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Reading Blue Coat School
Year 8 Examinations 2015
Revision Handbook
Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Classics
The exam is divided into three sections, Section A, Section B and Section C.
Section A - Translation
• You will be asked to translate 10-15 sentences from Latin into English.
• The sentences will include all the vocabulary and grammar topics covered this year
(nouns, verbs and tenses, adjectives).
Section B - Context Background Questions
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You will be asked a series of questions relating to the background topics you have
studied this year.
These questions will all be in English and you will answer in English. Topics will include;
Roman Forum, Gladiators, Roman Baths, Slaves and Freedmen, Education and Pompeii.
There will also be a small section on Derivations of Latin words into English.
Section C - Comprehension
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There will be a story in Latin to read and then a number of questions in English
associated with the story. (The format for this section is the same as the comprehensions
you have done in the Cambridge Latin Course throughout the year.)
All questions will be in English and all your answers must be in English and in full
sentences.
The total number of marks for the exam paper will out of 100.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Design Technology
The study of Design Technology is the study of technical processes used in industry as well
as how the designer harnesses this knowledge to create high quality and responsible
design. To appreciate this is to understand how our Years 7 – 9 curriculum is structured.
During the year all students are set clear goals in terms of the technological processes that
they expected to understand and work with, as well as our expectations of their
understanding of the design cycle. These two separate elements therefore make up the
content of the summer examination. Revision for the summer examinations will take place with your son’s teacher during class
time in the lead up to the examination but it is also expected to take place at home
principally using the comprehensive coloured A4 teacher handouts that students carry in
their work folders as well as their homework sheets. Each year is part of a larger scheme of
work leading both to GCSE and A Levels. •
The Design Cylcle – The appreciation of the design process and its individual stages. •
Brief and Specification – Establishing the requirements and limitations for a product. •
Research - Selecting the appropriate areas for research of a product. •
Product Analysis – How to evaluate similar products currently on the market prior to •
designing.
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Art Deco and Bauhaus – Historical background, characteristics and examples of work. •
Anthropometrics and Ergonomics – Their application within the design process. •
Developing ideas in three dimensions. •
The use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) - •
Their advantages and disadvantages. Understanding the processes used and subject specific vocabulary applied to the
following: •
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Working with Plastics, plywood and aluminium. Filing and Drilling
The Vacuum Former Simple electric circuits Soft soldering Creating a wax mould Polishing – emery paper / T-cut Tap and Die – creating a screw. Assembly of parts: screws / adhesives -4-
Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
English
Structure of Exam
The exam paper will be 60 minutes long.
There will be a Section A, which assesses reading skills, and a Section B, which assesses
writing skills.
Both sections are equally weighted.
Spelling, punctuation and grammar is assessed in both sections.
The skills being assessed throughout the paper are taken from the reading and writing
objectives you have been working towards all year.
Areas to Study and Revise
You must be prepared to answer questions on a piece of unseen poetry.
You can choose between writing a narrative or a piece of travel writing.
General Advice
All answers should be completed using a black or blue pen.
You should write in full sentences.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
French
The examination that you will take during the school examination week will have two
papers: a reading comprehension paper and a writing paper. You will also have an
individual speaking exam with your teacher and a listening comprehension exam. These
will take place in class time and your teacher will advise you as to the exact date.
Listening/Reading: Your listening and reading exams will contains texts on the following
topics :
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Town – buildings in town, describing your town and what you can do there
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Directions – understanding directions to places in town
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Future holiday – travel, accommodation, activities etc
There will also be one or two items of a more general nature that will include topics studied
this year and vocabulary that has been covered in the last two years of French.
Writing: Your written exam will include exercises on :
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An exercise testing regular present tense –er / -ir / -re verbs
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An exercise testing the construction aller + infinitive (future tense)
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An exercise testing small words such as à / en / dans etc
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A guided written piece of at least 80 words describing your town
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An exercise involving a short message and using key verbs and constructions covered
this year
You can revise for the first four of these in particular.
