Year 11 fully loaded

Ashton Community Science College

A guide for parents for the final weeks of GCSE preparation

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Fully Loaded The aim of this booklet and the presentation at our ‘Fully Loaded’ evening is to try and ensure parents and students are fully prepared for the weeks ahead – how to survive and succeed in the crucial GCSE exam period.

It can be a difficult time for a parent. We were all students ourselves once, so will have our own memories of the pressures of exams. However, education and exams have changed and the pressures on young people in our current society are greater than ever. Our intention is for parents to have as much knowledge and insight as possible, so you can support your son or daughter through the next few weeks.

Revision No matter what your son or daughter may have told you, they need to revise for their exams and revision takes time. Students who do well in their GCSEs will have built up their revision over a series of weeks, backed up with revision and exam practice at school.

It’s like an athlete training for a sporting event – even the most talented sports stars need to train, and they aim to do this over a period of time so they are at the peak of their performance on the date of the sporting event. Our Year 11 students are in training for their GCSEs. There are no short cuts or quick fixes; they need to start their training now, and keep at it so they are at the peak of their performance in each subject on the day of their exam.

Revision is not just about reading:

Research suggests that we remember: 10% of what we read 20% of what we hear 30% of what we read and hear 50% of what we hear and see 70% of what we say 90% of what we say and do

Setting It is best to be sat at a table or desk where it is quiet and your child is less likely to be distracted or disturbed. Make sure there is good light.

Some people are able to revise whilst listening to music, but it should be quiet and not a distraction. Phones, televisions, social media etc. should not be available during a revision session.

Breaks It is very important to take lots of breaks. If you revised solidly for 2 or 3 hours, your brain would only remember the first 20 minutes! Evidence suggests a short break from revision every 30 – 45 minutes is the best way to retain information.

Help your child with this – suggest a break for 5 minutes and encourage them to think of something totally different – turn their music up, play a favourite song, read a book or magazine, have a drink or something to eat, check for messages etc. But then get back to it! After several revision sessions like this, take a longer break. Always ensure there is enough time to wind down before bed time – if the brain is relaxed your child will sleep easier and whilst asleep the brain processes the information learned.

Organisation Revise in advance! It is best to revise topics more than once. First, revise the subjects for which the exams are earliest, or in which your child struggles.

Make ‘To do’ / Tick lists. For example: Biology - Photosynthesis - Reproduction - Digestion system Use a revision timetables as you get closer to the exams – see the guide we’ve put together for this and your child has a mentor who can help them put together their own revision timetable.

Equipment You’ll need pens, pencils, school books, any info / text books, coloured pens, plain / lined /scrap paper, Blu-tack, any subject equipment, folders to keep notes in etc.

Having this organised will save valuable time.

In your Fully Loaded pack we have provided some post it notes and a pack of highlighters to help you.

Revision Techniques There are lots of different ways to revise. Some people will find one method of revision works better for them, some people will use a combination of techniques, some people find certain techniques lend themselves to specific subjects. It doesn’t matter which method your child uses, as long as they are revising regularly and using their time productively. Below are some examples of revision techniques you could try NOTE TAKING Make them colourful! Your brain likes colour.

Use short sentences and abbreviate – so long as it makes sense to you. Just note the key information.

Make one set of neat notes then rewrite them a few times in scrap. Then try turning your notes over so you can’t see them and write down everything you can remember.

When you compare this to your neat notes, add on what you have forgotten in a different colour.

HIGHLIGHTING If you have any printed or photocopied sheets of notes, one idea is to get some different coloured highlighters or felt tips and highlight the important information – the essential parts!

Highlight information that is new to you or key facts / ideas. It will stand out to your eye – but don’t highlight everything!

We’ve bought a pack of highlighters to be used at home and have put these in your ‘Fully Loaded’ pack.

