Revision and Exam PreparationMonday 26th March, 2018
Mr S Moore Assistant Headteacher i/c KS4Miss P Challis Deputy Head of KS4Miss O De Groot Head of MathematicsMs S Wood Head of KS4 EnglishMr D Flanagan Head of Science
Dare to be Great
Key Dates
• Parental Permission for Structured Revision Wednesday 28th March
• Easter revision classes Tuesday 3rd April – Friday 13th April
• GCSE Art Exam Tuesday 1st - Wednesday 2nd May
• Year 11 Final House Assemblies and receipt of hoodies Friday 11th May
• Structured Revision begins Monday 14th May
• First hall-based GCSE exam Monday 14th May
• Sixth Form tasters Monday 25th – Tuesday 26th June
• Year 11 Prom Wednesday 27th June
• GCSE Results Day Thursday 23rd August
It is only natural to feel under pressure when you are being
tested or challenged. Ultimately, a bit of pressure is what
enables us to perform. How you handle that pressure though, is
really important for your emotional well-being.
Exams….they are part of learning
Support networks at Queens’
Form Tutor / Head of House / Deputy Head of HouseSubject teachers / Head of Department
Mrs Foweraker (Student Support) – South ReceptionMiss Challis – North Art Department
Mr Moore – South
• If you’re worried about your child’s exams and the marks they might get, imagine how overwhelming it might be for them. Preparing for and sitting exams can be a very pressured time, and then, once the exams are finished, it's a countdown to the results which can be equally stressful for everyone.
• As a parent you can really help your children through this time, just by being there for them and encouraging them to talk about their feelings and fear. Here are just a few ideas to make exam time that bit more bearable.
How can I help my child through the revision and examination period?
• Make sure they have a comfortable place to work.• If you do not have a suitable spot, make it easy for them to study
elsewhere, like the library. The school library is open on a Saturday morning from 10 – 2 on the 21st and 28th April.
• Establish a revision routine and be prepared to re-arrange the family’s schedules and priorities.
• It is never too late to study, revise or ask for help.• Don't go in for bribes; encourage them to work for their own satisfaction.• Schedule small and frequent rewards for the effort they are putting in.• Suggest a special evening or day out as it could give them a treat to look
forward to.• Be calm, positive and reassuring and put the whole thing into
perspective.• If you are worried about your child and exam stress, please do not
hesitate to contact their Head of House or Form Tutor.
• If you haven’t, start doing something about it now by planning ahead. The Easter holidays present the ideal opportunity not only to rest and recharge, but also to get ahead in your revision.
• Take time to devise a revision timetable for each day of the holidays as we have shown you. An example of a timetable is included in your revision packs.
Have you started revising yet?
Revision Packs and Twitter
• Revision packs will be handed out at the end of tonight’s talk. Please take one, and make sure that is in the House coloured folder.
• Revision packs contain revision cards, highlighter pens and an example revision timetable format.
• Please also access the Year 11 Twitter account at Year11@Queens’for revision guidance and links to useful sites.
• Click on the ‘Following’ tab to access department Twitter accounts.
Maths Revision
HIGHER
FOUNDATION
Tiers and Grading
Facts:• 50% of Higher Paper is Grade 7-9• Same proportion of students to
achieve a grade 4 and above that got a C and above in the past.
Different Topics in Maths
• Number 15% (20%)
• Algebra 30% (25%)
• Ratio, Proportion and rates of change 20%
• Geometry and measures 20%
• Probability & Statistics 15%
Greater Emphasis on this being incorporated in other topics.
Greater emphasis on PROBLEM SOLVING and MATHEMATICAL REASONING
A garden is in the shape of a rectangle, ABCD, and a semicircle.
AD is the diameter of the semicircle.
Carol is going to cover the garden with fertiliser.
A box of fertiliser costs £4.99
Carol has been told that one box of fertiliser will cover 12 m² of garden.
