Specification: AQA Science
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/science
Revision books: Look through the revision guide you were given last year, read some of the pages and make your own notes. Then attempt the questions from the book.
Flash cards: Create flash cards of the areas you need to concentrate on and get family to test you at home. Once you have mastered that section of the specification move onto another.
Mind Maps: Create a mind map to connect everything you have learnt about a topic.
Use past papers: Complete a past paper and then watch the video walkthrough of how to answer the questions. Papers and video walkthroughs are available on Year 11 Teams, Science revision channel. See the link below.
Links to online revision:
Teams Science Revision Channel: https://teams.microsoft.com/v2/
Free science lesson videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/freesciencelessons
Physics and Maths tutor: https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/
Helping our students with R.E revision.
RE specification:
https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies-gcse/#tab_keydocuments
Revision strategies:
- Flashcards – use them to identify the ‘Need to Knows’, including any quotes.
- Don’t try to learn everything – just ensure you can articulate all of the topic areas clearly.
- Practice your exam technique, using the specific demands of each question to guide you.
Links to online revision materials/ practice
- All of teams in the Class Materials section of your RE Teams account.
- https://www.eduqas.co.uk/qualifications/religious-studies-gcse/#tab_keydocuments for past papers to practice.
Here at OLSB we have been focusing on how to help prepare students for their GCSE’s. At parents evening we had a number of parents asking what they could do to help support revision for their child. Over the next 2 weeks we are going to send you some top tips to promote with your child, focusing on a different subject each day. Today is the turn of French.
Revision strategies:
- Use Languagenut to practise listening and reading questions. Pupils have their own log in - if they have forgotten they need to ask their French teacher.
- Linguascope marks the questions there and then so pupils know the areas and question types they need to work on more.
- For the speaking test, ask your child the questions in English and they can give you their answer in French. They all have their yellow booklet or photos of their yellow booklet to revise from.
- Come to the Easter revision session - 2nd Tuesday of the holidays from 10-12. We will focus on speaking as the final GCSE speaking tests will be the 3rd week back after Easter.
- Revise little and often. Pupils should do short, sharp bursts of revision regularly rather than sitting for extended periods of time.
Helpful revision resources:
Languagenut
Linguascope (user: mflolsb Pass: mfl8114) >French >Intermediate
BBC Bitesize
Specification: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/gcse/french-8658/specification-at-a-glance
GCSE Maths Exam Tips
The maths department were asked to share their essential advice on taking the Mathematics GCSE.
Here’s what they had to say:
Tip #1. Practise the easy things
There will be lots of questions on an exam paper that test topics you understand well. It is important that you get lots of practice at these questions and minimise the risk of making silly mistakes and losing unnecessary marks.
Tip #2. Break down longer questions when revising
When practising longer problems, it may be a good idea to ignore the question for a minute or two and simply work out everything you can from the information presented.
For example, write down all the angles you can work out on a diagram and then look at the question to see what it’s asking for. Very often you will find that you’ve already found the answer, or you may be just one step away from it.
Tip #3. Get to know your calculator
Two of the three GCSE maths papers expect you to be able to use a calculator effectively and efficiently.
- Practise using the trig functions and carrying out longer calculations using brackets etc.
Tip #4. Do lots of practice. Then do some more!
- There is very little in maths that you can learn from reading. You need to get on and do some questions.
- This might be past papers or groups of questions on a topic you need to work on, or material you can find online. Just do lots of maths!
- Make use of Mathswatch, Maths Genie, Corbett Maths and onMaths.
- Go back over papers you have already done and have another go. You will see yourself improving and build your confidence.
Tip #5. Ensure you read the question properly
Then read it again! We see lots of examples every year where students have done some accurate work, but haven’t answered the question asked.
- If an answer is asked for in particular units, give your response in those units, otherwise you will lose out on marks.
- Similarly, if an answer must be to a number of decimal places or significant figures, make sure you give the answer in the requested format. Again, you will lose out on marks if you don’t.
Tip #6. Show your working
Well-structured answers with a few words of explanation will help you answer questions.
- It will make it easier for you to follow your working and make the right choice for the next step in your answer.
- Showing your working demonstrates to the examiner your understanding of the task and shows your thought process.
- Using the appropriate processes to answer the question could still earn you marks, even if you get the final answer wrong.
Tip #7. Keep going right to the end of a paper.
You will be able to pick up lots of marks for partly answering questions even if you cannot get to the end.
Attempt to do something on every question – both in the exam and when you’re revising.
