Revision Summaries for
End-of-Year 8 Examinations
May 2016
This booklet provides summaries of the subject content to be revised in each of
the subjects for this year’s end-of-year internal examinations. In many cases, it
will be supplemented by material given out in lessons and placed on Firefly. We
hope that it will be useful for students and also for parents in providing support.
Year 8 Mathematics – Summer Revision
You need to revise all of the topics covered this year. You should use the notes provided,
your own workbook and the video resources available from the subject Firefly page to revise
from. If you are missing notes on any of the following topics speak to your teacher as soon
as possible!!
Use the self-analysis checklist as you revise and seek help when needed!
Useful Websites:
1) http://www.mymaths.co.uk/
2) http://studymaths.co.uk/workoutMenu.php?type=all
3) https://www.khanacademy.org/exercisedashboard
Topic
1
Number Work 1
 Do mental addition and subtraction of
numbers less than 100.
 Use non-calculator methods for addition
and subtraction.
 Round Numbers to the nearest 10, 100
 Multiply and Divide by 10, 100, …
 Use non-calculator methods for
multiplication and short division.
 Use non-calculator methods for calculations
with mixed operations.   , x,  , +, -.

2
3
4
Use calculator methods for questions with
mixed operations.   , x,  , +, -.
 Approximating calculations
Fractions
 Find equivalent fractions and simplify
fractions
 Find a fraction of a quantity
 Convert between mixed numbers and
improper fractions
 Add and Subtract Fractions
 Multiply fractions
 Divide Fractions
 Add & Subtract Mixed numbers
 Fractions and BODMAS
Pie Charts
 Interpret pie charts
 Calculate angles
 Draw pie chart
Decimals
 Add and Subtract decimals using noncalculator methods.
 Multiply and Divide decimal numbers by 10,
100, 1000 etc..
 Multiply and Divide decimals by single digit
whole numbers.
 Use a calculator to divide a decimal by a 2
digit whole number. (Estimation)
 Use non-calculator methods to multiply
decimals.
 Round a number to a given number of
decimal places.
Need to Know
BIDMAS
Round to nearest 10, check
next unit
Common Denominator
Times Top, Times bottom
(cancel)
nd
Turn 2 upside down and
times
Do whole Numbers First
Out of 360
o
Angle Size =
x 360
Count total number of dp
OK
Unsure
Don’t
know
Topic
Need to Know

5
Use non-calculator methods for division by
simple decimals.
 Use a calculator for decimal calculations.
 Decimals and Money Calculations
Statistics
 Make a simple frequency table
 Draw and use Bar charts and pictographs
 Calculate averages from a list of numbers –
mean,

middle pace =
Find the range.
biggest – smallest
Find the mean from a Frequency table.
Summarise and Compare Data
Conduct a Statistical enquiry
Collect and display Data
Compare Different Diagrams
Understand information on a Frequency
Diagram
 Interpret and Compare Data
Percentages
 Know what a percentage is
 Change between fractions and percentages
 Change between decimals and
percentages
 Interchange fractions, decimals and
percentages
 Write one value as a percentage of another

7
8
mean =
median,
mode.






6
Don’t forget units (£ or p)
Money has 2 dp i.e. £3.45
Find the percentage of an amount
 Equivalents you should know
Directed Numbers
 Add and subtract numbers using a number
line.
 Use changing temperatures to understand
directed number
 Apply rules of negative numbers to
understand two signs ( 2 – (-3) = 5)
 Use simple inequalities to gain a fuller
understanding of a number line.
 Add and subtract negative numbers
 Multiply and divide with directed numbers.
 Apply BODMAS to questions with directed
numbers.
Coordinates
 Use Grid referencing to read a map.
 Plot points on a coordinate system.
 State the x coordinate and y coordinate for
a given point.
 State the pair of coordinates of a given
point.
 Recognise the special quadrilaterals.
(I.e. Familiarity with the properties of a
square,
rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram and
trapezium).
mean =
Decimal x Amount
Things you should know
See things you should know
++
+
+-+
-+
Signs beside each other
Watch Out!
Signs
See things you should know
OK
Unsure
Don’t
know
Topic
9
Numbers and Patterns
 Understand the meaning of factor and
multiple, and distinguish between the two
 Understand the meaning and principle of
Prime Numbers
 Understand the format of Index Form and
be able to:
(i)
determine the value of a number
written in index form
(ii)
write a number in Index Form (as the
product of prime factors)




