Posts Tagged ‘exams’

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January Exams!

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

During the month of January many academic exams are taken by students all over the UK. If you have prepared and revised well in advance you should have no worries sitting your exams. However, some students no matter how well they have prepared for exams they still suffer high stress levels a few days before exam dates are due. Below are a few tips to help you prepare for your exams.

  • Don’t panic! Exams are a challenge, think positively – you will succeed!
  • Use relaxation techniques to help settle your nerves, these can be used during the exam. Take a bottle of water with you (if permitted) – anxiety can make you thirsty.
  • Find out how much time you have for the exam so that you can split your time between questions and assure that all questions will be answered. Know what kind of questions you will be asked.
  • Read the whole paper first, answer the questions you know well, this increases your confidence and helps you stay relaxed. Mark the questions you are unsure of and tackle them last.

  • You will receive better marks for answering all questions than answering only some very well so make sure all questions receive an answer.
  • Take time with your handwriting, it must be legible so that the examiner can read it without difficulty. Check your spelling too!
  • If the exam involves long answers, leave some space at the end of the answer for additional comments or arguments that might spring to mind towards the end of the exam.
  • When the exam is over try to forget about it. There is nothing else you can do so it’s pointless going through the answers you put and discovering they differ to your friend!

If you are disappointed when you receive your exam results, consider finding a private tutor who can help with future exams or resits.

Best of luck!

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Common entrance exams – Verbal Reasoning Tests.

Monday, October 10th, 2011

Verbal reasoning is understanding and reasoning using concepts framed in words. It aims at evaluating ability to think constructively, rather than at simple fluency or vocabulary recognition.

As promised in our previous post, we will be publishing a few common entrance tests for those who wish to practise for their 11+ exams. Feel free to comment with your answers!

In the following questions, you need to take one letter from the word on the left and add it to the word on the right to make two new, proper words. The order of the letters must not be changed. Write the words in the brackets.

Example: paint men     (pint)     (mean)

1. glove            aunt                     ( )            ( )

2. pant              either                  ( )            ( )

3. prince          metal                   ( )            ( )

4. fact                with                      ( )            ( )

5. acre               cut                        ( )            ( )

6. madder        caper                   ( )            ( )

7. drive             fen                        ( )            ( )

In the following questions, choose one word from each set which best completes the sentences. Underline each word you choose.

Example: Black is to (dark, white, old) as good is to (new, young, bad).

8. Green is to (grass, jealousy, emerald) as red is to (scarlet, ruby, maroon).

9. Immediately, is to (later, instantly, today) as consecutively is to (randomly, following, independently.

10. Pail is to (bucket, faint, water) as bottle is to (glass, wine, courage).

11. Vertical is to (straight, perpendicular, horizontal) as column is to (row, pipe, grid).

12. Prune is to (pudding, fruit, plum) as sultana is to (raisin, grape, currant).

13. Kangaroo is to (Australia, pouch, jumping) as horse is to (rider, galloping, race).

14. Sonnet is to (encyclopaedia, legend, poetry) as novel is to (biography, fiction, diary).

 

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Hooray! Exams are over!

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Hooray! Exams are over! Now is the time to de-stress, chill out, sleep and enjoy the summer. Much has been written about pre-exam anxiety, lack of sleep and high stress levels during the exam period, but few think about the after effects of those symptoms.

You will have been slouching over books, straining your eyes and probably drinking more caffeine than usual. Your body has been in upbeat mode for many weeks, you may have neglected your diet and also your exercise routine. Mentally, you could be feeling exhausted and perhaps still a little worried until you receive your exam results. STOP! As the Dalai Lama quoted in the past – “If there is a solution to a problem there is no need to worry and if there is no solution, there is no need to worry!”

There are many ways in which you can wind down slowly and recharge batteries for the new Academic term.

  • Join a Yoga class and learn to relax. If you enjoy Yoga, this will prepare you for when exams come around again. You will learn how to deal with stress BEFORE you reach unbearable stress levels.
  • Learn something new. Perhaps you are going on holiday to a foreign country and would like to have a basic understanding of the language and the country. We have plenty of language tutors who can provide relaxed casual lessons and make them fun too! If languages don’t appeal why not take up cooking classes or learn how to knit/crochet (another stress buster!)
  • Find a job. If you are over 18, why not consider teaching a couple of times a week? There are plenty of  parents looking for extra tuition for their children’s 11 plus exam preparation! Register here and start building 5 star feedback on your profile.
  • Go backpacking! Backpacking is more than a vacation, it’s a form of education. Backpackers want to experience the “real” destination rather than the packaged version associated with mass tourism. Here you will find all the information you need to prepare your backpacking trip.

