Year 11 Information Evening

Year 11 - Countdown to Exams

Brighouse High School

Welcome to the

Year 11

GCSE Preparation Evening

September 2019



Outline of evening

• Exam arrangements

• Preparing for the exams

– Mrs Brierley

• Core subjects

– Mr Simpson (English)

– Mr Storah (Maths)

– Mr Samaddar (Science)

• Support



Level 3 A levels or Equivalent Entry Requirements

3 Academic Subjects Assessment: 100% examination

Or a combination of academic/vocational subjects

3 Vocational SubjectsAssessment: Coursework & examination

A minimum of 5 GCSE at grade 5-9

Must include English language & Maths at grade 5 or above

For subjects chosen at A level the GCSE grade in that subject must be a minimum of a grade 5.

Many subjects have higher entry requirements such as Science and Maths

A minimum of 5 GCSE at grade 4-9

Must include English language at grade 4 or above

Students who do not gain a grade 4 in GCSE Maths can re-sit the qualification

Next Steps



Brighouse Sixth Form

CollegeOpen EveningWednesday

27th November 6.00pm Follow sixth form life

@BHS_6th_Form



Timeline – Key DatesMock Exam

results(Weds 11th)

Tracking 2(Fri 10th )

Parents Evening

(Weds 15th)

Exam timetables published

Easter Revision School

(Wed 15th–Fri 17th)

Half-term revision(Wed 27th–Fri 29th)

GCSE Exam contingency day

(Wed 24th)


First GCSE Exam (Mon 11th)

6th Form Open Evening

(Weds 27th)

6th Form Taster Day (Weds 12th )

Mock Exams (20th – 26th)

Final GCSE Exam (Thurs 18th)

XMAS HT HTEASTER

JuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuaryDecemberNovemberOctober




Mock Exams

• Wednesday 20th – Tuesday 26th November.

• Most subjects.

• Full external exam conditions.

• Mock Exam timetables issued later this half-term.

• Timings:• Morning: 9:15 – 11:15am (Extra time - 8:45 – 11:15am)

• Afternoon: 12:00 – 2:00pm (Extra time – 12:00 –2:15pm)

• Normal timetable suspended.

• Lessons resume on Wednesday 27th November.

• Results published on Wednesday 11th December.



Mock Exams



Summer Exams

• Art, Drama practical and MFL speaking before Easter.

• First Exam: Monday 11th May

• Last Exam: Thursday 18th June

• Contingency Day: Wednesday 24th June

• Exam Timetables:• Published just prior to February half-term.

• Summary timetable on website.

• Final timetable including rooming and seating issued after Easter.



Regulations and EquipmentTimings and absence

• am session – 9:00am start.

• pm session – 1:00pm start.

• If unable to attend due to illness – ring as soon as possible.

Equipment and personal belongings

• Correct equipment in a clear pencil case.

• No access to iPods, mobile phones or smartwatches.

• We recommend that they are not brought into the exam room.

• Any phone/smartwatch/headphones found on a candidate is likely to result in disqualification from that paper.

• No watches.

• Water in clear bottle without label.

• Full uniform worn throughout.



Results

• Published on Thursday 20th August.

• Results collected from 6th form college site.

• Followed by interview if planning to attend BHS 6th form.



Grading

Foundation tier

Higher tier



• Qualification worth two

GCSE’s so two grades.

• Based on overall

performance in all exams.

• Intermediate grading points,

not just 5-5, 6-6 etc.

• Interpreting grades: 7-6 is not

a 7 and a 6.

• Standard pass grade is 4-4.

• 4-3 is not a standard pass.

Grading – Combined Science



Attendance and punctuality

“The analysis shows that as the level of overall absence increases, the likelihood of achieving key

attainment outcomes at KS4 decreases” (The link between absence and attainment at KS2 and KS4. DfE, March 2016)

130 school days

26 school weeks



Preparation for the Exams

Mrs Brierley



Revision & Study TipsA Parent’s Guide

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, BUT ENTHUSIASM PULLS THE SWITCH!

IF YOU STUDY TO REMEMBER, YOU WILL FORGET, IF YOU STUDY TO UNDERSTAND, YOU WILL REMEMBER!

FOR EVERY MINUTESPENT ORGANISING, AN HOUR IS EARNED!

AN ORGANISEDSPACECREATES CLARITYANDCLARITY ATTRACTSSUCCESS!



Revision & Study…• Exams are stressful for your children!

• We advise our students to “get it under control, start early and find what works you”

• But…the exam period is also stressful for YOU as parents at home!

