year 11 revision pack

Year 11 Study Support Revision Session

Holmfirth High School

Contents:

Getting Started – The Reflective Cycle

Stress Management

How am I Smart

Multiple Intelligences

Using Mnemonics

Note-taking: Summary Shapes

Creating your Revision Timetable

Year 11 Study Support

Revision Session



It is important that you give yourself the

best possible chance by removing potential

distractions and creating an environment that

supports your learning.

That means, when revising:

No TV

No Msn

No Mobile Phones

No relaxing

No distractions

Revision spaces need to be business like – sitting on a firm upright chair, working at a table,

clear of clutter, in a well-lit room at a comfortable temperature.

Get everything ready before you start – try to avoid disturbing your revising time, save the

activities for your planned rest breaks. Select the books you need, paper to make notes on,

writing equipment, coloured pencils etc.

You will revise whatever it is that you concentrate on – if you are conscious that you have a

text message waiting, you will be distracted and your revision will not be as effective.

The idea is to make your revision time as productive as you can. In that way, you will earn

your breaks and rest times

A Positive Environment

You need to plan your breaks.

As time passes, the effectiveness of your learning reduces

as your concentrations lessons, but then improves as you

approach your planned break.

The best combination is to plan to revise for 25 minutes,

then take a planned 5 minute break – get up, move around, go

to the toilet, make a drink, check your texts.

Make sure your break is only 5 minutes, though!

Then back to work, for another 25 minutes.

Yes, well lit room

Yes, suitable chair

Yes, clock

Yes, clutter-free workspace

Yes, everything you need



Repetition, I said, repetition.

It is important to go back over stuff you have

learnt to help you to remember it for longer.

In the first 10 minutes, your brain is still making

the physical connections that result in you

understanding and remembering a topic.

If you look back over what you did ten minutes

before, you will remember more of the information,

for longer.

Revising a topic a day later, refreshes your memory

and then, again, a week later.

Ideally, this would start when you first learnt a

topic and continue in the weeks and months that

followed. You would then find your revision easier.

Use this process to help with planning your revision

timetable – plan to re-visit topics at different

points within the revision period.

You will be a faster

reviser...

You will be a slower

reviser…

When you are motivated When you are bored

When you are relaxed When you are worried

When you are eating and

sleeping well

When you are tired, hungry

and thirsty

When you use both sides of

your brain

When you revise in an

uncomfortable place

When you believe you are

going to do well in your

exams

When you cannot see the

point of what you are revising

When you like the subject When you do not like the

subject



Why Do Students Cram Before an Exam?

Students cram for a number of reasons including:

• Fear of failure because of learning difficulties;

• Over-committed schedules with little or no time to study. This can happen to

students with jobs, family obligations, or who may be involved in too many extra-

curricular activities. Cramming may increase stress levels.

• Low motivation to study on a regular basis well before time for tests;

• Underachievement;

Is Cramming for a Test Effective?

Almost always, the answer is no. Cramming for a test can lead to:

• Confusion of facts the student has already learned.

• Inability to connect new facts to prior learning, which is necessary to input ideas

into memory. Cramming does not allow time for the brain to process the information

and make critical connections in concepts.

• Reading fatigue during study and low energy levels during testing that can lead to

lower marks on tests, and

• Anxiety and frustration for the learner.

Is Cramming Ever a Good Strategy?

Generally, no. Light study before a test can be helpful if the student is already well

prepared for the assessment and simply wants to spend a few minutes going over some

concepts to help him feel more comfortable going into the test. In most students,

cramming only leads to failure and may reinforce low-self esteem.

Can I listen to my tunes?!

Whatever the music is, it must not distract you from your revision. Loud, fast, with a

heavy beat and words that you might try to listen to, will not help your concentration.

Research has shown that music with 60 beats per minute actually stimulates your brain and

makes it work better. Some music is better than silence, but should quiet background

music.

Scientists have called this the Mozart Effect. The best music to help revision is:

Pachelbel’s Canon in D, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, JS Bach’s Brandenburgh

Concertos and Handel’s Water Music.



We remember:

20% of what we READ

30% of what we HEAR

40% of what we SEE

50% of what we SAY

60% of what we DO

but, 90% of what we READ, HEAR, SEE, SAY and DO

Using a variety of approaches to revising can dramatically increase your ability to

memorise material. You should notice that reading (one of the most common exam

preparation techniques) is also the least efficient.

Some Basic Revision Techniques

• Re-reading class notes. Pretty basic method or revision but can come in handy when you

need to remind yourself of the key facts. Don't spend all of your revision time reading

though. There are some far more effective methods and techniques.

• Revision guides. You don't need any more than one per subject.

• Copying out key points from your notes onto small revision cards.

• Make use of diagrams. Draw your own diagrams so that you can remember them better.

• Use mnemonics to help you remember certain patterns or sequences. A mnemonic is a

way of helping you remember information using abbreviations, words or phrases. For

example, to remember the colours of the rainbow, you could use the mnemonic: Richard

of York Gave Battle In Vain, using the first letters of each word to remember the

colours Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. Simple!

• Make audio notes by reading your notes onto a computer/dictaphone. You can then play

it back to yourself whenever you like!

• Write important words and phrases on sticky notes that can be stuck where you'll see

them every day. On your walls or doors... anywhere will do. Your parents may start to

think you have a fixation for sticky notes but at least you'll be making the most of your

revision.

