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Look out! These (TOUGH!) Qs are Super-Common on Exam Papers

Here’s what I found when I reviewed a heap of last year’s exam papers.

There’s one type of Q that seems to be cropping up more and more.

Even in subjects you wouldn’t necessarily expect it (yep, we’re even talking Art and PE!)

And it’s (unfortunately) the type of Q that many students dread (because it’s also the one that catches many out and where they perform worst – eek). *

So with end-of-term exams looming for many students, I want to make sure I share this now!

* Don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom, because awareness is half the solution! Having your teen look out for these Qs and know EXACTLY what to do with ’em will mean they’re way ahead of the pack (and picking up all those extra marks!) 🙂

 

This week I wanna help you out with one particular type of essay and extended response Q.
This has always been, for as long as I’ve been around as a teacher and examiner, AND even back to when I was a student, the type of Q that students are most uncertain and least confident in.

And validly so – because these are the Qs students overall perform worst in, too! ?

 

So what are they?
And how SHOULD students be tackling them?

Well, I’ve just been going through some past papers and it struck me just how many times this type of Q is coming up these days.

“What type of Q, Katie?”

Evaluation level questions.

These are those dreaded types of Qs that make a statement and then just finish with the word ‘discuss’.
OR the questions that BEGIN with the opening:
‘To what extent’
or
‘Assess…’

They may even have the word evaluate in them, like:
‘evaluate the success of…’ .

But usually they don’t actually include the word ‘evaluate’, which is, or course, part of what makes them more challenging!

But more on that in a moment.

 

Even as a national and state exam marker, I’m a little surprised at how many times evaluation level Qs have crept into all subject exams recently.

Even multiple times in one paper!

And not just on the ones you’d think either, like History or Science or English.

Nope, these are in subjects like Art and HPE.
In fact on the NSW PDHPE paper of 2017 – which I’ll include a link to in the blog notes, just in case you wanna check it out –

In that paper, the phrase ‘to what extent’
–  a flashing, ‘hit you over the head’ wording alarm for an evaluation command! –
that phrase was used for almost every extended response question in the 2017 HSC PDHPE exam and contributed around 30% of the marks on the paper.

Whoa! I know, right?!

‘To what extent’ is often used in ATAR exams and it’s important that it’s recognised as a question that requires you to make a judgement.
For example, Question 23 from the 2017 exam asks:

To what extent does Australia’s health care system benefit from having a healthy ageing population? (8 marks)

Now I know that ‘evaluate’ level questions are almost always the ones that students struggle with most

So I thought I’d share the bones of this with you too.

 

So here’s what I want students to know:

1) How to identify an EVALUATE command in a question, even when it doesn’t actually state the word evaluate.

2) That this means they need to make a JUDGEMENT about the statement being given.
That might be a judgement about how much they agree with the statement, or more objectively, how much it is agreed by others or by other research that the statement is true.
Let me explain using that PDHPE example: ‘To what extent does Australia’s health care system benefit from having a healthy ageing population?’.
Students need to respond with:

Yes it does,
OR
No, it doesn’t,
OR
It does to some extent.

 

3) They need to be able to plan and structure their response in light of this.

They need to outline in their intro their judgement and an overview of the reasons for it, which they’ll then expand on in their body paragraphs through examples, evidence and explanations.

Of course rounding up with a conclusion that shows how these all fit and link together to lead to the overall judgement.

 

So, if your teen doesn’t feel confident in these types of Qs, then it’s definitely time for them to take action to turn that situation around.
Because it’s highly likely they’re gonna be faced with these questions regularly in their future exams, no matter their subjects.

Rather than figuring it out for themselves, I just wanna remind you that I have a whole Catapult module dedicated solely to ‘Evaluations made Easy’ in my 10 Week Grade Transformation Program AND will cover a variety of examples and break down model responses in the monthly GTZ Seminars throughout this year.

 

Please go ahead and leave me a comment, share this blog with anyone else who’d find it useful, and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!

EXTERNAL LINKS:

  • The 2017 NSW PDHPE Paper: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/resource-finder/hsc-exam-papers/2017/pdhpe-2017-hsc-exam-pack

 

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Busy? How to ‘Get more done’ AND ‘Do it better!’

When are you able to do your best work?

In the morning, in the evening?

After lunch?
(Really?!… Seriously, does *anyone* feel at their most alert or productive after lunch?!? Though I AM pretty productive in the chocolate-snacking-skills right around then!) 😉

Point is, we all have a time of day that we’re naturally more able to focus and concentrate and be most productive.

