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Dear Parent,
Examinations can be stressful, so it is important that you know how to
support your child so they feel able to cope over the exam period.
You can’t do the revision, but there is plenty that you can do to help
your child get organised, stay calm and keep motivated. Work with
your child. Set goals you both think are realistic in a particular time,
and try to keep up to date with how he or she is getting on.
A student friendly version of this guide will be given to them during a
Life Skills lesson about the examinations this month. Included in their
guide will be tips on how to revise.
The results of the examinations will be given to the students on their
next Progress Report (issued week beginning 31 March).
Gayle Raybould
Assistant Headteacher
graybould@tring.herts.sch.uk
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Contents
Page
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What are Year 9 Examinations and why do we have them?
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Revision timetables
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Creating the right environment
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Getting them motivated
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Staying calm
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Do’s and Don’ts
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On the morning of the exams
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What happens before and during the exams?
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What happens to the Year 9 Examination results?
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Exam times and what to revise
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What are Year 9 Examinations and why do we have them?
It is important that students are on the correct pathway for their KS4
courses, and prepared fully for the examinations that take place at the
end of Year 11. They will already have taken had exams at the end of
Key Stage 2, but they will not have had a period where they are
revising for a number of exams in one go other than last year during
the Year 8 exams. The more practice they get at taking examinations,
the better prepared they will be for their GCSE’s.
Part of the preparation is planning revision programmes, knowing
what they have to do when they enter the exam hall, and knowing
what equipment they need and the revision they have to do. The Year
9 Examinations are a reflection of how they will be examined at the
end of their courses in Year 11.
As well as preparing the students for their examinations, it also gives
our KS3 teachers the chance to check on your child’s progress.
Although our KS3 teachers are checking their progress continually, this
is an opportunity to see how they perform in each subject in more
formal conditions.
Revision timetables
Your child needs to plan the free time that they
have for revision. However, it is also important
that they plan into this some breaks and other
activities in order to relax and wind down.
Planning revision and having some down time will
help control stress, which this guide deals with
later on.
Students who do not plan revision often end up spending time
covering areas that they already know well. A proper revision plan will
help focus them on the subject areas they really need to cover.
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A really good website is www.getrevising.co.uk
This website creates a colourful revision timetable that is easy to read
and only requires you to input when the exams are, plus any other
commitments that your child may have.
They need to allocate more time to the exams that they feel less
confident about. Doing this will have a big impact on their eventual
results.
Stick the timetable that you create somewhere prominent, and tell the
rest of the family about it to help your child stick to their plan.
Creating the right environment
Creating the right environment without
distractions can be hard in these times
of mobile communication.
However, it is important that the area
that they revise in is distraction free
and conducive to learning.
Give them space to revise. They will need a room or an area that they
can store books, equipment and if necessary, a computer to work on.
Wherever they work, it needs to be a quiet area, although some
students do work better if there is light noise such as quiet music in
the background. Ensure they are away from the TV, Facebook, mobile
phones or siblings that may take their attention elsewhere. Don’t let
them study with the TV on. They will continually be distracted.
Natural light is better, but they will need somewhere that is well lit
and quiet. And make sure they have everything they need beforehand.
They may use any excuse to procrastinate!
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Getting them motivated
Getting started is probably the most difficult
thing to do, which is why a revision timetable
can be helpful in planning their time. But once
they begin their revision keeping that
momentum up will be important.
Short term and long term goals are really
important in helping to motivate them.
Students sometimes feel that Year 9
Examinations are not important, but they are
(later in this guide it explains how the results are used), and it is
important that the exams are used as practice for GCSE examinations.
Praise and rewards work really well (obviously!) Use the revision
timetable to plan out small rewards when a certain number of targets
have been met. These might include watching a favourite TV
programme, going for an evening out with friends, or having access to
a website.
Reassure your child that you value their efforts more than perfect
results.
Help your child see beyond the revision too. Remind him/her what
they will get out of good results with a long term vision. A bigger final
reward can also help, such as a pair of trainers, a short break, or a visit
to a local amusement that they have wanted to go to. It will give them
something to look forward to when it’s all over.