• You want to know what you can do to help, worry that you are not doing enough, worry that you are doing too much, worry that the house isn’t quiet enough!

• You have unanswered questions such as:

• “What can I do to help my son/daughter?”

• These 12 Tips provide support and guidance to help you through this important time in your son/daughter’s life



Print a Revision Timetable

Get a copy of the exam timetable and put itsomewhere visible.

Knowing the days and times of the exams canhelp you make sure you child gets to the examson time or gets an early night for morning exams!

It helps you to also monitor that they arefollowing their revision plan and not cramming!

The best strategy is to plan ahead to avoid cramming.

This is known as “distributed practice”

Just think about it – you wouldn’t revise for a dance recital the night before!



Reward Short-Term GoalsPromising the BIG treat at the end of theexam is a big carrot on a very long stick!

Give rewards for short-term goals egafter x number of hours

It doesn’t have to be anything costly –run them a nice hot bubble bath, takethe dog for a walk, an hour of TV,Facetime with friends, coffee and cake?

A study in America found that when they gave a “miniscule” reward, the average

number of submitted homework assignments from those who received it

almost quadrupled to that of others.

They stated that:

“Small rewards increase autonomous motivation to learn rather than crowding it out, as larger rewards are more likely

to do”



Get Them Equipped

Buy new stationery – pens, pencils, rubbers,highlighters, post-it notes, scientific calculator,protractor, ruler, pencil sharpener, compass etc!

School will remind you to send your child in withtheir correct equipment for the big exams but theyneed to bring the standard equipment to everyexam!

Remember, the tools you use frequently are theeasiest to use – this could include your good luckcharm!

One in three students admits to wearing “good luck underwear” to try and boost exam performance.

Others admit to having lucky jewellery, charms or pencil cases!

60% of students have a ritual ie eating a good breakfast or banana before each exam

What is your child’s exam good luck charm?



Provide the Environment

Help your child to revise in a variety ofenvironments at different parts of the day.

Take them out for a coffee and read a bookwhilst they revise, take them on a weekendaway and schedule revision time andrelaxation time, let them have the lounge andyou go upstairs!

Provide the right lighting, temperature andconditions to make them comfortable in theirrevision environment.



Help with Timing

Lots and lots of students worry that they willrun out of time in their exams.

Help by being the time-keeper when you childis doing past papers or individual questions.

Remember this is part of the learning, theymay need more time to start with and build upto that exact time!

Calculate the number of marks per minutethey have on each paper!

If you have a three-hour exam (180 minutes) and you can achieve

100 marks, it gives you just over one and a half minutes for every mark.

Therefore, a six mark question should take you nine

minutes.



Encourage Exercise

Physical exercise releases endorphinswhich help to lift our mood!

Make sure their revision timetablebuilds in time for exercise – going tothe gym, for a walk, playingnetball/football will all help whenthings are getting tough!

Exercise is one thing that can increase your willpower. A study in 2013 showed that in adolescents, short bouts of exercise had a significant affect on self-control and will-power – again helpful in exams!http://thebrainflux.com/brain-benefits-of-exercise/#section1



Provide a Good Diet

Make sure you child has a balanced diet duringthe exam period, especially breakfast on themorning of an exam!

Provide snacks for them to have just beforethe exam.

Provide brain food and slow release energyfoods ie oily fish, eggs, dark leafy greens,peanut butter, green tea, fresh fruit etc.

Do some research and find some recipes toprovide that varied diet? Make sure they keephydrated too!!

Food has the incredible ability to affect your mental clarity, mood,

memory, and ability to focus, so if you’re looking to boost your focus,

one of the places you should start with is what you’re eating. Here are 9 foods

that will help improve focus”https://alifeofproductivity.com/9-brain-foods-that-will-

boost-your-ability-to-focus/

https://alifeofproductivity.com/9-brain-foods-that-will-boost-your-ability-to-focus/



Make Time for a Chat

Make sure you make time so your child can tell you about their day!

Help them to not dwell on the errors or mistakes they think they have made– keep it positive!

Help them focus on the next day with simple prompts like “what have yougot next?”, “Do you need any help with…?”



Sort a Revision File

Trawling through the Internet to find and print past papers or questionstakes a lot of time!

Help you child out by doing this for them.

Get a list of their exams and produce a file with the syllabus and past paperswith the mark schemes so they can pick and mix from it.



Set a Bedtime Routine

A good night’s sleep is important everynight but more so during the exam period.

