1. Assessment and Examinations

2. Make it to the finishing line
This module shows you how you can make assessments and examinations work for you. Use this module to think about the strategies that you will follow to make a success of your final year of school.

3. Study Plan for Grade 12
You need to plan thoroughly by compiling an overall study plan.
Once you know what must be done and when you are doing it, you will feel more in control of the year’s work.

4. Formal Assessment Programme
What is this?
This consists of all the tasks and exams which will required of you for each subject during the year.
Get a copy of this so that you can plan.

5. Do Year Planning Write into a year planner your tasks for the year.
Cross out holidays and public holidays and indicate major events such as Matric Dance, sports tours, etc which may prevent you from studying.
Find out when the final exams begin so that you can begin well in advance.

6. Learn from your results
Your marks are like a sports score and tell you “what happened”.
Don’t only focus on the mark obtained, but look at:
- Which sections of the work you know/don’t know.
- With which sorts of questions do you do well or badly.

7. - Which sorts of unnecessary mistakes you made
- Which sorts of unnecessary mistakes you made. - How good was your time planning? Do the marks obtained truly reflect what you are really capable of?

8. Be your own academic coach
Similar to how a coach examines a match to decide appropriate strategies and to correct mistakes, you can use your results to correct your performance. How?

9. Understand that assessment is part of the learning process.
Analyze your results attentively and in great detail.
Keep records of your results.

10. 1. The cycle of learning and assessment
Teaching /Learning
Feedback
Informal Assessment
Feedback
Formal Assessment
Teaching/
Learning

11. 2. Success in the detail
Go through old papers and tasks to learn from your mistakes.
If your teacher goes through the paper after the test, listen intently as no work is “written off” in Grade 12.
Study comments made on your script by the teacher.

12. Go through the whole paper, question by question, looking for the mistakes you made:
Ask yourself: - Did these occur in a specific part of the paper or in a certain type of question? - Did you not know work or did I make unnecessary mistakes? - Should you have made more detailed notes or revised more? - Did you perhaps interpret the question incorrectly?

13. The answers to the above questions will help you to be more successful in the future.
If there is work that you still don’t understand, go for extra classes, go through it again.

14. Pay attention to the general skills that influence success.
Do your study methods fit in with the work?
Can you put aside your (negative) feelings for your teacher and concentrate fully on the work?

15. 3. Keep records
Keep records of your results of each test, exam and assessment:
Look for the following patterns:
1. Look for specific patterns in a specific subject during the course of the year.

16. 2. Look for patterns that extend across various subjects e.g:
Do you make calculation errors regularly?
Do you spend too much time on the initial questions and the struggle to complete the paper?

17. Do you try to memorize facts without understanding the work and then struggle to apply the info in the exam?

18. Keep your wits about you: It’s exam time!
Equip yourself with healthy examination habits during the year. Examinations mean “stress” Sometimes your exam mark is not a true reflection of your ability as your nerves may let you down in the exams.

19. The good news is that your projects are also used to determine your year marks.
“Losing your head” is largely the result of exam anxiety and many suffer from this, so what does one do about this?

20. Positive Tension
We know that some tension can be a good thing because we are more alert and sharp. Between exams, it is good to relax as the body doesn’t function well in a constant state of tension.

21. Too much tension
We spoke about this in the previous module. Physical signs that you are too tense to produce your best work include: - rapid heart rate - dry mouth - sweating - feeling sick, etc.

22. Mental signs of too much tension: - racing , confused thoughts - negative, pessimistic or defeatist ideas - sudden failure to remember anything - difficulties with concentration - not knowing answer in exams but remembering it afterwards

23. Advice for examination anxiety
1. Preparation 2. Know your work - NB of previous papers 3. Prevention is better than cure - Preparation and revision will save hours. 4. Reduce the unknown factors - Find out all that you need to know beforehand to reduce surprises.

24. 5. Practice the examination
Work out exam papers under exam conditions (quiet, time needed , etc.)
6. Arrive in time and bring the things you need
What time are you writing? Don’t be late.
What must you take along?
Where are you writing?
Beware of scaremongers

25. 7. Think holistically
Look after your emotions. Don’t cut out activities in the exams which help you to relax.
Look at what you are eating (tuna = good.)
Get enough sleep and don’t study through the night. Risk is forgetting work.
Avoid stimulants e.g. too much coffee, energy drinks.

26. Don’t use prescription medicines without a prescription
Don’t use prescription medicines without a prescription. - Think carefully about with whom you talk prior to an exam. - Watch your speech and thoughts!

27. 8. In the examination venue
Be calm and focussed.
Use rituals
Deep breathing to relax
Don’t contact others in exam room.