Category: Exam Prep

7 proven techniques to answer exam questions are:

1. Mindset

It is true that everything that they ask you in any exam is based upon something that you have done. This single belief transforms your approach to questions, and you will lose a lot of the fear.

• Layers

Do the exam in “layers”, i.e., do it more than once. Go through all the questions quickly at first, mentally noting answers or writing one word that could prompt you later. Then go back to the easiest question and start writing in the answers properly.

• The Order

At the start of the exam, you are not at your best. You may be nervous, and it takes a bit of time to get comfortable. If you start at question 1 and it’s a beast, then it could harm your confidence instantly. Start with question 4 if it is the one that you could do easily and build some confidence.

• Intensity

Generally, you should be intense ready for the exam almost controlled aggression. If you are too laid back, you will run out of time. But also, when you have a sense of urgency or intensity, it can sometimes enable you to magically pull answers out of the air.

• The “Magic” Technique: Warming Up!

Read over some notes for 15-20 minutes on the morning of the exam. The aim is just to warm up, not to test yourself or to learn anything, just to get the brain focussed upon the subject.

Once in the exam hall, read through a question from start to finish before you start to write anything.

• Answering Questions

The main part of answering questions is done mentally very quickly with structure and clarity. Every single answer must flow and be easy to read. So just by studying properly with concepts and recognition in mind, you will improve drastically at this part.

• Silly Mistakes

If you can stop making silly mistakes you will save yourself so many marks. This should be the first place you look at in your overall exam process to improve your marks quickly. You must leave time at the end of the exam to go back through the paper looking for silly mistakes. This will also save you many marks. Goodluck!

A-level students nationwide are beginning to wrap up their coursework and leave school for study leave in order to revise for their upcoming exams. Some students are prepared – they have a comprehensive revision plan, several years of mock exams to complete,  a thorough set of notes and a firm understanding of the course content. Other students may not be so well prepared – they have something that resembles a revision plan, a few mock exams that they have downloaded from the internet, a binder full of handouts, scribbled notes and marked exams and a weak understanding of the course material.

When the results are published over the summertime, the results at an initial glance seem to follow a predictable trend. Those students that were well prepared earned or exceeded their predicted grade. And those students that weren’t well prepared earned less than their predicted grade and have placed their entry into the university of their choice in jeopardy. And yet there are those few students that either seemed on track to earn their predicted grade on the exam and didn’t and those students that were predicted to earn a low grade on the exam that performed exceedingly well on the exam and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Are you concerned about how you will do on your A-level chemistry exams? Are you concerned that you may not be studying effectively for your exams? And are you curious about how some students earn top grades on their exam even though they seem to be woefully underprepared?

This two-part blog post will discuss the revision plan used by A* students when studying for their A-level exams in order for them to achieve an A* on their exams. It will also discuss the reasons why some students although woefully underprepared manage to earn a grade higher than their predicted grades on their A-level exams.

Revision Plan: Start With The End In Mind

Stephen Covey has an excellent quote “Begin with the end in mind”, that is one of the habits that he discusses in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” Before revising for their exams A* students know what grade they want on their final exam. They create a study plan that maps out the topics that they will be revising during the weeks leading up to the exam.

However, they don’t just start with the first topic in the course specification and then move onto the second topic and work their way through each topic in the syllabus in sequential order. Rather they see the synoptic links between the topics taught in the first year and the topics taught in the second year of the course. For example, they study the topic of energetics with thermodynamics and the topics of kinetics with rate equations. This is because energetics and kinetics are taught in the first year of the course and thermodynamics and rate equations are taught in the second year of the course.

Excellent revision plans all start with the end in mind – the grade that the student wants to earn on the final exam. And a well laid out plan so that they know what topics they are studying each week. However, A* students also know the value of the content and the context of the course material.

How To Create Your Revision Plan

• Write down what grade they want on your final exam.
• Create a study plan that maps out the topics that you be revising during the weeks leading up to the exam.
• Develop your revision plan based on the synoptic links between the topics taught in the first year and the topics taught in the second year of the course.  

