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Tips For Mock exams - Year 11.

My mock exams are in november and idk what to do , feeling kinda stressed ngl.

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Reply 1
You shouldn't have mocks that early, mocks are usually after christmas
Original post by RedNot
You shouldn't have mocks that early, mocks are usually after christmas


Yeah but apparently my school is different :frown: I have a mock on November and another mock on march which kind of sucks... but any tips on what i could do?
Reply 3
What subjects are you struggling with and how to you tend to revise?
Reply 4
Original post by shalley112323
My mock exams are in november and idk what to do , feeling kinda stressed ngl.


me too!
Reply 5
My school also had Year 11 mocks in November and March (it proved helpful to be able to fit two in before COVID came and cancelled exams, though it was just a coincidence). Mine were mid to late November, so I started very light revision/finishing some resources over October half-term. Honestly, just don't overdo the revision too early, or else you'll get burned out and stressed. Take these mocks as an opportunity to test your knowledge right now and use this as a guide to improve, as well as testing out current revision techniques you have. You haven't said what subjects you do, so it's hard to offer specific advice.

You really don't need to start revising in September or for most of October- please don't do that, or you'll stress yourself out.
Original post by RedNot
What subjects are you struggling with and how to you tend to revise?

Mainly english because i have no motivation on it but i usually use my textbook and planning to use my flashcards
Original post by nopey123
Stress is the enemy. DO NOT GET STRESSED. Just do as much as you can, you cant do anymore. What happens happens. If you get stressed you will not do well. Then you will get even more stressed. This will keep repeating untill adventully you break down. Trust me, not worth getting stressed

Alright thx! I wont get stressed
Original post by Pichi
My school also had Year 11 mocks in November and March (it proved helpful to be able to fit two in before COVID came and cancelled exams, though it was just a coincidence). Mine were mid to late November, so I started very light revision/finishing some resources over October half-term. Honestly, just don't overdo the revision too early, or else you'll get burned out and stressed. Take these mocks as an opportunity to test your knowledge right now and use this as a guide to improve, as well as testing out current revision techniques you have. You haven't said what subjects you do, so it's hard to offer specific advice.

You really don't need to start revising in September or for most of October- please don't do that, or you'll stress yourself out.

oh.... I revise 2 hours a day after school and like 3 hours on weekends. But i will start doing light revision now and build it up during october half term! Thanks for the tips!
Reply 9
Original post by shalley112323
Mainly english because i have no motivation on it but i usually use my textbook and planning to use my flashcards

Okay, if you struggle with English there are multiple basic revision techniqes that could help. One I always use is a linked mindmap: What is it, how does it related and what does it mean?
Original post by shalley112323
My mock exams are in november and idk what to do , feeling kinda stressed ngl.


The best way to prepare for exams is make revision notes or mind maps (whatever method suits you best) throughout the course of the year then when it comes to the exam at least you will be prepared in that sense and all you will have left to do is learning or going over those notes. As well as that it is very important to go over anything you may not understand, whether its at home after school or asking your teacher or siblings who have done that subject, they will be happy to help, so if you get a good understanding of each topic you should be able to pass your exams but putting in that extra bit of work will definitely help you achieve the top grade. hope that helps :wink:
Reply 11
Original post by shalley112323
oh.... I revise 2 hours a day after school and like 3 hours on weekends. But i will start doing light revision now and build it up during october half term! Thanks for the tips!

Well done for starting your revision early! Getting into a good study routine now will give you a great head start and build up your work ethic.

I’d keep doing what you’re doing for now- go over what you’ve learnt in class each day and go back through your year 10 work. You can then build this up as you get closer to mocks— I’d aim for 3 hours a night and 6 hours on Saturday and Sunday eventually.

It’s also really important to have a clear goal that you’re aiming for like straight 8s and 9s.
Reply 12
Original post by shalley112323
Mainly english because i have no motivation on it but i usually use my textbook and planning to use my flashcards

For English Literature, I didn’t like using revision guides as they felt too generic to get the higher grades (though they did give good starting points). I mostly did research online for different themes, read blogs, used my notes from class discussions and wrote down teacher suggestions on interpretations, looked at student exemplars and wrote responses. Then I’d go to one of my two English teachers and ask them for feedback. It was really helpful.

