GENERAL TIPS.
Taking GCSE or A Level exams is a bit like going for the Olympics. It helps a lot to be fit and how you make out is going to have a big effect on the rest of your life.
Be real good to yourself. Eat good, sleep good and try and take exercise and loads of fresh air. Stay clear of tobacco, booze and druggery. If you find youre getting stressed out talk about it: talk to your friends, your parents, your teachers. People will listen and help.
REVISION TIPS.
Although your teachers will pace lessons so that you should peak out at exam time, its a good idea to get extra insurance by having your own personal plan.
( 1 ) Find out when your exam days are ( you can check your exam timetable directly on our site ) , once youve got the days right, mark them in on a wall calander. Then divide up the time youve got between the subjects. Short revision stints for each subject is safe; say one or two consecutive days on your maths then one or two on the french followed followed by a few days on english lit. and so on. Once youve covered all the subjects start the cycle again with the first one.
( 2 ) Concentrate, boil down your notes to the essentials. Some people find puting the facts down on cards helps. If you havent got the time to concentrate your notes, bookshops will often have condensed notes for a particular subject. You can order online from the Letts-Revise site a useful range of GCSE and A level revision aids. The site also includes tips about what to do at exam time.
( 3 ) Its a good idea to get familiar with real exam questions as soon as possible. You can get past papers directly from the board that is setting your exam. Try doing a paper under exam conditions; no notes and clock yourself.
( 4 ) If youre stuck on something dont hesitate to ask your teacher or class mates. There is also an Internet question line service run by the BBC, called "gcse bite size ", where you can email GCSE exam questions and get an answer posted on their site notice board. Your question doesnt allways get selected and if it is you may have to wait a couple of days to see it. Helpful example questions and answers are given for a range of GCSE subjects on the revise.it website. A very useful overview of educational websites is given by the topmarks site that describes and provides links to over 1200 sites. We give a listing of other gcse and A level exam web sites on our useful links page. Again, it is sometimes well worth it to invest in a bit of private tuition where you pay a teacher to help you sort your problems face to face and one to one. Fees for a private tutor vary from about £15 to £25 per hour.
( 5 ) If your not already doing it, its a very good idea to form a revision group with mates who are doing the same subjects. You get together after school and maybe go over a past paper pooling your knowledge.
EXAM DAY TIPS.
Be cool, be prepared.
( 1 )On the day before the exam be sure you know what time the exam is and where its being held. If its somewhere you havent been before, find out how you get there and how long it takes. If your going by car or public transport give yourself at least an extra 40 minutes.
( 2 )On the day before also check your kit. Make sure your pens and calculators are all working. Take extra pens and also a watch or even a small bedside clock; there might not be a wall clock in the examination room.
( 3 )If your the sort that has to do last minute revision, dont stay up too late on the night before the exam.
( 4 ) At the start of the exam, have a quick read through all the questions. Tick off the ones you feel best about. Do these questions first. Try not to spend more than the allocated time on each question; if youre meant to do four questions in an hour dont spend more than 15 minutes on each one. Keep the difficult questions to last.
( 5 ) Always be very sure to read the question carefully. Always do as many questions as you are asked; you can usually pick up a few marks even on the nightmare questions.
( 6 ) Dont forget to put your name and number where its asked for.
( 7 ) Last but not least; be extra nice to the examiner ( the person who has to mark your work ); dont be longwinded, try and keep your handwriting neat and legible.