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Staying Calm
The best way to support your child through the
exam period is to make home life as calm and
pleasant as possible. It helps if other members
of the household are aware that your child
may be under pressure and that allowances
should be made for this.
Try not to nag or make too many demands on
your child during exam time. Arguments are
counter-productive and will only add
unnecessary stress, as well as distracting your child from revision.
As far as possible, try to make sure that revision time is quiet time. A
healthy diet and regular exercise are also especially important when
your child is under pressure.
If your child is highly motivated, it’s important to make sure that he or
she doesn’t overwork. Breaks are essential. Remind your child that
even a short 15-20 minute break every 90 minutes will refresh his or
her mind. Making a drink, playing some sport, listening to some music
or watching TV are all good ways to help relax before the next revision
session.
It’s a good idea to set an alarm to remind them to stop and take a
break, particularly if they haven’t had anything to eat or drink.
Studying in a group can be helpful as they can bounce ideas off each
other, but it’s a good idea to supervise them from a distance if you can
so as to keep them on task. Children can pick up new ideas, talk about
exam stress and help each other with areas that they find difficult.
If your child is completely stuck on a topic, remember to tell us at
school. Their teacher will be able to offer extra help and advice.
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 Encourage your child to get plenty of sleep and take regular
breaks when they are revising. The brain will work better when
rested
 Trying to cram in last-minute revision the night before the exam
is a bad idea. This can cause panic, and might even affect his/her
performance the following day. It’s much better to do some
revision but to make plenty of time to have a relaxing evening so
he/she can do their best the following day.
 Exercise, even a walk to the shops, will
help your child to concentrate when
he/she gets back to work. It can also
help him/her to sleep better.
 Discourage your child from drinking
caffeine-rich drinks like tea, coffee or
coke the evening before. It can disturb
sleep.
 Make sure you set an alarm for the next morning. Waking up in
a panic or even arriving late for an exam only makes things
stressful.
 It is important to eat a healthy diet all the time, but during exam
times this is vital. Eating well will help your child to focus and do
his/her best. Try to discourage your child from eating lots of
sugary snacks, as these can actually stop him/her from
concentrating.
Do’s and Don’ts
Do
 Ask your child what areas/subjects that he or she wants help
with
 Make your child feel you are there for them physically and
mentally
 Organise some non-study activities for him/her
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 Encourage them with praise and rewards
 Make their environment revision-friendly
Don’t
 Force them to revise in the way that you think best
 Put extra pressure on them
 Keep telling your child how much better organised you were
about revision when you were that age!
On the morning of the examination
 Set an alarm clock and make sure that they are ready in plenty
of time
 Try to ensure that the household is as calm as possible.
 Make sure that your child eats something. They may not feel like
it because of nerves, but having something to eat will help kick
start their brains.
 Check that they have all of the equipment that they need for the
exams that day. For example, do they need compasses or a
calculator?
 Check that they know what time their exams are and which ones
they are doing
What happens before and during the exams?
Before the exam, students will line up outside the
Desborough Hall where they will take place. If the
students are doing their exam elsewhere they will be
told beforehand.
They will be asked to leave their bags outside (so
please ask them not to bring in anything valuable
during this period). Whilst in the hall they will be
asked to hand in any mobile phones and then given instructions for the
exam. At the end, papers will be collected in. Whilst in the examination
hall, they should remain silent.
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What happens to the Year 9 Examination results?
Although students understand the purpose of the
examinations, some feel that they aren’t as important
as GCSE examinations.
This is an incorrect assumption for a number of reasons,
and this will be highlighted to the students over the
coming weeks:
 The more practice that students get in preparing
for the exams, the better they will be at revising, and
they will therefore be better prepared for their GCSE’s
 Key Stage exams are used in order to make sure that students are in
the correct pathway and ability set for their subjects at GCSE. As
most subjects are setted, it is really important that they try their best
for all of the exams
Exam Timetable
On the school website you will find the timetable for the Year 9 Examinations.