Determine common factors and multiples of
a group of numbers, appreciating HCF and
LCM
Identify simple number patters/sequences
involving ‘constant’ addition/subtraction
from subsequent terms
Familiar with Rectangular, Square and
Triangular Numbers
Use Index rules
Need to Know
See Things you should know
n
m
m+n
n
m
m-n
a xa =a
a xa =a
1
a=a
10
11
12
Angles
 Understand fractions of a revolution.
 Use compass directions N, S, E, W.
 Identify types of angle ie. Right, acute,
obtuse, reflex.
 Use a protractor to measure an angle.
 Use a protractor to draw an angle
 Estimate the size of an angle.
 Use the following angle tools:Vertically opposite angles, Supplementary
angles, Angles at a point.
 Define parallel lines and perpendicular
lines.
 Use the following parallel line angle tools:Corresponding angles, Alternate angles,
Interior angles.
 Use Bearings
Formulas
 Substitute positive or negative numbers into
a formula and evaluate
 Gain a fuller understanding of temperature
conversion, Body Mass Index, weight and
Money
 Substitute numbers into Formulae using
subtraction and division
 Substitute numbers into Formulae using a
power
 Create formulas using letters and unknown
numbers
 Use formulas with two operations and
substitution
Algebra
 Use letters to represent unknown values
 Simplify expressions
 Collect like terms (Adding & Subtracting)
0
a =1
See Things you should know
Learn key words and be able
to identify
Watch out!
i) Write formula
ii) Substitute
(no short cuts)
2
a is always positive!
Collect like terms
Watch out!
(the sign in front of a number
is part of it ie -4)
OK
Unsure
Don’t
know
Topic


Simplify basic algebraic expressions which
have multiplying & dividing operations
Simplify algebraic terms which have
multiplying & dividing operations and terms
with the same base number.
13
Algebra-Equations
 Simplify expressions
 Form basic equations
 Solve Equations using one or two
operations
 Solve Equations with letters on both sides.
 Solve Equations with like terms on both
sides.
14
Area






Need to Know
Understand the meaning of perimeter and
area, and distinguish between the two
Understand the meaning of basic metric
units such as km, m, cm, mm
Understand the meaning of compound units
of area and be able to:
2
determine conversions between mm
2
2
2
and cm or between m and km
See things you should know
plot horizontal and vertical lines
Use standard formulae for areas of the
following standard shapes:- square,
rectangle, parallelogram, triangle.
extending the ideas into compound shapes
15
Converting Units
 Convert between metric units
 Convert between metric and imperial units
 Convert money using exchange rates
 Use ratio technique to find unknowns
16
Transformations
 Understand a transformation moves a
shape to a new position.
 Understand a reflection changes a shape in
the same way a mirror does.
 Understands a rotation turns the shape
around about a given point.
 Find all the symmetries of a shape.
 Understand a translation slides an object.
 Understand a tessellation is a tiling pattern
with no gaps.
 Use transformations to make a tessellation.
Pupils should know:
 1Kg : 2.2 lbs
 1L : 1.75 pints
 1 Gallon : 4.5 L
 5 miles : 8 km
OK
Unsure
Don’t
know
Year 8 English
The exam will be made up of a speaking and listening task, a reading task and a writing task.
Speaking and listening
1. Ensure you prepare your ideas thoroughly and have made good notes to help you
2. In the discussion make certain that you:
-
are focussed and listening at all times
-
explain your points of view clearly
-
be as detailed and mature as possible
-
ask questions
-
ask others to get involved if they are quiet
-
come to an agreement
Reading and Writing
1. Pay close attention to class discussions of the skills that are required
2. Ensure that practice exercises are completed to the best of your ability
3. Think carefully about the errors you make in practice to ensure that you learn from the
experience
A crucial aspect in completing the writing task successfully is writing accurately in terms of
spelling, punctuation and grammar. You can practise this by writing short passages (15-20
minutes) at home and then carefully checking them for accuracy.
Year 8 Religious Education
Pupils will need to know the Core Content on each of the Coversheets they have studied this
year. This includes Keywords and the Key Questions.
Topics Studied

