your stress level is too high then it can cause difficulties, including hindering your ability to prepare for and perform during your exams.

32. Step One: Be careful about what you eat and drink
Try to eat a well balanced diet, eating at least three regular meals a day. Eat foods which will release energy slowly and are likely to have a calming effect. Food or drink high in sugar may give you instant energy,  but in the long term may wind you up leaving you feeling more nervy and edgy than you did before.
Limit your consumption of caffeine particularly found in tea, coffee, fizzy soft drinks. Excess caffeine tends to heighten arousal and increases "jittery" feelings; it can also impair your concentration and may keep you awake at night.

33. Step Two: Get enough sleep
Make sure that you get plenty of rest; six to eight hours a night are recommended. If getting to sleep is a problem, ensure that you have at least a half an hour break from your revision before going to bed. Use this break to do anything relaxing which will take your mind off your work such as:
having a soak in the bath;
chatting to your friends;
writing a letter;
listening to some  music.

34. Step Three: Take regular exercise
Exercising regularly will not only help to keep you physically healthy, but also uses up the hormones and nervous energy produced when you are stressed. Exercise will also help to relax the muscles which become tense when you are stressed, and, as exercise increases the blood flow around the body, it can help you to think more clearly.
You do not have to take up a strenuous sport: try swimming, walking, cycling or dancing. Anything that gets you moving around and is enjoyable is beneficial, especially if it involves spending at least half an hour in the fresh air every day.

35. Step Four: Control your breathing
If you notice that you are starting to feel very stressed, for example as you wait for the examination to start, try to regulate your breathing by concentrating on breathing out to a slow count of four; the breathing in will take care of itself. It will be helpful if you practise this exercise when you are not stressed so that you are very familiar with the technique when you need actually need it.

36. Step Five: Make time for fun
Build leisure time into your revision days and the days that you sit your exams. Get involved in a non-academic activity, such as sports, crafts, hobbies or music. Anything that you find relaxing or enjoyable which will give you a break from thinking or worrying about your exams will be beneficial.

37. Step Six: Talk to someone
If you are struggling with exam stress see your Senior Tutor, who can offer practical advice & arrange for you to see a counsellor if appropriate.

38. Step Seven: Improve your study skills
Get organised for learning!
Mind map
Quizzes
Bullet points
Highlighters
Post-its
Mnemonics
Record notes on your phone
Past papers
Effective study skills can reduce stress by making you feel more in control of your work and more confident that you will succeed. Remember that most of your fellow students will be feeling the same way as you do. Tell your friends and family how you feel and find ways of relaxing with them which will help to support you.
Clear your desk so that you have a good work space
Ensure that your desk is well lit
Make sure you have a comfortable seat that gives you good
support
Buy a desk tidy
Stock up with pens, pencils and coloured pencils
Buy a pack of highlighter pens
Buy a long ruler, protractor, compass, eraser, pencil sharpener
Buy some post it notes
Buy some white cards for summarising
Buy some A3 paper for mind maps
Stock up with A4 graph, plain and lined paper
Buy some coloured stickers: it can be useful to colour code
books by subject (timetables can also be colour coded by
subject)

39. On Exam Days
Ensure that your child has all of the equipment that they need (pens, pencils, calculator, geometry set etc)
Talk with them about the exams for that day – where and when it is etc.
Make sure that they have a good breakfast.
If they are unwell – contact the school if they are unable to attend (last resort) or make arrangements to get a doctor’s note (for special consideration appeals).