Students should attend school at the normal times, and attend tutor time in
the mornings. This is important as notices may be given out about the exams
during these sessions.
Where students do not have an exam, they are expected to attend lessons.
Where they are absent this will be followed up by their Head of House as
normal. Some lessons will provide the opportunity to revise for an exam,
however students shouldn’t assume that they will get the chance to do this,
and should do their revision at home.
If your child is ill on the day of the exam, please telephone the school as soon
as possible and let us know. In most cases arrangements will be made for
them to take the examination at another time.
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All subjects that are not examined formally in the Desborough Hall
(such as practical subjects) will be tested in lessons during the week
before the exam and the week after.
Date of Exam Subject
Topics to revise
Monday
16 March
Reading and interpretation: reading a range of nonfiction
texts
to
familiarise
yourself
with
conventions/features of style; identifying devices used in
a text; using quotes to support analysis; explaining how
and why and writer has used a particular device to create
an effect on the reader; exploring and explaining the
writer’s viewpoints/opinions.
English
8.40-10.40am
Monday
16 March
11.00-12.30pm
Monday
16 March
Maths Group 1
PRS
2.20-3.05pm
Tuesday
17 March
Science
Creative writing in a style suited to the task: familiarise
yourself with a range of fiction and non-fiction texts and
their features, write short stories, persuasive speeches,
letters and other types of text, practise paragraphing;
structuring work carefully and for effect, experiment
with having an engaging opening, a detailed middle and
effective ending; control and vary your sentences;
develop your vocabulary and choose ambitious words
carefully; practise punctuating sentences; revise key
spellings.
Space, shape and measure, handling data, algebra,
numbers and the number system, calculating.
The Mymaths booster packs are an excellent resource for
revising a wide range of topics at an appropriate level
Key vocabulary
Golden Rules
Religious Teachings on Love and Forgiveness
Religious Teachings on how to solve moral dilemmas, e.g.
The Ten Commandments, 5 Buddhist Precepts
For Level 7 & 8 only:
Different ethical approaches to solving moral dilemmas,
e.g. teleological and deontological
Year 9 Triple GCSE Science
Keeping Healthy
Energy and Efficiency
Atoms and Bonds
8.40-9.40am
Year 9 Exploring Science
Biology topics: Science fiction/On the farm
Physics topics: Buying Energy/Satellite and Space
Chemistry Topics: Cleaning Up/Flying Materials
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History
Hobbies
What sort of town you live in.
The advantages and disadvantages about where you
live.
What you can do in your town.
Places/Important buildings in a town.
School subjects
Directions
Food
Parts of the body
Illnesses
Saying where you live: what type of area and
geographical/cardinal points
Getting on with family members
Present tense
Perfect tense
Imperfect tense
Future tense
Conditional tense
The Blitz, reliability of sources
2.20-3.00pm
Wednesday
18 March
Geography
Extreme Environments, Development, Natural Hazards
8.40-9.40am
Wednesday
18 March
German
Hobbies
The advantages and disadvantages about where you live.
What you could do to help the environment.
Types of reading books.
Types of films.
Numbers / Time
Directions
Means of transport
Food
Parts of the body
Illnesses
Present tense
Perfect tense
Future tense
Conditional
Tuesday
17 March
French
11.00-12pm
Tuesday
17 March
11.00-12.00pm
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Wednesday
18 March
D&T Session 1
2.20-3.20pm
Thursday
19 March
8.40-9.40am
Thursday
19 March
D&T Session 2
Maths Group 2
This revision list applies to all 5 areas, referring to the
materials, components and equipment in those areas.
Creating design ideas using specifications
Names and uses of equipment
Names and uses of materials and components
Health and safety issues
Quality Control
The difference between One-off, Batch and Mass
production.
Students will be asked to design products as part of the
exam, therefore they should have the correct equipment
with which to draw and add colour to the designs.
As above.
Space, shape and measure, handling data, algebra,
numbers and the number system, calculating.
The Mymaths booster packs are an excellent resource for
revising a wide range of topics at an appropriate level
11.00-12.30pm
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