Study Support

Exam Preparation – Things to Do

• Attend ALL after school revision lessons – they are there to help you!
• Prepare a REVISION PLAN – a revision timetable and topic planner will help schedule your revision.
• Do NOT leave revision until the last minute!
• LEARN – REVISE – TEST YOURSELF
• Condense Your Notes
• Draw Mind Maps
• Make Flow Charts
• Use Flash Cards
• Use memory techniques
• Understand COMMAND WORDS used in exam questions.
• Practice Essay Skills for longer questions.
• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE – use Practice Papers – past exam papers can be found on all exam board websites or ask your teacher for some.

Seneca Learning is an excellent online tool that can be used to support revision in any of your subjects. It is a fantastic resource that learning professionals highly recommend to help with the all important exam preparation. To get start click the image above.

Maths Genie is an excellent online resource to help Year 11 GCSE maths students boost their numeracy skills and prepare for their all important GCSE Maths examinations. To get start click the image above.

Other Useful Links to Help with Exam Preparation

• All The Revision and Exam Tips You’ll Ever Need

• Exam Stress and Pressure (Childline)

• Countdown to exams (BBC Bitesize)

• Supporting Your Child During Exam Time (Young Minds)

Personalised Learning – Parent and Pupil Guidelines

What is homework?

DfES National Framework
“Homework refers to any work or activities which pupils are asked to do outside of lesson time, either on their own or with parents and carers”

Southmoor Academy
As an Academy, we have developed support for pupils to complete more of their additional work by using ICT or e-learning. Our Sir Tom Cowie Suite hosts over 100 computers and is available to all pupils before and after school, as well as lunchtimes. We also run regular catch-up and intervention lessons to assist our students.

The Academy also utilises the ‘Show My Homework‘ system to help parents monitor and support their child’s homework

Study Smarter

1. Study in the Same Place
Find a quiet place with plenty of room. Study at the same place every time — desk in bedroom, kitchen table, library etc.

2. Study at the Same Time
What time of day do you study best? Use that time every day to study.

3. Use a Homework Box
Keep all your homework supplies in one place. Keep them organized ready to be used.

4. Cut Out All Distractions
Concentrate on your homework. TV should be turned off and music turned down. Phonecalls should be taken after you have finished studying.

5. Do the Hard Stuff First
Dreading an assignment? Know it requires a lot of work? Do it first! Your brain will be fresh – leave smaller tasks to later.

6. Schedule Long Term Projects
Break up large projects into smaller parts. Set yourself a deadline for completing each part.

7. Review Regularly
Homework is not just what you are given every night. A regular review of your notes should be a part of your homework plan. A few minutes each day will pay off considerably when it comes to tests, SAT’s and exams.

8. Write up a Contract
Sit down with your parents and write up a homework contract at the beginning of each term. What is expected of each of you and gives you all an input into your homework.

9. Schedule Each Homework Session
When you sit down to do your homework make up a quick plan for how you are going to do it. Break it up into blocks of time that you will spend on each task.

10. Avoid Doing a Marathon
If you have followed Tip No.9 this should never happen! However, you need breaks and marathon study sessions are the least productive way to study.

Appropriate Homework

Homework will consolidate, reinforce and extend classwork, and will be set approximately every 3 lessons. Tasks will be matched to the age, needs and ability of the students and to the scheme of work being covered in the lessons.

Homework will develop study skills that are essential to the students’ development as independent learners. Homework is more than just a written task given to pupils each lesson.

A range of suitable homework tasks include:

Useful Study Support Websites

Below you will find a variety of online resources and links to help you with your homework or revision. Don’t forget that we also utilises the ‘Show My Homework‘ system.

www.bbc.co.uk/education/revision
www.projectgcse.co.uk 
www.schoolscience.co.uk 
www.topmarks.co.uk 
www.howstuffworks.com 
www.nationalgallery.org.uk 
www.sosmath.com 
www.gcsescience.com 
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk