Impending Mocks at BISH

In just over a month, Year 11 students at the British International School of Houston will take their mock iGCSEs. They are being encouraged to start studying and are being taught revision techniques in tutor time. This year, Mocks are especially important. If mock iGCSE exams get cancelled due to COVID-19 (like they did last year), past exams will be provided as evidence, deciding Year 11’s grades for their whole two-year iGCSE course.

Year 11 student, Cerys, uses multiple exam questions to help her revise. She is going to spend the majority of her study time on Math. Meanwhile, Maia, another Year 11 student, is more nervous about Physics and Drama. She plans to revise using Seneca (an online website with many different courses students take in school) and Quizlet (a good online resource for flashcards and other memorization practice). 

Christina says, “I am revising through repetition. I find that I memorize best through repeating key information and practicing questions. The more I practice exam style questions, the more confident I become. However, this varies from subject to subject. For key vocabulary, I generally use apps like Quizlet, and for general notes and my own revision questions I use OneNote and Notion. I am nervous for most subjects, but I know if I take the time to study, and study well, then I will achieve the grade that reflects my work.”

Cerys, Maia and Christina mentioned several studying techniques (exam questions, Seneca, Quizlet, OneNote and Notion). However, there are some studying techniques not covered. These include physical flash cards, mind maps, drawing diagrams, writing physical notes, Kahoot!, using revision guides, reading model answers and listing which topics you are less confident on. It’s good to mix up revision techniques in order to stay interested. 

Some other revision tips are to find a quiet place where you can’t be interrupted or distracted, get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam, create a revision schedule early on so you know what you are doing, start early (around 2 months before major exams should leave you with lots of time) and make sure to eat healthy, drink water and go outside/walk around every so often. Figuring out your learning style can also be a lot of help in planning your revision. And this helps you figure out how best you learn and what revision techniques to use, improving your results.

Let’s just say that the Year 11 students will definitely be spending a lot of their December break studying for their upcoming exams. While Language (Spanish and French) speaking exams are on January 12, the rest of the exams are the week of January 18. These include three Science exams, a Math exam, an English exam, the other three Language exams (reading, writing and listening), a Humanities exam, and a Creative exam. However, using these tips and tricks provided by teachers, Year 11 should be well on their way to being prepared for these important exams.