ACRONYMS It sounds confusing, but this can be a useful way to remember important information to a topic. Use the first letters of the key words or names of the topic to create a word you will remember. For example, in Geography, the tectonic plates that float on the Earth’s mantle can be put into this order: Africa North America Nazca Antarctica South America Pacific Indo-Australian Eurasian The first letters spell out ANNA’S PIE. This also reminds you there are 8 pieces of information you need to know, as there are 8 letters.

RHYMES You could use the first letters of the key words or phrases to make up a funny rhyme to remember them by. For example, the names of the planets in the solar system could make up this rhyme: My Very Energetic Mother Just Swam Under the North Pole MERCURY VENUS EARTH MARS JUPITER SATURN URANUS NEPTUNE PLUTO Again, you could stick these around your bedroom (if it’s okay with your parent or carer!)

QUESTIONS Being interested in a topic helps you to learn faster. Try asking the following questions about a topic to improve your understanding. Asking questions helps you concentrate.

Who? How? When? Why? What? Where?

For example, if you were studying the Great Fire of London, you may ask these questions:

WHO started it?

HOW far did it spread?

WHEN did it begin / finish?

WHAT happened afterwards?

WHY did it do so much damage?

WHERE did it start?

POSTERS Create colourful posters about the key topics you are studying. You could write the topic across the centre of the page and write the essential information around it. You might want to add pictures or just use colours and highlighters. Or you could write the topic at the top of the page and have bullet points or a flowchart below.

The idea is to stick (with parents’ or carers’ permission) these posters in places you will see them often, such as: bedroom walls your desk or table you work on at home the back of the cupboard door where you keep your favourite food the fridge door the back of the toilet door next to your mirror near your stereo, TV or games console Change your posters every few days so you are looking at new information, or simply draw a picture or diagram that summarises the topic.

PHYSICAL REVISION! Try walking around your room as you read out your notes / books.

Get up and move about every 20 – 30 minutes.

Act it out! Act the topic out in your bedroom or house. You could do this with friends.

Remember to check it back to your books.

Read out your notes in a dramatic or funny voice. This is good if you learn better audibly.

RECORD YOURSELF Another idea if you struggle to learn by writing things down is to read out the information that you learn and record it. You can then play it back to yourself as many times as you need to. You could use a mobile phone or mp3 player a laptop or PC or even a video camera.

KEY WORDS Write a list of key words for the topic with no information and then tell yourself the details that belong to that key word. Or write these words onto flash cards or post it notes and stick then around your room, then every time you see one recite all the information you can remember. We’ve provided a pack of ‘post it’ notes in your Fully Loaded pack to get you started.

MIND MAPPING One idea is to map out what you already know. You can add to your maps whenever you learn something new. These work well as they connect information fast and store lots of info. Here’s how to do it…

• • • • • • • •

Use blank white paper and turn it sideways (landscape) Put your key word of the topic in the middle. Use colours!

Put the main topics on the thicker branches from the middle.

On smaller, thinner branches coming from these words, write the smaller sub-topics and details.

Draw symbols or pictures near the words, as your brain remembers pictures better than words.

Circle or use a question mark next to areas you are unsure about and need to come back to.

If you need to rewrite or redraw your maps, that’s fine! This can help the information stick in your head.

You can also use them to map out what you are learning as you revise. Try making some more detailed notes, then map these out afterwards as a summary to look back on.

USING TECHNOLOGY AND APPS There are lots of resources using up-to-date technology. Many revision websites have been created, which have a range of activities to help with revision and testing what has been learned. Some cover lots of subjects such as GCSE Bitesize, others are subject specific. You’ll find examples of websites we recommend in the subject section of this booklet.

There are also a number of apps available to download and use. As this is an ever growing market, new apps are being developed all the time. For example: • • • •

•

Study Blue – a free app covering lots of subjects, with flash cards, review sheets and tests.

Mathemagics – an app which develops skills in mental Maths.

Oxford A-Z of Grammar and Punctuation – a free app with 250 grammar themed questions, along with a lot of basic information about grammar and punctuation of the English language.