• Get friends and family to test you on various facts vocabulary etc... This will help you

keep your mind alert and it will give you an idea as to how much you really know.

• Share ideas with friends and give support to them when they need it. They should do

the same for you!

• As the exams get ever nearer, try doing some timed practice papers which you can

either get off your teacher or off your examination board's website. This will

really test how much you know, and in certain subjects such as English, you'll

be able to practice your reading and writing skills.



Let’s begin ….

A wise man once said – that the only important choice of the day is whether

or not to get out of bed in the morning!

Getting started on your revision is a bit like getting out of bed in the morning - you could put

the alarm on snooze, delay it and delay it and delay it just a few more days, but you would feel

so much better about yourself, if, instead, you get started early.

Vision

Positive visualisation exercises are used by sportspeople to help them focus on

their goals. Have a go at applying them to your revision.

• Early each morning and just before you go to sleep, close your eyes, breathe

deeply and count down slowly from ten to one.

• Now, imagine yourself sitting down, feeling relaxed and concentrated - you

are enjoying your revision the place where you normally revise.

• Take some deep breaths and imagine yourself sitting in the exam room – you

are feeling relaxed, confident and all the right questions are turning up.

• Take a couple more deep breaths and imagine yourself opening an envelope

and reading that you have been awarded fantastic GCSE grades!

Getting Started – The Reflective Cycle

Action

Some students are procrastinators. If, on Monday, they are given work to

finish by Friday, they start it on Thursday night, or on the way to school on

Friday morning!

Complete tasks early and start to think about and write down what helps you

keep on schedule. For example:

• Start the day 30 minutes earlier and use the time to help catch up on

homework that you need to do, or should have done.

• Give yourself treats for completing goals.

• Reorganise your room.

• Keep in close contact with a (disciplined) friend so that you

can give each other help.



Evaluation

This is, probably, the most important part of the reflective cycle. The process of

regularly evaluating how your revision is progressing helps you to plan your next

steps.

Think about:

• How each subject has gone

• How well your revision strategies are working

• How effective the different memory aids are

• How well you are keeping to your revision timetable

You need to do more of what work well and improve or modify what works less well.

Set realistic goals

One way to manage your stress levels in the early phases of your revision

is to focus on setting, achieving and reviewing short-term goals that can

be completed within a few days.

Once this initial phase is over, you will feel confident enough to set

additional targets.

For now, start building confidence by planning, getting yourself organised

and getting your revision programme under way.

Try:

• Revising two topics that you find most interesting

• Get someone to test what you know

• Visualise yourself successfully doing your exams

• Get up 30 minutes earlier than usual

• Take advantage of any revision sessions at school

• Revise a topic, then go for a 20 min walk and talk out loud about them

as you walk



Multi-sensory learning

We all use our

five senses

for learning.

Touching Hearing Seeing Tasting Smelling

Discuss the following statements

What do they tell us?

• There was a time when you used you sense of taste

to learn about the world.

• Dogs use their sense of smell to decide who they

like and who is a threat.

• Blind people show a remarkable development in

their other senses.

• Learning would be impossible without using our

senses.

Preferred Learning Styles

As adults we mainly use three senses for learning – but we tend to

have a preference for learning using one of the three senses.

Visual: About 29% of us prefer to learn by seeing.

Auditory: About 34% of us prefer to learn by listening to sounds and patterns of sound.

Kinaesthetic: About 37% of us prefer to learn by doing - experiencing it physically.

You need to know if YOU have a learning preference because it can

affect your success if you depend too much on one way of learning.



kinesthetic Learners

Like physical activity

Like to make things

Use gestures

Fidget and get distracted

Need to do things to remember them

Enjoy sport, drama, dance

Like action and action words

Say ‘I’ll handle that’

Tick which of these apply to you:

Visual Learners

Have a neat and tidy workplace

Good presentation skills

Plan ahead

Like to look good

Enjoy pictures and maps

Don’t always listen well

Daydream a lot

Draw, scribble and doodle

Say ‘I see what you mean’

Auditory Learners

Talk to themselves in the shower or loo

Tell jokes

Like speeches and singing out loud

Prefer verbal instructions

Are distracted by noise

Enjoy rhyme/rhythm

Listen well

Discuss and argue well

Say ‘Sounds great to me’



Now check out your sensory preference using this questionnaire.

Tick which of the three alternatives applies most closely to your preference for learning.

I like: Visual

Seeing

Hearing

Auditory

Doing

Kinesthetic

to learn through: pictures/diagrams

/videos

listening to teachers,

tapes or people

speaking

practical activity

to spell by: seeing the word in my

mind

sounding out the

letters

writing the word out

a number of times

to relax through: watching TV, sports

or films

listening to music or

the radio

playing games or

sport

to learn a foreign

language through:

looking at cards,

posters, videos and

book

listening to tapes

and saying the words

playing games and

role-plays

to learn a new sport by: watching a

demonstration

listening to

instructions and

talking to a coach

playing it

to learn in science by: looking at diagrams in

books and teacher

demonstrations

listening to a teacher

talking

doing practical

experiments

to remember events by: seeing images,

scenes, faces and

colours

hearing sounds, words

or music

focussing on action

and feelings about

an event

to write: descriptive passages speech and dialogue action stories

to find out information

by:

looking in books Asking an expert and

listening to them

Surfing the

worldwide web

Which best describes

you best?