Build A Firm Foundation With Content

A* students have a system of strategies in place in order to build a firm foundation in the content of the course. A* students have a preferred note taking system that they use in all of their A-level courses. Some students use the Cornell note taking method, others use the mind mapping method or a combination of both of these methods.

It doesn’t matter what note taking method you use as long as the system that you use produces a set of notes that you can refer to while you study for the exam. They also have organised sets of folders that contains all of their classwork, homework sets and past papers.

A* students know that they need to study using active learning rather than passive learning techniques. Rather than copy over their notes and make a fresh set of notes on the topic, A* students spend a short time making a colour coded mind map of the topic that summarises the main points of the topic. They know that their time is better spent completing past paper questions and updating their mind map after they complete each set of past paper questions rather than spending their time copying over their notes.

If you don’t have a good set of notes or have a disorganised folder there is still hope that you can earn a respectable grade on the final exam for the course. You are better off creating a colour coded mind map of the subtopics covered in the topic using the specification as a guide rather than creating a master set of notes in the weeks leading up to your final exams. Although it may seem counter intuitive, using active learning strategies such as completing past paper questions and updating your mind maps along the way as you revise for a topic is a better strategy than the passive learning strategy of creating a fresh master set of notes for each topic.

Build A Firm Foundation With Content

• Have an organised sets of folders that contains all of your classwork, homework sets and past papers
• Use either the Cornell note taking method, the mind mapping method or a combination of both of these methods in order to take notes
• Spend a short amount of time making a colour coded mind map of the topic that summarises the main points of the topic at the beginning of each revision session.
• Spend the rest of your revision session completing past paper questions and updating your mind map after you complete each set of past paper questions

Putting A Plan Together Using The Context Of The Course

As mentioned earlier, A* students tend to have the ability to see the synoptic links between the topics covered in the first and second year of the course. However, they also revise for each topic by question type rather than just completing packs of past paper questions. This strategy allows them to model how to answer each question correctly and then reinforce the correct way of answering the question by answering several questions in a revision session.

For example, A* students may decide to revise 6-mark questions as part of their revision plan. Rather than complete all of the 6-mark questions in a session they spend some time reviewing how to answer the 6-mark question in terms of indicative chemistry content and the three levels of explanation. They then complete a 6-mark question, mark it using the mark scheme, update their mind map for the topic and reflect on how they can improve their score on the next 6-mark question.

Once they have completed their revision for the 6-mark question they use a similar strategy when revising for a 5-mark mechanism question, a 4-mark calculation question, a 3-mark concept question, a 2-mark definition question or a 1-mark multiple choice question.

When creating their revision plan for the topic, A* students schedule their time by types of question that they will revise rather than revising the content of the topic. They know that this type of active learning will help earn them a good grade on their final exams because when they see the question on the exam they will recall the model answer for the question type, the steps required to to answer the question and earn the most points possible as well as the content required to answer the question.

Put A Plan Together Using The Context Of The Course

• Revise by question type
• Model how to answer the question correctly several times in a revision session
• Update their mind map for the topic
• Reflect on how you can improve your score on another similar type of question

5 Strategies For Creating An Effective Revision Plan To Earn An A* in A-Level Chemistry

When creating an effective revision plan, A* students use the following strategies listed below. They are more focused on deciding what they are going to do each week rather than focusing on using each minute of each hour of the day.

Strategies Used By A* Students

Step 1

Start with the end in mind – what grade do you want to earn on the final exam in the course?

Step 2

Pair up topics that fit together – for example kinetics and rate equations.

Step 3

Consolidate content – spend a small amount of time creating a colour coded mind map for each topic using the specification as a guide.

Step 4

Study by question type for each topic – for example 6-mark questions and then update the mind map for the topic.

Step 5

Complete whole past paper questions under timed conditions.

As a parent do you wish that there were meaningful A-level success tips that you could pass on to your child? Like many parents, you may notice that the transition from GCSEs to A-levels can be a challenging time for your child due to a number of reasons. They may have to travel to a sixth form college on their own and navigate the local public transportation system during the morning rush hour. They have a get used to a schedule where they are not micromanaged by their teachers like they were in their GCSE courses. And they have to adapt to a new learning environment where the teacher teaches the concepts in a discussion-based format and they consolidate their learning by completing packs of past paper questions as part of their homework set.

