Revision Guide Sixth Form

Lytham High Technology & Performing Arts College

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Sixth Form Student Revision Guide!

2015

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If you're doing your best, your best is always good enough!!

Study Sessions! !

Make sure you are making full use of these sessions. Remember that you can also work in the private study areas throughout the day between 8.00-5.00.!

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Library Opening Times! !

8.15-4.45 Mon - Thursday!

8.15-4.00 Friday!

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You can use the library at lunchtime and before and after school.!

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We’re open Spring, Easter Break and the Summer term for revision.! !

Revision guides are available to borrow or photocopy with free printing of past papers.!

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Why not download our app so that you can access our library and browse or reserve books ‘on the go’.!

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Make full use of exam board resources such as past papers and mark schemes.!

Revision by definition is…! !

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Time!

Updating, revamping, reworking, redrafting, and rewriting and so on… in order to remember. It is important to note revision is not LEARNING from scratch. !

Revision is a very personal process. Generally one way doesn’t suit everyone. There are many factors to consider in order ensure revision is effective;!

Picking the right time of day to revise is vital. Knowing when you feel most active and alert is crucial in ensuring the brain functions the best. !

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Time!

Knowing how much time to spend on revision is also vital! So you need to create a reasonable and achievable timetable. Use your experience from GCSEs to help you with this process. Your personal tutor can also support you with this.!

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Rest!

Intersperse your revision with periods of rest. If you feel yourself losing focus then take a break. Try to start your next session by recapping your previous session. This will allow you to establish how effective your revision is.!

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Environment & Organisation!

It is important to study in the right conditions. Often people forget this and try to revise in the wrong conditions and are surprised when they don’t get much work done! If it is impossible to get good conditions at home, think about using the school library, or ask your Head of College/Personal Tutor to make a room available to you, or use your local library.!

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Remember: you understand what works best for you. Ensuring you are in an environment which is conducive to effective learning will enable you to maximise the benefits of your sessions.!

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What’s it all for?! !

Exam results matter. Universities and employers, whether this is now or later in life, care about your level of qualifications. These results are there for life and could be the difference between you getting your dream career or not.!

How to Revise…! !

We are all different and learn and revise in different ways, but there are some tried and tested ways which have been shown to work.!

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The biggest mistake that most people make is to think that revision means sitting down with a text book or notes and reading through them for hours and hours at a time. Scientists have shown that we retain less than 10% of information this way.

So reading your notes is an almost total waste of time.!

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By writing things down, we remember around 80% of what we learn. !

So the trick is . . . TAKE NOTES!!

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The important thing is to find a way of revising that works for you. But be honest about it – don’t take the lazy way and just sit there gazing at a book!!

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Here are some recommendations.! ! ! ! ! Reading aloud: Read a summary aloud, then try to say aloud all ! the facts and figures you remember without the summary. You also read your keyword lists aloud. You could record ! could ! yourself with your phone and play it back. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Condense a section of text into a set number of ! Summarising: ! bullet points. ! ! ! ! Repeated writing: Copy out pieces of information more than (five times would be appropriate). The repetition will help ! once you to ! fix the facts in your memory.

Something lots of people have found helpful is to get some index cards. You can buy index cards in WH Smith. You have been issued a starter pack of these by your English teacher. If they are too expensive to replace and you need more, just cut paper into small sheets. Use one card per topic. Use these to write bullet points on the card for the main things you need to know. As you write out the cards, you are revising.

You can then use the cards like flash cards for further revision. Keep them in your pocket and do bits of revision on the bus, at lunchtime, and any spare moment.

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Flashcards/cram.com: Instructions from English teachers.

Some other departments use these too so ask your teachers! OR on small cards, summarise a case study into one (or both) sides of the cards and refer to it regularly. Make sure that you include key facts and number as you condense the case study to fit the card.

! ! ! coding: Colour code large pieces of text into sections. ! Colour For example, it could be the character, theme, context of one of ! your Literature set texts. !

Memory tests: You could look at an important diagram (e.g. the of the planets as they move away from the sun) for 20 ! order seconds, then cover it over and draw what you remember. Then give yourself another 20 seconds to see what you missed and it in. Eventually, you will be able to draw the sketch without ! add looking at a copy. ! words test: You could ask someone to read out 10 ! Key definitions and you have to say what the key word is. Then you could try it the other way around which is harder with someone ! giving you a key word to define. ! maps: Write a key theme in the centre of an A3 piece of ! Mind paper. Write the sub-themes around it with important ideas and case studies to back them up. Stick your finished mind map visible where you will be able to refer to it often (e.g. ! somewhere fridge door, bedroom wall – ask first before you stick it up!) ! exam questions: Look at the examples of past case ! Practice study questions. Practice writing responses to these questions ! using flashcards or colour coded case studies you have created. ! it: Try to teach it to someone else or a group of friends ! Teaching as you revise together, it will help you to understand the key points and identify what you know and don’t know. !

What are the command words?! ! ! ! ! !