I like to plan ahead

and see the future

I sometimes talk or

sing to myself

I get restless if I

sit still for too long

Total scores in each

column

V A K

Are you an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner?



When you or other people are under pressure, this can appear as:

• Talking too fast or too loud

• Yawning

• Fiddling and twitching, nail biting, grinding

teeth, drumming fingers, pacing, etc.

• Bad moods:

o Being irritable

o Defensiveness

o Being critical

o Aggression

o Irrationality

o Overreaction and reacting emotionally

If you find yourself exhibiting or recognising a number of these, then it would

be worth investigating some stress management techniques.

The Effects of Stress:

A high stress level is helpful when facing imminent danger (our ‘fight’ or ‘flight’

response), but this has a negative effect on performance in exams.

You need to find your optimum state, as shown on the graph below.

Low stress levels are associated with low performance. As your stress levels increase, so too

does your performance, until an optimum point. After which, performance reduces. A well-

intentioned, but highly anxious student can, therefore, perform as badly as a lazy and

lethargic student.

Stress management

• Reduced personal effectiveness:

o Being unreasonably negative

o Making less realistic judgements

o Being unable to concentrate and

having difficulty making decisions

o Being more forgetful

o Making more mistakes

o Being more accident prone

• Changing work habits

• Increased absenteeism

• Neglect of personal appearance

Where stress is low, you may find that

your performance is low. This is

because you become bored, lack

concentration and motivation.

In the middle, at a moderate level of

stress, there is a zone of best

performance. If you can keep yourself

within this zone, then you will be

sufficiently aroused to perform well

while not being over-stressed and

unhappy.



Developing Self-confidence

One of the main causes of stress is the sense that we are not able to control things

around us.

In the run-up to your exams, there are likely to be times when you feel that,

however hard you try, life has presented you with an insurmountable set of

obstacles – perhaps you will set aside time to revise all weekend, only to find that

you come down with the flu, or perhaps you decide to get up early, but you forget to

set your alarm.

The key is to put these obstacles and mistakes into context – they must be

regarded as minor hiccups (or hiccoughs) rather than major disasters and you need

to keep a deeper confidence in your own capacity to revise and to perform well in

your exams.

Strategies to maintaining self-confidence

• Set yourself ambitious, but realistic and achievable goals

• Make a list of you daily achievements, no matter how small they

might appear

• Develop a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment in the whole process

of preparing for exams (rather than focus on the results alone)

• Use positive visualisation exercise on a regular basis

• Recognise mistakes as offering opportunities for feedback, rather

than as ‘failure’

• Recognise that your achievements are the result of your abilities

and hard work, rather than just a result of chance or good luck

• Celebrate and reward yourself for short-term achievements

• Compete tasks rather than leaving them unfinished

• Revise and socialise with people who appreciate and value you

Look after your classmates

If you are highly competitive, self-protective and have aggressive attitudes to

other people when completing tasks, you will experience high levels of stress.

Students who adopt a more communal and caring attitude to one another tend to

experience lower stress levels when preparing for exams. It is important to

treat your classmates as companions, rather than as competitors.



How am I smart? You may already have an idea which intelligences are your strengths and

which ones you need to work on. Check if you are right, by completing this

questionnaire and, then, adding up your scores for each of your intelligences.

Score yourself with 1-5 marks for each question, 5 being the highest. Be as honest as you can.

Low High

1 2 3 4 5

1 I am good at working with objects and making things.

2 I am good at finding my way around.

3 I am good at sorting out arguments with friends.

4 I can remember words of songs easily.

5 I always do things one step at a time.

6 I know myself well and understand why I behave the way I do.

7 I keep/like pets and other animals.

8 I enjoy socialising with friends.

9 I learn well from talks and from listening to people.

10 When I listen to music, it can change my mood.

11 I can explain things clearly to people.

12 I enjoy puzzles, crosswords and logic problems.

13 I learn a lot from pictures, posters and diagrams.

14 I am sensitive to the moods and feelings of those around me.

15 I learn best when I get up and do it for myself.

Continue on to questions 16-32



Low High

1 2 3 4 5

16 I prefer to be outside in the open air, whenever I can.

17 I learn best when I have set myself a goal.

18 I enjoy peace and quiet for working.

19 When listening to music, I recognise different instruments.

20 I get angry when animals or the environment are abused.

21 I can picture places and faces easily in my head.

22 I know a good range of words and I like to learn new ones.

23 I enjoy writing.

24 I have a good sense of balance and enjoy dancing.

25 I can understand graphs and use a calculator properly.

26 I work well in a team or group.

27 I am observant and often see things others don’t.

28 I get restless and fidgety easily.

29 I enjoy working on a project by myself.

30 I can recognise different types of birds, trees or plants.

31 I enjoy making music.

32 I am good with numbers and maths.

Now, use the grid on the next page to work out your

own score for each of your intelligences.



