Transcript GCSE SUCCESS

GCSE SUCCESS
YOU CAN DO IT,
YEAR 11!
 Hepworth & Platford
Sounds like me!
If you’ve ever taken to tidying up your tip of
a
room, baked cakes for hours, organised your
nail varnish, placed your CDs in alphabetical
order or applied online to go hang gliding in
the Himalayas just to avoid that nasty word
‘revision’, then read on!
Help is at hand!
Getting it right!
 Know your exam timetable.
 Get rest, peace and quiet the night before
an exam. Listen to some relaxing music (that
doesn’t mean Slipknot or Public Enemy).
Put your love life on hold for
a couple of months – an
intense relationship could
distract you from your exams.
Getting it right!
Wear comfortable
clothes whilst you’re
revising.
 Too many chocolate treats during
revision will make you sick. Stick
to your normal eating routine or
have healthy snacks.
 Have back-up copies of any revision
notes you have on computer.
“Now there are 3 steps to…
successful revision”
ORGANISE
LEARN
APPLY
Peter Baynham
“Try not to drink too much
coffee – or buy de-caff.”
Organise your timetable
Draw up a revision timetable that
includes ALL of your subjects.
 Make sure that your exam timetable starts
from TODAY until your LAST exam!
 Be realistic – allow for times when you just
can’t make yourself revise & don’t feel guilty
about missing a day!
Organise your subjects
Don’t revise the same
subject all evening.
Variety is the spice of life
(even if it is Maths and
Shakespeare!)
Perhaps you could plan how
many days there are to each
exam then divide it by topics
to be revised.
Organise your time
• Don’t revise for more than 40 minutes at
a time without a break.
You’ll be too tired
after 40 minutes to
learn anything!
• Have breaks of at least 10 or 15 minutes
between each session.
Zoe Ball
“Bullet points are a great way
to revise.
 Read them through the
night before and they’ll still be
in your head!”
Organise your life
Plan some time off for yourself
as well as revision.
One day and one night off
a week is reasonable.
You need time to relax
with your friends.
Eat properly, get enough sleep
and get some fresh air every
day.
Some advice…
Go to revision lessons. How many adults still
know all the people they went to school
with? Who cares what your friends think?
This is between you and that exam paper!
Talk to your employer about
reducing part-time working
hours.
Learning to learn.
• Get brothers and sisters to
test you on topics … (you
knew they’d be useful for
something one day!)
• Make colourful mind maps including
pictures of each topic you’re revising.
Learning to learn…
Try relaxation techniques
such as focusing on your
breathing
(just don’t snore and
dribble)
• Put your revision notes onto an MP3 file and put
it on your Ipod. (… you can always pretend to
head bang to Franz Ferdinand if any mates see
you)
Nina Myskow
“I thought it was uncool and
boring to revise. What’s
uncool is turning over that
exam paper and realising that
you don’t know the answers.”
Learning to revise
• You must have a quiet place to
revise in.
• Have proper lighting (a desk lamp) so
that you don’t strain your eyes.
• De-clutter your work area (it will also
help you to avoid the distractions of
reading Kerrang / Heat)
Learning to be successful
 Organise your revision notes in an
orderly fashion.
 Or you could invest in some blu-tack
and put your notes on the walls.
You could even …use
the school LIBRARY!
(that place with the books!)
APPLY (spot the theme…)
• Practice
answering questions.
• Practice key spellings.
• Practice
using past papers.
Exercise
• Reduces stress
• Promotes self esteem
• Maintains general fitness
• Controls body weight
• Clears the mind
• Makes you ready for the next round of
revision!
Music
• Revise to music if it helps
you
• OR promise yourself a good
air guitar or boogie when
you have finished each 40
min session of study
• OR treat yourself to a new
download for every
successful day of revision
But Mr Platford – what should I listen to – I
hear you say
Listen to a good musical
diet
• Floyd, Abba, Schubert, Radiohead, Scissor Sisters, Dire
Straits, chilled meditative stuff, Guns N’Roses, bit of
grebo-bit of chav, Madonna, Beatles, Blondie, Elton,
Muse, Pet Shop Boys, Chic, Mozart, the Boss, the King,
Queen, Prince, Christina, Shania, Purple & Pink, more
Floyd, Stones, Who, Clash, Wacko Jacko, U2, Who, and
plenty of good cheese pop.
These should do the trick
Lesley Joseph
“Dorian would say don’t go out
partying the night before
because late nights, parties and
exams don’t mix. Have the real
fun when they’ve all finished.”
VISUAL TIPS
 Talk through your notes to yourself in the
mirror.
(you won’t look mad at all …
honest! Snigger)
 Use key facts / formulae as a screen saver
on your computer.
Visual tips cont…
 Colour code pocket size
cards with revision
notes.
 Use pictures to illustrate
your revision notes.
 Stand on your desk or
chair to remember a
really difficult fact – that
action is a memory aid.
Edible tips
 Reward yourself with healthy snacks or chocolate
for a good revision session.
 Make fruit smoothies
for an instant energy
boost!
 BREAKFAST!
(say no more)
Swotty tips
Teach yourself speed reading.
Read notes really quickly to
get an overall idea.
Compose a song using
revision notes to your
favourite song.
Use the GCSE Bitesize site and buy Bitesize
Revision books
ON THE DAY…
Hopefully you would
have gone to bed early
and would have got
early so that your
brain is in tip top
condition. Be at the
right exam at the right
time.
Avoid panic stricken
friends – they will
only make you
nervous.
Have the
CORRECT
EQUIPMENT.
Wear a watch or have a watch on
your desk – just in case you can’t
see the one in the hall.
Read each question twice before you write
ANYTHING!
Make sure you’ve been to the toilet!
Take no notice of the people around you! They
may have turned a page over because they’ve
missed out questions or have made loads of
mistakes.
Success and glory will be yours as
you reach for those stars
And what’s more –
you’ll have GCSE s,
my son!
It’s over to you now!
THAT’S ALL FOLKS!
Have a nice life - Thank you and
good night!