Useful websites:
Mathswatch https://vle.mathswatch.co.uk/vle
Username: ***@ourladyandstbede Password: Ourlady
Maths Genie Revision https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/gcse.html
Maths Genie Exam Papers including Predicted papers https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/papers.html
Maths Genie Predicted Papers https://www.mathsgenie.co.uk/resources.html
Corbett Maths Revision Lists, Exam Papers https://corbettmaths.com/2023/08/01/gcse-revision/
OnMaths Predicted Papers https://www.onmaths.com/
GCSE Examination Boards
Foundation Tier OCR J560
Higher Tier Edexcel 1MA1
Top tips for History revision:
Mind Map: Make a mind map based on topics in your specific exams. For example, for your Germany paper, create a mind map based on Part 1: Kaiser Wilhelm and his actions leading up to World War One.
Flash Cards: Write questions on one side of the card and the answer on the other. Make them short answers like dates and names, terms of the Treaty of Versailles etc.
Timeline: Create a timeline for each paper that looks at key events over the paper. Focus on any changes or specific events that impacted people.
Podcasts: Listen to the Podcasts on your TEAMS page about Health and the People or go into BBC Bitesize AQA and listen to the Norman podcasts.
This link has access to all AQA Germany topics with content and knowledge quizzes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zskcg82
Podcasts for Health and the People can be found on your individual class TEAMS page. Listen to these and do the quizzes then create revision based on gaps in your knowledge.
You have all been given revision folders, if you have lost anything speak to your class teacher so you can get a new one.
This link has access to all AQA Health and the People topics with content and knowledge quizzes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zmmy3j6
Both links have past papers for the topics we carry out in GCSE History, why not attempt a practice exam question or an exam paper under timed conditions.
https://www.fastpastpapers.com/GCSE_AQA_History_exam_papers.html
Parents should also be advised that pupils were given AQA revision guides in a folder at the start of the year, if they ring the school we can provide pupils with them again if they have lost theirs. These a vital revision tools to be creating revision materials from and completing their practice exam questions each week.
- the URL link for your specification
https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/history/gcse/history-8145/subject-content/understanding-the-modern-world#AB_Germany_18901945_Democracy_and_dictatorship
https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/history/specifications/AQA-8145-SP-2016.PDF
Helping our students revise in Geography.
Please see the link to the AQA Geography specification: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/geography/gcse/geography-8035
Top tips.
1. Go through the checklists which cover everything on the specification, rank how you feel about them.
2. If there are parts you don’t understand or feel need the most revision go on GCSE POD and watch a video on that content.
3. Then try and attempt the exam style question in the spec, or past exam questions on that topic which can be found on TEAMS.
4. The next best thing to do is practice exam questions which your Geography Teacher will mark and give feedback on.
The more exam practice you get, the better.
Any issues getting logged onto GCSE POD message Mr McEvoy on Teams and he will send your login.
Your login should be
Username: Your name (no capitals or spaces)
Password: password123 (no capitals)
Revision strategies for computer science:
Look at the specification or your QLA from your last mock and see your weaker areas and concentrate on these. This will give you the starting point of where you need to focus your attention on.
Re-write text: Look through the revision guide you were given last year, read some of the pages and rewrite it out.
Use past papers: Answer these independently first, once you can't do anymore refer to your notes/revision material to answer the rest of the paper. Once you have completed the paper then use the mark scheme to then see how you can improve further.
Flash cards: Create flash cards of the areas you need to concentrate on and get family to test you at home. Once you have mastered that section of the specification move onto another.
Smart Revise: Use Smart Revise to answer multiple choice questions on specific areas of the spec, this is an easy one to do when you are in the car or only have a few minutes. It will then let you know which ones you got wrong and direct you to videos on how to improve your knowledge on this area.
Know it – list it – test it: Write down what you already know about a certain area of the specification. Once you have wrote down all you know then refer to your revision guide to see what you have missed, close the revision guide then add the information you have missed from memory to your notes.
Links to online revision:
Smart revise: https://smartrevise.online/
BBC Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zmtchbk
Craig and Dave: https://student.craigndave.org/J277
Specification: OCR GCSE Computer Science J277
https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/558027-specification-gcse-computer-science-j277.pdf
Online resources:
Smart revise: https://smartrevise.online/
Username: school email address e.g smithj19@olsbstudent.bhcet.org.uk
Password: school login password
Helping our students for Art and Design
AQA specification for Fine Art, 3D design, Photography and Textiles:
As the majority of the arts exam were completed before the Easter holidays, we need all students to be focusing on improving coursework grades. Coursework is all the work completed in year 10 and the first term of Year 11.
Coursework is worth 60% of the final GCSE grade and therefore it is vital that pupils focus on completing work and making the improvements that are needed to strengthen their grade.
At home you should see pupils working on their sketchbooks and folders.
Every pupil was given feedback on the areas to focus their improvements, by their class teacher.
Use of OneDrive will be useful for completion and improvements on Investigation pages.
The final deadline for coursework is 3rd May