Doddle Exam Season Toolkit

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Developing the right ''exam prep'' strategies

Start your revision early

Don’t leave revision till last minute. Psychologically this could panic or anxiety which can lead to negative impact on your exam performance.

Most education experts recommend starting your revision two or three months before your exams – so ideally you should be starting your revision no later than the beginning of March.

However, if you end up start your revision in May, do not panic. Stay composed, it’s all about making the most of the time left – if you use it wisely, you can still achieve outstanding results.

We recommended all late starters to watch Sarah Chu's 4-week revision plan (below), which we believe will give you some useful insights.

Master key topics

It’s extremely important to be familiar with the topics that are likely to be examined and the right approach to answering questions –using past papers / mark schemes / examiner reports and the syllabus / curriculum guide / learning outcomes for hints.

In general, it is often pointless to spend a lot of time practising answering questions or topics that won’t or can’t be or have never been examined. What the examiner is looking for is the evidence of understanding of the intended learning outcomes, and your revision should involve purposeful practice at evidencing those learning outcomes.

Practice revision time-management excellence

Exceptional students always plan their day/ week/month ahead throughout the exam season.

• Having a planner / calendar / diary / sticker-notes / highlighters can help you balance homework, revision, and socialising / exercising / gaming /mobile phone time.

• Establish your daily priorities, every morning.

• Break down revision tasks into projects lasting 30/45/60-minute blocks.

• Schedule these into your planner/ calendar/diary.

• Stick you your routine, where possible, and keep working on your self-discipline until it becomes second nature to you.

positive attitude

Research has prove that the expectations stu ents have a out themselves have a significant impact on their attainment.

Numerous psychologists have also note that stu ents ith a positive attitu e have a gro th achievement riven min set that learns from mista es an strives for excellence.

t is ho ever crucial to ma e sure your expectations are pitche at the appropriate levels not too lo not too high. They must e realistic not too challenging yet also not too easy.

vi ence has sho n that unrealistic expectations may have negative aca emic performance an may lea to stress an anxiety for learners uring exam time.

Develop a disciplined, healthy lifestyle during the exam season

Healthy habits and lifestyle need to be incorporated in your daily routines if you are going to be a highflyer. Some simple practices that you could embed in your daily routines during this exam season include:

Keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water both at home and at school/college –

Stay active physical activity inclu ing al ing to school college sporting activities ogging gym or any other activities that can e fitte aroun your revision timeta le. xercise ill ma e you more alert an positive.

Deep breathing practice regular eep reathing to oost your focus an clarity efore an uring the exam.

Maintain a healthy diet, ith more fruit an veg healthy snac s an less un foo fi y rin s sugar an fats. voi s ipping rea fast emem er too much caffeine can ma e you feel anxious an istur your sleep.

Maintain optimum sleep levels nsure you get sufficient sleep to help hen processing information in your revision sessions an in the exam. leep gives your o y an rain rest for a fresh next ay a sharper memory improve concentration an helps protect your mental health. im for a minimum of hours of sleep every ay.

Regulate phone usage avoi too much se entary still time spent on your mo ile phone on T on your computer or gaming consoles. ften times its not only asting precious revision time ut it may also ea en your mental performance hilst also negatively impacting your eight Exam Season

Get your revision act together

• Most students struggle to have a solid revision strategy and find revising draining and frustrating. This is all too often because they over-focus on ‘learning’ their subject content in an inefficient, non-productive way and end up becoming disillusioned and bored.

• Revision is simply about systematically becoming better able to answer questions –that’s what exams actually test and how exam success is measured. As Professor Philip Race once said, “as with anything else, the best way to become better at something is to do it – and do it again –until it becomes second nature”.

• Students who have repeatedly practiced answering a question numerous times are more likely to get it right in the exam than those who haven’t.

• Find a study environment that works for you. Some prefer studying with friends –revising with friends can help you study more effectively and there are also social and emotional benefits - as long as you don't let them distract you!. Studying alone in a quiet room suits some people. If you don't like silence, try playing music in the background.

• Customise your notes to make them more personal. Experiment with a highlighter to colour-code them. You may also try flashcards, notes on postcards, diagrams or simply highlighting them on your phone/ tablet/laptop/PC

• Do some further research on complex or tricky topics. JJust memorising it might be too risky in your exam. Ask your teacher or a friend for help if you think it might give you a better understanding.

• Look at past exam papers and mock, specimen or practice papers. This will help you to familiarise yourself with the layout and type of questions you'll be asked. Practise completing exam papers in the set time limit to improve your exam technique.

What's the Best Way to Revise?

Claire Senior, who has over 20 years experience as tutor, teacher and examiner, shares her insights into the best way to revise for GCSE and A Level exams, covering everything from past papers to effective revision techniques.

