Exam Information
Examination Information and Advice
Students must attend school regularly to achieve their full potential and students who miss out on school can feel vulnerable and left behind. Family holidays in term time and during examinations can be disruptive and seriously affect your child’s education. Research suggests that children who are taken out of school may never catch up on coursework they have missed. This may affect test scores and may be particularly harmful if the child is studying for examinations. There is a very clear link between a child's attendance record and their success in learning. There is a clear link between attendance and attainment. On average children who miss 17 or more days in a school year lose one full grade in their GCSEs, meaning a C would become a D. 90% attendance means one-half day per week, 4 weeks per year, and half a year off over 5 years in high school. Examination dates are rigidly set by the examining boards, not the school and students will not be able to sit the exams, outside of the date and time set by the individual exam boards. It is also vitally important that students adhere to the rules and regulations set by the examining boards. All schools have to abide by these rules and regulations and there is a very real risk that your child’s exam paper could be disqualified if there is a breach of the codes. In some cases, students have been banned from taking exams with any of the exam boards for 5 years from the date of the examination breach.
Assisting with revision
The secret to doing well in exams lies in planning. You can help your child to create a clear revision plan and method of studying that will make them feel in control of their work.
Tips for revision planning:
- work out a revision timetable for each subject
- break revision time into small chunks - hour-long sessions with short breaks at the end of each session often work well
- make sure your child has all the essential books and materials
- condense notes onto postcards to act as revision prompts
- buy new stationery, highlighters and pens to make revision more interesting
- go through school notes with your child or listen while they revise a topic
- time your child's attempts at practice paper
The following link is to get an understanding of the combined science grading system.
