Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 3 Working individually, each student should prepare a Personal Revision Plan. Note: • A MS Word version of the revision planner template is included on the CD ROM. • A PDF printable version of the Revision Planner template is included on the CD ROM. a) You should identify each of the subjects in which you will be taking an exam, together with the level. b) Identify the different exams you will be sitting for this subject, together with the dates and times of each exam. c) Record the type of assessment – for example, essay, multiple choice, practical. Example: Subject
Chemistry
Level
Higher
Exam
Date
Time
Type
Paper 1
25th May
9.30 – 11.30
Essay
Paper 2
25th May
1.00 – 2.00
M choice
Art & Design Intermediate Paper 1 2 Paper 2
27th May
9.00 – 12.00
Practical
28th May
1.00 – 2.00
Essay
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 4 Using the blank revision calendar, students should identify those months covering the examination period. The following example assumes that the exams are taking place during the months of May and June. The student is going to begin exam revision and preparation at the start of April. Month: Monday
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a) Referring to a calendar for the current year, students should now insert the dates manually for each day of the month in question. (No dates are contained within the blank calendar template to allow use by the school, year after year.) Note: • A MS Word version of the blank revision calendar is included on the CD ROM. • A PDF printable version of the blank revision calendar is included on the CD ROM.
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Month: April 2011 Monday
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In the example above, the dates have been completed for the month of April. This exercise should also be carried out for other months of the examination period (ie, April and May).
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 5 Now enter each exam in the timetable on the appropriate dates. In this illustration, the student’s is sitting exams in 6 subjects during the month of May. Month: May 2011 Monday
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 6 Now students should begin to develop a plan for revision. There are no rules for this aspect of planning. Some students may prefer to plan their revision around the order of the exams – beginning, for example, with revision for English (the first exam) and then using the time after the English exam to revise for the next exam, which is Maths. Others may wish to prepare for other subjects by doing at least some revision for all subjects throughout the period. The important thing is for students to have a plan which ensure that they prepare properly for all exams. It is also important to allow some leisure time and breaks from revision. Month: April 2011 Monday
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Month: May 2011 Monday
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 7 Now students should begin to develop a revision plan for each subject. Students should decide the kinds of revision activities and actions required in order to prepare for the exam in that subject. A blank subject pro-forma is included on the CD ROM, as well as a pro forma for printing. The aim is to try to identify the different components of the exam in that subject to ensure that revision covers all aspects. Students can also enter dates and times for revision. Revision Planner Subject
English
Exam Dates
Paper 1 - Wednesday 4th May - 9.00 - 11.00 am Paper 2 - Wednesday 4th May - 1.30 - 3.30 pm
Revision Activities
Making sure that English notes are up to date Reading over course notes and highlighting key points Writing about nonfiction texts Writing about a play Writing a personal account Writing an argument Writing to inform Writing an article Practising past papers from previous exams Attending English revision classes at school on Tuesday nights
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Here is another example for Geography. This shows the topics within the course. Revision Planner Subject
Geography
Exam Dates
Paper 1 - Tuesday 31st May - 9.00 - 11.00 am Paper 2 - Wednesday 1st June - 1.30 - 3.30 pm
Revision Activities
Making sure notes are up to date Reading over the course notes Physical Geography • Atmosphere • Hydrosphere • Lithosphere Human Geography • Population Geography • Rural Geography • Industrial Geography • Urban Geography Practising past papers from previous exams
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Teacher’s Guide - Preparing for Exams Activity 8 Students should consider the following activities and approaches to revision. They should decide which aspects to include in their revision plan. Yes
Possible Activities to Include in My Revision Plan I know the dates and times of all my exams I know the nature of each (eg, essay, multiple choice, practical test) I have drawn up a revision timetable I have made a plan for each of my subjects and set targets for revision My plan for each subject covers all the topics and areas that make up the course I have broken down the main areas of the subject into smaller chunks or topics I know which are the most important topics or questions I know which topics or questions are compulsory For each subject I know my areas of strength and weakness For each subject I have identified the gaps in my knowledge. I am aware of any materials or equipment that I need to take for each exam I practise using exam papers from previous years My course notes for each subject are up to date I plan to make notes or summarise the most important facts about each topic I plan to using a highlighter pen to mark the key points or ideas about a topic I plan to make audio recordings of my revision notes and then listen to them again I plan to use symbols and diagrams to show how things connect I plan to use flashcards can help you memorise facts and information I plan to test my memory as I go along, thinking up possible questions and answers I plan to write practice writing answers against the clock I plan to test my knowledge and understanding without looking at my notes I plan to get a someone to ask me questions and test my knowledge I plan to get help from my teacher if I am having problems or don’t understand I plan to find out if there are revision classes at school which I can attend I plan to take regular breaks for relaxing, socialising and resting
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