PONTELAND HIGH SCHOOL

YEAR 11 REVISION GUIDE

MAKING REVISIONWORK FOR YOU

GCSE EXAMS 20171

CONTENTSPage

Introduction 3Students – How to revise 4Some useful revision resources 5Parents – How you can help 6Revision Preparation – a checklist 7

Curriculum Areas - Information and Tips:English Language & English Literature 8Mathematics 9Sciences (Separate and Additional) 10-11Modern Foreign Languages: 12-14

FrenchGermanSpanishSupport for parents/students

Humanities: 15-17GeographyHistoryReligious Studies

Technology and Art: 18-20Art & Design Food and NutritionHealth & Social CareTextiles TechnologyGraphics & Resistant Materials

Business and ICT: 21-23Business StudiesApplied BusinessICT

Expressive Arts: 24-27DramaMedia StudiesMusic P.E. / Sports Studies

Revision Timetable: example of term-time 28Revision Timetable: term-time blank (for photocopying) 29Revision Timetable: holiday-time blank (for photocopying) 30

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to your copy of “Making Revision Work for You” for the 2017 GCSEs.

The coming months are an important time for Y11 students as they prepare for their examinations. This booklet is aimed at helping all students plan and use revision time effectively as well as giving parents/guardians some tips on how they can help and support.

The Autumn and Spring terms are particularly crucial. By Christmas 15 weeks of teaching will have passed. Only 15 weeks of teaching after Christmas remain before the full exam period starts. Therefore making good use of evenings, weekends, half term holidays and Christmas and Easter holidays is essential if you are to do your best in the exams. It is important to have a balance between work, social time and family time but now is the time that clear, focused revision begins in earnest.

This booklet includes some tips on how parents can encourage, enable and support students to revise effectively. It also contains subject-by-subject revision advice which, in some cases, will be supported by material that you will receive directly from your subject teachers.

Please read this revision support booklet and;as a parent help your child to get organised, and as a student work with your parent to ensure a good, focused revision schedule.

Checking progress from time to time is very helpful, too. Subject teachers are more than happy to provide any other guidance that may be needed.

You will achieve your potential with: a clear revision schedule (see back of booklet for photocopiable timetables) concentration on areas in need of improvement determination and sustained effort support from family, peers and staff hard work a sensible, and good balance, between work and relaxation.

If you have any concerns, please do contact the relevant member(s) of staff at school.Never give up.

Jim Balkwill Deputy Headteacher

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Students – How to revise Make sure you understand – if you understand something, you are far more likely to remember it

easily. If you aren’t sure about something, ask a teacher, a friend, or a member of your family.

Plan your work – draw up a timetable of what you need to revise, and when you plan to do it.

Don’t be too ambitious – set targets which are hard, but achievable.

Revising often for shorter periods is better than studying for long stretches, less frequently. Most people begin to lose concentration after 20 minutes. Most people learn best near the beginning and ending of a revision session – so, the more breaks you have, the more beginnings and endings there are.

If you find your attention drifting, take a 10 minute break – physical activity, such as a short walk or stretching, can be helpful – then go back to your studies. Taking a drink of water helps keep your body hydrated and alert.

You will be aware that people learn best in different ways. Think about how you learn best.

Don’t just re-read notes, try:

highlighting key words making mind maps, spider diagrams, timelines, flow charts, Venn diagrams, etc. summing up key points making lists writing down key points on cards and using them to test yourself, or getting someone to test you teaching or explaining to someone else what you have learned producing a poster making up a rap, poem, or song, based on what you are learning producing a storyboard or cartoon, based on what you are learning talking over what you have learned either in your mind, or out loud, or to someone else using different rooms, or different areas of one room, to study different topics – when you return:

- each location should remind you of what you have learned, and - thinking about each location during the exam can trigger memories, too

walking around or assigning a gesture or movement to a fact or topic can help some people learn reviewing what you have learned so far, ideally by testing yourself, doing a mind map or list etc., before beginning something new.

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REVISION – THE TIME IS NOWLittle and Often 5 teaching weeks before ChristmasStep by Step 15 teaching weeks after Christmas

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Some useful resources

The Internet offers a wealth of revision material – so long as you do not make the mistake of spending too long surfing.

Materials available on the exam boards’ websites, such as past papers, offer excellent practice and revision opportunities.

