Success in Exams
How to be successful in your Examinations
Inside this guide:
Preparing for revision
Planning your time
Allocating time
How to revise effectively
Organisation
Some Don’ts
Motivation
Sleeping Better
How to improve your exam
grade
On the day of the exam
If you panic
After the exam
Success in Exams
Revision is absolutely essential if you want to achieve your best in exams.
However, like most things in life, there are good ways and bad ways of going
about it. Therefore, we hope you carefully consider the good practical advice
that is explained within this booklet - it has been proven time and time again
to work very successfully and help students achieve higher grades in their
examinations.
Revise effectively!
We remember:
20% of what is said
30% of what we hear
40% of what we see
50% of what we say
60% of what we do
90% of what we see, hear and do.
Preparing for revision
All GCE and GCSE exams take place between Monday 15th May and Tuesday
29th June. The exam period stretches over five weeks. Two weeks before half
term and just over three weeks after. Students break up for the half term
holiday on Friday 26th May and return to school on Monday 5th June.
Make sure you have plenty of time for revision during the half term break check
that your parents have not planned to go on holiday with you for that week. If
they have make sure you build in plenty of revision time.
Planning your time
It is very important that you plan your time effectively. Make a revision
calendar, write any critical dates such as controlled assessment deadlines,
school holidays or your birthday on to a calendar and as soon as you can,
write in the dates and times of your exams. All students have been provided
with a timetable for examinations.
If you are clever about organising your time you will still have time to watch
Success in Exams
your favourite TV programmes and to socialise with friends. The secret is to plan
when you will do your homework/controlled assessments and your revision. For
example, the best time to do any work is straight after school, before you get
too tired to revise effectively.
Some students do not have access to a quiet place to revise. We will be
making available the computer rooms after school from 3:00pm to at least
4.45pm Monday to Friday, so that students can have a productive working
environment in which to do revision.
"The only dumb question is the question you don't ask"
Allocate Time For Revision
Think about revision in half-hour time slots or sometimes an hour if you prefer.
Any more unbroken time spent revising for one subject is less effective.
In the evenings on school days you cannot plan to revise more than two
subjects. During the spring term you will also have homework and coursework
to complete.
Decide whether you will revise on Saturdays or Sundays at the week-end.
Perhaps you will do a little on both days but it’s a good idea to build in some
free time every weekend to refresh your brain. Begin to map out a rota for
revising all your subjects in against a date. Then try to identify particular topics
you plan to revise. For example, where you are doing science revision you
may write: ‘science —human beings’ or ‘science —electricity’. For English
literature you might identify certain books or plays.
Build some flexibility into your revision calendar in case you need extra time for
some topics.
Now have a good look at the whole plan. If possible, share it with one of your
parents or an older brother or sister who has been through GCSEs already.
Together check that:
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You have enough time to revise everything and to go over topics more than
once.
You have enough time for your controlled assessments (if not already complete)
You are not taking on too much at any one time.
Success in Exams
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Just before each exam you have enough time to go over that subject.
Hang a plan on your bedroom wall or somewhere where you can easily see it.
Try to stick to your plan, but remember you can adjust it as you go along as
long as adjusting does not mean skipping bits.
"Your most valuable asset in learning is a positive attitude"
Have an Efficient Working Environment
Make sure you have a quiet place to work in. Plan your working environment.
Get rid of clutter. Have the right stationary and equipment. Make sure your
study area is well lit. Organise and have a filing system for your study notes.
Use old posters or wallpaper to make large versions of spider diagrams/star
diagrams/mind maps and stick them on your wall. Put key words around your
room. Have your revision timetable on the wall next to the door and light
switch.
Try some of these to see what works for you:
 Music in the background sometimes helps, but don’t try to revise with the TV
or radio on.
 Read through a topic and make brief notes on cards which can be used for
further revision later.
 Instead of writing notes in words, draw a picture.
 Redraw diagrams and check how well they match the original.