Describe !

Explain !

Analyse !

Evaluate !

State/Identify/ !

Name Annotate !

Assess !

Compare Contrast !

Define

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state what something (graph, map, diagram‌) looks like and how it works.

DO NOT explain or give reasons give as many detailed reasons as you can break down the topic into parts and give an in-depth account identify the positives and negatives OR strengths and weaknesses‌ this is an evaluative question requiring you to weigh up the importance of the subject. This means there are a number of possible explanations – give both sides and comment on the relative strength or importance of each side require a short answer to a simple task, usually a sentence not just a word add detailed labels see evaluate identify similarities and differences point out the differences only between two or more items explain the meaning of...

Discuss

give both sides of an argument (for and against) and come to a conclusion

Examine

look closely, investigate in detail, often offering evidence for and against

Interpret

explain the meaning of something

Justify

give reasons for your answer (often a decision or course of action)

Illustrate

use an example to show how a concept or processes works

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With reference

give possible reasons or ideas

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Suggest

to specific examples/ cases

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Comment

you must refer to a specific place, preferably a case study you know in some detail

this requires you to analyse and evaluate in a balanced way. Give your opinions or point of view with reasons

Revision online!!

There are lots of resources for revision online. For example:!

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! http:// revisionworld.com/ a2-level-levelrevision

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http:// getrevising.co.uk/ resources/level/a_ib

http://www.scool.co.uk/a-level

Use the space below to list any other subject specific websites you could use. !

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Other opportunities for revision! ! !

Teachers often offer revision classes at lunchtimes and after school – listen for announcements and check the school website/twitter. !

What not to do!! !

There are a few bits of good advice about how not to do revision: !

• don’t leave it to the last minute!

• don’t be disorganised!

• don’t just read through your text or exercise books — you must make revision notes!

• don’t think you can wing it on the day.!

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Dealing with parents

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Exams are a difficult time for parents too.!

They want you to do well and sometimes aren’t sure how best to help you. The best way of handling parents is by showing them that you have got revision planned, that you are sticking to your revision timetable, and that you speak to them!!

Don’t just clam up and go silent – they need to be reassured! Keep them posted on how things are going and chances are they will trust you to get on with it. A revision guide for parents will be issued to all parents to help support you/them.!

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Looking after yourself! !

If you want your brain to perform well on the day of exams, you must look after it! Your brain depends on your body for its health. So:

! !Eat !properly !Stay !Hydrated !Attend school ! !Keep up !activities ! !Exercise ! !Sleep ! ! ! !Can’t !sleep? ! ! ! ! ! !

eat healthily in the run up to important exams – make sure you have proper meals and that includes breakfast – eat or drink something to give you energy drink plenty of water – your brain needs it to work properly – especially when you are revising don’t make the mistake of taking time off lessons to revise – teachers will be covering more of the course, revising and answering questions and preparing you for the exam just because it is exam time, don’t give up your extracurricular activities – you may need to cut back a little and give priority to revision but don’t stop doing things you enjoy – you need a balanced approach to life if your body is tired and sluggish, your mind won’t work too well – make sure you get proper exercise – walk, run, swim, play football – do a little bit every day teenagers need around 9 hours of sleep each night!

– that means if you are getting up for school at 7am, you need to be in bed by 10pm – and don’t make the mistake of staying up revising the night before the exam – being fresh in the morning is far more likely to benefit you than a bit of rushed last minute revision! Stop your devices!! it’s quite common for people not to be able to sleep properly when exams are coming up – what do you do?

Taking exams There are strict rules for public exams like GCSEs & AS/A2 Levels.!

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If you do not follow the rules, the exam board can fail you and even prevent you from taking other exams at school this year and in the future at college.!

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Invigilators are the people who run the exams. Your teachers will be there at the start to make sure everything is OK but then the invigilators will take over. You must treat them with respect and do what they tell you. They have the power to remove you from the exam if you do not co-operate.!

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Some things to remember about exams: ! !

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make sure you arrive in good time! take notice of where your exam will take place! make sure you have all the equipment you need: pen and pencil, spare pens, ruler, rubber, pencil sharpener, calculator! pens and pencils must be in a clear plastic pencil case or clear plastic bag! leave notes, books and revision cards outside — it is no good saying they were in your pocket and you weren’t looking at them! no mobile phones — there are very strict rules on this – if you bring a mobile phone or any sort of electronic device into the exam you will certainly be disqualified! check that you can see a clock – or put your watch on the desk! no talking — you must be silent right from the moment you enter the exam hall! don’t look around — it can be construed as cheating! don’t disturb others — this is especially important when you have finished and there is still some time to go – don’t get restless and make it difficult for others to concentrate! go to the toilet before you enter the exam hall – but if you really need to go during the exam, don’t be afraid to ask! don’t start looking at the exam paper until you are told to do so! make sure you have the correct exam paper — correct subject, level, topics! read the instructions carefully! take note of how many marks are available for each answer – if there are more marks, you need to provide a fuller answer