1. Year 11 Early Entry Evening 4pm 4 th October 2011

2. GCSE MATHEMATICS Early entry 2011 -12

3. In 2010, Set 5 were entered for the November papers for GCSE maths (early entry) 25 out of 26 students achieved a grade C. Of these 25, 24 continued to study Maths and were entered for the Higher tier in the summer. The final results for set 5 were impressive – Grade A - 7, Grade B – 11, Grade C -10

4. If your daughter is in either Maths Set 5 taught by Mrs. Oblikova or in Maths set 6 taught by Mrs Brolly they have been entered for the November examinations this year.

5. When are the exams? Paper 1- Non-calculator paper Wednesday 9 November (afternoon) Paper 2 – Calculator paper Monday 14 November (morning)

6. How are the teachers helping your daughter to prepare for these exams? Practice papers –marked regularly by staff and discussed with students After school revision sessions (set 5 – Tuesdays, set 6 – Wednesdays) Revision materials have been sold including: Guides and workbooks Mathswatch CDs

7. How can you help your daughter to prepare for these important exams? Make sure she has access to the appropriate revision materials – and encourage her to use them regularly Encourage her to look up the things she doesnt know and her teacher for individual help Ensure she is completing the practice papers to the best of her ability – and handing them in on time Check her contact book to ensure she is completing the whole paper Make sure she attends all the specific revision sessions provided by her individual teacher

8. What other resources are available? There are numerous revision websites available (see booklet) but especially:

9. What else is being provided? Additional revision sessions will be held in the run-up to the exams. These will be different for each class: For SET 5 - held in half-term on Friday 28 October and Friday 11 November (after school) For SET 6 - held on Saturdays on 22 October (pm), 5 November (am) and 12 November (pm) Extra session (both sets) held in the morning before the afternoon exam Full details are in the booklet and times will go home in a letter

10. Mathswatch The Mathswatch CD is an excellent revision resource that students can use at home (picture here)

11. The Maths area of school VLE has other resources specifically targeting D to C grade work

12. C if U can!

13. 10 STEPS TO SUCCESS

14. How do you know how well your daughter is progressing? You should have received individual details outlining your daughter’s achievement on the practice papers she has completed so far

15. How will you know how well your daughter is progressing? All students in sets 5 and 6 will complete Mock GCSE Maths exams on Friday 14 October and Tuesday 18 October The results of these will give you an up-to- date picture of your daughter’s achievement in Maths in terms of a current GCSE grade.

16. Is there anything else can you do to support your daughter? Please make sure they have all the available resources including their own calculator If you would like to speak to either Mr. Shepherd (Head of Maths/Head of Year 11) or me for further advice, we will be both be available after the presentations.

17. GCSE Early Entry English Tuesday 10 th January 2012

18. CourseStructure Unit 1 Exam 40% of Final GCSE Grade Understanding & Producing Non-Fiction Texts (2hrs 15mins) Unit 2 Speaking & Listening 20% of Final GCSE Grade Presenting Discussing & Listening Role-play Unit 3 Controlled Assessments 40% of Final GCSE Grade Understanding Creative Texts Shakespeare Prose Poetry (4 hrs) Producing Creative Texts Two Creative Assignments (4hrs)

19. Why Early Entry? Gives students an extra opportunity to achieve a Grade C or above Gives students the opportunity of experiencing exam conditions and what is expected of them on the examination paper All students will sit the Foundation Paper to achieve a Grade C If they obtain a D students will resit for a Grade C in the summer If they obtain a C students will sit the higher tier paper to achieve a Grade B in the summer

20. What will my daughter have to do in this exam? Section A - ReadingSection B - Writing Read 3 short non fiction extracts Q6 & Q7 = Two compulsory questions Q1 Select & retrieve information 1 x shorter answer Q2 Inference1 x long answer Q3 InferenceDescribe Inform Explain Q4 Looking at the language features of a type of writing Argue Persuade Q5 Comparison of presentational features

21. What will the school do to support my daughter? Teach the skills required Two mock exams  20 th October 2011  November Mock Exam After School Exam Preparation Sessions (first week in January) Saturday 7 th January 2012 – 10.00am -12.00pm

22. How can I help my daughter? Ensure that she completes the assigned SAM Learning tasks Ensure that she completes practice materials Expose her to as many non-fiction/media type materials as possible e.g. Fact and opinion related newspaper articles, leaflets, travel writing, quality magazines etc... Read widely Go through the English activities for Reading & Writing on BBC GCSE Bitesize website Visit englishbiz.co.uk

23. Core Science Modules Many students in 11.3-11.8 have new Science modules or Science module resits on 15 th November. There are six modules: Biology a and b, Chemistry a and b and Physics a and b. Saturday Science School 12 th November. Very successful in the past.

24. Dear Parent/Carer, SCIENCE REVISION MORNING – SATURDAY, 12 th NOVEMBER 2011 Your daughter has GCSE Science modules on Tuesday, 15 th November 2011 at 8.45am in the Sports Hall. Please could you make sure she is in school on time with a black pen and a calculator ready for her exams. To help her prepare, the Science faculty will be running a revision morning on Saturday 12 th November. We feel that this morning, combined with your daughter’s own revision programme, will help her improve her current grade. Lucy is entered for the following modules on Tuesday, 15 th November 2011. Biology b Chemistry a

25. TimeBiology ChemistryPhysics 9am Biology b Biology a Chemistry a Physics b 10am Biology b Biology a Chemistry b Physics a 11amBiology b Chemistry b Physics a Reply slip

26. Core Science Modules Supporting your daughter: Organisation Use of revision guide Bitesize / SAM Learning

27. Core Science Modules Past papers google ‘AQA Science A 4461’ This question is about the Earth and its structure. Match words, A, B, C and D, with the numbers 1– 4 in the sentences. A mantle B core C atmosphere D crust Since the Earth was formed, the percentages of the gases in the... 1... have changed. At the centre of the Earth is the... 2.... The middle layer of the Earth where convection currents form is the... 3.... It was once thought that mountain ranges formed because the... 4... was shrinking. Year 11 Early Entry Evening 4pm 4 th October 2011