Exam Countdown - this free app is a countdown clock letting students input and know exactly how long they have before their exam dates. Being able to visualise the order of exams helps students effectively prioritise revision sessions for each subject and effectively prepare for their exams. iMindMap – this is one of many apps available which is designed to help with mind mapping. Some students may prefer this to drawing mind maps on paper.

PRACTISE EXAM QUESTIONS / PAPERS

This one may sound a bit boring but it gets you into the practise of answering similar questions to what might appear in your actual GCSE and it helps you do exactly what you need to do in the exam – show the examiner you can apply what you have learned. Your teacher may ask you to do some of these in class or as homework.

Practise makes perfect!

In subjects such as History and English, you could try essay plans. This is when you are given examples of possible essay questions you might be faced with in your exam, and you plan what your essay would say. Try brainstorming the title first to see what ideas and answers you come up with then revise over these areas. Write brief notes on what you would include in your introduction, main body and conclusion. Put page reference numbers to your texts where appropriate.

TEST YOURSELF! After you have revised a topic, test yourself by closing all books and hiding all notes and seeing what you can remember. Say it aloud or jot it down, then check back to your books.

Or ask a parent or friend to test you. They should have your notes or books and ask you questions. This is a good way to see your friends and revise on the run up to exams. You can help each other with parts that you are struggling with.

Subject Specific Information Some subjects have already been completed and their exams have taken place. This includes Art, Textiles and Graphics where students have completed a 10 hour exam over a number of weeks. Some students are studying BTEC qualifications, which don’t have a final examination. Students will need to continue attending these lessons until all their assignments are complete. Students in Hair and Beauty courses need to continue attending all lessons in their full salon tunics until all their assessments are complete.

BUSINESS STUDIES A292 Business and People Exam – 21st May; A293 Production, Finance and External Business Environment Exam – 2nd June;

Students have already completed the controlled assessment worth 25% of the final grade. The first exam A292 Business and People is also worth 25% and the last exam A293 Production, Finance and the External Business Environment is worth 50% of the final grade.

Students are advised to attend revision sessions that are held on Wednesday afternoons from 3pm – 4pm in room 34. Two lessons per week are now scheduled as exam preparation where students will complete example questions based on the case study they will use in their exam. In addition, there is a wide range of revision material available after each revision session on a Wednesday afternoon.

Students are also recommended to visit the BBC Bitesize website for further help with revision: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/

CHILD DEVELOPMENT Exam – 5th June Pupils all have a commercial revision book covering all areas of the course. In addition they can access VT revision powerpoints and revision questions covering all of the course.

Pupils have many past papers with answers, also revision materials and a revision folder with sequence cards and other interactive revision materials.

COMPUTING Exam – 12th June Students have already completed 2 controlled assessment worth 60% of their final grade.

Past papers and revision questions will be available, and students also have their own log in

to Dynamic Learning, which gives them lots of different exam questions and tests on all the topics that will be covered in the exam. Revision guides are also available to purchase for £5 from Mrs Weaver.

Useful websites are www.teach-ict.com;

D&T: FOOD TECHNOLOGY Exam – Tuesday 3rd June, 1pm

Students have already completed the practical element, worth 60% of the final grade. The exam is worth 40%.

Past papers and revision questions will be available for all students.

Students are also recommended to use the Food Technology section of the Bitesize website, with revision, activities and tests: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/design/foodtech/

D&T: RESISTANT MATERIALS Exam – 10th June

The context for this year’s Resistant Materials exam is 'The storage of computer gaming equipment'.

Students will need to conduct research into computer gaming equipment and storage devices for this equipment.

They will also need to produce a variety of design solutions for storage based on the exam context.

Useful websites for revision include: http://dtwithinschools.com/res-mat/343359 http://www.technologystudent.com/

DRAMA GCSE Unit 3 exam: Performance to an Examiner – 15th May at 4.30pm

Students have already completed two units within school, worth 60% of the final grade. The final performance exam, is for a visiting examiner and is worth 40%.

Students have been issued with the marking criteria for the examination and have been pointed towards useful websites for performance tips. They will undergo a mock examination in class time two weeks before the final exam.