Here is a list of some useful addresses:

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision - BBC Bitesize is one of the best-known educational websites, and covers a variety of subjects. Recent additions to the site include revision help for students studying PE and Information Technology.

www.schoolsnet.com - this is mainly aimed at teachers, but it also contains links to around 140 revision sites on all the major National Curriculum subjects.

www.gcse.com - useful revision information.

www.letts-successzone.com, www.s-cool.co.uk, www.whsmith.co.uk - all of these addresses provide information on revision guides.

www.britannica.com - general information.

www.gcsepod.co.uk/home/ - some excellent revision materials for a wide variety of subjects.

www.aqa.org.uk – for past papers for courses following the AQA specifications

www.ocr.org.uk – for past papers for courses following the OCR specifications

www.edexcel.org.uk – for past papers for courses following the Edexcel/Pearson specifications

Revision Books/Guides: There is a huge range of revision books available from well-known publishers like Letts and York Notes, many of which can be found on the shelves of WH Smiths, Waterstones and other good bookshops. If unavailable, you can ask the shop to order you a copy.

CD ROMS are a popular method of helping with revision, and are also widely available from outlets such as WH Smith. Again, if what you need is not in stock, the shop will order you a copy.

All BBC Bitesize television programmes are worthwhile viewing for students revising for exams.

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Parents – How you can help We all remember how stressful exam time is, and how important the right kind of support from

parents – and other members of the family – can be. Try to ignore the occasional slammed door, long silence or tantrum.

Read through Students – How to revise (above), and the various subject-specific pages, and see what you can do to help.

Providing a quiet study room, away from distractions, is important. However, different people learn in different ways: some people learn better if there is appropriate background music, or by talking aloud, or pacing, so absolute silence isn’t always the best approach.

Showing an interest in progress, and providing regular praise or rewards can be very supportive – sometimes, even a simple “Well done!” can mean a lot.

Remember, one of the best ways of understanding and learning something is explaining or teaching it to someone else – so make yourself available, ask questions and so on.

Make sure your child sets a realistic revision timetable, starts early, and sticks to it, without overdoing things. See the back of this booklet for an example weekly revision template.

Timetabling in ‘down time’, exercise or sports, meals (of course), social and relaxation time is also important to a successful and fruitful revision schedule. Finding the right balance is key.

ACTION:Help your son or daughter produce a week by week revision timetable.You will find at the back of this booklet example weekly timetables for:

whilst still in school and following normal lessons whilst on holidays (Oct/Feb/May ½ term and Christmas/Easter holidays) or exam leave

Please copy the blank timetables at the back as required to create a week by week revision schedule.

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What do you need to do?Checklist

LocationIs the place where you revise appropriate and ready for you? Is there anything that we need to do to make this space more conducive to successful revision?----

ResourcesDo you need to buy anything to help with revision?----

TimetableHave you begun to complete a weekly revision timetable and plan?Do you have your individual exam timetable? This is given to students before the Easter Holidays.Does it make sense?----

ContactsWho do you need to speak to?----

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&1. Read widely

Newspapers, novels, magazines, autobiographies, travel writing…try to step outside of your comfort zone and select texts that are challenging and different from what you normally read.andWrite widelyDifferent forms- letters, articles, reviews…different purposes- inform, explain, persuade. Practise planning, writing and reviewing and editing your work.

2. Exam BookletsUse the formulas, sample questions and answers, mark schemes and examiners feedback along with the toolkit to help you tackle the practice questions in the booklets.

3. Use revision websites. Some of the best include:o http://www.mrbruff.com/ o www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ gcse bitesize/ english o www.geoffbarton.co.uk o http://literatureguides.philipallan.co.uk/ o http://www.litcharts.com/

4. Clips on YouTubeSearch for Mr Bruff and Mr Davies- use these to help you to make detailed notes about your exam topics.

5. Revision GuidesUse the ‘Pearson’ revision guide and workbook (available from school) to help you to revise- work together in study groups so you can verbalise and talk through responses to texts.

6. Improve your vocabularyPractise writing tasks with a dictionary and thesaurus by your side- edit and review your work at the end asking yourself- does this vocabulary add to the intended impact/ effect?

7. Respond to PENSEnsure that you are clear about your strengths and areas for development- do you need to practise all of the skills or just some of them? Speak to your teacher if you are unsure. Attend the ‘English Helpdesk’ on Tuesdays after school if you want further advice.

8. Collect textsCharity leaflets, newspaper articles, editorials… identify GAP (genre, audience, purpose), highlight and underline key words that help the reader achieve their purpose, consider how the structure (opening, ending, order of ideas) and the use of punctuation heightens the effect on the reader.

9. Past papersFind Edexcel past papers on FROG, the Edexcel website and in your exam booklets- bring them to your teachers for marking.

10. Revisit your textsEnsure that you are rereading and annotating your literature texts and your poetry anthology so that you know the texts really well- each time add to your notes.