 Use flow charts to sequence events or activities. Use linking words between
boxes to illustrate the nature of the sequence.
 Use colours to highlight key words in your notes or revision books.
 Work with a partner to help and test each other on, for example, explaining
the meaning of key words (and spelling them correctly), rearranging
chemical equations, performing calculations, recalling linked facts or dates,
drawing conclusions from evidence.
 Create Mind Maps for each topic. Place the topic in the centre of a page,
with branches radiating outwards. This can be a very effective way of
grouping and linking different points/themes in a clear and memorable way.
 Produce a set of skeletal revision notes (just the essential information)
organised under key headings - colour coding and highlighting are useful
here.
 Flash Cards. You can break down key information into smaller units under
headings. Practice writing a key word or point on one side of the card and
an explanation on the other side. Read the key word or key points to trigger
memory before checking your accuracy on the other side. Flash cards can
Success in Exams
be small size, which is handy, and are easy for other people to test out your
knowledge.
 Memory maps. Study a diagram or sequence you're having problems
recalling for 1 minute, then redraw it and check how well it matches the
original.
 Create mnemonics to aid memory of keywords or a sequence e.g. Order or
the planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune,
Pluto) = My Very Easy Method Just Speeds Up Naming Planets.
 Test yourself and test each other with past question papers. You might find
this is the best revision strategy of all. Use a watch to improve your time
management in readiness for the exams. You can also look at mark
schemes on the internet so see how marks are awarded.
"Education is the best provision for old age"
How To Revise Effectively
Revision is learning and understanding information, testing your knowledge
and being sure that you can remember what you have revised.
If you want to make revision effective then there are a number of guidelines
and methods to consider. Try them and use those which work best for you.
The secret of successful revision is to use revision techniques that
force you to concentrate. Concentration is the key to effective
revision.
Revision Tips
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Start your revision in good time.
Plan a revision timetable.
Highlight coursework and deadlines and examination dates and times.
Spread your subjects out over time so you cover each one several times.
Allow some time to switch off.
Plan to revise specific topics or aspects of a subject.
Success in Exams
Be Organised
Check your exam timetable so you know what you are doing, where and
when. It is essential to the success of your revision that you make a written
plan/revision timetable as early as possible showing when you will do your
revision for every subject. You can then tick off what you are achieving,
monitor your progress, and amend your revision programme as necessary.
Spread your revision out. Do not do the same thing all day. Allow time for
breaks - plan treats into your timetable such as a 10 minute break in every hour
for a drink or biscuit. Plan your leisure time such as sports, gaming,
boy/girlfriends into your timetable. Don't leave all your revision to the end of
the day. If you are 'hopeless' on a Monday morning then design your
plan/timetable around it. Design your timetable to be flexible.
Some DON'TS
1. Don't make the mistake by assuming that revision is simply reading the notes
in your exercise books. This is NOT and NEVER has been all that there is to
revision.
2. NEVER try to revise watching TV, or with unsuitable music, radio or the TV
playing. You will be wasting virtually all of your time.
3. AVOID stressed out, lazy or demotivated friends, as they will only drag you
down to their state of mind. Don't be used by others - control what you allow
to happen to you and protect your own space.
Motivation
Some people struggle with a lack of motivation. These simple strategies may
help:
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Plan rewards for yourself when you have achieved goals.
Start with easier/more interesting subjects.
And establish a work routine—once started, a routine becomes easier to
maintain.
Remind yourself why these qualifications are important. Your exam
results are with you for the rest of your life.
“Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”
Success in Exams
Sleeping better
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Don’t work in or on your bed—keep bed for relaxation and sleep.
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‘Switch off’ before going to bed: stop working at least an hour before
you intend to go to sleep and spend time doing something more
relaxing e.g. listening to music, talking to a friend, having a bath, doing
relaxation exercises, taking a stroll.
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If you stick to a regular bedtime and getting up time it will be easier to
maintain good sleeping patterns.