Creation

The Bible and Holy Books

Abraham and Moses
Each student has been given his own copy. If any of these have been lost, then a copy can
be viewed in the Religious Education section on Firefly.
Year 8 French Revision Checklist
The following skills will be tested in the summer exam.
Speaking
Speaking test questions will be given to you by your teacher. These will
be prepared, learnt and tested during the month of May, prior to the
examination period. Your teacher will inform you of the dates for this
exam – copies of questions will be available on Firefly.
Listening
The listening test will take place in class, prior to the examination period.
Your teacher will inform you of the dates for this exam.
Reading / Writing / Grammar
These skill areas will be tested during exam week at end of May.
Vocabulary can be found in Accès Studio and Studio 1 workbooks
TOPICS TO REVISE
Meeting and greeting
French alphabet
Numbers 1 – 39
Saying how old you are
Days of the week
Months of the year
Saying when your birthday is
Saying what is in your schoolbag
Describing your classroom
Saying what you like and dislike
Talking about hobbies
Colours
Animals
Family members
Saying where you live
Food and drink at breakfast and lunch
Nationalities and countries
Talking about weather
Character descriptions
Physical descriptions
COMPLETED
GRAMMAR TO REVISE
Using un / une / des (indefinite article a and some)
Using un / une / des (indefinite article a and some)
Using le / la / l’ /les (definite article the)
Making words plural
Using adjectives – agreement and position
Using mon / ma / mes
Using the verb etre
Using the verb avoir
COMPLETED
Year 8 Geography
Done 
Map skills
- direction
- distance
- height
- grid refs (4 and 6)
- symbols
Weather and climate
- elements of weather
- weather instruments and their units
- Britain’s weather
- types of rainfall
- making and using climate graphs
Tsunami
- definition
- causes
- effects (short-term)
- effects (long-term)
- recovering from a tsunami (aid)
Settlement
- definition
- the site of a settlement (factors)
- settlement patterns
- how settlements change
- the redevelopment of Laganside, Belfast
- the redevelopment of Titanic Quarter, Belfast
- shopping (high and low order goods)
Year 8 History
You will need to know:
Medieval Monarchy



Details of the Kings that you have studied
How to judge the effectiveness of a medieval monarch
Changes in the nature of monarchy during the medieval period
The Norman conquest




Why did William invade England in 1066?
Why did Harold fight William at Hastings?
Methods used by either side to fight the battle at Hastings
Why was William successful in 1066?
Castles




Why castles were introduced into England.
The development of stone keep castles.
How castles changed as the medieval period progressed.
What might be the problems of building a castle, including costs, design and the
accessibility of building materials.
Medieval Medicine




What medieval people understood to be the causes of disease.
Medieval treatments for disease including the work of doctors, village healers and
the Church.
The causes, progress and effects of the Black Death.
An understanding of continuity and change in terms of medicine and disease in the
medieval world.
Skills





Read and understand sources including historical terms
Explain the content of sources
Explain why sources might suggest different things about the same event given
author, audience, time or place.
Show understanding of chronology and consider cause and effect/ continuity and
change over an extended period of time.
Write using appropriate spelling punctuation and grammar
Year 8 Home Economics

Hygiene and Safety (Preparation for Cooking)