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENGLISH LITERATURE

Students sometimes talk about wanting or needing a certain grade in maths but when you enquire about how much additional revision they have done it is clear that they must not want the grade as much as they claim. Students should be doing about five hours of maths revision a week in the run up to exams, this time needs to be effective. Targeting weak topics is essential because answering the questions on these topics will increase grades. Revision should be a mixture of learning key facts and practising questions.

Students will sit AQA Linear Maths 8300. The students in the top two sets in each half of the year will sit the higher tier (H) providing that they continue to demonstrate that they are capable. Other students will sit the foundation tier (F) papers allowing them to reach a grade 5, the equivalent of the old B grade. For both H and F tiers the non-calculator exam is on Thursday 25 th May and the calculator exams are on Thursday 8th June and Tuesday 13th June.

REVISION RESOURCESi) Revision cards: These contain key facts that students must know to get the grade they want. It is essential that these are learned over a period of time rather than trying to learn them all a few of days before the exam. We have placed our cards on the Quizlet revision app so students can access them on their phone. Students will be shown how to access these in the spring term. If they would rather have them on card, they can purchase these in the spring term for a small printing fee.

ii) MyMaths.co.uk: School login: ponteland, password: square. An excellent interactive website that students are familiar with. If students have any tasks on their task list then they should get these done first and then they should target topics that they know they struggle with. Students sometimes complain that they don’t like using this site but this is mainly because they get frustrated by scoring poor marks and then rush through the attached lesson and then claim it does not help. If a student scores poorly on a task they need to slowly go through the revision lesson one step at a time and make notes about the key points. They should always use a pen and paper when using the site for working out, students sometimes think they should just do it all in their head, this will not lead to good marks.

iii) 10 key questions: This is a booklet with 10 examples of key questions that often make the difference between a certain grades. These are accompanied by worksheets with similar questions. Students attempt the sheets and when they are stuck they look in their booklet for help. By the time they are doing the last sheet, they should no longer need to look up anything.

iv) Specimen papers: These are essential. If there is a question a student cannot do then do not ignore it. Look up the topic and work out how to tackle the problem, thus you’ll be able to tackle a similar problem in the real exam. If past papers highlight a weak topic, this topic should become a priority for revision.

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MATHEMATICS

Revision Guides and Workbooks: Some Year 11 students have purchased these already and they are an excellent resource – so do use these for practice and re-learning. If students have not yet purchased these and would like to then they should ask their maths teacher for an order form.

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Your preparation for science terminal exams should have two stages; learning and revising the work covered in lessons and applying your understanding to answer exam questions.

Learning & revising

Download a copy of the syllabus from the OCR website (www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-subject/science/). If you cannot find it, ask your teacher. Go through the syllabus statements identifying those you understand and the statements that require further study. Write a set of revision notes based on the topics you do not understand. Topics in bold are for higher tier students only and modules B7, C7 and P7 are for Separate Science students only.

Using either the course textbook or revision guide, read the information on the topics that you do not understand. Reading by itself rarely leads to remembering and understanding, so re-write information that you have read in your own words, draw concept maps to link topics, create question and answer cards, or try to teach your family and friends new and difficult ideas. Revision guides are available from the science prep. room and cost £5 each.

The course textbooks can be purchased from Oxford University Press: http://global.oup.com/ . Click on the tab ‘education’ and select ‘secondary’.

Use the online science resources to revise all units. Visit the website www.kerboodle.com and enter the login details that you have been issued with in class. If you are unable to login or have lost your details, speak to Mr Warland. Once on the site you will be requested to change your

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SCIENCESSEPARATE SCIENCES

DUAL AWARD

password. You can then either complete tasks set by your teacher or ones in the bank of practice tasks.

Applying your understanding

Once you have learnt and revised the material you now need to practice applying your understanding to answer exam questions. Complete as many past exam papers as possible, including those on the OCR website, FROG and the hardcopies given to you by your teacher. Remember the most important questions are those that you find difficult. Use the mark schemes on FROG, textbooks, revision guides, lesson notes and the internet to ensure all questions are completed.

Other sources of GCSE style questions include the exam practice questions in the textbook at the end of each module, the questions in the revision guides, workbook questions issued by your teacher and redoing class module tests.

Out of lesson support

Your science teachers are there to help you so if you have a question or are confused by a topic make the effort to see them before or after the lesson, before and after school or at break and lunch.

The science department will also be running afterschool revision sessions in May & June as well as intensive revision sessions during lessons closer to the summer exams.

Early morning (8.45-9.15am) intervention sessions for students at risk of not obtaining a grade C and/or are two grades below target will also run for identified students following the January mock exams.