Intelligences

Score for each Question Total

Interpersonal People smart Q3= Q8= Q14= Q26=

Intrapersonal Self smart Q6= Q17= Q18= Q29=

Linguistic Word smart Q9= Q11= Q22= Q23=

Maths/Logical Number smart Q5= Q12= Q25= Q32=

Visual/Spatial Picture smart Q2= Q13= Q21= Q27=

Kinesthetic Body smart Q1= Q15= Q24= Q28=

Musical Music smart Q4= Q10= Q19= Q31=

Naturalist Nature smart Q7= Q16= Q20= Q30=

Now, fill in the intelligence wheel, to

see how your scores compare.

Put a dot in the middle of each

segment, the bigger the total,

the further away from the

middle the dot will be.

Using straight lines, join

the dot in each segment to

the dots in the segments on

each side.

The resulting wheel will help

you to see which ones are

your strongest intelligences

and which ones you might try

to improve.

Here is one

that someone

has already finished

Year 11 Study Support Revision session


Task 1: What is intelligence? Write your own definition here.

What are intelligent people like? Describe them.

How can I be a genius? Everybody is clever in different ways and you can use knowledge of

different sorts of intelligence to improve your learning.

Neuroscientists now think that intelligence isn’t just about being good at Maths or English,

but that there are many different ways to be intelligent.

You have ... multiple intelligences.

In other words, there are lots of ways that you are smart.

Here are some of them. Their meanings are explained on the following sheets.

Task Two: Discuss each one with a friend and decide which ones apply to you.

Interpersonal

(People Smart)

Visual/Spatial

(Picture Smart) Physical/Kinesthetic

(Body Smart)

Naturalist

(Nature Smart)

Intrapersonal

(Self Smart)

Linguistic

(Word Smart)

Mathematical/Logical

(Number Smart)

Musical

(Music Smart)



Interpersonal or People Smart

Are you good at getting on with people – not just your friends, but adults, children,

teachers? Are you a good listener, showing consideration and

tolerance? Do you work well in groups and enjoy meeting new

people? Are you generally popular with friends?

People Smart means you are skilful at getting on with others –

you have to have interpersonal skills to do this.

Intrapersonal or Self Smart

Understanding yourself and the way you work is vital for success in

life. Intrapersonal intelligence is about being aware of your feelings

and understanding your strengths and weaknesses.

Can you control your moods and motivate yourself? Can you explain the way

you behave in certain situations? Are you good at setting yourself targets

and sticking to promises? If you are, then you have high intrapersonal intelligence.

Linguistic or Word Smart

If you enjoy reading and talking using a well-developed vocabulary,

you will be word smart.

You may be good at writing essays and stories and enjoy playing

around with words and the meanings of words.

Your favourite lesson may be English, if you are word smart.

Mathematical and Logical or Number Smart

Are you good at solving problems and sorting things out in a step-by-step

way? Do you make lists of things to do and work through them?

Your favourite subjects may be maths and science and

you enjoy brainteasers and puzzles.

If this sounds like you – you are number smart.



Visual and Spatial or Picture Smart

Do you think in pictures? If you enjoy drawing, painting and

looking at pictures, these are signs of visual/spatial

intelligence.

Learning more effectively from maps, graphs and pictures

is easy for picture smart people.

Physical/Kinesthetic or Body Smart

This is the ability to use your body skilfully in sport, dance or in

building and constructing things. If you are strong in this

intelligence, you will enjoy lessons like PE, drama, and technology.

You will enjoy doing things yourself, rather than watching

others and sometimes you might find it hard to sit still.

Musical or Music Smart

If you have got good rhythm and enjoy singing or playing an instrument,

you are likely to have a strong musical intelligence.

Do you listen to a variety of music because you want to and can pick

out patterns and instruments that others don’t seem to notice?

This is another sign of being music smart.

Naturalist or Nature Smart

If you are nature smart, then you are aware and interested in plants and

animals, insects and rocks. You may love being outdoors and care about the

environment around you.

You may be very aware of animal rights issues and hope to have

a career in an outdoor environment.



Multiple intelligences

- How are you smart?

Once you know what your strengths are, you can learn to use

them to make yourself a genius!

List your five strongest intelligences here: List your favourite subjects here:

Do you always tend to spend time and energy on these favourites?

If you do, it will make them stronger.

List your three weakest intelligences here: List the subjects you find hardest here:

Are you working hard to improve your weak spots?

This is the way to improve your brain power.

To maximise

your brain power ...

You need to use your strongest

intelligences for learning and improve

your weak spots.



Remember:

By using your stronger intelligences to improve your weaker intelligences,

you can begin to use your brain more fully. The better you can use your

brain power, the more effective your revision will be

What I need

to work on:

My no.1 intelligence:

Body smart My no.2 intelligence:

Music smart My no.3 intelligence:

People smart

Number smart

Use cards, beads, fingers to help.

Make equations into a rap.

Teach your friends a formula.

Self smart Start a fitness programme and learn to set personal goals.

Use music to create your mood and encourage you to think.

Ask friends to give you honest opinions about yourself.

Word smart Learn spellings by tracing out the word on the back of your hand.

Listen carefully to the lyrics of songs and find out their meanings.

Learn new words from friends who are clever with language

It would be great, if you could use your strongest intelligence

To help with your weak spots. Here is an example:

What I need

to work on:




Now try completing this table with your own ideas,



Note-taking: Summary Shapes

Simply reading passages of information is a passive technique and is less effective

than an active technique, where you process the information in your brain.

Making notes is one way to make your reading active.