For Language, I’d practice exam technique (what AOs are needed for AQA Lang Paper 1 Q2, for example?) and write responses and ask for feedback. Again, looking at exemplars helped. Finally, I practiced story writing and description a lot (but it was technically already a hobby) and sometimes asked for feedback. One of my teachers started giving me books to read- just your typical prose, and for fun- and he said he did notice improvement after I did that. Though, again, I do just love reading. For AQA Lang P2 Section B, I practiced some article writing in lesson, asked for it to be checked and, to be honest, I just read a lot of journalism too. Just reading an article or two a day helps you pin the tone columnists have (I recommend the Guardian, especially the Opinion section, considering it’s harder to write with facts and statistics in the exam).

For Literature revision, I would have a document for each theme and a document for each character where I would type up all the relevant quotes, their chapters and analysis. I’d also include alternative interpretations and context (good ways to score higher marks). Then I’d condense this down onto flashcards that were labelled according to character, theme, poem, etc. For Literature, you need to be prepared to sometimes analyse a new concept or idea on the spot. This means you have to be really solid on the text and AO1 to be able to form new arguments or to argue a slightly different viewpoint than you revised (e.g. for ‘Storm on the Island’ in my mock, I revised from my notes on the changes in iambic pentameter in relation to Irish culture, but I had to change this to support my viewpoint on the conflict between people and nature; I used the same AO2 technique with a different interpretation and point, which is AO1). For stronger AO1, I’d recommend re-reading the text and having a timeline of events as well. Re-reading the text after having already analysed it once helps you make new connections across the text (e.g. contrasts in a character between the beginning and end, showing development). Remember to weave context into your argument rather than bolting it on at the end in order to keep it consistent and relevant. Another way to stay relevant to the question is to keep mentioning keywords from the question (e.g. ‘terror’, ‘fate’, ‘evil’, ‘Shakespeare’).

ASK QUESTIONS IN CLASS. Offer your interpretations to your teachers to find out whether or not your argument is solid. I did this as often as possible.

Also- don’t just revise quotes, but also their analysis alongside them. However, don’t rely too heavily on what you revised and be prepared to manipulate your pre-learned AO2 to apply it to new points you’re making that are slightly different (AO1).

Practice makes perfect. As well as having pre-learned AO2, you’ll have trained to spot new AO2 points on the spot.

I hope this all makes sense. This is what I did at GCSE though, to be fair, English is my favourite subject and also one of my strongest. :smile: Good luck with your mocks. I’d be happy to help with other subjects, if you want.
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by Pichi
For English Literature, I didn’t like using revision guides as they felt too generic to get the higher grades (though they did give good starting points). I mostly did research online for different themes, read blogs, used my notes from class discussions and wrote down teacher suggestions on interpretations, looked at student exemplars and wrote responses. Then I’d go to one of my two English teachers and ask them for feedback. It was really helpful.

For Language, I’d practice exam technique (what AOs are needed for AQA Lang Paper 1 Q2, for example?) and write responses and ask for feedback. Again, looking at exemplars helped. Finally, I practiced story writing and description a lot (but it was technically already a hobby) and sometimes asked for feedback. One of my teachers started giving me books to read- just your typical prose, and for fun- and he said he did notice improvement after I did that. Though, again, I do just love reading. For AQA Lang P2 Section B, I practiced some article writing in lesson, asked for it to be checked and, to be honest, I just read a lot of journalism too. Just reading an article or two a day helps you pin the tone columnists have (I recommend the Guardian, especially the Opinion section, considering it’s harder to write with facts and statistics in the exam).

For Literature revision, I would have a document for each theme and a document for each character where I would type up all the relevant quotes, their chapters and analysis. I’d also include alternative interpretations and context (good ways to score higher marks). Then I’d condense this down onto flashcards that were labelled according to character, theme, poem, etc. For Literature, you need to be prepared to sometimes analyse a new concept or idea on the spot. This means you have to be really solid on the text and AO1 to be able to form new arguments or to argue a slightly different viewpoint than you revised (e.g. for ‘Storm on the Island’ in my mock, I revised from my notes on the changes in iambic pentameter in relation to Irish culture, but I had to change this to support my viewpoint on the conflict between people and nature; I used the same AO2 technique with a different interpretation and point, which is AO1). For stronger AO1, I’d recommend re-reading the text and having a timeline of events as well. Re-reading the text after having already analysed it once helps you make new connections across the text (e.g. contrasts in a character between the beginning and end, showing development). Remember to weave context into your argument rather than bolting it on at the end in order to keep it consistent and relevant. Another way to stay relevant to the question is to keep mentioning keywords from the question (e.g. ‘terror’, ‘fate’, ‘evil’, ‘Shakespeare’).

ASK QUESTIONS IN CLASS. Offer your interpretations to your teachers to find out whether or not your argument is solid. I did this as often as possible.

