GCSE Preparation Evening September 2019 Year 11 - Countdown to - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Brighouse High School Welcome to the Year 11 GCSE Preparation Evening September 2019 Year 11 - Countdown to Exams Brighouse High School Outline of evening Exam arrangements Preparing for the exams Mrs Brierley Core subjects
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
September 2019
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
– Mrs Brierley
– Mr Simpson (English) – Mr Storah (Maths) – Mr Samaddar (Science)
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Level 3 A levels or Equivalent Entry Requirements
3 Academic Subjects Assessment: 100% examination Or a combination of academic/vocational subjects 3 Vocational Subjects Assessment: Coursework & examination A minimum of 5 GCSE at grade 5-9 Must include English language & Maths at grade 5 or above For subjects chosen at A level the GCSE grade in that subject must be a minimum
Many subjects have higher entry requirements such as Science and Maths A minimum of 5 GCSE at grade 4-9 Must include English language at grade 4
Students who do not gain a grade 4 in GCSE Maths can re-sit the qualification
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Follow sixth form life @BHS_6th_Form
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Mock Exam results (Weds 11th) Tracking 2 (Fri 10th ) Parents Evening (Weds 15th) Exam timetables published Easter Revision School (Wed 15th–Fri 17th) Half-term revision (Wed 27th–Fri 29th) GCSE Exam contingency day (Wed 24th) Tracking 3 (Fri 13th ) First GCSE Exam (Mon 11th) 6th Form Open Evening (Weds 27th) 6th Form Taster Day (Weds 12th ) Mock Exams (20th – 26th) Final GCSE Exam (Thurs 18th)
XMAS HT HT EASTER
June May April March February January December November October
Tracking 1 (Fri 18th )
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Mock Exams
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Summer Exams
before Easter.
issued after Easter.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Regulations and Equipment
Timings and absence
Equipment and personal belongings
likely to result in disqualification from that paper.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Results
BHS 6th form.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Grading
Foundation tier Higher tier
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
GCSE’s so two grades.
performance in all exams.
not just 5-5, 6-6 etc.
a 7 and a 6.
Grading – Combined Science
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
“The analysis shows that as the level of overall absence increases, the likelihood of achieving key attainment outcomes at KS4 decreases”
(The link between absence and attainment at KS2 and KS4. DfE, March 2016)
130 school days 26 school weeks
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
A Parent’s Guide
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT ENTHUSIASM PULLS THE SWITCH! IF YOU STUDY TO REMEMBER, YOU WILL FORGET, IF YOU STUDY TO UNDERSTAND, YOU WILL REMEMBER! FOR EVERY MINUTE SPENT ORGANISING, AN HOUR IS EARNED! AN ORGANISED SPACE CREATES CLARITY AND CLARITY ATTRACTS SUCCESS!
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
works you”
enough, worry that you are doing too much, worry that the house isn’t quiet enough!
important time in your son/daughter’s life
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Get a copy of the exam timetable and put it somewhere visible. Knowing the days and times of the exams can help you make sure you child gets to the exams
It helps you to also monitor that they are following their revision plan and not cramming! The best strategy is to plan ahead to avoid cramming. This is known as “distributed practice” Just think about it – you wouldn’t revise for a dance recital the night before!
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Promising the BIG treat at the end of the exam is a big carrot on a very long stick! Give rewards for short-term goals eg after x number of hours It doesn’t have to be anything costly – run them a nice hot bubble bath, take the dog for a walk, an hour of TV, Facetime with friends, coffee and cake?
A study in America found that when they gave a “miniscule” reward, the average number of submitted homework assignments from those who received it almost quadrupled to that of others. They stated that: “Small rewards increase autonomous motivation to learn rather than crowding it out, as larger rewards are more likely to do”
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Buy new stationery – pens, pencils, rubbers, highlighters, post-it notes, scientific calculator, protractor, ruler, pencil sharpener, compass etc! School will remind you to send your child in with their correct equipment for the big exams but they need to bring the standard equipment to every exam! Remember, the tools you use frequently are the easiest to use – this could include your good luck charm!
One in three students admits to wearing “good luck underwear” to try and boost exam performance. Others admit to having lucky jewellery, charms or pencil cases! 60% of students have a ritual ie eating a good breakfast or banana before each exam
What is your child’s exam good luck charm?
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Help your child to revise in a variety of environments at different parts of the day. Take them out for a coffee and read a book whilst they revise, take them on a weekend away and schedule revision time and relaxation time, let them have the lounge and you go upstairs! Provide the right lighting, temperature and conditions to make them comfortable in their revision environment.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Lots and lots of students worry that they will run out of time in their exams. Help by being the time-keeper when you child is doing past papers or individual questions. Remember this is part of the learning, they may need more time to start with and build up to that exact time! Calculate the number of marks per minute they have on each paper!
