What does
A*
look like?
ATTITUDES
Growth Mindset
• In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities,
like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits.
They spend their time documenting their intelligence or
talent instead of developing them. They also believe
that talent alone creates success—without effort. They’re
wrong.
• In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic
abilities can be developed through dedication and hard
work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This
view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is
essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great
people have had these qualities.
H
A
B
I
T
S
TIMETABLE
• 1) Shade in school, travel, eating & sleep time
• 2) Split the remaining time into revision & leisure
time
• 3) Work out how many subjects & topics you
need to revise & how long you think it will take
you
• 4) Split your revision time according to priority
(when exam is, how much you need to revise etc)
Be good to yourself!
• Eat well (lots of water, 5 portions fruit &
veg)
• Sleep well (9 hours)
• Exercise (3-5 times a week, just 20mins)
• Put down your phone! (poor concentration,
sickness, stress, radiation concerns)
Climbing Everest
Make it memorable!
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acronyms
Pictures
Acrostics
Word association
VARK
Variety
A/A* 7/8/9 grades
in English
What does it take?
Reading
 ‘A
book is a device to
ignite the imagination.’
Alan Bennett
Aspire in English LC
Be the Best!










Year 10 – New specification - top grades 7-9
No CA but you must learn quotations for your exam.
Untiered
Year 11 – Legacy specification – top grades BA*
CA 40%, Exam – 60%. Higher/ Foundation tier
All students
Know your Assessment Objectives (AO)
Strive to reach or exceed your target grade
Attendance, punctuality, revision sessions &
homework
Use GCSE Pod & a plethora of revision aids
Speaking and Listening – recorded on certificate
How to gain the highest marks in
English Literature







Research & revision- critics, variety of
sources/aids, acronyms
Interpretations – theatre/ film versions,
educational podcasts, different audiences/purpose
Writers & their texts – biographies, social &
historical context
Discussion – challenging, perceptive, use of SE
Curiosity & knowledge – deep understanding,
questioning, tenacity
Exam board – mark scheme, past papers & model
answers
Look ahead – KS5, career, Higher Education!
How to gain the highest marks in
English Language









Read a variety of non- fiction texts e.g. biographies, travel
writing, journals
Use reference materials e.g. advanced dictionaries,
thesauruses, guides
SPaG – learn grammar rules, avoid unenforced errors,
proofreading
Unseen texts – POV, author’s intent, methods & purpose.
Source, question demands (relevant comments)
EN1 discussions – SE, challenging, perceptive, thoughtprovoking, sensitive
Current affairs – variety of broadsheets online e.g. The
Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian
Write a lot about a little! (Focus, be precise, zoom in)
Read the question & then answer it!
Timing- use number of marks to guide you.
Characteristics










Be a wordsmith! Vocabulary – wide-ranging, ambitious,
precise & sophisticated. Spelling lists.
Read widely – fiction & non-fiction, recommended reading
lists
Plan – relevant, on time, structure & clarity, 2 ideas
Write a lot about a little!
Discussion – use of SE, challenging, perceptive, use of
evidence
Curiosity – evaluate & interrogate ideas, breadth of
understanding
Perseverance & dedication – invest in yourself!
Conscientious & methodical approach to revision
Reliable & responsible – attend extra revision
Knowledge is power! - Exam board, mark scheme & model
answers
Typical Yr 10 Literature Question
–Key Extract - ‘Macbeth’ Act V
Starting with this moment in the play do you
think Shakespeare presents Macbeth as a
heartless character?
Write about:
-What Macbeth says and does at this moment.
-How Shakespeare presents Macbeth in the
play as a whole. (30 marks) (SPaG 4 marks)
Convincing, critical analysis & exploration.
Consistently accurate use of SE & grammar.

Typical Year 11 English Language
Question





Q.6 A recent report states ‘Loneliness in the UK
is a crisis that is blighting the lives of people ,
especially the elderly. ‘
Write an article for your school newspaper
persuading young people to support charities
which help lonely members of society.
(additional question – Write about a charity that
you feel passionately about in modern society.)
Uses SE consistently
Convincing & compelling with extensive,
ambitious vocabulary.
Higher Paper - Question 4:
Analysing language+comparing

Examiner’s report noted:
◦ Candidates often selected appropriate language choices for
analysis but their comments on the effects were generalised or
undeveloped
◦ Candidates still write about the purpose, audience, length of
sentences used, content and writers’ opinions – none of which
was relevant to the question
Clear evidence that the texts are understood in relation to
language
 Clear explanation of the effect of words and phrases in the
different contexts
 Relevant quotations/references to support ideas
 Clear comparisons and cross references between the two
texts

Writing

‘I never travel without my
diary. One should always
have something sensational
to read in the train.’

Oscar Wilde
Getting the Best
Grade in Maths
The world is waiting for you!
Maths GCSE supports further study in:Biology
Chemistry
Physics
IT
Business
Economics
Psychology
GCSE Maths Grades
Year 11 – current system
• A*
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
Year 10 – new system
• 9
• 8
• 7
• 6
• 5
• 4
• 3
• 2
• 1
So, how are you going to get the best
possible grade?
Your teachers will equip with you with the
necessary tools and skills, but you need to be
able to select the correct tool for the job
during your exams.
Tools
• How to solve an equation
• How to add two fractions
• How to find the volume of a
cone
• How to calculate using surds
• How to draw a histogram
• How to use Trigonometry
• How to find a missing angle
• How to calculate an average
Skills
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Problem-solving
Decision-making
Interpreting
Analysing
Understanding
Communicating
Reasoning
Explaining
Proving
To get the best grades in maths you need
to be able to APPLY your tools and skills!!
2x + 43
Exam Question
5x - 20
Here is a parallelogram.
Work out the value of x and the value of y.
5x – 20 = 2x + 43
5x – 2x = 43 + 20
3x = 63
x = 63 ÷ 3
x = 21˚
Check :85 + 85 + 95 + 95 = 360˚
4y – 5x
5x – 20 + 4y – 5x = 180
-20 + 4y = 180
4y = 180 + 20
4y = 200
y = 200 ÷ 4
y = 50˚
21˚
x = …………..
50˚
y = ……………
(5 marks)
A* and A grades in
Science
What does it take?
What do I not need to be?
• Perfect
• 75% of the marks will earn you an A*
grade
• 65% of the marks will earn you an A
grade
• There is room for error , but not much
room.
What does it take?
• Accuracy of language- use scientific terms
appropriately in your answers.
• Abundant knowledge- know the content
of the course inside out.
• Confidence- apply what you know to new
situations
What are the important skills?
• Analysis- being able to interpret patterns
and trends shown in data.
• Evaluation- being able to sum up the
advantages and disadvantages of a
situation and make a final conclusion.
• Suggestion- being able to make
predictions about new situations based
on your knowledge and experience
What could stop me?
• Gaps in your knowledge- use your revision
guides to master subject content.
• Misguided answers- make sure you are
answering the question that is actually written
and read all of the question.
• Errors in graphs- draw scales and plot points
carefully.
• Vocabulary- have a broad scientific vocabulary
that you can confidently use and understand.
Examples of more challenging
questions
Challenge:
• Lots of facts to recall
• Use of correct vocabulary
• Structuring an answer in the correct sequence
Challenge:
• Abstract concept
• Use of correct vocabulary
Challenge:
• Understanding patterns and trends
• Use of correct vocabulary