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Edgbarrow School

Exam Revision Information

This area offers subject-specific guidance to support you in the preparation of exams. There is a lot of useful advice on how to prepare and plan for exams, such as using revision timetables and various learning techniques.

Helpful Hints and Advice for Revising

Assessments and exams, particularly public exams, are stressful for both students and their parents/carers. There is no single approach to preparing for exams and there are many techniques and practices which can be employed. Please find below some advice and links which we hope you and your child will find useful.

  • Revise at a desk
  • Do lots of past papers
  • Ask someone to test you
  • Put your phone away for the revision period session e.g. 30 mins
  • Stick revision notes around the house
  • Make summary notes
  • Go to extra school revision sessions
  • READ THE EXAM SCHEDULE PROPERLY - make sure you know the time and place for the right exam.

Edgbarrow Exam Information - exam timetable, exam board guidance and support

Edgbarrow Online Resources Page - links to MyMaths, GCSEPOD, JSTOR and Kerboodle and many more.

Planning your revision - start it in plenty of time - mix up the revision subjects.

Revision Timetable - example 1Revision Timetable - Blank

Traffic lighting specification example

Revision GuideExam Practice by subject - BBC BitesizeExams & Revision - BBC Bitesize

Get Revising 

Seneca Learning

GCSE Past Papers

Memory Techniques

Memory Tips - Mind Palaces video

Joshua Foer TED Talk: Feats of memory anyone can do

GCSE Survival Guide - Tassomai

Make Mind Maps put them on your wall and add to them.

Mind Map Tips

TES article - 'I got straight 9s, here's how I did it' Memory Techniques
The Science of Revision -nine ways pupils can revise for exams more effectively. Super Study Skills
Condensing text - reduce everything you know on a topic to 500 words, then 200, then 50 & finally 10 - write these 10 on a card. Keeping it Long Term
Winchmore Tutors - Exam intervention Make podcasts and listen to them repeatedly.

Flashcards - free flashcard maker designed to help you learn.

Flashcard Tips

Journey method - pick a journey you know really well e.g. walking to school; choose a list or sequence you need to remember; relate each item or stage to part of the journey; when you need to remember it in the exam go through the journey in your head.
Shawn Achor TED Talk: The happy secret to better work

Exam Stress 

The following websites offer some advice and support during exams: 

Childline

YoungMinds

Coping with Exam Stress

NHS - Advice for Exams, Stress, Anxiety, Depression

BUSINESS STUDIES

Websites: 

Students are encouraged to use the Personal Learning Checklists to aid revision, monitor their progress and identify specific areas for development. The Business Studies Department has organised revision sessions for students and the timetable will be available soon.

ECONOMICS

 Websites


COMPUTER SCIENCE

Website:

www.teach-ict.com
***Students have been given school login details***

Practice Paper & taster booklet:

http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-computer-science/

Students have been issued with a bright green revision guide covering both exam papers. They will shortly have access to a bank of practice papers for the new spec. If students complete all of these they could also complete past papers from the older spec on the OCR website as the content is still relevant.

For revision the key points for students to remember are:

  • Learn, and use the correct technical terms accurately
  • Use real examples to support their answers where appropriate
  • Attempt every question (both while practising exam questions and in the GCSE exams) – leave no blanks
  • Use P.E.E. structure for longer questions

Students may attend a session in H6 after school each Wednesday if they have any queries or need some extra support. One extra session will be run weekly in the lead up to exams.

Google Classroom
The ICT department uses Google Classroom and Google Drive. Students can access their notes and any relevant PowerPoints etc. through these applications from anywhere. 


DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

Product Design: Polymers & Textiles (Edexcel), Engineering (WJEC) and Hospitality & Catering (Eduqas)

Websites:

www.technologystudent.com

 

 

www.design-technology.info/home.htm

  Hospitality & Catering

DRAMA - AQA

Students can find detailed resources and videos on their Google Classroom.

Students should ensure they have a detailed understanding of Blood Brothers (select link) – this is the version used in lessons.

Websites:

ENGLISH

Literarture

The best revision your child can do is to re-read the literature texts. They will have studied the following: a play An Inspector Calls – J.B. Priestley; a Dickens Novella A Christmas Carol; the Conflict and Power poetry from their AQA Poetry Anthology as well as a Shakespeare text – Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth.

Websites:

 Macbeth - BBC GCSE Bitesize

 Macbeth - Sparknotes

 Romeo and Juliet - BBC GCSE Bitesize

 Romeo & Juliet - Sparknotes

 An Inspector Calls - BBC GCSE Bitesize

 An Inspector Calls - Sparknotes

Your English teacher will have given specific tips in class which will all be in his/her exercise book(s).

Revision resources are also available on Google Classroom.

Language

Snap Revision Reading, Papers 1 & 2  Published by Collins

Snap Revision Writing, Papers 1 & 2.  Published by Collins
Languagenut (students have the username and password)

Collins revision guides can be bought from the English department. Revision resources are also available on Google Classroom.

GEOGRAPHY

Google Classroom

GCSE students can find all the help they need on the Geography GCSE Revision classroom. Code is rxpryrm

This includes PLC’s, Revision booklets, past papers, videos of help, self-help and much more.

 Websites:

BBC GCSE Bitesize

GCSE Pod

Seneca Learning

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Health and Social Care External Assessments are completed in Year 11.

Sample Assessments are available on:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-tech-awards/health-and-social-care.html

As an overview. The course content includes going over past papers and the mark scheme. We will go over the style of answering questions. Revision guides will be available from the department. 