And the question is, at this busy time mid-term, are we maximizing it to really supercharge our results?

This week, I’m sharing how to do just that…

Let’s start with a quick example.
I know of one guy who actually trains people in productivity and is really particular about it and calls it his ‘Power Hour’.
And during that one hour every day is when he sits down and does some of his most important work. Not even his kids are allowed to disturb him!

And I know of another high-flyer who doesn’t schedule ANY meetings or phone calls between 8am and noon because they know that’s their best time for doing their best work.

 

And for me, I know that I’m best in the mornings. I’m pretty useless mid afternoon – and then I often get a kind of second wind in the evening after dinner. (Not always a great thing, seeing as I like to get to bed early!)

 

Anyhow, it’s really important for students to be aware of and recognise when they’re at their best too. To know their ‘power hour’.

And not just so that they can work well during that time – but so that they can optimise it. Make best use of and maximise that time to use it to their advantage.

 

So let’s get specific and dig deeper into HOW to actually do that.

 

During that peak performance time – their power hour – or whatever they want to call it – students SHOULDN’T use this to power through the work they can get done quickly and easily.

There’s a temptation to do that, because we’re feeling motivated and we wanna smash out a load of work, get plenty of ticks on the to-do list (amiright?!!?!)
But those are the tasks that should be left for less-productive times, when our brain cells are only capable of the quick and easy jobs.

Here’s what students should do instead:

Firstly, they need to schedule that optimal brain power time to tackle the tougher tasks.

That is, those that take the most concentration, or the most creative or higher level thinking. Those that really take dedication and often – let’s be honest – this can be those tasks that they really don’t want to do 😉

These difficult tasks are the ones that should get done in the power hour.

Selecting tasks should be about the level and quality of the work, not the quantity.

Let me repeat that!

Selecting tasks should be about the level and quality of the work, not the quantity.

 

Secondly, they can also consider whether there are ways to extend or increase that period of time.
For example, if they’re an early bird, can they go to bed a bit earlier and get up earlier, giving themselves an extra 30mins or even an hour of super productive time each day?

 

Then things can filter down from there…

So, next, take on and complete the ‘medium level tasks’ at the slightly less productive, but not those totally brain-dead times.
For example, this might be proof reading the thing they wrote during their power hour. Proofreading is less creative and requires less high order thinking, but still requires focus and concentration.
So definitely don’t do these tasks at the lowest focus times because the errors or edits will just get missed and need to be re-read again – not efficient at all!

Then finally, students should save the menial, low level tasks, like filing notes, or cleaning up their desk, or making a to-do list, for the times when they’re just not as motivated or focused.
Or of COURSE, use these times for relaxing and re-energising! (Also important but never actually written on a to-do list, right?!)

But actually, re-energising and relaxation are essential for making those power hours as alert and productive as possible.

So, we’ve gone full circle, back to the power hour 🙂
I love it when a system is rounded out and all the dots join together!

So, the key takeaway here is to make sure your teen knows what their most productive and focused time of day is, and THEN have them see how they can optimise that with using it to tackle the trickiest tasks that require the highest levels of cognitive work, and if possible, maximise it by altering their schedule or sleep patterns.

 

I’d love to know – when’s your teen’s power hour? What’s yare they already doing to maximise their power hour and what could they do to make it even better?

Scroll down, leave me a comment, and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week 🙂

 

Katie

 

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3 steps to make writing ANALYTICAL (and avoid the waffle!)

I got some great feedback on last week’s video – what to do when the teacher says “expand your writing”.
So I thought I’d go deeper on this topic as I know this is the time of the term where a lot of essays and assignments are being doled out!

Because there’s one thing I constantly see students struggle with when it comes to high quality essays. It’s not so much about their writing in itself, it’s about one specific element that’s required in every essay in Year 10 and above (and I’ve even seen a Year 8 essay require this too, just this week! Yikes!).

So, this week I’m gonna explain what the struggle is AND share the exact 3 step solution I use with my students.

 

 

First up, how do you know if it’s actually an issue for your teen?

Well, if they’ve ever had feedback or comments like “more analysis needed” OR “now link this to the title” or ‘to the question’,
then likely they’re struggling with this skill.

Or, if they tend to slip into #wafflemode with their essays, then this is definitely an issue too!

