exam tips for parents
DESCRIPTION
Help and advice for parents with exam preparation for their son/daughter.TRANSCRIPT
4 TIPS FOR PARENTS
Provide inspiration
Offer incentives
Equipment, refreshments, a quiet place to work and your
support
A revision and exam schedule – be the stopwatch
PROVIDING
INSPIRATION
Connect with their future ambitions; college, work or VSO.
Visit an older sibling, cousin or friend studying at university.
Offer opportunities for her to meet people working in
professions that she would like to join and encourage her to
quiz these individuals on the qualifications that are required.
Take-up opportunities to openly discuss your own exam
results and the extent to which these helped or held back
your personal and professional opportunities.
OFFERING
INCENTIVES
One option is to discuss with your child what sorts of rewards would motivate them to set more ambitious targets and to revise more diligently.
Set process targets, sticking to their revision schedule, attending revision sessions, redrafting coursework, or achieving all „Gold‟ and „Silver‟ grades on their Attitude to Learning reports in Term 3, 4 and 5.
If your son or daughter is motivated by their exam performance, or outcome goals, we have set personalised, ambitious academic targets for each student. These are displayed on school reports.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Pin-board / post-it notes /
Notebook
Alarm clock
Calendar
Highlighter-pens / pens / coloured pens
SamLearning / MyMaths
Computer / Printer – all available at school
Folders and files
Past exam papers – available from the exam
website and their subject teacher
Revision guides
Comfort.
Refreshments.
Support - regularly invite your child to talk to you about how she is feeling about her exams.
At these times, restrain yourself from trying to „solve‟ her „problems‟ by offering immediate
„solutions‟ and continue to affirm instead that you understand how she is feeling or just hear
her out.
A REVISION AND
EXAM SCHEDULE
Sharing a weekly revision and the exam schedule is very powerful. Our support programme for students is published on the website.
The exam schedule will be published on the website. Pin up the exam timetable at home, when it is published - not just to check, but also so that you can say, “Good luck!”
EXAM TALK
All subject leaders will make exam papers and mark schemes available to students.
Talk through exam planning techniques.
Help them to do timed questions or essays in exam conditions. The real thing isn‟t so terrifying if it is familiar already. Be the stopwatch.
Check that they are properly equipped - pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, sharpeners, calculators, a protractor, dictionaries and so on.
What to revise
Ways to revise
Within 20 minutes, 42% of what was learnt or memorised, is forgotten.
Within 24 hours 67% of what he learned has degraded or is forgotten.
A month after learning a topic, 79% of what was learnt, has been forgotten.
WHAT AND HOW TO
REVISE
WHAT TO REVISE
Revising is not learning. Only revise what
you have learnt and can not remember.
Key facts, information, processes or
sequences.
What exam command words mean – eg
what does explain actually mean.
Make connections between facts and
information which shape a topic or area of
study e.g. definitions, scientific laws.
Vocabulary for foreign languages, verb
endings.
Select key quotations (including singular
words) from set texts.
Diagrams or drawings, e.g. science
apparatus.
Scientific or mathematical facts, symbols
and formulae.
WAYS TO REVISE
Attend the Year 11 Revision/Catch-up sessions.
Exam questions . Use the mark schemes. Practice the
same exam question again.
Use mnemonics to help you remember lists.
Use word games to help your remember key information.
Test yourself all the time; get friends or family to test
you, here, there and whenever.
Work through old exercise books, underline and
highlight key points or quotations.
Read or sing your notes out aloud.
Make revision notes by:
• summarising key information onto revision cards,
• make flashcard (Q/A),
• design subject posters,
• build mind maps and stick on the back of the toilet
door,
• record mini podcasts and listen to them,
• draw diagrams or charts, and draw them again.
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