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Hetton School

Respect. Learn. Achieve.

A Guide to Exams for

Parents

(Before, During and After)

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Introduction

In today’s modern world, gοοd qualifications аrе needed fοr аlmοтt all іnteresting and rewarding careers. Thіт means thаt performing well іn exams іт crucial fοr success іn later life. Sο, tο give уουr child thе best тtаrt, уου need tο hеlр thеm gеt thе grades thеу deserve working in partnership with your child’s teachers. Unfortunately, іf уου’re nοt involved in education it саn sometimes bе difficult tο know whеrе tο тtаrt. Thіт brief guide ехрlаіnт тοmе οf key resources thаt уου саn υте tο hеlр уουr child prepare fοr exams, ат well ат providing тοmе general advice.

Remember there is no such thing as study leave anymore and during most of the exam period students will still be at school. Consequently you should encourage them to take advantage of any revision classes that their teachers will be running at lunchtimes and after school.

What can you do to help?

Be realistic – not only in your expectations of your child, but also in the fact that although GCSEs are important, life still goes on.

Encourage without too much pressure. Your child should be happy. Too much stress will actually cause failure.

Be interested in YOUR child’s progress and praise success! DON’T PANIC! You are not alone. Contact school and talk to us if you are

genuinely worried about anything. Encourage the rest of the family to be considerate throughout the exam

period – especially siblings. Give them a quiet, secure place to work, with space for display.

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Revision Organisation Without putting too much pressure on your child, check if they are ready for the exams.

Ask if they have all the notes and texts that they need for their exam. Check they have a revision schedule, all exams are written in, and it includes

any other important commitments. Use the schedule to plan their revision. Help them plan if they want you to. Revision is more effective in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Plan for ½ hour sessions at a time. Too long and it just won’t go in. Little and

often is the key! Get them to take a 10 minute break every 30 minutes. Make sure they plan time off, including time for activities which can be done

out in the fresh air. Encourage them to change from one subject to another at ‘break’ time, for

example doing one or two sessions of Maths and then changing to Geography, or alternating a favourite subject with a more difficult one. It helps to build in some variety.

Help them to adjust their schedule if necessary and try to focus on their weakest topics and subjects.

A revision plan can be excellent ‘work avoidance’: Ensure planning revision does become a substitute for actually revising!

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Where to study Students need to create good conditions that help them to study. They should:

Find a quiet place to study. Make sure it is well lit. Keep background noise to a minimum. Avoid studying in an area where there will be distractions (like TV). Music (but not radio) can help some learners, especially auditory learners,

but ideally it should consist of 60-80 beats per minute. It is their environment so music is OK and so is standing on their head if it

works for them! They should ideally have everything they need to do their revision to hand

before they start: thereby avoiding unnecessary distractions and work avoidance.

They should also work in an uncluttered area which will prevent distractions and allow them to focus.

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How to study There is no ‘right way’ to revise, as long as the method chosen enables students to gain a solid grasp of key facts and strengthen their knowledge and understanding.

Some students are happy to read their classroom notes from start to finish, others prefer to simplify the information as much as possible, turning everything into skeleton notes, or diagrams. In practice, most students find that mixing techniques suits the varied nature of the subjects being revised, and provides essential variety when studying. These are just a few suggestions:

Choose study and revision guides sensibly. It’s not hard to find help with revision – as well as established published revision guides, there are hundreds of websites offering help and advice. You will need to judge which is the best for your child’s needs.

Teachers may provide Revision Checklists for each subject. Use these as a starting point. They should look at what they need to know and try to identify any gaps in their knowledge.

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It is a good idea to look at past papers or tests they have worked through– and use a watch to time them so that they can practise timing answers.

They should make sure that they know exactly what has to be learned and do not waste time on things that will not be examined.

Turn class notes into revision tools. ‘Mindmaps’ are an especially good way of revising using both sides of the brain.

See www.videojug.com/film/how-to-mind-map-with-tony-buzan for further details.

They could write ideas and facts on to cards to use as ‘prompts’: what they write they will have to learn so they should make sure that they concentrate on the main points (Index cards are ideal for this).

They could try to create memory aids such as diagrams, initial letters to make a word mnemonic (e.g. Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain).

They could write key facts/notes out and display these around the house where they will see them

They could record themselves reading notes to listen to later on: especially nearer the exams when concentration will be more challenging.

They could study with a friend and test each other’s knowledge, but remind them that they are meeting to revise rather than to chat!

Remember there is no such thing as study leave anymore and during most of the exam period students will still be at school. Consequently you should encourage them to take advantage of any revision classes that their teachers will be running at lunchtimes and after school.

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Staying Healthy It’s important for your child’s success that their body is as prepared as their mind. Exams and Revision are hard work:

They need the right FUEL: plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, Bananas are brilliant for brains!

They should avoid caffeine and energy drinks, it makes stress worse and it dehydrates their brains, just drink water. It rehydrates the brain and makes it work better.

