Mr J WinterMr N Jukes Assistant Headteacher – Year 11 Co-ordinator Care & Guidance

 To issue mock exam results and explain the implications of these  To provide some useful tips and advice on how to improve these in the coming months  To answer any questions that either students or parents may have about the revision process.

 Curiosity  Intrigue  Nervousness  Anticipation  Followed by ……..  Pleasant/Unpleasant surprise  Disappointment  Shock  Feeling of satisfaction

 To study AS and A’Levels:  College or 6 th Form at FCC  Basic requirement is 5 grade A*-C grades at GCSE  Preference for grade B or above in subjects wishing to study at AS/A Level  Positive attitude, mature approach, keen to achieve, willingness to improve.

 To attend College - Vocational (New College, Swindon College, Abingdon, Oxford..)  Entry requirements will vary depending on the course you wish to study  Often a number of ‘good passes’ at GCSE level.  Usually a reference to English or Maths, depending on the course of choice.  Will look for a student who has shown effort and a willingness to do well, keen to show improvement.

 Apprenticeship  Very difficult to find and a high demand.  May not be ‘entry requirements’ as such, but there will be a competitive field for any apprenticeship that is available  Would be beneficial to look better ‘on paper’ than your competitors…

 Employment  Not an easy option in the current economic climate.  Depending on the type of employment you are wishing to enter will depend on the type of grades required.  However, like Apprenticeships, employment for 16 year olds is a very competitive field.  Is best to ensure you make yourself look ‘employable’ by the GCSE grades you achieve.

 Your results have been issued....  Are they as you hoped?  Are they as you expected?  Can they be better?  Would you be happy with these if they were your actual GCSE results?  Do you hope to achieve better in the summer?  How are you going to ensure that happens?

 Approximately 75 school days until your first GCSE exam!!  Important to make the most of the next 75 days.  Maximise your potential, achieve your best.  Target grades are there to aim for…  They are achievable if you try your very best, but will not be gained by just letting the rest of this year ‘happen’.

 Ensure coursework/controlled assessment grades are at least in line with your target grade – possibly even above target.  Take teacher advice and improve controlled assessment where possible.  Avoid holidays or other absence during term time.  Pay 100% attention in lessons – every lesson counts.  Start revision early – now!  Attend extra revision lessons over the coming months – April & May holidays, After College & Lunchtimes

 It means literally ‘re-looking’ at information you have learnt previously.  The aim is that you know the information you will be tested on and remember it for the exam.  Knowing something depends on understanding it. Therefore, active learning is key.

 Make sure you have:  A tidy, undisturbed place to work  A comfortable chair  A table which gives enough room for your materials  Adequate light  All the books you need – school notes, revision guides, some exam papers  Pens, pencils, scrap paper

 Before the mock exams begin is the best time to start preparing for your final exams – revise for the mocks and then do not stop!  If you didn’t start then, start now.  Write a revision timetable – little and often is much more effective than last minute panic cramming.  Start with a small amount of time per day and build up over the next few months.  Perhaps 30 mins per day, building up to a couple of hours each day as the exams get closer.

 List all of the subjects that you study  Within each subject, identify the key topics  Identify a list of resources that you can use for each topic  Eg ▪ Maths – Algebra – revision cards, My Maths ▪ Geography – Location of Industry – exercise book, podcast etc...

DATEMonTuesWedsThursFriSatSun 14 th Jan (25 mins) EnglishMathsHistoryGeogDTBiologyPhysics 21 st Jan (35 mins) BusinessREChemistryMathsEnglishNONEPE DATEMonTuesWedsThursFriSatSun 14 th Jan (30 mins) EnglishMathsHistoryGeogDTBiologyPhysics War poetry AlgebraTimeline of WW1 Location of industry NutritionThe heart Forces

 Using a range of different strategies is important.  You may use different techniques for different subjects as some may work better for certain types of content.  A comprehensive list of strategies can be found on the ‘REVISION’ handout for parents.  Further strategies are described in the ‘Revision Tips’ booklet which has a page for each examined subject.

 Using your notes and transferring these into spider diagrams  Use flip chart paper to produce large posters and have these up all over your room  Produce revision cards and put these around the house in rooms you regularly go into  Listen to revision podcasts available for some subjects  Use online resources – but avoid the distraction of the internet social media  Use picture stories, acronyms and mnemonics to remember key facts  Highlight revision books, underlining key terms

 Revision should not just be re-reading your notes. You can stimulate your mind and learn effectively by:  Writing down important points  Drawing diagrams or flow charts several times  Testing yourself  Reading out loud  Underlining key points or quotations  Making up word games or mnemonics to help you  Persuading someone to test you, then revise further, then retest you on a certain topic  Working through past exam questions

 If you are going to make revision notes, make and modify your notes to help you learn by:  Taking short, well spaced, numbered and headed notes in lessons  Putting only the main points on revision cards or coloured post its  Using these main point cards to help to test yourself by listing key ideas and patterns  Numbering the points in your list – eg – the 7 characteristics of living things

 For some things, you can learn by heart. Try to memorise:  Connections between fact and patterns which give shape to a topic – eg – definitions, scientific laws  Vocabulary in whichever foreign language you are learning  Quotations from literature  Diagrams or drawings of equipment/apparatus you may have to draw  Scientific facts such as chemical symbols  Mathematical formulae, times tables etc..

 No matter what your mock grades are today, whether as you had wanted, as you hoped for, as you expected or as you feared, it is not yet too late.  There is still enough time to improve grades a significant amount – by at least 1 grade.  Teachers and parents will help you, but the hard work must be done by the students themselves.  It is crucial that you do something!

Make sure you open your real GCSE results envelope in August with confidence, knowing that you could not have prepared any better. Thanks for Listening