Speaking:
You will be given two role-plays to prepare five minutes before your speaking exam. Ensure
that you revise the following :
Shopping for food: asking for various items at the grocer’s; using expressions of quantity;
asking how much things are / how much you have to pay
Talking about your town: what type of town it is and where it is situated; what buildings and
attractions there are in your town; what you can do in your town
Talking about a future holiday: where you are going to go and with whom; how you are
going to travel and where you are going to stay; what you are going to do on holiday
Talking about a typical Saturday: what you do in town (eg shopping, meeting friends); the
times that you do certain activities; aspects of a typical daily routine (eg what you do in
the evening)
You will then be asked 5 questions from a list of questions that you will be given to prepare
and learn in advance of the speaking test.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Geography
The Geography of Sport
Key Questions
Lesson One – Introduction The Geography of Ghana What is life like in Ghana?
What is the Physical and Human Geography of Ghana?
Lesson Two – How Developed is Ghana?
How can we measure development?
What factors have held back the development of Ghana?
What are the Millennium Development Goals?
Lesson Three - Ghana’s Water Problem
What are the problems caused by the supply of dirty water?
How can this problem be tackled?
The Akosombo Dam – Help or Hindrance?
Lesson Four- Chocolate The Bitter Truth
What are some of the issues surrounding the production of cocoa?
How could fair trade help?
Who Do You Think You Are?
Key Questions
Lesson One - What is your geographical identity?
Where are the places you identify with most?
What are your personal connections to these places?
Can we find a group identity for our class?
Lesson Two – Countries in a country?
What do the names Great Britain, The UK and The British Isles actually mean?
How does landscape vary around different parts of the UK?
Lesson Three – What is Britishness?
What was the British Empire?
How has colonial history shaped Britain and the wider world?
What are our images of Britishness?
How might views of Britishness change over time?
Lesson Four – The British Weather
What causes the UK’s weather to be so warm and wet?
What is relief rainfall?
Why do different parts of the UK have different climates?
Lesson Five – Core Map Skills – Examining UK Landscapes
Where are some of the main physical and human features of the UK?
How can four figure grid references help us find places more easily when using maps?
What are map symbols? What are some of the most commonly used OS symbols?
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
German
The exam will consist of four skills, reading, writing, speaking and listening and each will
have a 25% weighting.
For your reading, writing and listening test you should revise:
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Shops in town
Food and drink (items and quantities)
What you like to eat and drink for different meals
Pocket money (items you can buy/save for)
Part time jobs (and opinions)
Helping at home
Daily routine (including times)
Describing where things are (neben, zwischen etc...)
Revision of personal information (appearance, hobbies, family, pets)
Describing directions
Oral Preparation – You will be asked on five of these questions:
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Wann stehst du auf?
Was machst du dann?
Was isst du und trinkst du zum Frühstück?
Wann verlässt du das Haus?
Was isst du zu Mittag?
Was machst du am Abend?
Wann gehst du ins Bett?
Was isst du am liebsten?
Was isst du nicht gern?
Wieviel Taschengeld bekommst du?
Was kaufst du mit dem Geld?
Wofür sparst du?
Musst du zu Hause helfen? Was machst du?
Wann hast du Geburtstag?
Wie ist das Wetter heute?
You will also do two role plays, taken from:
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Beim Arzt
auf dem Markt
in der Stadt (directions)
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
History
The exam is divided into two sections, Section A and Section B.
Section A •
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This is the sources section and the questions are on the causes of the Civil War.
For one of the questions own knowledge is required as well as understanding and
discussion of the sources.
This section is worth 15 marks and you should spend about 30 minutes on it.
Section B
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This is the essay section and you are expected to answer two questions.
The questions are worth 10 marks each and you should spend about 15 minutes on
each.
You may not be able to attempt all of the questions as different classes have in some
cases studied different topics.