If you have a three-hour exam (180 minutes) and you can achieve 100 marks, it gives you just over one and a half minutes for every mark. Therefore, a six mark question should take you nine minutes.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Physical exercise releases endorphins which help to lift our mood! Make sure their revision timetable builds in time for exercise – going to the gym, for a walk, playing netball/football will all help when things are getting tough!
Exercise is one thing that can increase your willpower. A study in 2013 showed that in adolescents, short bouts of exercise had a significant affect on self-control and will-power – again helpful in exams!
http://thebrainflux.com/brain-benefits-of- exercise/#section1
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Make sure you child has a balanced diet during the exam period, especially breakfast on the morning of an exam! Provide snacks for them to have just before the exam. Provide brain food and slow release energy foods ie oily fish, eggs, dark leafy greens, peanut butter, green tea, fresh fruit etc. Do some research and find some recipes to provide that varied diet? Make sure they keep hydrated too!!
Food has the incredible ability to affect your mental clarity, mood, memory, and ability to focus, so if you’re looking to boost your focus,
is what you’re eating. Here are 9 foods that will help improve focus”
https://alifeofproductivity.com/9-brain-foods-that-will- boost-your-ability-to-focus/
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Make sure you make time so your child can tell you about their day! Help them to not dwell on the errors or mistakes they think they have made – keep it positive! Help them focus on the next day with simple prompts like “what have you got next?”, “Do you need any help with…?”
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Trawling through the Internet to find and print past papers or questions takes a lot of time! Help you child out by doing this for them. Get a list of their exams and produce a file with the syllabus and past papers with the mark schemes so they can pick and mix from it.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
A good night’s sleep is important every night but more so during the exam period. Help your child get to bed on time – there’s always a temptation to keep on revising for another ½ hour! Help that bed-time routine by having supper ready at the right time and encouraging them to stop! “Brain recall becomes stronger after sleep and information becomes easier to access, Professor Della Sala
allows memories to consolidate. It's a good idea to learn something just before going to bed, and then let your brain do the work”
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/24/revisi
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
You may see it as giving encouragement, your child might see it as “nagging”. Does it matter that their room is untidy, do they really need to do their chores (unless it’s a positive break), do they need to walk the dog or clean
Avoid any unnecessary distractions for this short window in their lives.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Research says that background music gets better results than background noise when revising! Music releases dopamine which helps us to see rewards and take actions to move towards them! Help your child create a suitable revision playlist. Avoid rock / rap, add quiet calming music to block out annoying background noise from inside and outside your home.
“Music can help to relax and clear your mind, allowing you to focus and concentrate more easily on your revision, therefore increasing the levels of information retention. ... Not
classical music can also improve logical skills as your brain begins to unwind with the music“
https://www.pastest.com/blog/medical-revision/how- listening-to-music-can-help-you-revise/
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
http://www.rocketmemory.com/articles/memory-improvement/
GCSE Pods
Revision Websites
www.getrevising.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision www.s-cool.co.uk These are just a few of the websites available to help you revise – see your subject teachers for subject-specific websites – there are loads! Go to the exam board’s website. Here you will be able to access past exam papers and download them for completion at home – you can also download the mark scheme
Past Papers
www.gcsepod.com Each pod is a highly concentrated, 3-5 minute burst of audio-visual learning and specialist subject knowledge. You can listen to them wherever you have your mobile phone and Internet access Flash Cards help to improve memory because they require active recall. They are also good if you study with your study buddy. Highlight your notes to identify key words in one colour and key phrases in another! But… don’t leave it there! Research shows that highlighting is not effective on its
the highlighted notes. Think about creating a mind map; think about linking keywords; think about transferring the information onto your revision flash cards etc Mind maps help you understand and absorb information. Mind maps involves a combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement which has a greater impact than simple note-taking. Start by creating the main branches for the main topics from your notes and then see what you can recall from memory
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
http://www.rocketmemory.com/articles/memory-improvement/
We all learn in different ways. Some of us like reading, some of us like sketching, some of us like listening. The important thing to remember when preparing for exams is to find out what works for you!
Mrs Cresswell says… “I think highlighter pens are a great revision aid – using colours to categorise notes or highlight key words. Write down the definitions of the highlighted key words and get someone to test you on them. This always worked for me.” Mr Lyne says… “If you are dyslexic , including a visual with each of the key words, and making links helps with memorising. Writing out the keywords in different colours and fonts helps also with spellings.” Miss Oldfield says… “The idea of creating revision cards with the question/term on one side and the answer on the
cards with your friends gives you a different set of questions too!” Mrs Aitken says… “One tip I learnt was not to keep revising the things you know already - it's the easy option and makes you feel like you are doing something but you're not embedding anything new!! So use coloured post-it notes to flag up pages in your notes / revision guides; green (I know this), amber (I know some of this but not securely), red (I am not confident, must revise/get help).” Mrs Lee says… “Past papers were the way for me and got me through some of the challenging subjects. Revision was a bit like sport, you have to practice over and over again (even if it’s the same practice or paper) to pass my Maths I did the same papers for weeks! ” Mrs Brierley says… “Virtually everybody uses mnemonics, even if they don’t realise it! It’s a simple way of memorising information so that it “sticks” in your brain longer and can be recalled more easily in the future. Mnemonics were used in the Ancient Greek times! Some are a little strange / silly but that all helps in the memorising ARITHMETIC: A Rat In The House May Eat The Ice Cream” Mr Aston says… “Personally I could not sit still for more than ten minutes so I found revision
certain topic eg the corn laws in history (dull as dishwater) and presented the key points in an interesting way to the other person. Who would then repeat the main points back. Then we’d answer some questions together. Working like this was the reason I passed all my exams and I have continued to use same technique at A level and uni. The process became more imaginative and creative eg role plays and impressions of David Attenborough were a common theme.”