(a) Work out the cost of buying enough fertiliser to cover the garden completely.
£ ......................................
(5)
Carol finds out that one box of fertiliser will cover more than 12 m² of garden.
(b) Explain how this might affect the number of boxes she needs to buy.
..............................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................
(1)
(Total for Question 24 is 6 marks)
Three Assessment Objectives
o AO1 – using and applying standard techniques (40% on Higher and 50% on Foundation)
o AO2 – reasoning, interpreting and communicating mathematically (30% on Higher and 25% on Foundation)
o AO3 – solving problems with a much greater focus on solving non-routine problems in mathematical and non-mathematical contexts – more focus on this than before (30% on Higher and 25% on Foundation)
Tips for Approaching Exam Questions
• Read question fully.
• Highlight Key Words.
• Think about the relevant topics that are associated with that question.
• Understand what the question is asking for.
• Annotate the question itself or draw a diagram if appropriate.
• Attempt the question! (You may get some marks)
• Write the answer and working clearly:- use side-headings for each stage- make sure you include units - write clearly what you are calculating e.g “Volume of prism” =- draw a conclusion if required
Things to Do
• Get motivated!
• Put your phone away whilst working
• Use Hegarty maths or you tube clips about topics that you are unsure about
• Ask your teacher if you are struggling
• Do past papers
• Use incentives
• Use a timer and set yourself mini goals
• Use revision lists and check topics off
Things to Avoid
• Reading a textbook, revision guide or exercise book as your only form of revision
• Using your phone as a calculator
• Checking answers as you go along
• Having the television on in the background
• Talking to your friends instead of revising
Revision Advice for Students• Use your mocks to identify weaknesses. Use the question analysis sheets to
help identify topics you are struggling with.
• Focus on making sure you understand all of topics by using Hegarty maths or textbooks.
• Practise exam questions by using a revision guide or website to access past papers and complete as many as you can. Try working under controlled conditions to assess how you perform.
• Focus on the new GCSE material and practise problem solving questions as there is a greater emphasis on this in the new GCSE.
• Mark your papers so you can identify your problem areas.
• Work on those problem areas so you can improve.
Revision Advice for Parents
• Set up a quiet working environment.
• Make sure they have all the equipment they need.
• Encourage them to do papers in a controlled environment.
• Be really supportive – even if you struggled with maths - don’t say you “can’t do Maths”!!
• Give them breaks in between revision sessions.
Exam Tips • Calculation errors (especially on a calculator paper)
• Missing key information in questions
• Not answering the questions asked
• Checking your answers with handy tips shown in class
• Look at the marks allocated and recognise how much working needs to be done.
• Show your working
• Write units with answer
• Round to the appropriate decimal place/significant figure
• Save rounding until the end (write out numbers to 5-6 decimal places until the very end)
• Number of marks allocated should be approximately the same as the number of minutes spent on that question
• Check calculator is in degree mode
• Know how to use your own calculator
Exam Question 5 schools sent some students to a conference.
One of the schools sent both boys and girls.
This school sent 16 boys.
The ratio of the number of boys it sent to the number of girls it sent was 1 : 2
The other 4 schools sent only girls.
Each of the 5 schools sent the same number of students.
Work out the total number of students sent to the conference by these 5 schools.
..............................................................
(Total 4 marks)
Exam Question
5 schools sent some students to a conference.
One of the schools sent both boys and girls.
This school sent 16 boys.
The ratio of the number of boys it sent to the number of girls it sent was 1 : 2
The other 4 schools sent only girls.
Each of the 5 schools sent the same number of students.
Work out the total number of students sent to the conference by these 5 schools.
......................................