Test Yourself Once you have completed the shape, test

yourself. For this Beckham example, you might:

• Talk through Beckham’s life aloud

• Close your eyes and try to visualise the

contents of the circle in your mind’s eye.

• Try to fill in a blank eight-part circle that

you have sketched in rough.

• Ask a friend or a member of your

family to test you on Beckham’s life.

You may be surprised just how much

you can remember!

One student has been reading about the

life of David Beckham. Read their notes.

Notice that some keywords have been

underlined and that next to each point,

simple diagrams have been drawn.

In the original, information about his

personal life and family was drawn in blue

and information about his work as a

footballer was drawn in red.

There are 8 different bits of information,

so the shape (in this case, a circle) is

divided into 8 segments.

Start at one of the top segments. Draw

the symbols/notes that relate to point

number 1. Draw on set of symbols in each

segment moving in a clockwise direction.



First, underline the keywords.

Then, draw symbols next to each

point

You might try:

H2 – for Henry II

B – for Beckett

£ - for chancellor

Scales – for the courts

A Cross – for the church

A Crown – for Royal

A French type Flag – for France

Swords – for the knights

Gravestone – for the tomb

Smiley face – for happy

Sad smiley – for unhappy

Now transfer the symbols from the

eight points of the notes, into the

eight segments in the summary

circle below.

Try it yourself

The following is a set of notes about Thomas Beckett. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury

and was murdered, on the orders of King Henry II over 800 years ago.

The life and times of Thomas Beckett 1. When Henry II became king in 1154 he

chose Beckett as Chancellor. 2. At this time there were two law courts –

church courts for members of the clergy and royal courts for everyone else

3. In 1162 Henry II appointed Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury because he wanted him to help abolish the church courts.

4. Soon after being appointed Becket devoted himself to God and refused to abolish the church courts

5. Henry II was furious and Becket fled abroad to live in France.

6. Becket returned from exile in France in 1170 but angered Henry II when he threatened to sack the Archbishop of York

7. Four knights murdered Becket in Canterbury in December 1170

8. Pilgrims visited Becket’s tomb until it was destroyed in 1539

Practice makes perfect

You have now learnt how to annotate

text using keywords, symbols and

colour to create summary shapes.

During your revision, try to create

some for yourself using sections of

topics. Use different shapes for

different numbers of segments.



A quick memory test

Look at these 15 words for 30 seconds, try to memorise them.

Then, write them in a list on the next page – and don’t cheat.

Warehouse Brother Mop Tea Mobile

Surfboard Lipstick Water Mirror Wall

Desert Snake Wind Rainbow Diamonds

Using mnemonics

How many of the words did you remember?

Let’s try it again.

This time, the words have been put into a story. Read through the story. For now, read it to

yourself, but when revising you could tell it to a friend or family member, or out loud to yourself.

Try to picture the scene in your head and think about how it would feel e.g. the wind blowing on

your face, or feeling angry that someone threw water in your face.

You wake up to find yourself in a huge warehouse. The voice of Big Brother suddenly asks you to pick up the mop at the end of the factory and to clean the whole factory floor. You work all morning, but then you

become tired, so you sit down on a bench to have a cup

of tea. As you drink your tea, your mobile phone rings. You look at the screen and there is an advert of a girl

carrying a surfboard. Suddenly, she breaks through the screen, sits down beside you, puts on some lipstick, throws a glass of water in your face, smashes a mirror, then jumps through the factory wall. You follow her and discover that you are in the middle of an enormous

desert. There is nothing to see, other than a snake that slithers towards you. As it gets closer, the wind begins to blow strongly. You put your hand down to

stoke the snake and it transforms into a rainbow and a bag of diamonds.

Read through the words, at the top of the page, one last time.

Now, list the 15 words in the same order as the story.



Attempt 1 Attempt 2

SOLAR Principles to follow when using mnemonics

Symbols Using symbols helps us to represent

information in simple memorable ways.

For example, at the end of World War 1

a peace conference took place in Paris –

think of a dove (for peace) flying over

the Eiffel Tower (for Paris).

Outstanding We are more likely to remember

extremes. In the story it was a ‘huge’

warehouse, an ‘enormous’ desert and

shocking experiences like the girl

smashing a mirror.

Links Mnemonics make clear links with the

symbols. To remember the hole in the

ozone layer over Australia, think of a

Kangaroo, taking off a jacket (losing

protection) to reveal blotchy white skin

(for skin cancer).

All five senses Mnemonics are easier to remember when

related to your senses. Imagine the smell

of freshly brewed tea, the taste of

water on your face, the sight of the

snake transferring into a rainbow, the

touch of the wind on your face and the

sound of Big Brother’s voice.

Repetition We remember mnemonics through repetition.

Good ways of repeating and reviewing

mnemonics are:

Explaining them to your friends

Keeping a written record of them, using

creative note-taking techniques, based on

symbols and colour

Taking short ‘memory walks’ where you test

your memory of various mnemonics, as you

walk

The 5 principles of mnemonics

Symbols Outstanding Links All five senses Repetition



Creating mnemonics

The best mnemonics are ones that you create yourself. Remember to use the 5 principles and

try to add some humour into your story.