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
is a separate GCSE, graded 9-1.
than that for Language (5% of the overall mark – as
achieve, especially for students who find technically accurate writing difficult.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
possible.
these as a starting point for answers. Students should know where the film and play versions differ.)
(using notes from lessons), especially with regards to remembering quotes.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Component 1: Wednesday, 13th May Component 2: Thursday, 21st May
For more information: Google “eduqas English Literature 9-1 GCSE.”
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
end of Year 10.
and 14% have 7+.
grades is HIGHER will be taken as the FINAL grade.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
terms of teacher time. (Some have 2/2 splits this year)
hour per week will be dedicated solely to Language revision for those sets which contain students who wish to resit – hours could be increased if deemed necessary.
exams.
felt to be in danger of underachieving.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Grades reported for Component 3 are Pass (P), Merit (M), Distinction (D) or Not Classified (NC). On a students’ results form it will look something like: J Bloggs 6D.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
subject teachers)
half-term holiday (date tbc).
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Component 1: Tuesday, 2nd June Component 2: Friday, 5th June
For more information: Google “eduqas English Language 9-1 GCSE.”
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
j.simpson@brighouse.calderdale.sch.uk
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Head of Department: Mr Storah
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Dates of the exams
paper 2
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
The 9-1 Exam
A01 – Use and apply standard techniques AO2 – Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically AO3 – Solve Problems
Specification AO1 AO2 AO3 Old 45% to 55% 25% to 35%; 15% to 25% New Foundation 50% 25% 25% New Higher 40% 30% 30%
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Grade boundaries
Year 5 4 3 2 1 June 2017: 58% 42% 31% 20% 9% June 2018: 63% 48% 35% 21% 8% June 2019 63% 48% 35% 21% 8%
Foundation tier
what happens in the future
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Grade boundaries
Year 9 8 7 6 5 4 June 2017: 83% 68% 53% 40% 28% 15% June 2018: 85% 70% 55% 43% 31% 20% June 2019 85% 71% 57% 45% 34% 23%
Higher tier
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Tier of entry – national v BHS
National Brighouse H F H F June 2017: 53% 47% 55% 45% June 2018: 44% 56% 56% 44% June 2019 41% 59% 62% 38%
upward pressure on grade boundaries
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Preparation through the year
essentially revising from early 2020.
school or dinner time sessions
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Required mentality
very best
water knowing you could have done better.” – Ian Thorpe, five time Olympic gold medallist
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Equipment required
Ruler, pens, pencils, a sharpener and a rubber Calculator Compass Protractor
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Revision Tips
you practise, the luckier you’ll get!)
from pure recollection of facts – use flash cards
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
How do you know you’ve learned something?
Read Cover Write Check
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Practice makes perfect
want to master
questions
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Recommended websites
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Head of Department: Mr Samaddar
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Date 11th Nov After school revision sessions begin. 20th Nov Mock exams – Bio 1, Chem 1 and Phys 1. 24th Feb After school revision sessions begin. 2nd Mar Begin revision in lessons. 9th Mar Mock exam – Bio 2, Chem 2 and Phys 2.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Paper Date Units Biology 1 12th May B1-4 Biology 2 1st June B5-7 Chemistry 1 14th May C1-5 Chemistry 2 10th June C6-10 Physics 1 20th May P1-4 Physics 2 12th June P4-7 (+P8)
Question types: multiple choice, structure, closed short answer and
Length: 1h15 / 1h45
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
40% of marks available are for demonstrating knowledge and understanding. Students should…
learned, focussing on the highlighted points.
key processes and descriptions).
times.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
40% of marks available are for applying knowledge and understanding. 20% of marks are available are for analysis, interpretation and evaluation. Students should…
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
15% of marks available are for applying practical skills. Students should…
practicals.
apparatus and techniques covered in these.
techniques, including identifying variables.
the form of graphs and tables.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
20% of marks available are for applying Maths skills. Students should…
significant figures.
laid out and that the final answer is identified.
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
On Google Classroom:
Other:
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
Booklets and letter coming home at the end of this week
Year 11 - Countdown to Exams
Brighouse High School
attention of the subject teacher or Head of Department.
attention of your son/daughter’s form tutor, Mrs Whittington (Pastoral Assistant) or Mr Kantola-Smith(Head of Year).