(Total 4 marks)
REVISING FOR ENGLISH
STUDENTS WILL EVENTUALLY GAIN 2 GCSES FOR ENGLISH:ONE IN LITERATUREONE IN LANGUAGE
ENGLISH LITERATURE GCSE
PAPER 1: 2 HOURS:
‘MACBETH’ – SHAKESPEARE – 1 HOUR
POETRY ANTHOLOGY - 1 HOUR
PAPER 2: 2 HOURS 30 MINS:
‘AN INSPECTOR CALLS’ – J B PRIESTLEY – 45 MINS
‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ – CHARLES DICKENS – 45 MINS
UNSEEN POETRY - 1 HOUR
GENERAL REVISION
IDEAS
Read through summary sheets
Re-look at past essays, targets and
sample essays
Look at the SAMS online
Practise essays under timed conditions
Re-read the textsListen to audio
versions
Complete online quizzes
Create index cards summarising key
events, characters, themes and quotes
Mindmaps
Bitesize
Extract – 20 mins
Whole text – 40 mins (5 marks for
SPAG)
‘MACBETH’
Watch versions of the play on DVD
Revision videos and animated
versions on youtube
Select short passages (app.30 lines) and
practise analysing them using past questions
Access to teaching ppts on Googledrive
that include annotations and key
points
90 page revision pack created by the English Department including sample essays and notes on every theme and
character as well as quiz questions
Writing on individual poem –
20 mins
Comparing this poem with one other from the anthology – 40
mins
Context expected for both
POETRY ANTHOLOGY
Revision videos on several poems available on Queens’ website
Accompanying revision pack with quiz yourself questions to answer
Additional resources on the EDUQAS website
Creating thematic grids and mind maps to see how the poems could be linked
Write about the extract (15 mins)
and then the same theme/
character in the whole play (30
mins)
5 marks for SPAG
‘AN
INSPECTOR
CALLS’
Listen to the audio version created by the English
Department on Queens’ website
90 page revision pack created by the English Department including sample essays and notes on every theme and
character as well as quiz questions
Watch the BBC versions of the play available on itunes
Quizzes and resources available online
including Bitesize
Write about the extract (15
mins) and then the same
character/ theme in the
whole novel (30 mins)
Students need to include context
‘A CHRISTMAS
CAROL’
Access to powerpoints that include detailed annotation via
Googledrive
Watch the videos made by the English department on Queens’
websiteWatch film versions
90 page revision pack created by the English Department including sample essays and notes on every theme and
character
20 mins writing about
poem 1 in detail
40 mins comparing the
two poems
UNSEEEN
POETRY
Work through example
papers
Read as much poetry as you
can
Annotate unseen poems Revise key poetic terms
ENGLISH LANGUAGE GCSE
PAPER 1: 1 HOUR 45 MINS:
FICTION COMPREHENSION – 1 HOUR
NARRATIVE WRITING - 45 MINS
PAPER 2: 2 HOURS:
NON-FICTION COMPREHENSION -1 HOUR
2 PIECES OF NON-FICTION WRITING - 1 HOUR
GENERAL REVISION
IDEAS
Read newspaper and magazine articles
Read as much adult fiction as possible
Turn off spell checker
Re-do old practice papers and compare with sample answers
Keep a vocab/ spelling book
Handwrite all your work
Create plans for a range of stories and
non-fiction tasksEncourage students to read their work
aloud
Learn persuasive techniques –
FREDS SWEATI
Read the question carefully & highlight
key words LEARN THE TIMINGS!
Based on a 20th century
prose passage
Based on two
passages: one 21st
century and one
19th century on a
similar topic
AND FINALLY…
THE KEY TO ACHIEVING WELL IN ENGLISH IS:
1.LITTLE AND OFTEN!
2.READ, READ, READ AND THEN READ SOME
MORE3.READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY TO ENSURE YOU
ARE RESPONDING TO WHAT IS BEING ASKED4.USE THE WHOLE TIME AVAILABLE TO YOU WISELY
GOOD-LUCK FROM EVERYONE IN THE
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT!
