How to prepare for and
succeed in Exams
Learning from the world of Sports Science & beyond
The Dream
• Goal = A*
• How we remember
• Revision vs Memorising
• Memorising Techniques
• Exam Technique
This is Serious Stuff
• Your son/daughter have not undertaken any test
as serious as GCSE exams in their lives.
• What your child does from now until May 16th will
make a real difference in their year 11 GCSE
exams.
GOAL = A*
is an explicit goal; this is the target, not just a wild
dream or vague hope
Expectations and Drive
•
•
•
Ferociously high expectations: You aim for full marks.
Mediocre, incomplete work or poorly expressed answers aren’t ever good enough
Use full sentence answers with explanations, hitting the number of marks for each
question. Full marks in every practice.
Practice Practice Practice – related to exam questions and answers
Facilitating independent study
•
•
•
A* students need to be reasonably keen to study in their own time.
And if they’re not, they should be and this needs to be made easy for them.
Access to resources – Exam content, revision guide, passport to success, past papers
How we forget
How we remember
Checklist to success
• A fresh air flow
• A comfortable temperature
• No distractions from the objective (phones, tablets, computer)
• Exercise can work to your advantage during a break – blood flow is increased to
the brain (proven to improve results)
• Listen to baroque music, if you have to listen to music at all (other music,
especially that with words, is proven to distract, not enhance memorising)
• Make sure you are not hungry or thirsty
• Make sure you are not tired and that you have slept well
Where to Start?
• Plan ahead;
• You need a memorising timetable to ensure that
you don’t focus solely on the subjects you like at
the expense of those you find harder or less
appealing.
Memorising Planner for Exams
Session 1
Session 2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session6
Monday
PE
MATHS
EXERCISE
ENGLISH
PE
SCIENCE
Tuesday
PE
SCIENCE
EXERCISE
ENGLISH
Wednesday
MATHS
PE
EXERCISE
PE
ENGLISH
Thursday
GEOG
MATHS
EXERCISE
SCIENCE
PE
GEOG
EXERCISE
PE
SCIENCE
Saturday
EXERCISE
MATHS
PE
Sunday
EXERCISE
GEOG
Friday
ENGLISH
RELAX
Memorising and revising Plan:
• Plan to revise for 20 to 60 minutes MAX, whatever suits you, at a time.
• On average a human brain will start losing concentration after 22 minutes
of focussed activity, however, we are all different: be self-aware in this
regard.
• At the end of a session, do something completely different; walk the dog,
make a cup of tea, jog round the block. It doesn’t matter what it is so long as
it is active. Try not to watch TV or focus on anything in particular as this is
what you are trying to get a break from!
• Be realistic; if you are a late riser, don’t aim to do 3 hours’ revision at 7.00am.
You need to aim for 4 to 6 sessions per day.
How to set out revision days:
Chunking: Work Less?
Revising = 1 Memorising = repeated
• It is common to only write things out once. By doing this, however, you will
probably only be revising it and not actually memorising all of the material.
• Material must be chunked into small parts and repeated over and over
again, until you can remember it over time!
• We can all memorise and revise in all manner of ways; we don’t just have
one method.
• The important thing is to pick methods that might suit the content rather
than your brain.
•
If you are repeating it and chunking it, but still not remembering it, then it is
probably the way in which you are memorising that is at fault: experiment
with what suits the content.
Memorising Structure
• There is no substitute for small chunks and repetition.
• Do the active memorising structure over and over and over and over and
over and over again…
• Sadly though, no memory technique works without focus and
discipline, traits that, unfairly or otherwise, teenagers who
have grown up with the distractions of technology and social
media are rarely celebrated for.
• “Pomodoro technique” - Italian philosophy student began using a kitchen
timer to structure his work – 35 minutes of work, broken by five-minute
intervals to do as he pleased.
Memorising
• Memorising is pretty horrible if done properly: hours and
hours of repetitive perseverance, but so satisfying when you
reap the benefits at the end of all that hard work!
• Don’t fall into the trap of taking the easy way out and just
‘revising’ it.
• “It’s tricky to spend 45 minutes without texting your friends or
what have you,” says Cooke. “Often the reason you can’t
concentrate is because you feel that the world is going on around
you, and somehow you’re missing out.”
• There is nothing quite as effective as purposeful, determined
practice.
Memorising Techniques
Common Memorising Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Find the method that suits your learning styles
Mind Maps
Acronyms
Mnemonics
Mind Maps
Flow Charts
Flashcards
Bullet points
Graphic Organisers
Translations (words to pictures, words to graphs, words to rap etc.)