ENGLISH / ENGLISH LANGUAGE Unit 1 exam – 3rd June A guide for each tier of the paper has been included in your pack and will also be on the school website.

A past paper pack will also be available for Foundation and Higher tier in the ‘Fully Loaded’ section of the school website.

GEOGRAPHY Paper 1 exam – Tuesday 13th May, 1.30pm Paper 2 exam – Thursday 22nd May, 9.25am

Each student has been given x6 revision guides- one for each unit of the course. These contain relevant key terms and Case Study details. These need to be studied and revised thoroughly.

The guides are also available to download at school on to a memory stick.

Past papers and mark schemes for actual GCSE exams are on the school website and are accessible directly from the AQA website.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE Exam – 17th June

The core text is available in an electronic format on Moodle along with past papers, mark schemes, examiners reports and other revision material.

As the H&SC exam is the final exam of the summer series for all my students, revision sessions with continue right up to Wednesday 11th June during the double H&SC Wednesday P3&4 slot. Students are advised to attend in order to maximise their chance of success.

Mr Barrow is available for support and guidance during the Monday and Friday lunchtime Health and Social SCAMPS activity.

HISTORY

Paper 1 exam – Friday 16th May, 9.25am Paper 2 exam – Friday 23rd May, 9.25am

Each student given was given SHP revision guide October. They need to continue to revise using this.

Extra Revision guides available on shared area fully loaded booklet.

Extra revision sessions Tuesday/ Wednesday after school sessions from 315-430 have been taking place since November and will continue right up until the exam Students had the opportunity to attend Salford MTT Revision workshop- Feb 2014 Past papers and mark schemes for actual GCSE exams are on the school website and are accessible directly from the AQA website.

ICT Friday 25th April – iGCSE practical Wednesday 30th April – iGCSE practical Written paper – 14th May Revision guides and past papers will be available for students, as well as extra revision sessions every Wednesday from 2.40pm until 3.15pm. Mrs Weaver will also be holding revision session during the Easter holidays (Wednesday 16th April and Thursday 17th April from 9am-12pm). The most useful website for revision is www.ictlounge.com MATHS

Paper 1 exam – 9th June, 9.25am Paper 2 exam – 17th June, 9.25am

A list of revision topics for the foundation and the higher tier have been put into your fully loaded pack.

Revision guides have been for sale in school and are also available this evening. The guide consists of a DVD and work book that link together: the DVD explains a topic, does a few examples, then you pause it and then do some questions from the work book. When you press play the DVD goes through the answer.

Students have been provided with copies of past papers. There are separate information sheets in your pack with revision topics for the foundation and higher paper.

The following websites are also recommended for revision. http://www.studymaths.co.uk/ http://www.mymaths.co.uk/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/maths/ MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES:

French listening exam –12th May French reading exam – 12th May

Spanish listening exam –14th May Spanish reading exam – 14th May

Past papers and mark schemes for actual GCSE exams are on the school website and are accessible directly from the AQA website.

They are also available to download at school on to a memory stick.

All pupils have a CPG vocab book and DVD with interactive quizzes specific to Higher and Foundation reading and listening papers.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION Exam – 16th May 1pm

Students have already completed the practical controlled assessment for their exam, worth 60%

Students will now have 3 lessons per week until their theory paper to work on developing their knowledge and understanding of all areas of the specification. This is worth 40%.

Revision sessions are held every Thursday at 3.00 – 3.30 in Rm 50. In the week leading up to the exam there will be revision sessions every day during form time. These will start on Monday 12th May. Revision guides are available to purchase from the PE department written specifically for the Edexcel specification and additional aid for revision can be found at; www.brianmac.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/gcse/pe www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/pe

PREPARATION FOR WORKING LIFE Exam – 9th May, 9.25 Students have had access to past papers to assist with exam preparation.

RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Religious Studies B unit 3 exam – 20th May Religious Studies exam – 4th June

Revision guides for all GCSE Religious Studies students will be provided.