There will be a question on each of the topics below •
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How Henry VII gained the throne Martin Luther and the Reformation Henry VIII and the Church The Church in England under Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I The Renaissance (discuss TWO of painting, architecture and theatre) Sea voyages in the 15th and 16th centuries The Spanish Armada James I and the Gunpowder Plot The achievements of ONE of Leonardo da Vinci, Nicholas Copernicus or William
Harvey The Civil War -9-
Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
ICT
Structure of Exam
The ICT exam will last one hour and is divided into two sections, A and B.
Section A
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This section contains 25 multiple-choice answer questions, worth 1 mark each.
Each question should be answered by circling the appropriate letter a, b, c or d. For
example, a question could be “Which one of these answers is true?”
Section A should take no longer than 20 minutes and is worth 25 marks in all.
Section B
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This section is made up of 14 questions, worth varying marks, some of which require
longer and more detailed answers.
Section B should be completed in 40 minutes and is worth 35 marks in all.
Areas to Study and Revise from your Essential GCSE Text Book
Section
Pages
Subsection
Hardware
4-5
6-7
8-9
10 - 11
12 - 13
14 - 15
Computer Systems
Hardware Devices
Input
Output
Storage
Secondary Storage
Software and
Development
62 - 63
Look back at your FLOWOL diagrams to remember
how the code works.
Look at your Imagine Logo diagrams too!
Revise your BBC Basic Code
Manipulating Data
50 – 53
56 - 58
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Spreadsheets
Databases
Binary Numbers, Binary Addition, ASCII
Modern Living
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84 - 85
The internet
Legal matters
General Advice
There will not necessarily be questions on each of these topics and so you should be wary of
confining your revision to too few of them.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Mathematics
The end of year examination will test all the topics covered in the year; a list of topics is
given below. All students will receive a set of revision sheets which have a selection of
questions on each topic. Students will complete these sheets in class and for prep in
preparation for the examination. This is the minimum level of revision required. Areas that
students have found more challenging (either during the year, on previous half term tests or
on the revision sheets) will require more attention. Students are then advised to use their
notes and attempt extra questions, either from the text book or from the “myimaths.com”
website. Their class teacher is available for any extra help either in class, where possible, or
by arranging to meet during a lunchtime.
The only way to revise mathematics is to attempt questions – just reading their notes is of
little use, unless they apply what they have read to answer questions.
Rules of Algebra
Details (Please consult your note book for more
information)
Add, subtract, multiply, divide. Including the use of a
calculator.
Basic algebra, using letters for numbers:
Describing Data
3 averages, range, frequency tables.
Topic
Fractions
Significant Figures
Circles
Pi, circumference, perimeters, area.
Negative Numbers
Add, subtract, multiply, divide.
Using a Calculator
BIDMAS, brackets, fractions, negative numbers, powers.
Reflection
Properties of reflection, use of coordinates.
Formulae and Expressions
Rotations
Substituting into formulae and expressions. Function
Notation
Rotating figures and describing rotations.
Real Life Graphs
Mostly time related
Geometrical reasoning
Corresponding, alternate, proving results
Brackets and Equations
Expanding brackets, rules for solving equations.
Fractions, Decimals,
Percentages
Using Ratios
Changing fractions to decimals, recurring decimals, to a %
and vice versa.
Simplifying, sharing, map scales.
Enlargement
Positive scale factor, describing enlargements.
Volumes
Cuboids, prisms, cylinders.
Area
Triangle, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezium.
Drawing Graphs
Straight line, quadratic, using graphs.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Pythagoras’ Theorem
Calculating sides.
Percentages
A% of B. Percentage increase or decrease.
Bearings and scale
drawing*
Probability*
3 figure bearings, measuring, drawing, choosing an
appropriate scale.