Whatever you decide to do during the holiday period, make sure it’s different to your normal routine. Sleep as much as you can, take time to visit family and friends but above all, ENJOY -  You deserve it! Happy Holidays!

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Exam anxiety

Saturday, April 30th, 2011

With exam time just around the corner, many students will begin to suffer with exam anxiety during the next few weeks.

There are four main areas that can contribute to exam anxiety: Test Anxiety SOS

  • lifestyle issues
  • information needs
  • studying styles
  • psychological factors

You may have tight muscles, constant low grade headaches, insomnia and/or an upset stomach. These symptoms can in turn affect your behaviour. You may find that you are unable to concentrate or focus when studying. Many students neglect their normal routine near exam time. Some may turn to binge eating or constant snacking. Others will drink coffee or take other stimulants thinking it will help them concentrate for longer periods of time. Fear, worry, frustration or panic are all symptoms revealing that you maybe under exam stress.

Anxiety reduction techniques can help reduce the above symptoms. If you find yourself confronted with constant negative thoughts, you can use thought replacement techniques to overcome this problem. Try interrupting negative thoughts with the following statements:

  • I can do this!
  • I will do my best
  • I can pass this exam
  • I will focus only on the question in front of me.

Irrational thinking is not reality. It is your preconceived perception of yourself or your abilities. Put yourself into a positive frame of mind by imagining how you would LIKE things to go. Imagine yourself turning up for the exam feeling confident and relaxed.

A good private tutor can help you organise your study skills, focus on aspects that need the most attention and also boost your confidence in your own abilities. If you know you will start to panic near exam time, talk to your tutor, explain what issues are worrying you the most. Experienced tutors know too well what students go through near exam time; not just because they have other students who suffer similar issues but from their own personal experience!

If you have studied hard for your exams but feel you lack confidence and need that extra boost until exam time, click here to find the perfect tutor for your needs. Best of luck!

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Obtaining a place at Grammar school.

Thursday, March 10th, 2011

Obtaining a place at Grammar school is not easy, much depends on the number of places apportioned to each school. Local Authorities confirm their decisions in February before the beginning of the new September term, so there is time to appeal a decision.

Many pupils take the 11 + exams but sadly only about half succeed in securing a place at grammar school. An increasing number of parents are turning to private tuition to help their child pass the entrance exams which consist of verbal reasoning and English/Maths tests.Although a private tutor can maximise the chances of your child obtaining a place at grammar school it is also important to remember that if your child is one of the lucky ones to enter grammar school they may need further private tuition to help them maintain the required level of academic performance, unless they are exceptionally bright. This aspect is often overlooked by many parents who are only concerned about securing a place, not what happens afterwards. Most educational professionals will agree that a child needs to be academically able but a private tutor can motivate and boost a child’s interest to learn.

There has been much a debate on how stressful the atmosphere can be for a child pushed by the parents, to study for grammar school entrance. A tutor outside the family environment can reduce stress both for parents and children.

If you are thinking of trying to obtain a place for your child at grammar school we advise to prepare well in advance. A good tutor will be able to evaluate your child’s academic ability well before it’s time to sit entrance exams.

First Tutors can help you find a dedicated tutor to help your child pass grammar school entrance exams or simply boost your child’s academic ability.

 

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Grammar brought back into focus for exam pupils

Tuesday, December 14th, 2010

The days of sloppy grammar at school could be at an end. Teenagers are to be penalised for poor grammar in tough new rules being proposed for GCSEs and A levels. Why are these rules being proposed, and what does your teen need to do in order to meet the strict new grammatical requirements?

A return to great grammar

It’s no secret that many parents and educators bemoan the lack of good grammar usage amongst today’s teenagers. As we’ve spoken about before in this blog, this is due to a combination of factors. Although grammar is returning to prominence, it has not always been taught thoroughly, if at all, in all schools, and certainly not as well as it was in the 1940s and 1950s.

Secondly, teenagers’ heavy usage of e-mail and text speak means that they are not accustomed to using standard English, along with its grammatical rules, regulations and possibilities.

The end result is that many teenagers present low standards in written English, even if they are intelligent.

Love for literacy

Michael Gove, the Education Secretary, has unveiled plans to change this trend. From now on, teenagers could lose up to five per cent of marks in their examinations if they fail to display high standards of written English.

This marks a return to traditional standards. Indeed, until 2003, five per cent of marks in all GCSE exams were set aside for high standards of written English.

Educators are welcoming the move. Prof Alan Smithers, the director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, said: “Clear expression is evidence of clear thought. It is reasonable to expect accurate spelling and good use of grammar in an exam.”