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Do not worry about not being able to sleep well i.e. stop telling yourself
that you will not be able to do anything the next day if you cannot get
to sleep. Even when you are not sleeping much, you will still be able to
function well, think logically and do difficult mental tasks. It is mundane,
vigilance-type tasks and mood (e.g. irritability) which are mainly
affected by lack of sleep. Most people manage to sustain sleep deficit
over a few days (but not weeks!) before needing to ‘catch up’.
Being Prepared For The Exam
Make sure you are ready on the day. You will need:
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A couple of pens and sharpened pencils, a rubber and a ruler.
A watch.
You may sometimes need (check with your teacher):
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A calculator.
A protractor.
Don’t forget: you can make notes or practice calculations on the question
paper; you don’t need scrap paper.
A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from
others. Be a carrier"
Success in Exams
How to improve your exam grade
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Read each question carefully – once to know what it says - and a
second time to be sure what the question is asking you to do.
Circle or highlight the words that tell you what you have to do, e.g.
“Describe” and “Explain”. (If you only “Describe” you will lose marks for
having no explanation). Then underline the topics that they are asking
you to write about, e.g. what “disadvantages” has “tourism” brought to
“local residents” in “coastal Spain?” (This will help you focus on what the
question is asking and reduce the risk of making a mistake and writing
generally just about tourism in Spain, which might give you no marks at
all). Therefore you must be sure you check what you are being asked to
write about.
It is essential that you look to see how many marks are awarded for each
part of a question. If there are 6 marks and 9 lines for you to write on,
then understand that you need 6 separate scoring points for the
examiner who expects you to fill all 9 lines.
Before you start to write your answer, make an abbreviated plan in the
margin. If, for example, there are 6 marks available, list the six separate
points that you will write about, with examples if relevant. Then write
about each point separately in a separate sentence or numbered point.
Do not muddle all 6 points into one sentence as you might only score 1
mark out of 6. Each point needs to be fully described or explained,
depending upon what is asked in that question. Always give examples
wherever relevant.
Remember that the examiner can only mark what is on the paper. He
or she can’t guess or assume what you know in your head. Therefore do
not make the mistake of failing to fully write down what you are trying to
say. Read your answers over and if the words you have written down do
not fully answer the question then you may get no marks – so please add
to your answers to make them complete wherever necessary.
Calculate how long approximately you should be spending on one
question (eg., If there are 120 marks available in a two hour exam then
each you should be spending approximately one minute per mark)
"A strong, positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug"
Success in Exams
Remember when you are answering a part of any particular question, that
maps, tables, photographs and sketches in other parts of that question might
give you clues and “unlock” stored information in your memory.
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If you feel you are stuck on any particular question, then please do not give
up. Use your own common sense and apply knowledge that you have gained
from years 7 – 11 or from TV, Radio or Newspapers, and even from other subject
areas, to try and score marks. Remember a blank answer = a blank score.
Never give up – write to the very end of the exam, make the examiner suffer –
make him earn his/her money! But please remember…..don’t panic…..the
examiner is not trying to catch you out. When you finish your exam paper, go
back to the beginning and progressively read through each question and
check you have answered it properly. Keep adding to your answers by
improving descriptions and explanations and adding other points and relevant
examples. Remember one mark is the difference between a D+C, C+B, B+A
or A-A*. Keep looking for those extra marks.
Be aware of fatigue. A number of students lose their focus and concentration
after about 45 minutes, so you must force yourself to concentrate more and lift
yourself with every new question in the last half of the exam paper.
Another problem that fatigue causes in the second half of an exam paper is
that candidates begin to generalise their answers thus missing the point of the
question. They have a tendency to assume that the examiner knows what they
are thinking in their heads and are not writing this down on paper. This loses
some students lots of marks. It is essential that you keep concentrating on
writing down the words that will score you marks.
Make sure you are travelling through the paper at the correct pace – not too
fast and not too slow.