Events occurring/not occurring, listing outcomes,
experimental probability
*These topics are normally taught after the End of Year Examination and so may not be
examined.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Music
Theory
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Notes of the treble and bass clefs
Note lengths
Time Signatures
Mozart
Key facts – dates and places of birth & death and main works.
Listening Extract
Ragtime - to be able to identify the features ( time signature, rhythm) in a piece.
Mozart – to be able to identify some features (time signature, major or minor key,
instruments playing) in one of his pieces.
Performance
You will have to play a piece of music of your choice on an instrument of your choice. You
can choose to play a piece we have learnt in class. You will be assessed on accuracy
(including fluency) and musical expression.
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Religious Studies
You need to revise the following topics:
Hinduism
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Origins
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Describing God (Brahman and the Trimurti)
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Atman
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Karma/Samsara/Moksha
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Divali
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Puja
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Caste and Dharma
Buddhism
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The birth and life of Siddhartha
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The 4 Sights
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The 3 Universal Truths (anicca/anatta/dukkha)
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The 3 Jewels
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The Eightfold Path
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Enlightenment
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Rebirth
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5 precepts (tbc)
Sikhism
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Origins
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The Gurus
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The Khalsa
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The 5 Ks
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The Gurdwara / Langar
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Science
The list below covers the topics that can appear in the end of year exams, material from
year seven can also be examined. The Science exams (two 1 hour papers) will examine
skills through a variety of question types, similar to those found in the assessed homework
and class tests.
A comprehensive guide to the Science examinations with revision strategies can be found
on the School intranet.
Ecology (Biology)
• Photosynthesis
• Food chains, webs and pyramids of number
• Effect of pesticides
• Using keys to identify organisms
• Habitats, Competition and Adaptations
• Sampling Techniques
Forces (Physics)
• Definition of a force
• Balanced, unbalanced and resultant forces
• Friction, upthrust, air resistance
• Speed, distance and time calculations and graphs
• Mass and weight
• Pressure and calculating pressure
• Elements, compounds & reactions (Chemistry)
• Definitions of atom, element, compound, mixture, molecule, reaction
• Observation during a chemical reaction
• Chemical and physical change
• Chemical symbols.
• Word equations
• Acids & alkalis, the pH scale and indicators
• Neutralisation reactions (acid + base) and naming salts
• Reacting acids with metals
• Testing for gases (carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen)
• Reacting acids with metal carbonates
Breathing, Respiration & the Heart (Biology)
• Respiration as a chemical reaction, why cells need energy
• Basic lung structure, ventilation and gaseous exchange
• Basic heart structure, double circulation and blood
Electricity (Physics)
• Simple circuits and diagrams
• Series/parallel circuits and switches
• Current and resistance
• Voltage
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Year 8 Examinations 2015: Revision Handbook
Spanish
Papers:
1. Reading and Writing
In the reading comprehension paper, you will have a variety of short extracts and texts
with questions in English which you will have to answer in English. In the written paper
you will need to be able to produce extended pieces of informative writing which
demonstrate a good level of grammatical accuracy.
2. Listening
The listening paper will be done in lesson time and will require you to answer questions in
English on the short extracts you hear.
Topics and grammar:
Tiempo libre:
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Say what you do, like to do and are going to do.
Include sports, other freetime activities.
Use verbs like - juego + al + sport, hago + sport, practico + el/la + sport - me gusta +
infinitive eg: me gusta jugar
Use the future tense – verb + infinitive eg: voy a jugar
time expressions like, el sábado, los lunes, después, luego,…
La comida:
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Say what type of food you like to eat and why
Talk about meal times
Talk about what food you can buy
Use verbs like: quisiera + quantities eg: una docena, una caja, un litro etc
Use time phrases - eg: a las ocho
Use the verbs comer, beber and tomar
La ropa:
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Say what clothes you like to wear
Describe and compare different clothes including school uniform
Make sure adjectives agree – eg: una falda roja, unos pantalones negros
Use the verb llevar
Use structures such as más que and menos que
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