It’s a testing time
Spring is the time of year when all school age students look ahead to their end of year exams/ tests. It’s a ritual that says, “I’ve completed this year and I’m moving on”. It is an important step in their educational journeys. The tests/ exams which take place in May/ June & July are an opportunity for students to demonstrate that they have had a successful academic year, and have understood the topics they have been taught during the year. Schools use tests/ exams as a measure of the progress each student has made prior to them returning in September to start the next academic year.
Most students at this stage will perform school set tests; the results of which allow the school to identify which “band or set” they will be placed in next term. These tests are marked wholly by schoolteachers and are the basis for upcoming end of year Parents evenings. The Summer always feels better if the end of year report is positive.
The big ones
The exceptions to the above “tests” are the compulsory UK wide SATS tests (in Primary year 6), GCSE’s (Secondary year 11) and A Levels (Secondary year 13). These Examinations set out to benchmark each students’ performance against UK wide standards. They too, are a measure of the level of success for each student, as a part of their school career to date. The consequences for students sitting these examinations are much more wide ranging. For Primary students who achieve greater than the base score of 100 in Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar, Reading and Maths, they emerge well placed to succeed in their Secondary school years. Success at GCSE is identified as the achievement of Grade 4 to Grade 9 across the range of subjects chosen. Grade 4 and above is the key that unlocks the door to further study, college, apprenticeships and the wider world of work (from age 18). Success at A level opens up work and career opportunities from which students can decide their own direction.
A single grade can make a difference
Students typically work very hard to learn material that’s been taught to them over the whole year in preparation for tests & exams. In addition, they will almost always practice with Past Papers to get a feel for the type of questions that examiners ask. This is an important process as it helps to remove real time surprises when faced with Exam papers. Furthermore, there are some key skills and techniques that can also be learned in order to maximise the number of marks the student can achieve. These have become game changers in allowing students to improve their final grade without requiring any additional subject knowledge. An improvement of one grade can make a significant difference to where a student goes next.
Exam techniques
Some of these might sound obvious for students, but actually taking time to apply them in an exam situation can reap huge rewards.
- Plan how to approach the exam paper – spend the most time on the questions that carry the most marks
- Read the question more than once to make sure you’re certain what the examiner is actually asking
- Always show your working in answering exam questions – you will pick up marks even if you don’t get the final answer correct
- Ensure that you have time at the end of completing the exam paper. Use it wisely to go over your answers and check them, correcting where necessary.
Conclusion – the Kip McGrath approach
At Kip McGrath Derby South, Sue & Dave focus on improving students’ knowledge and ability to answer exam questions; boosting their confidence at the same time. We believe that it’s just as important to educate the student with the know-how to improve their potential final grade. In today’s highly competitive world, it might just make a positive difference to their future outcomes.