HISTORY

GCSE Pod - sign on with Google (your school email and school password)

LANGUAGES

 Websites:

 www.quizlet.com 

 www.languagesonline.org.uk

 

 www.kerboodle.com

 

Google Classroom

Google Classroom has substantial material from Authentik - GCSE practice listening tests and questions.

MATHEMATICS

Websites:

MyMaths

Sparx Maths

   - any problems students should contact their Maths teacher or email help@edgbarrowschool.co.uk.

   - Sign in with Google (single sign-on) (school email and school password)

Other websites that students may find useful are:

MUSIC

The exam is Unit 1: Listening to and Appraising Music - 1 hour; 80 marks; 20% of GCSE

Students will respond to questions based on short musical excerpts drawing on music from all five Areas of Study: Rhythm & Metre; Harmony & Tonality; Texture & Melody; Timbre & Dynamics; Structure & Form.

Key Revision points:
• Remember all keywords
• Read the question carefully
• Look at how many marks each question is worth and make sure you make the required number of points e.g. if it is 2 marks, make sure you make 2 points.

 Websites:

 www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/

General Listening:

 www.trainer.thetamusic.com/en/content/music-training-games

Instruments of the orchestra:

 www.thirteen.org/publicarts/orchestra

Books: CDG books (handed out in class).

PE

The AQA PE exam is assessed over 2 papers. Both papers are 1 hour and 15 minutes long and split into 3 assessment objectives:

  • AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (multiple choice and recall questions)
  • AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (short answer questions)
  • AO3: Analyse and evaluate the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (Extended answer questions- 6 & 9 marker)

Practice exam papers and mark schemes can be found on the AQA website and Google Classroom. When practising exam papers, students should allow one minute per mark—use the time, don’t rush, as that is when silly mistakes are made.

To revise, students should read through the list of topics and cover ALL topics using their exercise books. They should also follow the revision schedule, use the topic booklets, and make good use of acronyms to trigger key information (SPORTFITT). Finally, students should attend all revision sessions!

CDG Revision Guides - available to buy (£6.50) from the PE office.

PSYCHOLOGY

Specification: OCR GCSE Psychology 1-9 specification

Some useful revision websites:

Paper One: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFPpP0C7JW0A3ItLndnLDNQ/playlists?disable_polymer=1

https://getrevising.co.uk/resources/psychology-notes

https://tuxfordgcsepsychology.wordpress.com/home/

https://passmorespsychology.weebly.com/

Useful revision books:

Revision Guide - can be purchased from the school £9

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Revise-Psychology-GCSE

In addition, there will be a revision section on the GCSE Psychology Google Classroom.

PHILOSOPHY, ETHICS & RELIGION

New GCSE Specification (from September 2016)

GCSE textbook you use in lessons - use this to help form your revision
and make notes from. Below are your revision guides for the New GCSE RE specification from 2016. 
Please use these to enhance your revision.

Philosophy and Ethics
Relationships
Life after Death
Good and Evil
Human Rights Beliefs

Christianity
Christian Beliefs
Christian Practices

Islam
Islam Beliefs
Islam Practices

Christianity Workbook

(once selected please wait to load)


 

Practice Papers

Christian Beliefs- paper 1
Christian Beliefs- paper 2

Christian Practices- paper 1
Christian Practices- paper 2


Victoria Gray - Practice Paper

Life and Death

Relationships

Good and Evil

Human Rights

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Life after Death

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Relationships

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Good and Evil

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Human Rights

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Christian Practices

Christian Beliefs

Islamic Beliefs

Islamic Practices

Exam Practice Session

Questions of Christian Practices

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Christian Beliefs

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

 Exam Practice Session

Questions on Islamic Beliefs

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Exam Practice Session

Questions on Islamic Practices

Exam Paper 1

Exam Paper 2

Personalised Learning Checklists

Philosophy and Ethics

Christianity

Islam

Relationships

Life and Death

Good and Evil

Human Rights

Christian Beliefs

Christian Practices

 Islamic Beliefs

Islamic Practices

RELIGIOUS STUDIES ON GCSEPod

On the GCSEPod website select browse content followed by ‘Arts, Humanities and Business Studies’. Within this category select ‘Religious Studies’’

The podcasts relevant to our GCSE studies are all those under the categories of ‘Christianity’, ‘Islam’ and ‘Belief and Morality’. Under the category of ‘Current Religious Issues’ the podcasts which are relevant are ‘Issues in Modern Society’ and ‘Matters of life and Death’.

Some of the information here may be really beneficial to your revision and independent work in the subject of RE so happy listening!

 

Login with Google Single Sign-on (school email and password)

TOP TIPS for the Final Exam

SCIENCE

Websites:

https://sites.google.com/edgbarrowschool.co.uk/sciencerevision/home

https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/

www.my-gcsescience.com - users have to subscribe; only core videos are free - a fee is charged for additional subscription packages      

 MyGCSE - individual subscriptions.

Seneca Learning

Primrose Kitten
Kerboodle

Youtube

FreeScienceLessons.com

Help on Required Practicals

The Science department has available for purchase the revision guides for your child’s course in either Triple Science or Core/Additional Science. The guides include revision material, exam questions and answers.

Kerboodle

Kerboodle gives access to useful lessons, revision materials and worksheets (and ISA homework).

Login details are as follows:
Use Google Single Sign-on (school email and password) 

AQA Past Papers

The link below gives you access to past papers and the AQA exam board.
http://www.aqa.org.uk/exams-administration/exams-guidance/find-past-papers-and-mark-schemes

Spec codes for the GCSEs:
Combined Science - 8464
Biology - 8461
Chemistry - 8462
Physics - 8463