Memorising
• Le m t n a h e g t s u s n o
•
•
•
•
Mental Toughness
Magic number 7 – items (82)
Intense concentration sustained repetition
Superhuman memory?
•
•
•
•
•
•
What we don’t see is submerged;
Countless hours of practice
Relentless drills
Mastery of technique & form
Solitary concentration
Alters the anatomical & neurological structures
of master performers
Iceberg illusion: ‘When we witness extraordinary feats, we are
witnessing the end product of a process measure in years’
Mnemonics
• Mnemonics are imaginative ways that reinvent boring, non-visual,
forgettable information
• Points of the compass
• Naughty Elephants Squirt Water
• Central American Countries
• My Great Big Elephant Has No CRitical Problems
Acronym
• Can you remember these 10 words which define the
• PRINCIPALS OF TRAINING?
Acronym
• Can you remember these 10 words which define the SKILL
RELATED COMPONENTS OF FITNESS?
Chunking:
• I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I
was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan
mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it
dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are,
the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be
in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you
can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas
tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor fdreins can
raed tihs too.
Mind maps
By adding visuals to your work you make it more visible and more
memorable.
• Use colours and images to
create a mind map of your
answers.
•Write key words /
sentences onto the mind
map.
IMPORTANCE OF PRACTICE “One good technique is, at the
end of a revision session, to force yourself to write down
everything you know about the subject on a blank piece of
paper,”
Flash cards
• Write out the topics onto small flashcards
• Mix up the flash cards then time yourself to see how quickly you
can remember the contents
• Pragmatising: Reduce Key topics to 3 or 4 major points
Illustrate it
For people who like writing and drawing.
•Divide your page into two.
•On one side re-write your text – split it up into ‘memory-sized chunks’.
•On the other side draw symbols and pictures that might help you
remember that chunk of text.
•When you have made your resource fold it in half so you can’t see the
written text and see if you can remember it by looking at the images & key
words.
•Use this until the paper tears in half – it is a very effective method.
TOP TIPS
Remember make sure you are reading everything out loud – you need to say the words to learn them.
Buddy
Question vs Question
Revision shared. Revision halved.
•Buddy up with somebody in the class who you feel
comfortable with.
•Take it in turns to ask a question and practicing saying your
answer.
•At first you might need to use you prompt sheet but soon
you should be able to give your partner the sheet so they
can prompt you if they think you need it.
•Use a scoreboard first to 1 to 10
More Memorising Structure: Use your folder
CHECK THE SPEC
•
Move through your subject checklist (you might just have a specification), find the information for
each one in your classwork book/file – know what it is you are memorising. Learn your ‘Glossary of
Keywords’
RAGS IT. The devil is in the detail.
ACTIVE MEMORISING
•
Use active memorising strategies to write the information down in some way, shape or form, as
many times and in as many ways as it takes to retain it.
PUNCTUATE your MEMORISING
•
Read over (use a highlighter?) what you have just memorised every 10 minutes or so to allow your
neo-cortex to assimilate information fully before moving on. It must be regular. (This is commonly
known as ‘revision’).
TEST
•
Pick questions from question booklets that your teacher has given you or past papers on the topic
you are memorising. Complete the full exam technique on that question and a short plan if
necessary.
CHECK AND TAKE ACTION (TEST AND RE-TEST)
•
Check your answers against those in your book/file. If you got it right, move on; if not, go back to
active memorising.
Simple Ways forward
• Practice makes permanent – know your topic material
• Re-write mind maps using a variety of techniques described before
• Use your revision guide, folder and Scenario Section
• Test yourself on all topics using the questions and answer (past papers)
• Shoreham Academy Home Page Revision Section
• Follow us on twitter @ShorehamPE
Exam Technique
The Class of 2003
Be Prepared...
•Times 1:30 – Friday 16th May
•Venues: Sports Hall
•Equipment: Pens and Pencils
When you get in the exam hall: …Relax
Only 40% to go...
Blood
Blood
You may begin…Exam Lay Out
• Length of paper: 1hr 30 Minutes (80 marks)
• Section A – Part 1 Multiple choice (10 Marks)
•
Q: In a weight training session, the number of times that you lift the weights is known as: (1 mark)
• Section B – Part 2 Short answer questions (30 Marks)
•
Q: What is meant by the term 'agility'? Give one example from a physical activity where a performer uses
agility. (2 marks)
• Section C – Questions based on – A Scenario (40 Marks)
•
Q: John has decided to be assessed as an official in football. State and describe three ways in which John
could be effective as a football official. (6 marks)
Pre-Release Scenario
40 Marks
20% of entire GCSE
Summer 2014
Westshore Netball Club
Scenario
•
•
•
Westshore Netball Club was set up by a group of friends who used to
play netball together while at secondary school. A large number are
between 35 and 45 years of age. They often have family and work
commitments which prevent them from playing on a regular basis.
