GCSE Information Evening
THE BASICS
Checklist:
• Do you know your exam board?
• Is your controlled assessment complete?
• Do you know how to access past papers?
• Do you know how long the exam will be?
• Do you know which skills will be assessed?
• Do you have revision guides?
• Do you know what the command words are asking you to do?
WHERE ARE
YOU NOW?
•Knowledge?
•Skills?
REVISION ADVICE
It is very important to be active with revision:
• Spider diagrams of key themes
• Flash cards
• Cover and reveal
• Topic notes
• BBC class clips and Bitesize
• SAM learning
• Practice papers
The least effective method is just reading through notes.
ARE ALL SUBJECTS THE SAME?
WHEN SHOULD I START?
WHAT ARE THE MAIN BARRIERS TO
REVISION?
•PROCRASTINATION
•PEERS
•PHONE
HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?
Mrs Ealden
Head of English
Paper 1 Explorations in creative
reading and writing
1 hour 45 mins
Section A: reading, Section B:
writing
80 marks, 50% of GCSE
Paper 1 Shakespeare and the 19th Century
novel
1 hour 45 mins
Section A: Shakespeare (Macbeth or Romeo
and Juliet) 34 marks
Section B: 19th Century novel (Dr Jekyll and
Mr Hyde) 30 marks
6 June 2017
64 marks, 40% of GCSE
22 May 2017
Paper 2 Writers’ view points and Paper 2 Modern texts and poetry
perspectives
2 hours 15 mins
1 hour 45 mins
Section A: Modern text (Animal Farm/An
Section A: reading, Section B:
Inspector Calls/DNA/Lord of the Flies/Never
writing
Let Me Go) 34 marks
80 marks, 50% of GCSE
Section B: Poetry Anthology 30 marks
Section C: Unseen Poetry 32 marks
12 June 2017
96 marks, 60% of GCSE
26 May 2017
English Language GCSE
Learn the formulae!
Whilst the unseen extracts of fiction and non-fiction will
change every year, the questions won’t. We know exactly
what the 8 reading questions will be over the 2 papers –
students can learn how to approach them and what the
mark schemes are.
It’s about learning the rules and ensuring you’re using the
right skill, in the right place, for the right question!
English isn’t usually formulaic but this exam is! Students can
learn it to an extent.
Walking Mocks can help with the coaching.
Paper 2
Paper 1
1. The ‘Find 4 2. The
things’ one
‘Language’ one
3. The ‘Structure’
one
4. The ‘Evaluation’ 5. Creative Writing
one
40 marks
4 mark
8 marks
8 Marks
20 marks
24 marks Imaginative
Read, language
content, organisation
techniques, parts 16 marks Spelling,
of speech, quotes, punctuation,
analyse, evaluate grammar, vocabulary
Read/ infer
Read, language
techniques,
parts of speech,
quotes, analyse
Read,
terminology,
quotes, analyse
effects
1.The ‘True
or False’ one
2. The ‘sum up
the differences’
one
3. The ‘Big
Language’ one
4 marks
Read/ infer
8 marks
Read, infer,
compare,
quotes
4. The ‘Compare
how they’re
written’ one
16 marks
5. Argue and
persuade Writing
Compare
language, genre,
feelings, ideas,
terminology,
quotes
24 marks Imaginative
content, organisation
16 marks Spelling,
punctuation,
grammar, vocabulary
40 marks
12 marks
Read, language
techniques, parts
of speech, quotes,
analyse
For the Literature exams
They have studied 3 texts (one modern text, one older novel
and a Shakespeare play) and a collection of poems.
New GCSE – no books in the exams!
Make sure they reread each text or listen to the book being
read (YouTube audio books) possibly watch the film.
Get them to tell you about the plot, the characters, the
themes, the background of the book, key scenes/ quotes.
Make sure they answer timed practice questions.
They have a list of practice questions – practice planning
and doing; quote recall quickly.
Pick a random page from the book or an unknown poem
and get them to discuss it and how it links to the rest of the
book
Level 5
Analyse
Explain
Level 3
Understand
Level 2
Beyond plot.
Point, Evidence
style.
Level 1 1+ method writer
used.
Plot/ meaning/
content/ recount/
simple. No concept
of a writer.
Beginning to see
deliberate choices
made by writer.
PEE style.
Can explain ideas.
Inside texts still
(content driven)
Level 4
Can unpick the
writer’s work
and their
deliberate
choices.
How meaning is
constructed.
Language/
technique
focused.
PETER
Why?
How?
What?
Deeper
meanings.
Alternative
interpretations.
