Exam Preparation: It’s Never Too Early To Start
Exam season starts mid-May and ends late June, meaning your child has just a few months left before they inevitably take those all-important tests. But that doesn’t mean they should start revising two weeks prior. Taking this approach will only spell disaster when the time comes for them to sit their GCSEs! This is why they should be looking to prepare as soon as possible.
At Aim High Tuition, we are here to help your child improve on their learning habits through multiple different studying avenues. One such example is the past paper – a vital component of the exam preparation process. Past papers are available for each qualification, and the mark scheme is ready for download in order to mark the work. This will see your child hugely benefit.
But how exactly can past papers be used to their advantage?
Understand the exam structure
Before their GCSEs officially begin, it would be silly of them to go in completely blind. By analysing past papers and witnessing first-hand how they’re set out, your child can go in knowing what to expect. Exam papers always use the same language when tasking students with questions. So, if they already have an idea of what they will be asked on the day, they will be ever more confident in their ability to answer competently.
The structure of an exam is never too dissimilar from the previous years’. Students who know this will go in with a plan. They’ll be able to identify where the marks come from and how best to handle the situation. Past papers are therefore essential.
Improve time management skills
A significant factor in poor exam performance is the lack of time management. Spending too much time on a lower mark question will see your child fumbling their way through a higher mark question later down the line. That’s why they should practice with past papers in the first place.
Good time management skills come with many benefits. For example, your child will be more punctual, disciplined, organised, confident, and successful. They will be able to plan effectively and manoeuvre their way through their exams with ease. Not only that, but they will be less prone to stress and anxiety before and after as well.
It never just stops at the exam. They will take these skills onwards too!
Great for revision purposes
When independently learning, past papers are vitally important. How will they be able to test themselves without any correctly formatted questions properly? What will they learn if there are no examples available? Past papers can provide your child with everything necessary for the exam. They will be able to get in the habit of writing in the appropriate manner, their retention of information will increase, and any errors can be identified. A lot of the time, when revising, your child will be reading up on the answers to the questions – something that doesn’t challenge them enough. By reverting the other way and drilling the information through repetition, their revision will be a lot more beneficial.
Increase mental stamina and ease anxiety
Remember, exam preparation is a marathon, not a sprint. By building up their knowledge months prior, your child’s mental stamina will be sky high going into the GCSEs. However, doing this with only a few weeks left can be draining for them. So look to get them using past papers right now!
Consistent training can build up mental stamina, just like physical strength. Without this mental stamina, the likes of professional athletes, musicians, actors and writers will all be at a disadvantage. In fact, they wouldn’t be nearly as good as they are right now. Each test a student takes will present a different challenge. Your child has to be mentally tough to make it through this exam season.
Achieve a higher overall mark
Last but not least, if your child wants to achieve the highest grade they possibly can, then testing themselves through past papers is the way to go. The students who don’t use past papers in their exam preparation tend to score lower than those who do. After a past paper practice session, your child can analyse their work and find out the areas they need to improve. A more well-rounded student will find fewer problems going into their GCSEs.
If they are unsure of what route to go down for work in the future, they will have more options open up to them if their overall mark for each subject is high. Again, past papers can help them here.
Your child can 100% benefit from some extra help with their exam preparation. So please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today at Aim High Tuition to help them secure a bright future!