Try creating a story to learn the sequence of the planets:

Mercury Venus Earth Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto

You don’t have to include the actual word – you could include something that reminds you of

each word. Possible suggestions to include in your story might be:

Planet Possible storylines Mercury Thermometers, measure hot temperatures, silvery liquid

Venus Roman goddess of love, romance, Venus flytrap,

Earth Mud, electrical connection, plug

Mars Chocolate bar, lots of mothers, red planet

Jupiter Largest planet, ruler of the Roman gods, father of Mars

Saturn ‘Sat on’, rings,

Uranus Use your imagination!

Neptune God of the sea, oceans

Pluto Disney dog, Mickey mouse

Use some of these suggestions, or better still, create your own and write your story below:

© 2008

AQA City & Guilds CCEA Edexcel OCR WJEC

Notice to Candidates For written examinations held in the period 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009

This notice has been written to help you. Read it carefully and follow the instructions. If there is anything you do not understand, especially which calculator you may use, ask your teacher.

A Regulations – Make sure you understand the rules 1 Be on time for all your examinations. If you are late, your work might not be accepted. 2 Do not become involved in any unfair or dishonest practice during the examination. 3 If you try to cheat, or break the rules in any way, you could be disqualified from all your subjects. 4 Only take into the examination room the materials and equipment which are allowed. 5 Do not take into the examination room any unauthorised materials or equipment which might give you an unfair advantage.

This includes notes, calculator cases/instruction leaflets, bags, personal TVs/stereos, digital equipment, reading pens, electronic or radio communication devices, including mobile telephones, iPods, MP3 players and pagers. Any pencil cases taken into the examination room must be see-through. Remember: possession of unauthorised material is breaking the rules, even if you do not intend to use it, and you will be subject to penalty and possible disqualification.

6 Do not use correcting pens, fluid or tape, highlighters or pale coloured gel pens in your answers. 7 Do not talk to or try to communicate with or disturb other candidates once the examination has started. 8 If you leave the examination room unaccompanied by an invigilator before the examination has finished, you will not be

allowed to return. 9 Do not borrow anything from another candidate during the examination. B Information – Make sure you attend and bring what you need 1 Know the dates and times of all your examinations. 2 Arrive at least ten minutes before the start of each examination. 3 If you arrive late for an examination, report to the invigilator running the examination. 4 If you arrive more than one hour after the published starting time for the examination, you will not normally be allowed to

take it. 5 Only take into the examination room the pens, pencils, erasers and any other equipment which you need for the examination. 6 You must write in black ink. Coloured pencils or inks may be used only for diagrams, maps, charts, etc. unless the instructions

printed on the front of the question paper state otherwise. C Calculators, Dictionaries and Computer Spell-checkers 1 You may use a calculator unless you are told otherwise. 2 If you use a calculator

• make sure it works properly; check that the batteries are working properly; • clear anything stored in it; • remove any parts such as cases, lids or covers which have printed instructions or formulas; • do not bring into the examination room any operating instructions or prepared programs.

3 Do not use a dictionary or computer spell checker unless you are told otherwise. D Examination Instructions 1 Listen to the invigilator and follow their instructions at all times. 2 Tell the invigilator at once:

• if you think you have not been given the right question paper or all of the materials listed on the front of the paper; • if the question paper is incomplete or badly printed.

3 Read carefully and follow the instructions printed on the question paper and/or on the answer booklet. 4 Fill in all the details required on the front of the question paper and/or the answer booklet before you start the examination. 5 Remember to write your answers within the designated sections of the answer booklet. 6 Do your rough work on the proper examination stationery. Cross it through and hand it in with your answers. E Advice and Assistance 1 If on the day of the examination you feel that your work may be affected by ill health or any other reason, tell the invigilator. 2 Put up your hand during the examination if:

• you have a problem and are in doubt about what you should do; • you do not feel well; • you need more paper.

3 You must not ask for, and will not be given, any explanation of the questions. F The end of the Examination 1 If you have used more than one answer booklet and/or any loose sheets of paper, place them in the correct order. Remember

to fasten them together with a treasury tag before you leave. 2 Do not leave the examination room until told to do so by the invigilator. 3 Do not take from the examination room any examination stationery, used or unused, rough work or any other materials

provided for the examination. You must stay in the examination room until at least one hour (or a period equal to the duration of the examination if this is less than one hour) after the published starting time for each examination.

© 2008

AQA City & Guilds CCEA Edexcel OCR WJEC

Notice to Candidates For on-screen tests held in the period 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009

This notice has been written to help you. Read it carefully and follow the instructions. If there is anything you do not understand, ask your teacher.

A Regulations – Make sure you understand the rules 1 Be on time for your on-screen test(s). If you are late, your work might not be accepted. 2 Do not become involved in any unfair or dishonest practice during the on-screen test. 3 If you try to cheat, or break the rules in any way, you could be disqualified from all your subjects. 4 Only take into the examination room the materials and equipment which are allowed. 5 You must not take into the examination room the following items which might give you an unfair advantage:

• notes; • calculator cases/instruction leaflets; • bags; • personal TVs/stereos, reading pens and electronic or radio communication devices, including mobile telephones,

iPods, MP3 players, pagers or any other products with text/digital facilities.

Unless you are told otherwise, you must not have access to:

• the Internet, e-mail, data stored on the hard drive, or portable storage media such as floppy disks, CDs and memory sticks;

• pre-prepared templates.