If in doubt ask!

Other useful websites: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/

www.youtube.com/user/virtualschooluk

www.khanacademy.org/

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There are a number of published and internally created aids to revision available in all modern languages, all aimed at enabling pupils to practise, review and develop their knowledge of vocabulary, structure and grammar.

Letts Revision Guide- Books available from school for help with all aspects of the French exam. These can be purchased from the subject teacher at a cost of £3.50

GCSE specific Revision web sites www. bbc .co.uk/schools/ gcsebitesize / french /

Useful for exam practice with both foundation and higher listening and reading tests

www.gcse.com/french/index.htm

www.languageskills.co.uk for practice in all skills, though it is a little more difficult than the real GCSE level (Zut)

www.languagesonline.org.uk – best for grammar and structures. Exercises gradually increase in level of difficulty.

www.aqa.org.uk- excellent for past listening and reading papers/markschemes

www.memrise.com – students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers- students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow ( AQA GCSE vocab)

www.quizlet.com Students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers - students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow (AQA GCSE vocab)

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MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

FRENCH

GERMAN

Letts Revision Guide- Books available from school for help with all aspects of the German exam. These can be purchased from the subject teacher at a cost of £3.50

German Revision Sites

www. bbc .co.uk/schools/ gcsebitesize / german / Useful for exam practice with both foundation and higher listening and reading tests

www.klar.co.uk www.lerndeutsch.org.ukFantastic for everything Online revision games on all topicsUsername: ponthighPassword: pontlangs

www.languageskills.co.uk www.languagesonline.org.uk-Good for practice in all skills, though a Excellent for revision games on all topicslittle more difficult than GCSE level (GUT)

http://www.funwithlanguages.vacau.comExcellent for revision games and exercises on all topics across the different skill areas

www.aqa.org.uk- Excellent for past listening and reading papers/markscheme

www.memrise.com Students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers - students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow ( AQA GCSE vocab)

www.quizlet.com Students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers - students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow (AQA GCSE vocab)

Letts Revision Guide- Books available from school for help with all aspects of the Spanish exam. These can be purchased from the subject teacher at a cost of £3.50

Spanish Revision sites www. bbc .co.uk/schools/ gcsebitesize / spanish / Useful for exam practice with both foundation and higher listening and reading tests

www.languageskills.co.uk : practice in all skills, though more difficult than the real GCSE level (OYE)

www.languagesonline.org.uk – best for grammar and structures. Exercises gradually increase in level of difficulty.

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SPANISH

www.aqa.org.uk- excellent for past listening and reading papers/mark schemes

www.memrise.com – students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers- students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow ( AQA GCSE vocab)

www.quizlet.com Students create their own account. This is a fantastic website for vocab revision for the listening and reading papers - students should see their class teacher to find out the specific programme they should follow ( AQA GCSE vocab)

Yr 11 Languages GCSE – Support for Parents/StudentsSpeaking Controlled Assessment (CA) Information:There are 2 speaking CAs throughout the GCSE. Each CA is a 4-6 minute conversation on a specific topic. Students will normally have completed their 2 speaking CAs by Easter, but in some circumstances a number of students might be attempting an additional speaking test to try to boost their grade.

For the speaking controlled assessments each student must: Have a task sheet with the required elements on Have prepared some answers to the bullet points on the task sheet Have prepared a planning sheet to help remember the conversation (40 words at the most in the

target language or English. No pictures/drawings/symbols/conjugated verbs are permitted)

Parents can support this learning by: Helping their child prepare an effective 40-word plan Test the conversation questions by asking each question and prompting the child when necessary Know the time and date of the speaking exam and encourage their

child to be prepared mentally as well as in terms of revision

Listening/Reading exam Information: These exams are in the main Summer examination period There are two exams of 30 mins each foundation/ 50 mins higher On the listening exam they hear a CD of French/Spanish/German questions and note their answers On the reading exam they read small passages in French/Spanish/German and note down answers

(mainly multiple choice) Vocabulary revision is of utmost importance for these exams

Parents can support this learning by: Testing their child on the vocabulary lists Encouraging their child to listen to and read French/German/Spanish via revision websites for

focussed learning Encouraging their child to attend the pre-exam practice in school

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There are 3 examination papers in the summer. Each paper is worth 25% of the total mark for the course. The examinations:

Monday 22nd May 2017: Paper 1 – 1 hour. Skills and Challenges for the Planet.Tuesday 6th June 2017: Paper 2 – 1 hour 15 mins. The Natural EnvironmentMonday 12th June 2017: Paper 3 – 1 hour 15 mins. The Human Environment

Revision:There is a Geography revision booklet and unit summary sheets. These are issued by the class teacher. All revision materials will also be available on the school network.A revision book – Revise Edexcel GCSE Geography A Geographical Foundations Revision Guide (Pearson) can also be purchased through the Geography Department at a cost of £3.