A lot of students struggle to transition to A-levels from their GCSEs during the first term of their A-level courses. The primary reason for this is that they don’t know how to handle the workload associated with being an A-level student. They are expected to learn how to handle the workload as they are learning how to navigate the local public transportation system, learning how to manage their time, learning how to study effectively and learning the course material!

As a parent, you realise that there is a lot of pressure on your child to be successful in their A-levels. After all, their place on their university course depends on the grades that they get on their A-level exams. Learning how to manage their workload is something that all sixth form students need to master if they are going to be successful in their A-levels.

This blog post contains five A-level success tips to help your child manage their workload. If you want to help them learn how to manage A-levels and how to manage their workload then keep on reading!

A-Level Success Tips: Is Your Child In A Reactive or Proactive State?

When discussing how to handle their workload with your child the first step you need to take is to determine whether your child is in a reactive or a proactive state. If your child is in a reactive state then they will be experiencing negative stress which is unhealthy for them. They will feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to accomplish in their A-level courses. They will feel that they don’t have enough time to complete their homework sets. And they will feel that they don’t have time to prepare for their EOU tests.

If your child is in a proactive state then they will be feeling positive stress which is healthy for them. They will still have the same deadlines as the child who is in a reactive state but they will feel as if they can handle the workload of the A-level courses. They will feel that although they are working hard at their studies that they have enough time to complete their homework sets. And although it’s normal to feel nervous about taking exams they will feel that they are prepared for their EOU tests.

As a parent, in order to complete the first step, you need to determine whether your child is in the reactive or proactive state and explain to them that it is possible to move from the reactive to the proactive state. This can be accomplished by planning out their time more effectively.

Help your child manage their workload by completing this A-level success tip:

• Explaining to them the difference between a reactive and proactive state.
• Explain the difference between negative stress (unhealthy) and positive stress (healthy).
• Determine whether they are in a reactive or a proactive state.

Long Term Planning

The second step you need to take with your child is to help them plan their time more effectively. This can be accomplished by helping them with their long term planning. To start with they will need a paper planner or a calendar which they can purchase either online or from their local stationery store. Or they can print one off from the internet.

It doesn’t matter what type of planner they have or where they obtain the planner as long as they have the ability to plan three or four months into the future. The reason why they need to plan three or four months into the future is that this is the typical length of a term. School terms normally last between 12 weeks (3 months) or 16 weeks (4 months).

The first task that they are going to accomplish is to write down all of the events that they know are going to occur during the term. For example, they would record vacation days and the beginning and end of the half-term vacation. And they would record any days of school that they are missing due to school-sanctioned events. These may include medicine academy events, engineering field trips or university open days.

A quick win at this point in order to foster a positive relationship with your child’s tutor is to let them know in advance when they are planning on being absent from school. This can easily be achieved by making a note on the planner on the seventh day prior to the event happening that your child will email their tutor and let them know that they plan on being absent on that day. Teachers also plan their school term and they really appreciate knowing in advance if a student is planning on being absent so they can move EOU tests or practicals.

Help your child manage their workload:

• Help them obtain a planner either from the internet or their local stationery store.
• Help them record any vacation days and the start and end of the half-term vacation.
• Help them write in their planner the dates of any events that they plan on attending during the term.
• Help them make a note on their planner to email their teacher seven days in advance to let them know in advance of their absence from class.

Medium Term Planning

The third step you need to take with your child is the medium-term planning. This involves planning out each month of the three or four-month long term plan in as much detail as possible. Have your child ask their teacher when the due dates are for the assessments in their course. This includes items such as EOU tests, practicals, quizzes and homework sets. Most teachers plan either a half-term or a term in advance so they will probably be able to tell your child when these events are occurring each month.

If they can’t tell your child the exact dates these events are occurring then have your child ask them the frequency at which they are occurring each month. For example, they may tell your child that since the class is covering a topic once every three weeks then they can expect an EOU test once every four weeks. Or that the practicals occur once every three weeks.