If you’ve ever Googled ‘best way to revise’, then chances are, you’re in need of some study motivation and a few pointers to help you prepare for your upcoming exams. As aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart said, “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” Having said that...some methods of revision have a much greater impact than others. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you’re doing lots of revision because you’re spending an hour starting at a book. Fifteen minutes of adopting another method can often be a much more efficient use of time.

So, why do students still fall into the “sitting in the library” thinking trap? Well, because it’s easier than the methods that require brain power and analysis. Yet, it’s much less effective.

Here are my top tips on the best way to revise, so you’ll pass exams with flying colours.

Find Out What You’ll be Tested On

While it might be interesting to read around the subject (and helpful in many cases), exams are based on a specific set of topics and skills. Firstly, find out which exam board will be setting your exam.

They provide specifications for each of the exams they set. These are easily accessible from a quick internet search if you haven’t been given one by your teacher.

Organise Your Coursework

When it comes to revising for exams, preparation is key. One of the best ways to get organised is to go through all your coursework notes and pull out those that are relevant to your exam. Not everything that you’ve studied throughout the year will be directly relevant to your tests, so only select the topics are.

You can then arrange your ‘exam’ notes in a new folder, so that they’re easily accessible should you need to check anything. This condensed version of your coursework can also be useful reading material in the hours leading up to your exam, to familiarise yourself with the content and get you in the right mindset for the test.

For more advice on how to organise your course notes, take a look at this video from student Olivia Greenhalgh.

Create a Revision Timetable

Once you know what you’ll be tested on, how can you guarantee that you’ll actually put the time and effort in? One of the best ways to revise is to use a revision timetable. Not only do they hold you accountable for studying when you’re supposed to, but they can be a great motivator as you mark off each day that you complete.

A revision timetable doesn’t need to be elaborate.

It can be as simple as a spreadsheet or a written schedule. If you prefer a more technological approach however, why not try a free revision timetable app like Adapt, which calculates the perfect amount of revision for each day.

For those of you who prefer visual learning techniques, using a wall planner as a revision timetable is a great way to see your entire plan in the one place. You can get a great revision wall planner in bookshops, online or on Amazon / eBay or similar sites. If you choose this DIY approach to creating a timetable, then you’ll want to:

• Work out how many weeks you have left until each exam.

• Decide how many hours per week you need to study each subject.

• Choose one subject, break up the hours throughout the week and mark on your calendar when you’ll study it.

• Try to be as specific as possible with what you’ll study. Don’t just write the subject name, specify what topics you’ll cover and remember to schedule time at the end of each week for practicing with specimen papers.

• Do this for each subject and before you know it, you’ll have created a personal revision plan to help guide your studying.

We recommend these 2 YouTube videos by Ali Abdaal and Nouman Sami for all your revision planning.

Can You Explain the Content to an 8-Year-Old?

Make sure you understand all the content. Memorising facts without knowing the context will only get you so far. For application-based questions, you’ll need to thoroughly understand the information as well as how it all links together.

If you’re not sure whether or not you understand something, try explaining it to an eight-year old (seriously). This might feel like an odd thing to do for GCSE or A Level subjects, but the more you understand something, the simpler you can make it sound when writing in the exam.

Use a Variety of Revision Techniques

One of the biggest mistakes students make when revising is only using one approach. ure, you may enjoy reading through textbooks and highlighting notes, but ometimes a more pro-active approach is equired to ensure you actually retain the information you’re revising. Here are some evision techniques you should use to mix up our approach:

Keyword Recall – Using your exam notes, write out individual keywords and phrases that relate to each topic. You can write them out all on the one page, on flashcards or, better still, on post-it notes. Stick the eywords around the house and every time ou see one, try to recall as much information about the topic as you can. It’s best to verbalise your thoughts out loud to trengthen your memory.

udent as Teacher – Again, using your exam notes, have a friend or family member hoose a topic from your folder. Your role is to act as the teacher, teaching the other person about the subject as if they were the tudent. This is a good revision technique to improve your confidence as you realise how uch you know.

ind Mapping – Creating mind maps can be a good way of organising key themes or important equations into a visual reminder. tart by writing the subject in the centre of the page and creating stems that connect to each theme or formula. You can then add other relevant information around each theme. This technique works particularly well for visual learners or for creative students that are studying a more logical subject.

udy Groups – Your fellow classmates can be a great source of information, inspiration and support. Joining or organising a study group can provide you with the motivation to revise even when you don’t feel like it. In a study group, students can help you with any areas of a subject that you feel stuck with. It also makes revising more fun and you can organise quizzes or competitions to keep things interesting.

For some more good quality revision techniques, check out these YouTube videos from Shiggs and Emma Louise.

If you’ve exhausted all the past papers in your subject, you can also try practising with specimen papers that are created by education companies and designed in the same style as those from the exam boards. Doddle has its own set of practice exam papers for each examination board.