Revision ScheduleIn terms of devising a revision schedule, students have already been advised to start reading their booklets on each topic, primarily to revisit case studies and geographical processes within material covered in Year 10 and 11. Cue cards and mind maps can be helpful revision aids to make at this point.

Once students are confident with the topic material, they should then progress to past papers and exam questions which are available on the FROG VLE.

Revision sessions will take place before and after the Easter break during after school. These sessions will focus on a different topic each session as well as cover exam technique and levelled marked questions.

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Top Tip for Parents

Parents can help bytesting students

usingpast questions andmaterial from the

booklets.

HUMANITIES GEOGRAPHY

Exams:There are two examination papers in the summer. Paper One is worth 45% of the total mark for the course, with Paper Two worth 30%. The examinations:Paper One Aspects of International Relations, 1919-2005 (Section A- The Cold War 1945-1975),

with Depth Study The USA, 1919-1941 (Mon 5th June 2017 am 2hrs)

Paper Two British Depth Study- How far did British society change, 1939- 1975? (Topics- Immigration, Women or Youth) (Wed 14th June 2017 pm 1 hr 30 min)

Revision:Department revision guides:

Paper Two History revision booklet to be issued to students February 2017

Paper One History revision booklet to be issued to students prior to the Easter Holidays on completion of the teaching of the course

These are issued by the class teacher, alongside unit summary sheets. All revision materials will also be available on the school network.

A supporting OCR GCSE Modern World History Revision Guide by Ben Walsh, tailored to the current specification, can also be purchased to supplement the department issued revision guides. Previous students have commented that this resource has proved to be an invaluable revision tool.

Revision Schedule:In terms of devising a revision schedule, students are initially advised to start reading their summary sheets, primarily to start familiarising themselves with the material covered in Year 10, which will make up both the Paper One & Paper Two exams. Once students are confident with the summary sheets material, they should then progress to past papers/practice questions.

Lunchtime revision sessions will start in the summer term. These sessions will focus on exam content, as well as specific exam skills, such as source analysis and how to answer key question types.

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Top Tip for parents

Parents can help by testing students using summary tests in the History revision booklet.

HUMANITIES HISTORY

There are 2 examination papers in the summer. Each paper is worth 50% of the total mark for the course. The examinations:

Wednesday 17th May 2017 (pm) 1hr 30mins Religion and Life IssuesTuesday 23rd May 2017 (pm) 1hr 30mins Religion and Morality

Revision:There are numerous RE revision booklets and unit summary sheets from throughout the course. These are issued by the class teacher. All revision materials will also be available on the school network.

A revision book – ‘My Revision Notes – Religious Studies AQA GCSE’ (Religion and Life Issues and Religion and Morality) is available from Hodder Education or online for around £8

Revision ScheduleIn terms of devising a revision schedule, students have already been advised to start reading their booklets on each topic, primarily to revisit key ideas and concepts within the material covered in Year 9, 10 and 11. Cue cards and mind maps can be helpful revision aids to make at this point.

Once students are confident with the topic material, they should then progress to past papers and exam questions.

Revision sessions will take place before and after the Easter break during after school.

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Top Tip for Parents

Parents can help byEncouraging the

use of colourful and detailed star

diagrams and mind maps.

HUMANITIES RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Course Assessment

Portfolio of work (controlled test - coursework) – 60%Externally set controlled test (exam) – 40%

Portfolio of work - Throughout year 10 and year 11 students will have completed a portfolio of work demonstrating

their ability to respond to different project briefs and explore a variety of material and techniques.

- Opportunity will be provided for ‘one to one’ portfolio improvement sessions at lunchtimes and after school.

- Students will also have a copy of the current assessment and grade boundaries - Objectives and clear guidance will be given to ensure individual success.

Controlled test (exam)

- The controlled test will take the form of a 10 hour exam in which the students produce a personal outcome in response to a chosen theme, set by the exam board.

- The students will be given approx 8 weeks starting in January 2016, to prepare for the exam, in which time they will produce a sketch book of research and development work.

- A checklist and support materials will be given to all students and sent home to parents.

Top tips for parents

Encourage visits to art galleries and exhibitions. Encourage use of sketchbook work at home – drawing, painting, photography, etc. (minimum

of one hour per week) Encourage students to discuss their artwork and share their ideas.