Science
Science exams
Tuesday 15th May B1 Thursday 17th May C1 Wednesday 23th May P1
Monday 11th June B2 Wednesday 13th June C2 Friday 15th June P2
All exams for Combined Science are 1:15
All exams for Triple Science are 1:45
1. OFQUAL require the exam board to include a minimum of
15% of the marks from practical questions. According to the
examiner reports, these are the most poorly answered
questions every year.
2. OFQUAL also require a minimum of 20% maths content in
the combined science papers. For triple it is 10% in biology,
20% in chemistry and 30% in physics. However, simple
addition and subtraction cannot be counted towards this,
nor can simple extraction of data from a graph.
Therefore:
Working out the relative formula mass will not count, but calculating a percentage will.
Reading a number from a data point on a graph will not count, but calculating a gradient will.
This will mean that there will be more than 20% maths content in the papers, because the simple calculations will not count. THIS INCLUDES THE FOUNDATION PAPER.
For example – Graphs on enzymes action
3. Exam boards are allowed a maximum of 15% basic recall
questions so there will be more describe, explain and justify
tasks, particularly on the foundation paper. This is more than
schools are used to because they have previously included
quite a few name/state/list type questions.
We don’t expect this to affect the higher papers.
4. The 6 mark questions are all marked in the same way
now. There is a generic mark scheme across all these
questions on all exam boards. These questions are mid-
level questions and a level 4/5 student should be capable of
getting all six marks. The examiners emphasise that
perfection is not required on these. They are marked like this:
level 1 (1-2marks) Some relevant science content, attempts to link
ideas and apply knowledge/ carry out calculations but flawed
level 2 (3-4 marks) Relevant science content supported through some
links and application of knowledge, some logical connections, or if this
question involves calculations, a correct calculation should get 4
marks
level 3 (5-6 marks) A clear explanation supported with several links
and logical connections. If this question includes calculations then a
correct calculation is also needed. Students do not have to mention
every single thing to get 6 marks.
BULLET POINTS ARE ALLOWED (and encouraged) AS
ARE LABELLED DIAGRAMS AND TABLES in 6 mark
questions, if they support the communication of scientific
ideas.
QWC is about how scientific ideas are communicated and not the
quality of English, sentence structure and paragraphing.
For example, if a candidate includes incorrect spellings but does not
impair the reader’s ability to understand what is written, full marks will
still be awarded. So "plants take in sunlite and the chlorophil use it for
photosinthesis" will probably be fine as we can all understand what is
being said and it is scientifically correct.
However, we obviously do encourage correct “SPAG” and wildly
"creative" SPAG will detract from understanding and be self-
penalising.
New
Students are
not given the
reactivity series
any more
Q = It
charge current x time=
Queens’ is terrific7
V = IR
potential
differencecurrent x resistance=
Vegans in restaurants11
mass = density x volume
m = ρv My Dad’s van
18
There are revision materials and practise questions posted on real smart every week.
There are revision sessions Monday lunch time and afterschool on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
Science
Year 11 Structured Revision
• Last day of normal teaching timetable: Friday 11th May.
• Structured revision timetable begins: Monday 14th May, and ends on Friday 8th June.
• The timetable will be published to students and parents after Easter.
• Students wishing to revise at home must have parental permission and the deadline for this is noon on Wednesday 28th March.
• Students without parental permission will be expected to attend school as normal until the end of their exams.
Start and End Points
First GCSE Exams
Monday 14th May am RS & Computer Science.
All Year 11 in Tuesday 15th taking GCSE Biology Paper 1
Last GCSE
Tuesday 19th June Graphics & Monday 18th June German
All Year 11 in Friday 15th June GCSE Physics paper 2
Year 11 Prom
Hilton Hotel, Watford
Wednesday 27th June
7:30 – 11:30pm
Luxury Venue * Drink on arrival * Evening meal * DJ * PixPod
Invitation letters will be sent out before the end of term. Tickets available via WisePay for £35.00.
Thank you for listening
Any specific Q’s please contact the subject teacher or the HOD
Please pick up a revision pack as you leave!