Help your child get to bed on time – there’salways a temptation to keep on revising foranother ½ hour!

Help that bed-time routine by havingsupper ready at the right time andencouraging them to stop!

“Brain recall becomes stronger after sleep and information becomes

easier to access, Professor Della Sala says. "Sleep is fundamental, as it

allows memories to consolidate. It's a good idea to learn something just

before going to bed, and then let your brain do the work”

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/24/revision-advice-students

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2013/apr/24/revision-advice-students



Avoid Nagging

You may see it as giving encouragement, your child might see it as“nagging”.

Does it matter that their room is untidy, do they really need to do theirchores (unless it’s a positive break), do they need to walk the dog or cleanout the guinea pigs?

Avoid any unnecessary distractions for this short window in their lives.



Make a Revision Playlist

Research says that background music getsbetter results than background noise whenrevising!

Music releases dopamine which helps us to seerewards and take actions to move towardsthem!

Help your child create a suitable revisionplaylist. Avoid rock / rap, add quiet calmingmusic to block out annoying background noisefrom inside and outside your home.

“Music can help to relax and clear your mind, allowing you to focus and concentrate more easily on your revision, therefore increasing the

levels of information retention. ... Not only that, but listening to

classical music can also improve logical skills as your brain begins to unwind

with the music“

https://www.pastest.com/blog/medical-revision/how-listening-to-music-can-help-you-revise/

https://www.pastest.com/blog/medical-revision/how-listening-to-music-can-help-you-revise/



Useful Revision Techniques

http://www.rocketmemory.com/articles/memory-improvement/

GCSE Pods

Revision Websites

www.getrevising.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision

www.s-cool.co.uk

These are just a few of the websites available to help you revise – see your subject teachers for

subject-specific websites – there are loads!

Go to the exam board’s website. Here you will be able to access past exam papers and download

them for completion at home – you can also download the mark scheme

Past Papers

www.gcsepod.com

Each pod is a highly concentrated, 3-5 minute burst of audio-visual learning and specialist subject knowledge. You can listen to them wherever you have your mobile phone and

Internet access

Flash Cards help to improve memory because they require active recall. They are also good if you study

with your study buddy.

Highlight your notes to identify key words in one colour and key phrases in another!

But… don’t leave it there!

Research shows that highlighting is not effective on its own. It is important that you then do something with

the highlighted notes. Think about creating a mind map; think about linking keywords; think about

transferring the information onto your revision flash cards etc

Mind maps help you understand and absorb information.

Mind maps involves a combination of imagery, colour and visual-spatial arrangement which has a greater

impact than simple note-taking.

Start by creating the main branches for the main topics from your notes and then see what you can

recall from memory

http://www.getrevising.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/revision

http://www.s-cool.co.uk/

http://www.gcsepod.com/



Work Out Your Revision Style

http://www.rocketmemory.com/articles/memory-improvement/

We all learn in different ways. Some of us like reading, some of us like sketching, some of us like listening. The important thing to remember when preparing for exams is to find out what works for you!

Mrs Cresswell says…“I think highlighter pens are a great revision aid – using colours to categorise notes or highlight

key words. Write down the definitions of the highlighted key words and get someone to test you on them.

This always worked for me.”

Mr Lyne says…“If you are dyslexic , including a visual with each of the key words, and making links helps with

memorising. Writing out the keywords in different colours and fonts helps also with spellings.”

Miss Oldfield says…“The idea of creating revision cards with the question/term on one side and the answer on the

other is a good one. You can test each other, or use them on your own. Swapping revision cards with your friends gives you a different set of questions too!”

Mrs Aitken says…“One tip I learnt was not to keep revising the things you know already - it's the easy option and

makes you feel like you are doing something but you're not embedding anything new!! So use coloured post-it notes to flag up pages in your notes / revision guides; green (I know

this), amber (I know some of this but not securely), red (I am not confident, must revise/get help).”

Mrs Lee says…“Past papers were the way for me and got me through some of the

challenging subjects. Revision was a bit like sport, you have to practice over and over again (even if it’s the same practice or paper) to pass my Maths I did

the same papers for weeks! ”

Mrs Brierley says…“Virtually everybody uses mnemonics, even if they don’t realise it! It’s a

simple way of memorising information so that it “sticks” in your brain longer and can be recalled more easily in the future. Mnemonics were used in the

Ancient Greek times!Some are a little strange / silly but that all helps in the memorising

ARITHMETIC: A Rat In The House May Eat The Ice Cream”

Mr Aston says…“Personally I could not sit still for more than ten minutes so I found revision

difficult. So, myself and like minded individual got together and chose certain topic eg the corn laws in history (dull as dishwater) and presented the key points in an interesting way to the other person. Who would then repeat the main points back. Then we’d answer some questions together. Working like this was the reason I passed all my exams and I have continued to use same technique at A level and uni. The process became more imaginative and creative eg role plays and impressions of David Attenborough were a

common theme.”