Past papers and mark schemes for actual GCSE exams are on the school website and are accessible directly from the AQA website.

SCIENCE

AQA Biology units 2 and 3 – 13th May AQA Further Additional Science Unit 1 – 13th May May AQA Further Additional Science Unit 2 – 15th May AQA Further Additional Science Unit 3 – 19th May AQA Chemistry unit 1 – 10th June

AQA Chemistry units 2 & 3 – 15th May AQA Additional Applied Science – 15th AQA Physics units 2 & 3 – 19th May AQA Biology unit 1 – 6th June AQA Physics unit 1 – 12th June

Revision sessions are held on Tuesdays during form time and after school. Other sessions will be held and these will be arranged on an individual basis with class teachers. The schedule will be displayed on the Science department notice board.

GCSE revision guides can be bought from the Science prep room for £2.50 per subject (this is a refundable deposit if it is returned in good condition).

Students will be provided with plenty of past paper practise, but many more can be obtained from the AQA website link below. They can request PowerPoint resources from their teachers (a memory stick will be required). Teachers are also putting revision materials onto the school’s pupil drive.

It must be stressed that students can only expect to achieve or better their target grade if they prepare themselves properly IN THEIR OWN TIME as well as everything provided by the Science Faculty.

Recommended websites AQA GCSE Biology 1/ Chemistry 1/ Physics 1/ Science A revision: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa/ Set 3: AQA GCSE Science A specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/science-a-4405 Set 1: AQA GCSE Biology specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/biology-4401 Set 1: AQA GCSE Chemistry specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/chemistry-4402 Set 1: AQA GCSE Physics specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/physics-4403 Sets 2, 4 and 5: AQA GCSE Additional Science specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/additional-science-4408 Set 2: AQA GCSE Further Additional Science specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/further-additional-science-4410 Set 3: AQA GCSE Additional Applied Science specification, past papers and mark schemes: http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science/gcse/additional-applied-science-4505 STATISTICS

Exam – 23rd June

Please see the separate sheet in your pack with a full list of revision topics.

Preparing for the exams  Check your child’s exam timetable carefully – make sure you know when all your child’s exams are and if they are in a morning or afternoon.  We try and schedule a final exam buster session just before an exam. For example if an exam starts at 9.25am, there will be a revision session starting at 8.40. This helps focus students, calm their nerves and answer any final queries they may have. It is important that your child attends these.  Ensure that your child has a good night’s sleep before an exam. If they are doing revision the night before an exam, set a cut-off point – for example 9pm. Then allow some relaxation time and an early bed.  Set the alarm a little earlier than usual to allow for a calm start to the day and an early arrival at school. This will help to reduce stress on the day.  Make sure that your child has breakfast before they leave for school or encourage them to attend breakfast club. This will help them be able to concentrate fully.  Make sure that your child drinks plenty of water. Dehydration causes a 30% reduction in concentration. Students are allowed to bring bottled water into an exam, but they have to remove the labels from the bottle.

What happens next?

The official leaving date for all Year 11 students in England is the last Friday in June.

This year it will be 27th June 2014. Students may be required in school at any time up until then.

Students will continue attending school until all their exams have finished and they have completed all coursework or internal assessments. We will modify the timetable week by week as exams are completed.

This means that not all students will finish school on the same day. We will hold a leavers assembly for all Year 11 students at a time when they are all still in school full time.

RESULTS DAY – 21st August 2014 On results day school will be open from 10am. Students will collect an envelope which contains a summary of their results. Parents are welcome to attend.

Students will have a short interview with a senior member of staff to ensure that they understand their results, to congratulate them and to confirm their destinations data Enrolment for Ashton Community Science College Sixth Form will be from 10am until 4pm.

Places in our Sixth Form are still available in the following subjects: A Level Courses

Vocational Courses

Business Studies

Applied Science

Maths

Art & Design

PE

Beauty Therapy

Psychology

I.T.

Sociology

Hairdressing Health and Social Care Public Services

Please contact us for further details or an application form.