Useful websites

The students will be directed to relevant websites appropriate to their themes.The following websites are useful in provided a broad and varied selection of art and design:

www.tate.org.ukwww.nationalgallery.org.ukwww.designmuseum.orgwww.vam.ac.uk

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ART and DESIGN

TECHNOLOGY

GCSE exam dates: March 2016 (exact dates to be confirmed).

A revision lesson once a week has been taking place since the beginning of Year 11, with the emphasis on improving exam technique.

A full revision programme will be in place in lessons when the controlled assessment task is complete after Easter. The programme will include revision notes and each topic will be related to exam questions.

Students should work through their file making notes – bullet points, charts, spider diagrams to aid memory of key facts.

A revision checklist and comprehensive booklet will be provided to support revision at home.

A revision booklet will be issued to cover the content of Unit 1 singles.

Revision lessons are taking place with the emphasis on improving exam technique.

Students should use all notes from their previous units to help with revision questions set in class and for homework

A full revision programme will be in place in lessons when the controlled assessment task is complete after Easter.

The programme will include revision notes and each topic will be related to exam questions.

A revision lesson once a week has been taking place since the beginning of Year 11, with the emphasis on improving exam technique.

Within ‘self study time’, students should work through their file making notes – bullet points, spider diagrams to aid memory of key facts.

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TECHNOLOGY FOOD & NUTRITION

HEALTH & SOCIAL

TEXTILES TECHNOLOGY

A revision checklist and the second part of a comprehensive booklet will be provided to support revision at home. (The first part was distributed prior to mock exams).

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2/5 lessons at GCSE will have a Theoretical focus. Students will also have regular exposure to small exam style questions as a starter tasks. Once coursework is complete in February of the examination year, students will concentrate on exam preparation in lessons.

Every year the exam board supplies pre-release material for the written examination known as the ‘prep sheet’ for every student. This will guide the focus of revision as students are steered towards a particular range of products.

This year’s pre-release themes in Graphics and Resistant Materials will be released in March 2016. Focussed web based and site visit research tasks are generated to expose the students to the products and theme in a more practical manner.

Worksheets and revision notes are created in lessons.

CGP Revision guides available for Resistant Materials and Graphic Products, in school for £5.

Internet Revision GSCE Bitesize www.designandtech.com www.technologystudent.com (lots of further links on this site!!!)

Past Papers and Mark Schemes are available on the AQA website. http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/design-and-technology#bm-GCSE

Download the APP Design and Technology Resistant Materials or Graphic Product revision and coursework

support application by J Plimmer.

Under the Start Programs under Technology, on school computers, select either:

1. Focus Technology2. Resistant Materials3. or at home on:

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TECHNOLOGYGRAPHICS RESISTANT MATERIALS

www.focuselearning.co.uk/u/2657/CtcrjmyemygwBbAugwrtwmlgeyjAcsaEf

These contain video clips, lots of information on manufacturing processes, materials information and mechanisms if you look for them.

Students have two final examinations worth 75% of their final mark in May. The exam will test their understanding and skills in the following units:

Unit 1: a) Business and b) People Unit 2: a) Production b) Finance and accounts and c) External influences

February/March 2016: Case study with “getting to know you questions” . Students should read through the case study

numerous times to ensure that they are very familiar with it before returning to school.

Revision programme:

Class based programme . Students will work systematically through the five examined sub-units and apply what they have learned to the exam case study, as appropriate. During this time we will focus intensively on exam technique.

Unit revision guides (written by staff). Students will be given 5 revision guides covering Business, People, Production, Finance and External Influences. Students should revise from these regularly. In each case there will be a mock exam for students to complete at home linking that unit to the potential questions in the case study.

Weekly support and enhancement classes (after school). All students are invited to attend a weekly revision session after school, which will start March/April 2016.

T:/Drive. All revision lessons, revision guides and past papers will be available to download from the school’s T:/Drive (Business).

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Top Tip for parentsThe first thing you can do to help is to work through each of the five revision guides and practice papers with your son or daughter. These will be sent home to you via students. Secondly, please ensure that your son or daughter has access to the additional materials on the T:/Drive (Business folder). In addition students may find GCSE Bitesize (Business) useful as an additional resource.

BUSINESS STUDIES GCSE

BUSINESS & ICT

Students have a final examination worth 40% of their marks in May/June. The exam will test their understanding and skills in the

following unit: Unit 2: Financial Records

Revision programme:

Class based programme . Students will work systematically through the key examinable topics. During this time we will focus intensively on exam technique. Topics covered will be:

Financial Documents Business Payment Methods and Costs Producing Financial Statements Importance of Financial Statements

Unit revision guide (written by staff). Students will be given a revision guide, produced by staff to revise from. Students will also have a number of mock exams to complete in preparation for the main exam.