Remember: possession of unauthorised material is breaking the rules, even if you do not intend to use it, and you will be subject to penalty and possible disqualification.

6 Do not talk to or try to communicate with or disturb other candidates once the on-screen test has started. 7 If you leave the examination room unaccompanied by an invigilator before the on-screen test has finished, you will not be

allowed to return. 8 Do not borrow anything from another candidate during the on-screen test. B Information – Make sure you attend and bring what you need 1 Know the date and time of your on-screen test (s). 2 Arrive at least ten minutes before the start of your on-screen test. 3 If you arrive late for an on-screen test, report to the invigilator running the examination. 4 If you arrive more than one hour after the published starting time for the on-screen test, you will not normally be allowed to

take it. 5 Your centre will inform you of any equipment which you may need for the on-screen test. C Calculators, Dictionaries and Computer Spell-checkers 1 You may use a calculator unless you are told otherwise. 2 If you use a calculator

• make sure it works properly; check that the batteries are working properly; • clear anything stored in it; • remove any parts such as cases, lids or covers which have printed instructions or formulas; • do not bring into the examination room any operating instructions or prepared programs.

3 Do not use a dictionary or computer spell checker unless you are told otherwise. D Examination Instructions 1 Listen to the invigilator and follow their instructions at all times. 2 Tell the invigilator at once:

• if you have been entered for the wrong on-screen test; • if you experience system delays or any other IT irregularities.

3 You may be given a question paper or the instructions may be on-screen. In either case, read carefully and follow the instructions.

E Advice and Assistance 1 If on the day of the on-screen test you feel that your work may be affected by ill health or any other reason, tell the

invigilator. 2 Put up your hand during the on-screen test if:

• you have a problem with your computer and are in doubt about what you should do; • you do not feel well.

3 You must not ask for, and will not be given, any explanation of the questions. F The end of the Examination 1 Ensure that the software closes at the end of the on-screen test. 2 If you are required to print off work outside the time allowed for the on-screen test, ensure that you collect your own work.

You must not share your work with other candidates and make sure that another candidate does not collect your printout(s). 3 Do not leave the examination room until told to do so by the invigilator. 4 Do not take from the examination room any examination stationery, used or unused, rough work, printouts or any other

materials provided for the examination. You must stay in the examination room until at least one hour (or a period equal to the duration of the examination if this is less than one hour) after the published starting time for each examination.

1

This notice has been produced on behalf of:

AQA, City & Guilds, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC

Notice to Candidates GCSE, GCE, ELC, Functional Skills, Principal Learning in the Diploma and Project Qualifications: Coursework Assessments This leaflet tells you about some things that you must, and must not, do when you are completing coursework. Before you submit any coursework for marking, you will be asked to sign an authentication statement confirming that you have read and followed these regulations. If there is anything that you do not understand, you must ask your teacher or lecturer. Coursework provides you with an opportunity to do some independent research into a topic. The research you do will involve looking for information in published sources such as textbooks, encyclopedias, journals, TV, radio, and the world wide web. Using information from published sources (including the internet) as the basis for your coursework is a good way to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of a subject, but you must take care how you use this material - you cannot copy it and claim it as your own work.

The regulations state that:

the work which you submit for assessment must be your own;

you must not copy from someone else or allow another candidate to copy from you.

If you use the same wording as a published source, you must place quotation marks around the passage and state where it came from. This is called “referencing”. You must make sure that you give detailed references for everything in your work which is not in your own words. A reference from a printed book or journal should show the name of the author, the year of publication and the page number, for example: (Morrison, 2000, pg.29.) For material taken from the internet, your reference must show the date when the material was downloaded and the precise web page, not the search engine used to locate it. This can be copied from the address line. For example: (http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/16/sosteacher/history/49766.shtml), downloaded 12 February 2009. You must also include a bibliography at the end of your work, which lists the full details of publications you have used in your research, even where these are not directly referred to, for example: Morrison, A. (2000) “Mary, Queen of Scots”, London: Weston Press. If you copy the words or ideas of others and don’t show your sources in references and a bibliography, this will be considered as cheating.

2

Preparing your coursework – good practice If you receive help and guidance from someone other than your teacher, you must tell your teacher who will then record the nature of the assistance given to you. If you worked as part of a group on an assignment, for example, undertaking field research, you must each write up your own account of the assignment. Even if the data you have is the same, the description of how that data was obtained and the conclusions you draw from it should be in your own words. You must meet the deadlines that your teacher gives you for submitting drafts and final pieces of work. Your teachers are there to guide and assist you — showing them your work as it progresses will allow you and your teacher time to sort out any problems before it is too late. Take care of your work and keep it safe. Don’t leave it lying around where your classmates can find it. You must always keep your coursework secure and confidential whilst you are preparing it; do not share it with your classmates. If it is stored on the computer network, keep your password secure. Collect all copies from the printer and destroy those you don’t need. Don’t be tempted to use essays from online essay banks — this is cheating. Electronic tools used by awarding bodies can detect this sort of copying. Plagiarism Plagiarism involves taking someone else’s words, thoughts or ideas and trying to pass them off as your own. It is a form of cheating which is taken very seriously. Don’t think you won’t be caught; there are many ways to detect plagiarism.

Markers can spot changes in the style of writing and use of language.