Regular exercise. A good nights sleep - at all costs they should avoid staying up all night

revising; being overtired will not help them to do their best. Positive thinking is important! There will be times when they are simply not

in the mood or it just is not sticking. Don’t panic! Encourage them to take a break…keeping thinking about the next task rather

than everything. – all the bits will come together at the end. Above all encourage them to look after themselves – Sometimes revision can

become a competition – who stayed up latest, who worked longest, who’s worrying the most. But the more tired you are the less efficiently you’ll work. They need to rest as well as study, eat well, drink lots of water - make sure they pace them self.

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During the Exams

Make sure they have a good night’s sleep. Ensure they have all the equipment they need: pens, pencils, rubber, ruler,

and sometimes a calculator. Find out where and when their exams are (we give out an exam timetable). Wish them well, tell them they worked hard and that they can only do their

best. Avoid post mortems. Don’t analyse what went well or badly. There is little

can be done after the event. Just move on. Allow a relaxation period after an exam and then re-engage them with their

revision schedule.

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Revision Resources

With all additional Revision Resources it is important to know the Exam Board and Specification that has been taught – the subject teacher will be able to supply this information.

A photocopyable Revision Schedule Template is in the centre of this guide, but is also available as an excel spreadsheet via the school website http://www.hetton-school.co.uk/

Also on the school website are links to online revision, past papers and other resources.

There are many web sites available to help with GCSE revision, e.g.: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ Past Papers and Answers can be found on Exam Board websites: OCR - www.ocr.org.uk/pastpapermaterials/ AQA - www.aqa.org.uk/admin/qp-ms_library.php EDEXCEL – www.edexcel.org.uk/quals/ Revision Books can be found in any bookshop but again the subject teacher

will be able to advise the best for their subject.

“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.”

Anon

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Results Day & the Future As the waiting game draws to an end and students discover how they have done in their GCSEs, how can parents survive the experience?

With the clock ticking down to results day, students may be feeling understandably anxious and nervous: a big day for the young people themselves, results day is a turning point for parents too.

Educational psychologist Ruth Coppard says the whole event can be quite traumatic for parents.

"There's an enormous sense of, 'My goodness, this is my baby', only it isn't. So

there's a separation and bereavement going on as parents realise their children are growing up. Technically they could be autonomous; they could even go and get married. Even if they stay in school or college, they're not school children in

the same way. It's a very clear stage - now you have to look at them as potential adults and these results underline that in a big way."

What if they don’t get the results they wanted?

When your child has just received their GCSE results they may feel that they didn't get what they wanted and you're bound to have some questions about what happens next.

There might be some disappointed teens out there but there's no need for them to feel down. There are many routes to success.

It can be confusing trying to advise your son or daughter on what's best for them when you have no idea how many GCSEs they need to get into a college place etc.

On the next few pages is some information to help guide you if the worst happens.

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GCSEs

Getting low GCSE results could make it difficult for your son/daughter to get into college or sixth form.

Although they are graded from A*-G, many colleges and employers treat grades A*-C as passes. If they were disappointed with some of their GCSE results they could re-take them while they're at sixth form or at a further education college, alongside their other studies.

Some people decide that instead of retaking GCSEs they will take a course linked to job training, like an NVQ. This is another good way towards higher education.

After GCSEs, there are lots of different types of qualifications you can take instead of A-levels - including BTECs, OCR Nationals and NVQs.

Don't despair if your son or daughter hasn't got the grades they wanted in their GCSEs - even if they cant do exactly what they wanted, there are still loads of options available. You can speak to a Connexions advisor and the transition team at Headways are always happy to help.

Options after GCSEs

You're more likely to be able to go into Further Education or get a good job if you have 5 or more GCSEs at grade C or above.

Headways and many sixth-forms do expect at least C grades but some schools may take pupils with lower grades, so it's worth giving them a call to check.

Remember there is plenty of time for your son/daughter to decide, so don't rush any decisions.

Other options include: • Resiting exams - English and Maths can be retaken in many colleges during the following November and the rest the following summer. However it is an option to resit some GCSEs alongside AS levels or other further education. • Vocational options such as BTECs or OCR nationals – these may have lower entry requirements and some are accepted by universities. There are hundreds to choose from and they mix theory and practical based work. Many people are choosing vocational qualifications instead of A-levels as they are more focused toward a particular career and give you hands-on experience.

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• Apprenticeships - these are a great way to gain entry into the work place whilst still learning. • Getting a job – there are not many out there but, there is the option of going straight into work. Many people work their way up the career ladder - but think about your chosen career and how far you'd be able to progress without further qualifications. Also this depends very much on the current economic climate. In times of financial hardship it is quite hard to secure decent career options without suitable qualifications. Praise the effort

Agony Aunt Suzie Hayman from Parentline Plus urges parents not to tell their children off if they do badly, and to focus on the hard work young people have put in for their exams.

"Don't have a row or tell them they should have done more work. ‘Don't panic!’;

exams can always be re-sat, whatever the result it's not the end of the world. Reassure your children that they are not a failure and that they've failed an

exam, not you the parent. Love the child for themselves and celebrate the work they've put in"

The Parentline Plus free helpline, open 24 hours, is 0808 800 2222. E-mails are answered at contact@parentlineplus.org.uk

Finally Good Luck, we look forward to working with you and most importantly we look forward to Thursday 23rd August when we will see, with pride, the fruition of

everyone’s hard work.