Weekly support and enhancement classes (after school). All students will be welcome to attend a weekly revision session, starting March/April 2016. Further details will follow from the department.

T:/Drive. All revision lessons, revision guides and past papers will be available to download from the school’s F:/Drive (Business).

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BUSINESS: APPLIED GCSE

Top Tip for parentsThe first thing you can do to help is to work through the revision guide and mock papers. These will be sent home to you via students. Secondly, please ensure that your son or daughter has access to the additional materials on the T:/Drive (Business folder).

In addition students may find GCSE Bitesize (Business) useful as an additional resource.

BUSINESS & ICT

ICT GCSE comprises two unitsUnit 1: Living in a Digital World -Externally Assessed Exam (40% of the GCSE)Unit 2: Digital Tools – Controlled Assessment (60% of the GCSE)

December 2016:Students will complete their controlled assessment work.Additional time will then be arranged in after school sessions for those students who have missed controlled assessment time due to absence or who are allowed extra time by the exam board.

Jan – May 21017

Students will sit a mock exam for the Living in a Digital World unit to give an indication of their prior learning for this topic. Although students will only have received a small number of formal lessons, the exam covers topics that students should have some knowledge of.

Class based programme . Students will work systematically through the six examined topics that are covered in the exam. During this time we will focus intensively on exam technique.

Unit revision guides (written by staff). Students will be given revision guides each topic. Students should revise from these regularly. In each case there will be exam questions for students to complete at home

T:/Drive. All revision lessons, revision guides and past papers will be available to download from the school’s T:/Drive (ICT).

Past Papers Students will complete past papers from the last 5 years of exams to prepare for the exam.

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BUSINESS & ICT

ICT GCSE

GCSE DRAMA YEAR 11 GUIDELINES: PREPARING FOR THE PRACTICAL EXAMINATION

Below is a checklist of work and strategies that all Drama students can employ to be well prepared for the practical element of the examination.

Make efficient use of rehearsal time experimenting with a range of voice and movement ideas.

Work to a production plan which makes full use of the plenary part of every lesson to reflect on progress and set action points for subsequent rehearsals.

In rehearsals observe carefully and concentrate fully so that you can give and receive constructive advice.

In devised theatre employ a range of drama devices which explore significant issues.

Write and deliver thought-provoking dialogue which communicates your chosen themes.

In your performance:

o control and vary the pace delivery, thinking how to highlight key moments.

o make varied and intelligent use of the acting space to engage the audience.

o modulate and project your voice with clarity and precision to communicate the dialogue.

o delight the audience with your energy and enthusiasm.

For writing up, make use of your Key Words List in your folders.

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EXPRESSIVE ARTS

DRAMA

Unit 1: TV Game Shows

This unit is worth 40% of the GCSE.

The external assessment will take the form of a 4 questions in response to a simulation or brief and candidates will be expected to respond in role.

The brief will be pre-released four weeks prior to the external assessment date, giving candidates time to research and plan for the examination.

In preparation for the external assessment candidates will be expected to have studied a wide range programmes from the TV Game/Quiz show genre.

Candidates will need to be familiar with genre codes and conventions, aspects of narrative structure and as well as issues concerning representation, stereotyping institution and scheduling.

Candidates need to show awareness of target audience and audience appeal together with an understanding of how programmes are marketed to these audiences.

Production skills will be expected and candidates need to develop effective practical skills such as storyboarding, webpage design, scripting, and other design skills.

Students should practice applying their knowledge and understanding of the topics by working through sample papers and revision booklet/material.

Supporting material, sample exam papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports can soon be found on the T:drive via FROG.

Unit 2: Coursework

Unit 2 will have been covered in class throughout the GCSE Media course.

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EXPRESSIVE ARTS

MEDIA STUDIES

Students have a final examination worth 40% of their final mark at the beginning of June.

The final exam will consist of two sections. Section A will have 8 compulsory questions that require students to respond to extracts of music. Section B has two questions, of which students choose one to answer, it will require an extended, essay-type answer.

Both sections are based on twelve 'set works' - pieces of music that students will have studied during the course. The set works are drawn from 4 areas of study: Western Classical Music, Music in the 20th Century, Popular Music in Context and World Music. Students are given full revision notes for all twelve set works and templates for Section B are available on the school network.

In order to do well, students must engage fully in listening lessons and complete all tasks set - this will frequently involve learning facts about the set works in preparation for the exam. Listening to a wide range of music, attending live music performances and performing music from a wide range of repertoire will also help students to gain the musical understanding required for this area of the course. Thorough revision as the exam approaches is also essential.