English at BHS in Year 11

Head of Department: Mr Simpson



English Literature

• Despite rumours to the contrary, English Literature is a separate GCSE, graded 9-1.

• The SPAG mark for Literature is far less significant than that for Language (5% of the overall mark – as opposed to 20%), which should mean it is easier to achieve, especially for students who find technically accurate writing difficult.



How to revise?

• Re-read the key texts – all texts will be covered once in lessons, a second reading is really helpful if possible.

• Re-watch the dramatic texts (BUT be wary of using these as a starting point for answers. Students should know where the film and play versions differ.)

• Make mindmaps and revision guides for all texts (using notes from lessons), especially with regards to remembering quotes.

• EASTER REVISION sessions at school.



Literature exam dates

Component 1: Wednesday, 13th May

Component 2: Thursday, 21st May

For more information: Google “eduqas English Literature 9-1 GCSE.”



English Language

• Almost all students took their GCSE Language at the end of Year 10.

• Currently 84% of students have 4+, 66% have 5+ and 14% have 7+.

• ALL students have the option to resit in June.

• If a student resits the exam, whichever of the two grades is HIGHER will be taken as the FINAL grade.



Language in Year 11

• Year 11 students have FOUR HOURS per week for English lessons. Most groups have two teachers, with a 3/1 split in terms of teacher time. (Some have 2/2 splits this year)

• As soon as Literature content has been covered, at least 1 hour per week will be dedicated solely to Language revision for those sets which contain students who wish to resit –hours could be increased if deemed necessary.

• After school sessions will be run by teachers closer to the exams.

• Intervention groups and sessions will be in place for those felt to be in danger of underachieving.



Grades reported for Component 3 are Pass (P), Merit (M), Distinction (D) or Not Classified (NC).

On a students’ results form it will look something like: J Bloggs 6D.



How to revise

• Past papers available on Eduqas website (or from

subject teachers)

• BBC bitesize – remember Eduqas is the exam board.

• Full day revision in school during the Spring Bank

half-term holiday (date tbc).



Language exam dates

Component 1: Tuesday, 2nd June

Component 2: Friday, 5th June

For more information: Google “eduqas English Language 9-1 GCSE.”



ANY QUESTIONS

[email protected]



Mathematics at BHS

Head of Department: Mr Storah



Dates of the exams

• Paper 1: 19th May

• Paper 2: 4th June

• Paper 3: 8th June

• All exams are 1.5 hours long

• 3 papers – no complacency or defeatist attitude after paper 2



The 9-1 Exam

A01 – Use and apply standard techniques

AO2 – Reason, interpret and communicate mathematically

AO3 – Solve Problems

Specification AO1 AO2 AO3

Old 45% to 55% 25% to 35%; 15% to 25%

New Foundation 50% 25% 25%

New Higher 40% 30% 30%



Grade boundaries

Year 5 4 3 2 1

June 2017: 58% 42% 31% 20% 9%

June 2018: 63% 48% 35% 21% 8%

June 2019 63% 48% 35% 21% 8%

Foundation tier

• Last two years can be seen to be stable but this is no guarantee of

what happens in the future



Grade boundaries

Year 9 8 7 6 5 4

June 2017: 83% 68% 53% 40% 28% 15%

June 2018: 85% 70% 55% 43% 31% 20%

June 2019 85% 71% 57% 45% 34% 23%

Higher tier

• General movement upwards for each grade

• Approximately 20% get grades 7, 8, 9; and 20% of these get grade 9



Tier of entry – national v BHS

National Brighouse

H F H F

June 2017: 53% 47% 55% 45%

June 2018: 44% 56% 56% 44%

June 2019 41% 59% 62% 38%

• Clear difference in trend

• Nationally, the reduction in pupils entering at higher tier has led to

upward pressure on grade boundaries



Preparation through the year

• 4 hours of class time per week

• 3 Mocks – November, February and April SLD

• All classes will be at the stage when they are essentially revising from early 2020.