So here’s what it is…

It’s the analysis element of writing.

It’s required in all essays that require a discussion of an issue or the purpose of something. Even if the title of the essay doesn’t actually include the word ANALYSE.

 

So, this could be essay titles like
‘Analyse how the author creates a sense of mystery in the poem’
OR
‘Explain how ‘such and such a legal reform’ tries to achieve justice in Australian Society’
OR
‘Evaluate the effectiveness of ‘Person X’ as a leader during ‘period Y’’

 

What’s required in every case, is to:

– name a supporting example or quote or piece of evidence
and then

– explain WHY or HOW it is relevant,
and then,

(here’s the final part that most students either forget to do or don’t realise they need to do)

– they must to go on to elaborate on the IMPACT
(for example on the reader of the poem, the audience watching the play or documentary, or the relevant society or even better, different types of people or groups in that society).

 

If they don’t do that final step, then they’re simply giving an example and explanation. NOT an analysis.

 

So here are my 3 clear steps to actually ANALYSING:

 

ONE — State the example or quote or evidence

TWO – Explain the effect of or reason for it

And

THREE – Explain HOW that impacts the relevant people in relation to the title.

For example, with that poem one I just made up – HOW or WHY does that literary device make the reader feel ‘suspense’? Perhaps it brings a sense of fear or evokes the emotion of concern or wondering what will happen next. (By the way, this is where synonyms come in handy!).

 

Often this third step gets left off, not because the student doesn’t know what the effect or impact is, but they just didn’t realise that’s what’s needed for analysis.

Many students just think an analysis is an extended explanation.
It’s not.
It’s the step that LINKS the explanation to the key focus of the essay.
It’s like closing the loop 🙂

 

I hope that helps clear up what ANALYSE really means and, more importantly, gives you the HOW to have your teen conquer that element in any future essay.

Let me know in the comments 🙂

And you know what?…  I’m sure there’s a ton of students and parents out there who could use these 3 steps  – so please forward the weblink to this blog
or (for extra digi-love) 😉
share it on Facebook.
Okay! Let’s do this – Let’s make this a fantastic week!

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‘Expand your writing’ – Here’s how!

Has your teen ever had comments like ‘extend your points’

or ‘expand your writing’

or ‘more explanation needed’

on their work?

What about something like ‘give more detail’?

Have they ever struggled with those analytical tasks, like essays or expositions or inquiries? Ending up waffling around one point, rather than going deeper.

Well, I’ve got a simple way for them to respond to those situations and up the quality AND detail in their writing.

 

There are a LOT of different tasks and assignments these days where students have to provide extended explanations and be able give detail by linking points together.
And I know that many find it hard to know HOW to actually make or explain those links, or go into detail on issues or case studies without ending up going round in circles, repeating themselves or ending up in the ‘waffle zone’.

 

So, here’s what I get students to do.

Simply ask at the end of a statement or after an explanation or key point:

‘So What?’

 

In other words:

Why is that significant?

What does that or did that, lead to?

Who or what was impacted?

In what way?

And then…
What did that next point then mean?

i.e. Ask ‘So what?’ AGAIN!

What was the knock-on or secondary effect, or what were the impacts of that next point, that next event or linked fact?

 

Let’s use a quick example.

Take the case study of the Haiti earthquake in 2010.

We’ve got the basic facts, the simple descriptive statements, like:

– it measured 7.0 on the Richter scale,

– Haiti is a less economically developed country located in the Caribbean.

But let’s now  ask ‘so what?‘ after each of those.

This is where we get into the effects and the detail.

For example…
SO, as a result of the 7.0 earthquake over 180,000 homes were destroyed.

Okay, now ask again, so what?…
SO, this left around 1 and a half million people homeless.

So what?…

These homeless people were accommodated in over 1100 squalid camps with limited services such as water and sanitation.

So what?…
Well, now we can bring in the other statement of fact – that Haiti is an LEDC (less economically developed country).
So… because of poor facilities and sanitation, disease became a huge problem, for example Cholera claimed the lives of several hundred people mainly children.

Do you see how we’re now not only extending our explanations of the impacts, but also interlinking the facts and information we started out with.

All by asking ‘SO WHAT?’ at the end of each point.

 

Have your teen give this a go, with particular focus on seeing if, in those extended explanations, they can also connect different factors or pieces of research.

