Al-Hijrah School
GCSE
Exam Guidance
We have tried to give you all the information you might need to help you sit
your GCSE Examinations.
The booklet includes: GCSE Summer 2015 Examination Timetable
Information for students including revision tips, examination conduct,
return of school books and results.
Information for parents
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GCSE Exam Timetable May/June 2015
Date
Time
Subject
Tuesday 5 May (BY11)
Wednesday 6 May(BY11)
Thursday 7 May(GY11)
Friday 8 May(GY11)
Monday 11 May
Tuesday 12 May
Tuesday 12 May
Wednesday 13 May
Thursday 14 May
Thursday 14 May
Friday 15 May
9.00 - 3.30
9.00 - 3.30
9.00 - 3.30
9.00 - 3.30
9.00 - 10.30
1.30 - 3.30
1.30 - 2.30
9.00 - 10.30
9.00 - 11.00
9.00 - 10.00
2.00 - 3.30
Monday 18 May
9.00 - 11.00
Tuesday 19 May
Wednesday 20 May
Wednesday 20 May
2.00 - 3.30
1.30 - 3.30
1.30 - 2.30
Friday 22 May
9.00 - 11.00
Monday 1 June
Tuesday 2 June
Tuesday 2 June
Tuesday 2 June
Wednesday 3 June
Thursday 4 June
9.00 - 11.00
9.00 - 10.00
10.00 - 11.00
2.00 - 3.30
1.30 - 3.15
9.00 - 10.45
Friday 5 June
2.00 - 3.00
Friday 5 June
Monday 8 June
2.00 - 3.00
9.00 - 10.45
Tuesday 9 June
2.00 - 3.00
Tuesday 9 June
Wednesday 10 June
2.00 - 3.00
9.00 - 10.30
Wednesday 10 June
2.00 - 2.25
Art
Art
Art
Art
RE
Biology
Science
ICT
Chemistry
Science
PE
English
Literature
Geography
Physics
Science
English
Literature
History
English/Lang
English/Lang
RE
Geography
Maths
Additional
Science
Biology
Maths
Additional
Science
Chemistry
History
Urdu
Listening F
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Unit
Duration
Unit 4
1B
B1
Unit 1
1C
C1
1hr 30min
2hr
1hr
1hr 30min
2hr
1hr
1hr 30min
Unit 1
2hr
B561
1P
P1
1hr 30min
2hr
1hr
Unit 2
2hr
Paper 1
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 11
B563
Paper 1
2hr
1hr
1hr
1hr 30min
1hr 45min
1hr 45min
B2
1hr
2B
1hr
Paper 2 1hr 45min
C2
1hr
2C
1hr
Paper 2 1hr 30min
25min
Wednesday 10 June
2.00 - 2.35
Wednesday 10 June
2.35 - 3.10
Wednesday 10 June
2.35 - 3.25
Friday 12 June
2.00 - 3.00
Friday 12 June
2.00 - 3.00
Monday 15 June
1.30 - 2.15
Monday 15 June
2.15 - 3.10
Wednesday 17 June
2.00 - 3.00
Monday 22 June
9.00 - 11.00
Urdu
Listening H
Urdu
Reading F
Urdu
Reading H
Additional
Science
Physics
Arabic
Listening
Arabic
Reading
Arabic
Writing
Product
Design
35min
35min
50min
P2
1hr
2P
1hr
45min
55min
1hr
2hrs
Check your statement of entry. If there are any errors, inform SrNaila
Make sure you know your candidate number
You will need to attend lessons as normal during the exam period unless
told otherwise
Ensure you arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the exam.
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Exam Preparation
The most important part of sitting an examination starts
with the correct preparation.
This includes revision. By now, you should have been
creating revision timetables and be following them!
Before starting your revision, think about:
Which times suit you best, day or evening
Being comfortable – which surroundings and conditions help you to
concentrate
How to vary the work you are doing and how you are doing it
Which is the best way to revise?
Here are some golden rules to help your revise.
Start with
“O my Lord, increase me in knowledge!”
Try not to stare at notes, papers or books – have a break and start again
Break up revision and study periods where you can. It’s easier to
remember information from a few shorter study sessions that one long
one.
Use practical memory aids where relevant: tapes, photographs, pictures,
mind maps
Read your revision notes out loud. You will remember twice as much
Test yourself and ask someone else to test you
Practise past exam papers under timed conditions
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Give yourself targets, rewards and breaks (but not too many!)
Avoid situations that irritate you, prevent you from concentrating or
distract you
Get down to work, rather than wasting time thinking about how much you
have to do
Make your room a revision sanctuary – no phones, TVs, Facebook etc
WORK HARD and PRAY HARD
If you have any concerns about your revision, exam preparation of the exam
itself – your teachers are there to help you.
At the back of the booklet there is a list of revision websites which may help.
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Exam Countdown
Before each exam, make sure you:
Get enough rest and sleep
Go through your revision notes
Active brains need a balanced diet – eat sensibly, don’t skip meals or
make do with snacks
Check on the starting time and allow plenty of time to get there. If you
have to travel by bus/car ensure you have leave early.
Check you have everything you need. Make yourself a checklist.