The idea is that your child obtains as much information as possible about the assessments occurring in their courses and writes these dates into their planners. This way they are not worried when the teacher announces these events. Rather they were expecting them to occur and they had planned ahead in their planners to be ready for these events.

Help your child manage their workload:

• Have them ask their teacher for the due dates of any recurring events such as EOU tests, practicals, quizzes and homework sets.
• Have your child write these events into their planner for each month of the term.

A-Level Success Tips: The Three Day Rule

The fourth step you need to take with your child is to help them implement the three-day rule. The three-day rule is what allows your child to transition from the reactive state to the proactive state. Although this is a simple rule to follow it is one of the important steps out of the five steps mentioned in this blog post. It is one of the A-level success tips that you definitely want to explain to your child.

Let’s assume that your child is given homework by their teacher which is due on Friday. Your child would immediately write the due date of their assignment into their planner. They then count back three days from the due date and make a note that they will start their homework set on Tuesday.

As soon as they receive the homework from their teacher they read through the questions on the homework and make sure that they understand the questions. They also make sure that they understand the concept being tested in the homework. If they are unclear about anything in the homework they ask their teacher for clarification and help to understand the concept before they leave college for the day.

On Tuesday (3 days out) they complete their master set of notes for the topic. On Wednesday (2 days out) they complete their homework assignment. On Thursday (1 day out) they review their homework assignment to make sure that they have answered all of the questions correctly, place it into their day folder and put the folder into their book bag.

By implementing this rule your child is not working into the early hours of the morning the day before the assignment is due. They are not feeling as if they don’t have enough time to complete the assignment and understand the concepts on the homework set. They are not feeling negative stress! Rather they are completing each step of the three-day plan in a timely manner each day.

The three-day rule is a suggested amount of time that your child should be spending on their assignments. It is a flexible rule and can be adapted as your child works through their course work. For example, if they find that they need four days in order to complete their A-level chemistry homework the next time they are given homework in their A-level chemistry class they budget four days to complete the homework set rather than three days. And they update their planner accordingly.

Help your child manage their workload:

• Help them understand the three-day rule.
• Help them understand that the three-day rule is flexible.

Short Term Planning

The fifth step you need to take with your child is short term planning. This involves implementing the three-day rule in all of their courses and for all of their assignments. If they implement the three-day rule for all of their courses they will have a detailed plan for what they need to accomplish each day. Each of the A-level success tips mentioned in this blog post is important in their own right but your child needs to especially implement this one in order to be successful.

If they know about the assignment from their long term and medium-term planning they can easily implement the three-day rule for each assignment by counting backwards from the due date three days and completing their notes on day one, the assignment on day two and checking their work on day three.

If they don’t know the due date of the assignment from long term and medium-term planning but rather are given the assignment in class then the rule still applies. As soon as they are given the assignment they make a note of the due date in their planner and count back three days to start the process of the three-day rule.

Since they have completed this process for all of their coursework they will have populated each day of their planner with specific tasks that they need to complete for each of their courses. For example, they may have to read a given number of pages of their textbook for their A-level history class, complete a past paper for their A-level physics class and revise for an upcoming EOU test for their A-level chemistry class. To help your child create a revision plan for their EOU exams read the blog post Revision Plan.

Help your child manage their workload:

• Help them implement the three-day rule for all of the assignments in all of their courses and write down what they need to complete each day in their planner.
• Help them stick to the plan and complete each of the tasks they need to complete each day on their planner.

What Happens If Your Child Is Overwhelmed With Work?

If your child is in a reactive state and is overwhelmed with work you can help them transition to a proactive state. You need to talk to your child and explain that it is possible to move to a proactive state in two easy steps. First, they need to put in some extra work and effort in order to get caught up with their course work. Second, they need to spend about an hour and complete their planning for the course and implement the three-day rule.

Hopefully, you have found the A-level success tips mentioned in this blog post to be beneficial and will explain them to your child. The workload at A-levels can be daunting for your child as they transition from GCSE to A-level. However, with careful planning of their time and sticking to a schedule they can have a successful A-level experience.