Equipment and their uses

Bacteria and Safety

Weighing and Measuring

Using the Cooker

Nutrients and The Eatwell Plate

Bread, Rice, Potatoes and Pasta

Meat, Fish and alternatives

Fruits

Family Life- Types of Family/Rules

Faith and Food

Sequencing and Budgeting
Year 8 ICT
This will be a practical examination. The tasks will closely mimic the practical tasks
completed in school this academic year. Pupils should revise skills in the following practical
areas
Graphics

Graphic editing tools, creating graphics fit for purpose and audience, using online
tools to source and create graphics
File management

Saving and retrieving files, selection of appropriate file names and file types,
folder management
Business Communication (MS Word to create business documents)


Tools and applications to use in the creation of business documents that are fit for
purpose, the layout of business documents – e.g. business letters, business
cards, menus etc
Notion of a corporate image
Video Shoot



Importing images, and sounds into movie editing software
Movie editing tools and effects
Exporting and saving completed movies
Data storage using MS Access






Using MS Access to create tables for data storage
Assigning data types to fields used to record data in MS Access tables
Basic validation methods in MS Access (Drop down lists etc)
Creating forms uisng the form wizard in MS Access
Entering data into a database table
Creating basic queries to find data in a MS table
The following site can help with the revision of some of these practical skills:http://teach-ict.com/videohome.htm
(*Students should also review any practical exercises completed in class this year as
part of the revision process*)
Year 8 Music
You will need to know:
Theory

How to recognise and identify notation and rhythmic values of notes

How to write notes on the stave

How to add bar lines in the correct places to a piece of music

How to insert the correct time signature to a piece of music

The four sections of instruments of the orchestra

The main instruments in each orchestral section and all information regarding
them

The position of each orchestral instrument on the concert platform

The elements of music (pitch, duration, dynamics, tempo, texture, timbre,
silence and attack and decay)

Musical genres (reggae, swing, pop, intelligent dance music, classical and rock)
Aural

How to recognise and identify a four bar rhythm with three or four beats in the
bar

How to recognise and identify a four bar melody with three or four beats in the
bar