Ignore what others are doing around you in the exam room.
Do not forget to prepare your body properly. Regular gentle exercise
throughout your revision and examination period can be very beneficial. In
addition, it is absolutely essential that you have a balanced and regular diet –
ensure that you have breakfast before a morning examination and lunch
before an afternoon examination. Do not binge – eat healthy foods- drink lots
of water – don’t overeat as it will make you feel drowsy. Furthermore, an
invigorating shower may wake you up before you come to school.
Make sure that you have peace and quiet and be early to bed the night
before and the nights leading up to an exam. No late parties – put your social
life on hold until after your exams.
The only man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything"
Success in Exams
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On the day of the exam
Don’t get up very early, as this will just make you more tired. Eat
breakfast, but do not drink too much liquid! If you have spare time, do
something you find relaxing—have a bath, go for a stroll—and keep
away from overly stressed students - those whose stress levels are
contagious.
Rather than try to learn any new material, perhaps just look over a few
key points.
Arrive at the exam hall comfortably in time but not too early; the tension
hanging over this short period of waiting just before the exam is highly
contagious so you do well to minimise your exposure to it.
It is natural to feel some anxiety when you go into the examination room.
Use the few minutes before you are allowed to begin to do some simple
relaxation and breathing exercises; sit back and separate yourself
mentally from those who are getting stressed.
"Common sense is the best sense I know"
If you start to panic
In an examination situation it is not uncommon for one’s mind to go blank for
a moment, or to be confused by a question put in an unfamiliar way. At these
times it is easy to begin to panic. This is likely to take the form of doom-laden
thoughts as well as physical symptoms such as feeling your heart racing, feeling
faint, hot or sweaty. Although these symptoms are disturbing, perhaps even
frightening, they are in fact very common and are not at all dangerous. Follow
the steps below to calm down:
1. Pause for a few moments: put your pen down and sit back; slow your
breathing down a little.
2. Let your body relax. Relaxation and breathing exercises will help to reduce
these symptoms. Reassure yourself that you are not going to collapse or lose
control—these things never happen because of anxiety.
3. Push upsetting thoughts to the back of your mind and re-focus your attention
on relaxing, and then back on the exam itself.
No matter how bad the anxiety feels, do not leave the exam as the anxiety
level will fall within a short space of time. Panic is always time limited and the
symptoms will reduce in a short while. When you are able, get back to work—
remember that it is better to put something down rather than nothing
Success in Exams
After the exam
Before the day of the exam, it can be a good idea to decide what you are
going to do immediately after the exam ends. Standing around and joining in
with others’ delight or dismay is almost always discouraging. If you have
something already planned you can simply leave others to do the postmortem, while you go and do something more enjoyable or constructive. If you
are exhausted, some food or a sleep may help; if you are still wound up, you
could do something physical, such as go for a run or a swim. If you are going
to meet up with someone, you could agree with them that you will only talk
about the exam for 5 minutes—or even not at all.
Success
comes in
cans, failure in cant’s
Remember!!
Make sure you are ready for your examinations. That you know your seat
number for your exam.
You will need:
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A couple of black pens and sharpened pencils,
A rubber and a ruler.
A watch.
A calculator.
A protractor.
Don’t forget: you can make notes or practice calculations on the question
paper; you don’t need scrap paper.
Success in Exams
WE WISH YOU GOOD LUCK BUT REMIND YOU THAT YOU MAKE YOUR OWN
LUCK BY YOUR ATTITUDE, YOUR EFFORTS, YOUR PREPARATION AND YOUR
APPLICATION TO YOUR LESSONS, YOUR REVISION AND YOUR EXAMINATIONS.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Some useful Websites for further help with revision techniques:
http://getrevising.co.uk/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationadvice/9823789/Revisiontechniques-The-secret-to-exam-revision-success.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/studentlife/revisionandskills/
http://revisionworld.co.uk/create-revision-timetable
https://www.doddlelearn.co.uk/app/login?