Markers are highly experienced subject specialists who are very familiar with work on the topic concerned — they may have read the source you are using (or even marked the essay you have copied from!).

Internet search engines and specialised computer software can be used to match phrases or pieces of text with original sources and to detect changes in the grammar and style of writing or punctuation.

Penalties for breaking the regulations If your work is submitted and it is discovered that you have broken the regulations, one of the following penalties will be applied:

the piece of work will be awarded zero marks;

you will be disqualified from that unit for that examination series;

you will be disqualified from the whole subject for that examination series;

you will be disqualified from all subjects and barred from entering again for a period of time. Your awarding body will decide which penalty is appropriate. REMEMBER – IT’S YOUR QUALIFICATION SO IT NEEDS TO BE YOUR OWN WORK ©2008



Using your exam timetable, write the session for each exam you have into

the timetable.

Shade each session when you are not at home e.g. on bus after School,

taking part in evening activities/Clubs – not meeting your mates!

Shade in the times when you will be having family meals

Shade in one or two sessions each evening, when you plan to relax – watch

TV, play the Xbox, kick a ball about outside, stick on some tunes. Taking

part in activities such as sports training, explorers counts as relaxation.

For example:

Revision session after School on Monday

Evening meal at 6.30pm on Monday

Arrive home normally at 4.30pm

Early tea on Tuesday at 5.30pm

Football training 7-9pm on Tuesday

Lunch at 12.30 on Saturday

Creating Your Revision Timetable

Continue onto next page

Now, go through your revision timetable and count up the number

of sessions that you think you can reasonably fit in.

When doing this, remember:

1. each session is 25 minutes long

2. have a 5 minute break between sessions

3. make one evening (perhaps Friday) only two sessions

4. give yourself one half day, at the weekend, off

5. during term time, probably, 4 sessions per night max.



Subjects Score Sessions

Total:

Write each subject that you need to revise in the table below

Give each subject a number on a scale of 0

to 5 for the revision time needed:

5 means ‘I need to revise this a great deal’,

0 means ‘I do not need to revise this at all’

Add up all the numbers and write the total

at the bottom.

For example:

Maths = 3, Geography = 3, English Lit = 2

Technology = 2, Science = 5, History = 2

French = 3

In this case, Total = 20

Now, divide the total number of revision sessions (on the previous sheet) by the total number

above, in this case, 140÷20 = 7

So each subject gets its score times by this number:

e.g. Maths – 3 x 7 = 21 sessions, English Lit – 2 x 7 = 14 sessions, Science – 5 x 7 = 35 sessions

Now, pencil in the subjects into the sessions. Don’t forget some subjects have more sessions

than others and that some subjects will need to be revised first, while others can take

advantage of some sessions during the exam period.

Your subject sessions should then be completed, but they alone are far too vague. So be more

specific about what you have to revise. A good idea is to break down each subject into smaller

topics. For example, Physics topics might be Heat, Light, Electricity, Energy etc. Maths might

be Algebra, Geometry etc.

Once you have created your revision timetable – show it to you parents, let them know what

your plan is (if they know when you are to revise and when you will rest, they are less likely to

nag you!)

Place it somewhere obvious so that you (and your parents) can refer to it.

Most important – keep to it!

Remember, to earn your 5 mins breaks, you need to work for 25 mins!



Revision Timetable Remember:

Work for 25 minutes

Plan to rest for 5 minutes

Focus fully on the task

No distractions (TV, MSN etc)

Create a suitable place to revise

Use a range of revision techniques

Make sure your revision is active

Use strategies that support your

preferred learning style

Shade completed sessions green,

Sessions not, or part done in red

Monday Tuesday Saturday Sunday

16:00 16:00 9:00 9:00

16:30 16:30 9:30 9:30

17:00 17:00 10:00 10:00

17:30 17:30 10:30 10:30

18:00 18:00 11:00 11:00

18:30 18:30 11:30 11:30

19:00 19:00 12:00 12:00

19:30 19:30 12:30 12:30

20:00 20:00 13:00 13:00

20:30 20:30 13:30 13:30

21:00 21:00 14:00 14:00

21:30 21:30 14:30 14:30

15:00 15:00

Wednesday Thursday Friday 15:30 15:30

16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

16:30 16:30 16:30 16:30 16:30

17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00

17:30 17:30 17:30 17:30 17:30

18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00

18:30 18:30 18:30 18:30 18:30

19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00

19:30 19:30 19:30 19:30 19:30

20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00

20:30 20:30 20:30 20:30 20:30

21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00

21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30



Revision Timetable Day: Day: Day: Day: Day:

9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00

9:30 9:30 9:30 9:30 9:30

10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00

10:30 10:30 10:30 10:30 10:30

11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00

11:30 11:30 11:30 11:30 11:30

12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00

12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30 12:30

13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00

13:30 13:30 13:30 13:30 13:30

14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00

14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:30

15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00

15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30 15:30

16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

16:30 16:30 16:30 16:30 16:30

17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00

17:30 17:30 17:30 17:30 17:30

18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00

18:30 18:30 18:30 18:30 18:30

19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00

19:30 19:30 19:30 19:30 19:30

20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00

20:30 20:30 20:30 20:30 20:30

21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00 21:00

21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30 21:30

Year 11 Study Support Revision Sessions


Notes

year 11 revision pack

Documents