Check the examination conduct requirements and ensure you have left
all electronic equipment at home.
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Examination Conduct
You must attend all the examinations with the
correct school uniform. Pupils that do not wear the
correct uniform can be excluded from the
examination.
You should arrive in plenty of time for your examinations. You should be
waiting by the Main hall at least 15 minutes before the stated starting
time.
No electronic equipment such as mobile phones, ipods and mp3 players are
allowed in the examination room. Pupils found with such devices will be
reported to the Exam Board and he/she will be disqualified from the
exam.
You should be properly equipped with BLACK pens or biros, pencils, rulers
and other such items as you may need and as allowed by the examining
boards. This needs to be contained within a see through pencil case. The
school will not provide equipment.
Students involved in any misconduct or causing any disturbance to
other candidates in the examination room will be excluded from that
examination and the Exam Board informed.
This could mean that the candidate excluded is disqualified from all
examinations
entered.
Candidates
were
issued
with
the
regulations
regarding conduct at the start of the academic year. A copy can be found
on the school website.
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Attendance
ttendance at Examinations
Students must attend for all the examinations for which they have been
entered. The school will telephone the parents of any absent pupil.
If the pupil fails to attend the examination, without valid reason, then
parents will be liable for the examination fees which are approximately
£40.
In the case of illness or other genuine problems, please inform the
Examinations Officer, SrNaila as soon as possible.
In all cases of illness, please obtain a medical certificate where possible. This is
necessary, since in certain cases the examinations boards will give special
consideration to a candidate who misses part of an examination through illness.
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In the exam
Everyone gets nervous in exams. Take a deep breath before you go in and
remember these guidelines:
Start with
Even though you may be nervous or worried, listen to what the teacher
in charge tells you to do. If it is a written exam, read the instructions
on the question paper carefully before you start writing
Read the questions slowly, then read them again – it’s all too easy to
misread when you are nervous
Choose the questions you think you can answer best, where there is a
choice
Compare the marks allocated to each question and use this as a guide to
the time you spend on each
Allow enough time to answer all the questions and to check back over
your work
Try not to panic if you are unable to answer a question. Move on to the
next question and come back to a difficult one later
Take care with your presentation – the examiners can only mark it if
they can read it!
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After the exam
Try not to talk to fellow candidates after the exam about how you
think you did. Even though you may have found it harder than other
people, you may have answered the question better.
Talk to SrNaila if you were unwell, or you think there were
circumstances that affected your performance
Don’t let exams get you down; talk to your teachers, family or friends
Don’t dwell on your performance – concentrate on preparing for the
next exam.
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AFTER THE EXAMS HAVE FINSIHED
RETURN OF SCHOOL BOOKS & EQUIPMENT
Before leaving school, all students must return any school textbooks, library
books or other equipment in their possession.
EXAM RESULTS
GCSE results are expected in school on Thursday 20th August 2015. They will
be available from 10.30am. Please ensure that the results are picked up at this
time. Results need to be signed for. Results will only be issued to a student’s
family member, if accompanied by a note.
If you are away and wish your results to be posted, YOU MUST PROVIDE A
STAMPED ADDRESSED ENVELOPE MARKED “GCSE” AND LEAVE IT WITH
SrNaila.
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A Page for the Parents
All the information contained within the booklet so far, is aimed at the student.
The following guidance is for parents:
A dedicated quiet space with good natural light or lighting is best for
studying, with no distractions. If you have other children who are not
studying for exams, make sure that they know the importance of
revision time.
Ensure there are no distractions in your child’s room – no phones, TVs,
Facebook etc.
Ensure that your son or daughter has one evening a week away from
their studies. It’s also important that they take regular breaks during
the study periods.
Be around as a 'feeding station' – feed your child lots of healthy food
and proper meals - not too many sugary snacks and junk food.
Offer to help with testing or ask if there is something that you can do
for them – reassure them you are concerned about their welfare more
than the results.
Know your son or daughter's revision timetable. Encourage them to tell
you about what they are studying. If you know that they are not at
their best first thing in the morning, encourage them to rest then and
work when they are more alert. They should choose their
weakest/sleepiest time of day to be sociable and relax at those times.
Know exactly the date, time and location for each exam and incorporate
this into the revision plan and make sure that they have the correct
equipment they need for the exam (calculators, rulers etc.). Know what
they are not allowed to take in to the exam (mobile phones, iPods etc.).
If your son or daughter has a medical condition, e.g. Diabetes, hay
fever etc. make sure that the school knows about it. There are special
considerations for some conditions.
If there is a family crisis, for example bereavement, again ensure that
your son or daughter's teacher knows about it since the additional
stress can affect your child's exam performance.
Make sure that your child is using the internet to study and not as a
resource to give the appearance of study!
Tell them that they can only try their best
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GCSE Revision Websites
The following are websites specifically designed to help you with various
aspects of revision for your GCSEs.
You may well wish to use them combined with other methods of revision.
General
• www.mymaths.co.uk
• www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
• www.revision-notes.co.uk/GCSE/
• http://www.s-cool.co.uk/
• http://www.projectgcse.co.uk/
• http://revisionworld.com/gcse-revision
• http://getrevising.co.uk/
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