Don’t Overdo it - Schedule Regular Breaks

Analyse and Practice with

Past

Papers One of the best ways to revise is to analyse past papers. Practising exam questions is great, but if you don’t know where you have gained or lost marks, then you’ll likely make the same mistakes in the next test too.

Take the time to read the mark scheme. Find out which words and phrases the exam board give marks for and which ones lose you marks. Okay, so this can be a bit time consuming, but it’s definitely a much more efficient use of your time than just reading through notes, and hoping for the best.

Once you know how points are awarded, it’s time to get down to business. Gather all the past exam papers that you can from your exam board’s website (useful links at the end of this section) and work your way through them one-by-one.

As your exam approaches, start to tackle full papers in one go, under exam conditions and within the allowed time frame. This will improve your exam technique, get you used to answering questions under pressure and improve your time management skills.

Here are some useful links to past papers from each of the major exam boards:

OCR: https://www.aqa.org.uk

CAMBRIDGE: www.cambridgeinternational.org

CCEA: https://ccea.org.uk

EDEXCEL: https://qualifications.pearson.com

OCR: https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications

SQA: https://www.sqa.org.uk/pastpapers/

WJEC: https://www.wjec.co.uk/home

As the saying goes, ‘all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy’. It’s important to take regular breaks when you’re revising for exams. It can be tempting to continue revising for long hours when you feel in the mood, but it’s actually best to stop at the point that you feel you’re ‘in the flow’. If you take a break when you’re feeling engaged, you’ll find it much easier to get back into the swing of things when you go back to it.

One way to make sure you don’t overdo it with long periods of study is to use the Pomodoro technique. Essentially, this involves setting a timer for half-hour periods and working without distraction until the buzzer sounds. You can then take a 10 or 15-minute break until you set the timer again.

We recommend these 2 YouTube videos from Gohar Khan and Smile With Sola.

Managing Exam Stress

We all experience stress and a bit of stress can have a positive effect on us as it can sharpen concentration and performance and help to create the extra energy and focus to keep studying.

However, too much stress, for too long, can be overwhelming and prevent us from studying or sitting our exams effectively.

If unaddressed, stress can affect our mental and physical health.

Signs of exam stress:

• Problems with short and long-term memory, the capacity to learn, concentrate and focus.

• Problems with sleep.

• Increased muscle tension

• Increased heart and breathing rate

• Increase in alertness to the slightest touch or sound

Self-care strategies of managing anxiety

• Getting adequate sleep.

• Eating a balanced diet.

• Regular exercise.

• Relaxation routines

• Breathing exercises.

• Taking regular breaks from studying.

• Keep hydrated by drinking water more often.

• Meditation and mindfulness

Unhelpful coping strategies that WON'T work and should be avoided include:

• Smoking

• Drinking alcohol

• Using drugs

• Using stimulants such as caffeine

• Eating too much or eating unhealthy meals/snacks

• Insufficient exercise

• 'Over-studying' and not taking breaks

• Not getting enough sleep

Other helpful resources

• Student minds: Exam stress resources studentminds.org.uk/examstress.html

• Mind: 14 ways to beat exam stress mind.org.uk/information-support/ yourstories/14-ways-to-beat-examstress/#.Wt24-C7wbIU

• BBC Radio 1: Beating Exam Stress youtube.com/watch?v=7AgswlakjRw

• Papyrus: Coping with exams papyrus-uk.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/09/Coping-with-Exams.pdf

• Samaritans: Exam stress coping strategies samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/ schools/deal/deal-resources/copingstrategies/examstress-coping-strategies/

examiner will have already read the same cliche phrases in a hundred papers before yours.

Something else that people always seem to do when writing narratives is use loads of stereotypes. It's frustrating reading about women that are written as damsel in distresses, or the anarchist with a cause, or even the girl next door that ends up with the star football player. The point to making your own narrative is to come up with something that is original. It doesn't even have to be a happy ending; the main character doesn't have to save they day as they could end up dying.

Look at George RR Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire, loads of main characters die in those books because Martin turns the stereotype on its head.

Let the Reader Envision

It's easy to write something yourself because you have a vision in mind of what is happening. But unless you use great description, the reader cannot imagine what is going on.

Using words like 'perfect, awful, alright' are descriptive words but your idea of perfect and the readers idea of perfect may be very different. By using those words, you would be assuming that the reader knows what you mean when in fact, they don't. Remember to be specific when you're describing something.

If you're just explaining something through how a character reacts to it, then the reader can not picture in their mind what the character is reacting to and you want the examiner to understand what you mean.

Don't use lots of dialogue

Long dialogue does not help the plot of your narrative. You may want to have a sense of realism in your book, but reality must be put aside so it doesn't become dull.

Reading long pieces of dialogue with no description going towards the setting or the characters themselves will make the examiner bored and you could lose marks for that. However, that's not to say that you can't have dialogue in your narrative, just keep it to a minimum.

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