This area offers subject-specific guidance to support you in the preparation of exams. There is a wealth of useful advice on how to prepare and plan for exams, including the use of revision timetables and various learning techniques.
Helpful Hints and Advice for Revising
Assessments and exams, particularly public exams, are stressful for both students and their parents/carers. There is no single approach to preparing for exams, and various techniques and practices can be employed. Please find below some advice and links which we hope you and your child will find useful.
Revise at a desk
Do lots of past papers
Ask someone to test you
Put your phone away for the revision period session e.g. 30 mins
Stick revision notes around the house
Make summary notes
Go to extra school revision sessions
READ THE EXAM SCHEDULE PROPERLY - make sure you know the time and place for the right exam.
Journey method - pick a journey you know really well, e.g. walking to school; choose a list or sequence you need to remember; relate each item or stage to part of the journey; when you need to remember it in the exam, go through the journey in your head.
Students are encouraged to use the Personal Learning Checklists to aid revision, monitor their progress and identify specific areas for development. The Business Studies Department has organised revision sessions for students and the timetable will be available soon.
Students have been issued with a bright green revision guide covering both exam papers. They will shortly have access to a bank of practice papers for the new spec. If students complete all of these, they could also complete past papers from the older spec on the OCR website as the content is still relevant.
For revision, the key points for students to remember are:
Learn and use the correct technical terms accurately
Use real examples to support their answers where appropriate
Attempt every question (both while practising exam questions and in the GCSE exams) – leave no blanks
Use P.E.E. structure for longer questions
Students may attend a session in H6 after school each Wednesday if they have any queries or need some extra support. One extra session will be run weekly in the lead-up to exams.
Google Classroom The ICT department uses Google Classroom and Google Drive. Students can access their notes and any relevant PowerPoints etc. through these applications from anywhere.
The best revision your child can do is to re-read the literature texts. They will have studied the following: a play, An Inspector Calls – J.B. Priestley;a Dickens Novell,aA Christmas Carol;theConflict and Power poetryfrom their AQA Poetry Anthology, as well as a Shakespeare text– Romeo and JulietorMacbeth.
As an overview, course content includes reviewing past papers and the mark scheme. We will go over the style of answering questions. Revision guides will be available from the department.
BBC Bitesize – Complete interactive study guides, videos, and quizzes tailored to your exam board. Be sure to select the "Edexcel" exam board.
Quizlet – Ideal for vocabulary flashcards, active recall, and quick self-testing.
Memrise – Official GCSE language courses and native-speaker video clips to improve listening and pronunciation skills.
Languages Online – Interactive grammar exercises and automatic-marking vocabulary tasks.
🏫 School Resources
Google Classroom: Log in to access past papers, classwork, and GCSE practice listening tests uploaded by your teacher.
GCSE Core Support: Digital revision booklets and grammar activities are available online for each of the 6 GCSE themes.
A-Level Transition & Grade 9 Candidates: Advanced "push" resources to bridge the gap to A-Level, featuring "Wow" phrases to elevate your writing and speaking scores.
🚀 Going the Extra Mile? (High-Grade Resources)
If you are aiming for a Grade 9 or transitioning to A-Level, check out these advanced online and print resources:
Lawless French – Fantastic, in-depth grammar and vocabulary breakdowns for advanced learners.
StudySpanish – The ideal Spanish equivalent for rigorous grammar tutorials and advanced practice.
Duolingo Courses: Great for quick, gamified daily practice to keep core vocabulary and basic grammar sharp:
The exam is Unit 1: Listening to and Appraising Music - 1 hour; 80 marks; 20% of GCSE
Students will respond to questions based on short musical excerpts, drawing on music from all five Areas of Study: Rhythm & Metre; Harmony & Tonality; Texture & Melody; Timbre & Dynamics; Structure & Form.
Key Revision points: • Remember all keywords • Read the question carefully • Look at how many marks each question is worth and make sure you make the required number of points e.g. if it is 2 marks, make sure you make 2 points.
The AQA PE exam is assessed over 2 papers. Both papers are 1 hour and 15 minutes long and split into 3 assessment objectives:
AO1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (multiple choice and recall questions)
AO2: Apply knowledge and understanding of the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (short answer questions)
AO3: Analyse and evaluate the factors that underpin performance and involvement in physical activity and sport (Extended answer questions- 6 & 9 marker)
Practice exam papers and mark schemes are on the AQA website and Google Classroom. When practising exam papers, students should allow one minute per mark—use the time, don’t rush, as that is when silly mistakes are made.
To revise, students should read through the list of topics and cover ALL topics using their exercise books. They should also follow the revision schedule, use the topic booklets, and use acronyms to trigger key information (SPORTFITT). Finally, students should attend all revision sessions!
CDG Revision Guides - available to buy (£6.50) from the PE office.
Use the GCSE textbookyou use in lessons to help form your revision and make notes. Below are your revision guides. Please use these to enhance your revision.
The Science department has available for purchase the revision guides for your child’s course in either Triple Science or Core/Additional Science. The guides include revision material, exam questions and answers.
Kerboodle
Kerboodlegives access to useful lessons, revision materials and worksheets (and ISA homework).
Login details are as follows: Use Google Single Sign-on (school email and password)