This is leaving the team short of players for games. They used to win
many tournaments and league titles but are now less successful. They
often concede late goals and also struggle to rebound near the posts.
Westshore Netball Club use a local community centre for this training
sessions and matches throughout the season. They are responsible
for setting up all of their own equipment. The club is struggling to
survive financially. Junior team training and matches have stopped
through a lack of volunteers to coaches and officiate.
Miss Tears, a new PE teacher at Westshore High School, has recently
joined the club as a player. She is also a qualified netball coach and
official but has found that netball is not played at her school.
Time to complete each section
•Section A = 10 Minutes
•Section B = 35 Minutes
•Section C = 45 Minutes
Theoretical grade boundaries
(maximum raw mark 80):
• A* - 72 - 80 marks (90%)
• A - 64 - 71 marks (80%)
• B - 56 - 70 marks (70%)
• C - 48 – 55 marks (60%)
• D - 40 - 47 marks (50%)
• E - 32 – 39 marks (40%)
• F - 24 - 31 marks (30%)
• G - 16 – 23 marks (20%)
Read the question…
Every Mark is worth £1000
Fight for every mark!
1. Exactly what is being asked?
2. How many points are on offer?
3. How much space is there?
4. What are the key words?
5. And then write the answer – clearly and carefully
Question: Command Words
• Do not repeat the question in the answer:
• Look at question stem/key words
•
•
•
•
Identify Point out or choose the right one or give a list of the main features
List Provide the information in a list, rather than in continuous writing
Outline Write a clear description but not a detailed one
State Write a clear and full account
•
Define Clearly explain what a particular term means and give an example, if
appropriate, to show what you mean
Command Words
Give a clear description that includes all the
relevant features - think of it as ‘painting a picture with
words’
Set out in detail the meaning of something, with
reasons. More difficult than describe or list, so it can help to
give an example to show what you mean. Start by
introducing the topic then give the ‘how’ or ‘why
Assessment Objective’s: Weighting %
• AO1 = Recall, select and communicate your knowledge and
understanding of physical activity 27%
• AO3 Analysing and evaluating physical activity and
indentify action to bring about improvement 20%
In PE – it’s relatively straight forward
• Sporting Examples:
• Q: Write accurate and detailed sporting examples e.g. a
centre in netball requires high levels of stamina to ensure they
can run around the court without tiring, for all four quarters of
the game.
• Explain often requires you to relate topics to either to an
increase or decrease in performance
• E.g.....If an athlete is too anxious, he will not be able to
concentrate which may lead to mistakes which will
decrease performance levels.
Quality of written communication (QWC)
• Legible text, spelling punctuation and
grammar are accurate
• Organise information clearly and
coherently using specialist vocabulary when
appropriate
How do we answer this question?
An example…
Q: The ability to identify and reduce risks associated with
physical activity is essential to minimise injury.
For a physical activity of your choice, explain how to reduce a
variety of risks associated with that activity in order to
maintain physical health
Remember this for the big questions!
A = Apply in detail
P= make a POINT.
E = EXPLAIN in detail
E = EVIDENCE/EXAMPLE
Plan extended Questions: Major Weakness
• Think carefully before you
write your responses to long
answers questions
• Presentation and grammar:
• Make your writing neat so the
examination board can mark
it.
• All extended long answer
questions must be written in
continuous prose, using
accurate full sentences and
grammar.
How they Grade your answers..
They got the Identify…….but not E E
PEE in action….
At the end...5 minutes left
• Check through all work (An early finish is correlated with underachievement)
• “....Oh no, I really do not understand the question...HELP!!”
• WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU KNOW – IT WILL BE RIGHT!!
• Note* GCSEs and A-levels aren’t simply memory tests. The trick is to be able
to recall the relevant facts, rather than simply splurging everything you
know, with little or no prompting. That calls for a broader understanding than
endless individual, rote-learnt facts) but...
• If you don’t understand: WRITE DOWN WHAT YOU KNOW – IT WILL BE
RIGHT!! 
And finally…
Once an exam is finished concentrate on the
next – don’t waste time and energy
convincing yourself that:
‘I’ve messed that one up’
‘That was really hard’
‘I’m doomed!’
And really finally…
• Move on to the next exam with the assurance that
you’ve:
• planned carefully
• revised intelligently
• focussed on the task
• completed the examination to the best of your ability
• Used the learning culture 7 R’s
• WORKED YOUR SOCKS OFF!!
GOOD LUCK – WORK (VERY) HARD.
GO FOR IT!