Close analysis of
techniques.
Perceptive
Sophisticated
Know the lingo to be specific…
SOUND academic…
especially
markedly
notably
particularly
predominently
principally
absolutely
certainly
crucially
Discuss EFFECT…
feasibly
perhaps
possibly
potentially
arguably
reasonably
evidently
obviously
unquestionably
COMPARE…
1st person
2nd person
3rd person
active voice
direct address
hyperbole
introduction
adjective
adverb
noun
object
pronoun
proper noun
verb
imagery
imperative
irony
juxtaposition
lexcial field
metaphor
modal verb
pathetic fallacy
personification
caesura
critical/pivitol moment
foreshadowing
repetition
exposition
Resources to help support your child:
• GCSEPod for set texts, poetry anthology notes and exam skills.
www.gcsepod.com
• SAM Learning – Use GCSE, AQA English Language tasks
• There are some fantastic revision apps that are free to download:
http://www.schoolrevisionapps.com/index.html for all core texts for the exams
• www.shmoop.com
• www.sparknotes.com
• www.s-cool.co.uk
• http://www.mrbruff.com/gcse-revision-guide/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-L8NK5sJTs
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNoS8drQyAU
• The following study guides are available to buy in the school LRC for £2.75 each:
GCSE English Language Papers 1 and 2, Unseen poetry, Power and Conflict, Jekyll and
Hyde, An Inspector Calls, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Lord of the flies, Animal Farm
• YouTube revision videos on core texts/ poetry anthologies.
• BBC Bitesize website for revision.
• English revision area on school websites – PPTs for Walking Mocks
Encourage your son/daughter to attend revision after
school every Wednesday.
Mr Ealden
Head of Maths
www.mathsgenie.co.uk
Preparing for maths exams
•Little and often – Maths exams are either side
of May half term, over 3 weeks
•One exam paper per week
•ATTEMPT all questions on exam paper – use
resources to help you revise what has been
forgotten
•MARK THEM using the MARK SCHEME
•USE your teachers!
Mr Benjamin
Head of Science
We use OCR Syllabus B
(Gateway) Science.
This is NOT the same as OCR
Syllabus A (21st Century)
Science
Core and Additional Science
• B1, C1, P1
• B2, C2, P2, data analysis
• B3, C3, P3
• B4, C4, P4, data analysis
Separate sciences
• B1, B2, B3
• B4, B5, B6, data analysis
• C1, C2, C3
• C4, C5, C6, data analysis
• P1, P2, P3
• P4, P5, P6, data analysis
Remember: 2 or 3 GCSEs need twice / three times the
revision time.
Finding the specifications:
Password: cannon
https://connect.collins.co.uk/
Username: student
Password: cannon
Collinsonlinelearning.co.uk
Quickest route to past papers:
Search using your favourite
search engine for:
“OCR Gateway
Science/Additional
Science/Biology/Chemistry/
Physics”
Do all of the papers!
Effective revision for science
1.
Learn the facts – a good knowledge will get you at least a C
• Know your key words
• Mind maps
• Revision cards
• Revision notes
• SAM learning
• BBC Bitesize quizzes
• CGP app
2. Practise applying these to exam questions – essential for the higher grades
• Past papers and questions
• Past papers and questions
• Past papers and questions
• Past papers and questions
• Ask for help
Quickest wins for a grade C
1.
Know your stuff! Use SAM Learning, mind maps, apps (GCP, Memrise,
Gojimo), flash cards, etc. to learn basic facts. You can parrot these even if you
struggle to apply them to the context of the question.
2.
Make sure you understand scientific words and can use them. There are key
word lists in the front of all of the homework booklets on
www.myscienceteacher.co.uk along with definitions.
3.
Practice common question styles and repeated skills, e.g. using descriptions
of reactions to write word equations, substituting numbers into equations.
Once you’ve cracked these skills, they can be applied to lots of questions.
4.
Practice papers. Pay particular attention to whether you are using the right
scientific terminology in the mark scheme.
Turning a grade B into a grade A or above:
1.
Know your stuff! Use SAM Learning, mind maps, apps (GCP, Memrise,
Gojimo), flash cards, etc. to learn basic facts.
2.
Be prepared to think about how to apply your understanding to a context
you’ve not seen before. This may mean
3.
Practise exam papers. Mark them.
4.
Ask your teacher to help when you don’t understand why an answer was
what it was.
5.
Ask your teacher when you don’t understand how you could have been
expected to work out an answer – they may be able to show you something
you’ve missed.
6.
Practise more exam papers.
7.
Practise more exam papers.