Get into grammar

If your teen needs to brush up on their grammar, then now is the time to start. Don’t wait until exam season. Make sure they know how to use apostrophes, commas, colons and how to distinguish between key words such as “their”, “they’re” and “there”. For extra help, why not contact one of First Tutors’ English tutors?

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Nerves of steel

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

This week, we continue our revision tips and tricks series with a look at how to control something that can potentially ruin all of your good work – exam nerves!

If you’ve ever seen X Factor, you’ll know that even the most talented of performers can let nerves overtake their auditions. When the pressure is on and the whole world is watching, it’s understandable that nerves can get to people that much – but too many nerves can get in the way of a performance.

Consider your own exam nerves. True, exams don’t involve standing in front of thousands of people on live TV, but they are still understandably nerve-wracking. You feel as though this is your one chance to improve your future and that you need to get high grades. No wonder you feel nervous.

A few nerves on the day of your GCSE or A-level exams are fine and natural. However, you don’t want too many nerves on the day as they will block your ability to think. Here are some tips to help you calm down as your exams approach:

•    Practise exam questions to time so that you get used to working quickly without getting flustered.

•    Eat regular, healthy meals and drink lots of water. If you can avoid caffeine, then do, as it will only increase your jitters.

•    Identify the subjects or topics that make you feel the most nervous. Devote more time to these in your revision.

•    If you really are feeling nervous and unable to cope, talk to a parent, guardian or teacher. You don’t need to suffer alone.

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Effective exam revision using your own learning style

Monday, April 12th, 2010

Did you know that everybody has their own learning style? We all remember and absorb facts and figures in different ways. This isn’t something that’s always addressed in the classroom at school: you have one teacher teaching in their way, but that may not correspond with the way in which you learn best.

Revising for your exams with the help of a private tutor is your chance to get to grips with your material using your learning style to your advantage. Simply work out the way that your brain likes to work best and then work with your tutor to revise accordingly.

Broadly speaking, the learning styles most of us fit into are: visual, aural, verbal, physical and logical. Here are a few revision tips for each:

Visual: you learn using pictures and images. Use colour to highlight important facts and draw mind maps and pictures.

Aural: you learn using sound and music. Make up songs with key facts and figures using your favourite tunes for the melody.

Verbal: you learn using words. Write out your notes and make up poems and funny sentences about key facts and figures.

Physical: you learn using your body and sense of touch. Read your notes out loud whilst bouncing a ball or assign different facts to different body movements.

Logical: you learn using logic, reasoning and systems. Revise using Excel to make tables of your key facts and figures.

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Helping students prepare for GCSE and A-level coursework

Monday, November 16th, 2009

Students in their final year of GCSEs or A-levels will now be looking to begin the coursework component of their exams. While the UK system weighs heavily in favour of structured exams, coursework entries can make up to 25% of the final grade, and a strong performance here can make all the difference to final marks. How can you as a home tutor help your students create their best work?

Although necessary boundaries are in place, coursework offers the opportunity for students to explore and specialise in the areas which interest them most. At the outset discuss with your pupil what they believe these areas to be, and identify a topic that plays to both strengths and interests. Make sure the scope of the selected title is appropriate and realistic given the timeframe and word limits of the project. The best topics tend to be those with a relatively narrow focus, allowing the student to delve deep into a subject and acquire specialist knowledge in one area, rather than spreading themselves too thinly.

Private tutors should work through the criteria with students to make sure that they fully understand what is required of them. A strong appreciation of what an examiner will be looking for early on can help prevent wasted effort and needless research. You should help your pupils draw together a reading list, dividing possible sources into essential reading and those which will help provide background and context to the main thrust of the research.

GCSE and A-level coursework are golden opportunities to help your students develop their own study interests and show off their talents. A well thought out study plan will help them achieve their maximum potential and mitigate pressure when it comes to final exams.

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Record pass rates for Scottish Higher and Standard Grades

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Hot on the heels of the news that our primary school children have missed the mark in their English SATs come some happy tidings. Higher and Standard Grade pass rates for Scottish pupils have reached record levels.

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has confirmed that the pass rate for the 159,901 students sitting Scottish Highers is 74.2% – a 0.8% increase on last year. The pass rate amongst Standard Grade pupils was 98.5%, up from 98% last year.

In total, exams for 67 subjects were taken by Higher pupils and there was a slight increase in the number of passes for English: from 68.3% in 2008 to 68.9%. However, the Maths pass rate fell from 71.6% to 69.7%.

Pass results for Standard Grade English were unchanged at 98.7%, while the number of Maths passes rose from 98.7% to 99.3%. Just under half of the entries (46%) were awarded a credit level (grades 1 and 2).

Predictably, these results have prompted the usual debate about exams getting easier. Is that true? Or are our young people simply reaping the rewards of the hard work they’ve put into their studies?

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