• Individual class teachers will inform classes of after school or dinner time sessions

• Holiday sessions

• Revision sessions on the morning of the exam



Required mentality

• It is a competition, and simply about doing your very, very best

• Success for every individual is different

• “Losing is not coming second. It’s getting out of the water knowing you could have done better.”

– Ian Thorpe, five time Olympic gold medallist



Equipment required

Ruler, pens, pencils, a sharpener and a rubber

Calculator Compass Protractor



Revision Tips

• Work hard!

• Be prepared for frustration

• The more effort you put in, the better. (The more you practise, the luckier you’ll get!)

• We have seen that 50% of the marks are available from pure recollection of facts – use flash cards



How do you know you’ve learned something?

Read

Cover

Write

Check



Practice makes perfect

• Repetition – use website bland.in for any topic you want to master

• Any sensible internet search will provide unlimited questions



Recommended websites

• www.corbettmaths.com

• www.mymaths.co.uk (login - brighouse, password - isosceles)

• www.hegartymaths.com

• www.mrbartonmaths.com

• www.justmaths.co.uk

• www.youtube.com

• And there are apps as well

• And hundreds of twitter feeds including @bhs_mathematics

http://www.corbettmaths.com/

http://www.mymaths.co.uk/

http://www.hegartymaths.com/

http://www.mrbartonmaths.com/

http://www.justmaths.co.uk/

http://www.youtube.com/



Brighouse High SchoolGCSE Science Preparation

Head of Department: Mr Samaddar



Key DatesDate

11th Nov After school revision sessions begin.

20th Nov Mock exams – Bio 1, Chem 1 and Phys 1.

24th Feb After school revision sessions begin.

2nd Mar Begin revision in lessons.

9th Mar Mock exam – Bio 2, Chem 2 and Phys 2.



Exam PapersPaper Date Units

Biology 1 12th May B1-4

Biology 2 1st June B5-7

Chemistry 1 14th May C1-5

Chemistry 2 10th June C6-10

Physics 1 20th May P1-4

Physics 2 12th June P4-7 (+P8)

Question types: multiple choice, structure, closed short answer and open response.

Length: 1h15 / 1h45



40% of marks available are for demonstrating knowledge and understanding.

Students should…

• Use the checklists to see what needs to be learned, focussing on the highlighted points.

• Break it up into manageable chunks (e.g. key processes and descriptions).

• Not try and learn everything.

• Not just copy the revision guide.

• Try to come back to key concepts several times.

Top Tip:Learning Content



40% of marks available are for applying knowledge and understanding.

20% of marks are available are for analysis, interpretation and evaluation.

Students should…

• Ensure they know the meaning of command words.

• Practise exam questions in exam conditions.

• Not be generous when marking.

• Read the examiner’s report.

• Ask their teacher to check their marking is accurate.

Top Tip:Applying Knowledge



15% of marks available are for applying practical skills.

Students should…

• Ensure they are familiar with the required practicals.

• Ensure they can explain the use of the apparatus and techniques covered in these.

• Practise writing methods for common techniques, including identifying variables.

• Practise presenting and interpreting data in the form of graphs and tables.

Top Tip:Practical Skills



20% of marks available are for applying Maths skills.

Students should…

• Learn the equations not given in the exams.

• Practise rearranging equations.

• Learn units and prefixes

• Practise converting units.

• Practise writing numbers to a specific number of significant figures.

• Practise using standard form.

• Make sure working for all calculations is clearly laid out and that the final answer is identified.

Top Tip:Maths Skills



Support Available

On Google Classroom:

• Content checklists

• Videos

• Websites

• Exam questions

Other:

• After school revision sessions

• GCSE POD

• Lessons



Support Available

• Individual subjects

• Whole school:

• Revision schools

• L4L

• GCSEPods

• Pastoral

• Careers



Coping with Exam Stress



Careers

Booklets and letter coming home at the end of this week



Points of contact• For curriculum queries:

• Telephone or email [email protected] and mark for the

attention of the subject teacher or Head of Department.

• For pastoral queries:

• Telephone or email [email protected] and mark for the

attention of your son/daughter’s form tutor, Mrs Whittington (Pastoral

Assistant) or Mr Kantola-Smith(Head of Year).

• For queries relating to SEND:

• Contact Ms Harfield (SENCO).

• For queries relating to examinations

• Contact Miss Walters (Exams Officer)

• If you need to contact a member of the senior leadership team:

• KS4 Director: Mr Rule (Assistant Headteacher)

• Y11 Line manager: Mr Brass (Deputy Headteacher)

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Year 11 Information Evening

Documents

Transcript of Year 11 Information Evening