How to complete a two bar rhythm where only the first beat is given

How to fill in the gaps of a four bar melody with the correct notes
Listening
 How to recognise and identify sounds of the instruments of the orchestra and
classroom instruments
 How to recognise and identify a repeated rhythmic pattern
 The musical term for a repeated rhythmic pattern
 To which genre a given piece of music belongs
 How to recognise and identify the time signature of a given piece of music
Year 8 Junior Science
You need to revise all of the topics from Year 8 Books 1, 2 and 3. You should use the
booklets and your own workbook to revise from. If you are missing notes on any of the
following topics speak to your teacher as soon as possible!!
Colour code the table to show how well you think you understand the following topics:
 Red:
I’m stuck - need to speak to my teacher
 Yellow: I can understand some parts of this topic – but need to go over my notes
 Green: I completely understand this topic
Book 1
Topic
Safety in the Laboratory
Use your knowledge of good laboratory practice to assess the risk
of unfamiliar experiments and suggest appropriate safety advice.
Forensic Scientist
Be able to name, draw and label common laboratory apparatus.
Identify and name the parts of a Bunsen Burner and their
function.
Recall the steps in lighting a Bunsen burner.
Describe the hot and cooler parts of the flame and how different
flame types can be achieved.
Accurate Measuring
Recall the units of length, area, volume and mass.
Label a thermometer.
How to measure volume accurately with a measuring cylinder.
Recall how to use a mass balance correctly.
Planning Experiments
Ensure you are familiar with the various sections in an experiment
write-up:
Title, Introduction, Apparatus, Method, Results/Observations,
Conclusion and Evaluation.
Understand what a variable is and how they are controlled to
make a fair test.
Observing and Recording
Recall how to safely burn a piece of magnesium ribbon and the
observations made during this experiment.
Before
revising
After
revising
Action I need to take
Topic
Before
revising
After
revising
Action I need to take
Before
revising
After
revising
Action I need to take
What is everything made of?
Recall the 3 states of matter – Solid, Liquid and Gas.
Describe how a soluble crystal behaves when left in water.
Explain why the particles in a gas diffuse faster than in a liquid.
Explain Brownian Motion (pollen grains).
Recall the ball & ring experiment; explain what happens and why.
Describe the processes of Freezing, Melting, Condensing,
Evaporating and Subliming.
Give an example of a substance which sublimes.
Describe the term Immiscible Liquids and give an example.
Explain how a separating funnel is used to separate two
immiscible liquids.
Explain how chromatography works and be able to interpret a
chromatogram.
Book 2
Topic
Head Chef
Recall the meaning of the terms Heat (measured in joules) and
Temperature (measured in ºC).
Describe how the movement of particles allows heat to be
transferred by convection and conduction.
Describe and explain the movement of heat energy by radiation.
Recall that black matt surfaces absorb heat and shiny bright
surfaces reflect heat.
Describe how a thermos flask is adapted to prevent heat loss by
conduction, convection and radiation.
Recall the essential components of a balanced diet and the
function of the main food groups.
Describe how to test for the presence of protein, glucose, starch,
fat and vitamin C in food samples.
Astrophysicist
Recall that Earth spins on its axis once every 24 hours
Recall that the earth orbits the sun every 365¼ days.
Explain how the earth’s tilt on its axis and its orbit around the
sun gives us our seasons.
Name the planets of the solar system in order from the sun
Topic
Before
revising
After
revising
Action I need to take
Before
revising
After
revising
Action I need to take
Recall the influence of the distance from the Sun on the
temperature on a planet’s surface, and the duration of its orbit.
Book 3
Topic
Chemist : Separation Techniques
Describe the main methods of separation including being able to
draw suitable apparatus – filtration, evaporation and distillation.
Recall: Solution = Solute + Solvent
Describe how pure salt is obtained from Rock Salt.
Recall the terms Residue and Filtrate.
Describe how pure water can be obtained from salt water.
Explain how a Liebig Condenser works.
Recall the term Distillate.
Chemicals in solution
Identify the hazard symbols for acids and alkalis: Corrosive,
Harmful and Irritant.
Explain the function of an indicator.
Describe how to make your own indicator from beetroot.
Recall the properties of acids and alkalis.
Recall that litmus turns red in acid / blue in alkali.
Describe the use of universal indicator and the pH scale to show
the strength of acids and alkalis. Remember:
pH 7 = neutral
pH 1 -6 = acid (1- strong acid, 6 - weak acid)
pH 8-14 = alkali (8 - weak alkali, 14 - strong alkali)
Recall the colours and pH values of Universal indicator.
Describe and explain neutralisation and how we use neutralisation
in everyday life: e.g. Lime on acidic soils/milk of magnesia for
indigestion/ vinegar on wasp stings.
Microbiologist
Recall the name and function of the main parts of a monocular
microscope.
Describe the method of focusing a microscope.
Understand the responsibility of a scientist to cause minimal
disruption to living things when carrying out research.
Appreciate that bacteria exist on most surfaces.
Recall how to inoculate and incubate bacteria on an agar plate.
Year 8 Technology & Design Exam Revision Topics
Safety
Be aware of the safety issues when working in the workshop and using power tools
Materials
Know different types of wood and plastics and their uses.
Know how to join wood together.
Know how to get a good finish on aluminium edges.
Tools
Know about the following tools, how to use them when they are used
Files
Tenon saw
Coping saw
Planes
Try square
Steel rule
Marking gauge
Centre punch
Pillar drill
Chisel
Belt Sander
Dividers
CAD and CAM
Know what CAD stands for and know what CAM stands for.
Designing
Communicate your designs for designing a child’s toy.
Use drawings, colour and notes to explain your ideas.
NOTE:
Please bring drawing equipment and
colouring pencils to the exam.