Over Easter:I will be running a ‘Revision Day’ in school for Year 11. I would encourage all students to attend, however if students are unable, I will send copies of the notes home.

Revision programme:

Class based work – Students will work through practice papers of both Section A and Section B, which will focus on examination technique.

Weekly Support – The Music Department has set aside Monday lunchtime for GCSE students to discuss techniques, set works and exemplar material.

Element focus – A key aspect of the Listening Examination are the Elements of Music. Using the notes given by myself and Mr Reid students should revise from these regularly. Every resource available has been placed on the T:/drive which can be accessed by using Frog. The main elements are; Melody, Dynamics, Texture, Harmony & Tonality, Rhythm, Timbre and Tempo.

27

EXPRESSIVE ARTS

MUSIC

Top Tips for parentsThe first thing you can do is help is to work through the revision sheet with your son or daughter. These will be sent home to you via students. Secondly, please ensure your son or daughter are listening to the set works at every opportunity. You Tube has a good channel with all twelve set works. Its web address is http://www.youtube.com/user/GCSEMusicEdexcel. The GCSE Bitesize website is also useful.

Access AQA website for past papers and mark schemes.

Internet revision.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/pe/

www.aqa.org.uk once on this site follow the links to PE and access past papers and exam tips.

Your class teacher will provide you with a list of key words and their meanings. Try to learn them all.

On the school T drive (T:\Subjects\PE) you will find past papers and revision notes on a variety of topics.

Revision classes will be arranged after school on days convenient to staff and students. Dates will be circulated with topics to be covered.Your class teacher will give you a revision guide which includes help with every topic covered.

Check all your work is up to date. Ask for any information you don’t have in your files or workbook.

Practice as many different types of questions as you can.

Section A includes multiple choice and short answers, one word or one/two sentence answers.

Section B is the scenario section where you have to answer in sentences and also continuous prose.

Don’t be shy! If there is anything that you are not sure of or need help with ask your teacher. Chances are you will not be the only one.

Go through all of your work and make notes on your notes.

Use a variety of techniques to help you cover all your work;

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PE / SPORTS STUDIES

o spider diagramso power pointso blind reveal

REVISION TIMETABLETerm Time (Example)

Targets: What I want to achieve this weekSubject Target DeadlineEnglish Complete reading “Of Mice and Men”. Essay to prepare Thursday 24 Nov

Biology Prep for unit 4 and 7 class test Friday 25 Nov

French Revise & Practise for CA written exam on Lifestyle (sections 1-4) CA write-upThursday 1 Dec

Maths Unit 2 test preparation Friday 2 Dec

Art Update portfolio folder Ongoing

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

4.00 – 5.00pm

HomeworkBiologyunit 4prep

Biologyunit 7prep

H’workRead

throughMaths notes

9 – 11am

Footballmatch

x

5.00 –6.00pm

x Homework Homework x x 11 – 1pm

Footballmatch

x

6.00 –7.00pm

Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner MetroCentre

1 –3pm

x Art portfolio

7.00 –8.00pm

EnglishReading

&essay plan

xEnglishessay

FrenchCA section

3 & 4Cinema

and

Meal

3 – 5pm

FrenchCA

practicex

8.00 –9.00pm

FrenchCA sections

1 &2 x

Englishessay

Biology prep for

units 4 & 7 test

5 –7pm

Dinner Dinner

9.00 – 10.00pm

x x x x 7 –9pm

xFrench

CA

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Week Beginning: Monday 21 November 2016

practice

NotesAuntie

Dorothyfor dinner

Drama class

7.30-9pm

Englishessay in

tomorrow

Biologytest

tomorrow

Cinema with

Rod, Jane & Freddy

InfoSaturdaynight TV

& takeaway

Go for walk PM

REVISION TIMETABLEIn School Term Time

Targets: What I want to achieve this weekSubject Target Deadline

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

4.00 – 5.00pm

9 – 11am

5.00 –6.00pm

11 – 1pm

6.00 –7.00pm

1 –3pm

7.00 –8.00pm

3 – 5pm

8.00 –9.00pm

5 –7pm

9.00 – 10.00pm

7 –9pm

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Week Beginning:

Notes Info

REVISION TIMETABLE“HOLIDAY” TIME

MON TUES WEDS THURS FRIDAY SAT SUN

8.00am

9.00am

10.00am

11.00am

12 noon

1.00pm

2.00pm

3.00pm

4.00pm

5.00pm

6.00pm

7.00pm

8.00pm

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Week Beginning:

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