Learning & Teaching News

Exam Time

Once again, we are at the time of the semester where Year 10, 11 and 12 students are entering the exam period.  At the end of Semester 1, these exams are designed to give students experience of preparing for and undertaking exams so that when they do their final Year 12 exams, they will be familiar with the processes, style of question and how to answer it, and how to prepare well. Unfortunately, last year our current Year 11s did not get to experience Year 10 exams and so both Year 10 and Year 11 students will be undertaking this experience for the first time.  To ensure success in exams, as with any assessment, preparation is the key.  Here is some advice on how you can prepare for your exams.

1. Prepare a study schedule: You should allocate time to finish homework and final assessment tasks for your subjects, time to revise the work from the semester in preparation for the exam, and down time to take care of your wellbeing.  You should be doing exam revision each day from now until your exams are over.
2. Summarise your work: Don’t spend time rewriting your notes from class to make them neater, rather spend the time summarising what you have been learning in a succinct format that allows you to easily access the information and learn it.  I like to use tables, diagrams and mind maps to summarise my notes.
3. Consider using flashcards for anything you need to memorise or facts that you need to know. You can use websites that already have flashcards made such as Quizlet, or go old school and make your own with pen and paper. Don’t just make them though, go through them regularly to test yourself on what you can remember
4. Complete practice tasks: Your teachers would have provided you with numerous questions and tasks throughout the semester that you can access for practice.  You also have tasks in your textbooks, Edrolo, and practice exams. Do as many as you can, and make sure to check with worked answers to see if you have got them correct, and if not, why not.
5. Use your teachers: Your teachers are here to help you.  If you do not understand, ask for an explanation.  Do practice essays and give them to your teacher for feedback.  Teachers love nothing more than being able to help students finally learn something that they have struggled with.

Good luck in your preparation for the exams and make the most of this learning experience.

Mr Andrew Mitchell                                          Mr David Hansen

Senior Years Curriculum Leader                 Deputy Principal - Learning and Teaching

– Clyde North