Also- don’t just revise quotes, but also their analysis alongside them. However, don’t rely too heavily on what you revised and be prepared to manipulate your pre-learned AO2 to apply it to new points you’re making that are slightly different (AO1).

Practice makes perfect. As well as having pre-learned AO2, you’ll have trained to spot new AO2 points on the spot.

I hope this all makes sense. This is what I did at GCSE though, to be fair, English is my favourite subject and also one of my strongest. :smile: Good luck with your mocks. I’d be happy to help with other subjects, if you want.

Ahh Thanks for the tips! Definitely going to use them!
Reply 14
Original post by shalley112323
Ahh Thanks for the tips! Definitely going to use them!

You’re welcome. One more thing- having a solid introduction in Literature helps. My teachers called this a thesis statement, where you basically introduce the topic, briefly mention what characters/events you'll be talking about and introduce context ('the writer may have been influenced by...'). Having a good introduction helps you keep track of your argument, because it reminds you of what things you need to keep mentioning in your paragraphs to stay relevant (e.g. the context points you brought up in the intro, the characters that demonstrate a certain theme, etc). I would bulletpoint all of my main ideas on the side of the extract before writing my introduction so I knew what to include and what to leave out (as you don't have time to analyse everything). Don't spend too long planning your argument by the way, and move on if you need to.
(edited 3 years ago)
I struggle so much English it is my worst subject as I cant seem to get higher than 6/7
Reply 16
Original post by foreverrocking
I struggle so much English it is my worst subject as I cant seem to get higher than 6/7

That was the case for most of my classmates. Maybe try out what I've mentioned above? I think some of the best ways to improve, though, is to constantly answer or ask questions in English, get your teacher's opinion (and make sure they give you feedback), get confident with the texts and remember not to be too generic. Whenever you mention a technique (e.g. caesuras), don't JUST mention the technique, but talk about what it implies/suggests and relate it back to the question. For example, caesuras might slow down the iambic pentameter, suggesting (insert character) is experiencing mental turmoil about (insert action, e.g. regicide in 'Macbeth') which demonstrates a more humane side to Macbeth that suggests he is only evil to a certain extent and mainly under the influence of his wife (question and theme: to what extent is Macbeth evil). Then try and link regicide and Macbeth's indecisiveness to kill to context (Shakespeare may be referring to the Divine Right of Kings and the importance of maintaining it as it is a foundation of Jacobean society). Hope that helps?

(If anyone is wondering where to find some exemplars, try looking up Mr Salles on YouTube.)
Original post by Pichi
That was the case for most of my classmates. Maybe try out what I've mentioned above? I think some of the best ways to improve, though, is to constantly answer or ask questions in English, get your teacher's opinion (and make sure they give you feedback), get confident with the texts and remember not to be too generic. Whenever you mention a technique (e.g. caesuras), don't JUST mention the technique, but talk about what it implies/suggests and relate it back to the question. For example, caesuras might slow down the iambic pentameter, suggesting (insert character) is experiencing mental turmoil about (insert action, e.g. regicide in 'Macbeth') which demonstrates a more humane side to Macbeth that suggests he is only evil to a certain extent and mainly under the influence of his wife (question and theme: to what extent is Macbeth evil). Then try and link regicide and Macbeth's indecisiveness to kill to context (Shakespeare may be referring to the Divine Right of Kings and the importance of maintaining it as it is a foundation of Jacobean society). Hope that helps?

(If anyone is wondering where to find some exemplars, try looking up Mr Salles on YouTube.)

Thank you .Do you have any quote analysis for macbeth,Inspector calls or Jekyll and Hyde.You seem really good at English and the part i find most hard is coming up with those interesting ideas
Reply 18
Original post by foreverrocking
Thank you .Do you have any quote analysis for macbeth,Inspector calls or Jekyll and Hyde.You seem really good at English and the part i find most hard is coming up with those interesting ideas

I didn't do Jekyll and Hyde or An Inspector Calls sadly (but Mr Salles covers those, if you're really struggling, as well as Macbeth). As for Macbeth, I think I've deleted most of the quote documents I had on the play, but I may still have a few and I'll have a look. Do you need these examples straight away (because I'm quite busy this week)?
Original post by Pichi
I didn't do Jekyll and Hyde or An Inspector Calls sadly (but Mr Salles covers those, if you're really struggling, as well as Macbeth). As for Macbeth, I think I've deleted most of the quote documents I had on the play, but I may still have a few and I'll have a look. Do you need these examples straight away (because I'm quite busy this week)?

It's fine you can take your time you can send it to me whenever you are free

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