Because it’s those interlinkages that really show a higher level of analysis and explanation 🙂

And if you know this will be useful for your teen then go ahead and give this a like (on FB) or a thumbs up (on YouTube, and if you know anyone else who could benefit from this tip, then please go ahead and share it with them, and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week.

Katie

 

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Gain back time – EVERY day

Your teen sits down to start their maths homework. They go to YouTube to find a tutorial that explains simultaneous equations or whatever topic they’re working on. Then, at the end of the video, YouTube autoplays another video – and, no,  it’s not about simultaneous equations – but hey, it’s only 2 minutes long, and… (read more)

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One Skill – HUGE Benefits. (Master this to ACE exams and assignments)

If you’ve worked with me or been in my VIP community for even a short amount of time, then you’ll know I go on and on about the importance of being able to dissect the wording of any task or exam question and the ability to know exactly what it’s asking.

In particular, doing this by mastering command words.

And I make ZERO apologies for this!
Because I stand by the fact that this is one of the key issues holding so many students back AND it’s a key breakthrough to being able to tackle any question or task with confidence and clarity.

Let me explain why…

 

A solid knowledge and understanding of command words
AND how to respond to them
can be of benefit in multiple ways.

Firstly, it can save a lot of wasted time and effort when you know what a question is really asking. For example, I recall a Year 12 QCS paper I was marking asking students to ESTIMATE a particular figure using a graph.
Now those who went ahead and fully CALCULATED that figure precisely went to a huuuuge amount of trouble.
Some used calculus, others calculated areas of trapeziums.
And many of these students who got all the working and the end answer correct, did get full marks.

However, those that understood and had clocked the word estimate and identified that as the COMMAND WORD, simply found the points on the graph, read across to the required numbers on the axis, and added them up to give an estimate of the figure.
These students ALSO qualified for full marks AND moved on with an extra 10 or 15 minutes or so under their belt to tackle the longer, extended questions to come.

 

The second benefit of being proficient in identifying, understanding and responding to command words is that it can save a lot of disappointment. If your teen’s ever had that experience where they complete a test or a task thinking they’ve done pretty darn well, (you know… where they put in a good effort and wrote some accurate and detailed content), only to have it returned with a low mark or grade, they’re then left feeling totally deflated and perhaps a little upset.
And after that initial disappointment passes, they then feel the confusion seeping in. Wondering where they went wrong.

Well in almost all cases I’ve seen of this, it’s because the student didn’t respond to the command of the question, or the focus of the essay.
This isn’t the topic – that’s usually done correctly.
It’s the level and focus of the question or essay that’s not always addressed or responded to.

 

This can certainly be disheartening and confusing, but the problem lies in the fact that an answer can only be credited for what matched up with the mark scheme.
So if a student’s ‘stated’ rather than ‘described’, or ‘compared’ rather than ‘analysed’, then no matter how correct the information is factually or how well the answer has been written in terms of technical language or sophisticated vocabulary, there is NO way that it’s going to get full marks or probably even close to it.

So, if you want your teen to avoid all that wasted time and effort, avoid the disappointment and instead feel confident in their ability to tackle any question that’s thrown at them, then they need to get conquering those command words – the title of Catapult 7 in my flagship program – the 10 Week Grade Transformation.
Two quick tips on looking this up for yourself is to Google:

  • cognitive verbs

and also

  • Bloom’s Taxonomy (which you’ve also likely heard me mention before).

So go check those out, share this post with any other parents or students you think could benefit from these tips, and until next week let’s make this a fantastic week!

Yours,

Katie

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Caveman Brain sabotages student results!

Have you ever had that thing where you’re walking down some stairs and you think there’s another step but there isn’t and you kinda get a bit of a jolt and a shock?

It’s the same reason why students sometimes mis-read a question, or mis-interpret an essay title or the focus of an inquiry project.

Let me explain what’s going on and what we can do about this ‘caveman’ (or cavewoman!) brain of ours.

(Yep, we allllll have one!)

Our brains are always trying to predict the future.
We’re programmed that way as a survival technique.
Historically we needed to pre-empt any danger in order to avoid it and to work out where our next meal was coming from.

So our brains still do the same thing today but of course instead of this instinct focusing on danger or food for survival, they do it for the things that help us survive each day as a modern-day student.
Like surviving that Maths exam.
Or getting through that English essay unscathed!

 

Our brains look for and try to create patterns or systems of recognition.

So for anything that looks similar in any way to something we’ve seen or practiced before, our brain will apply that previous experience to that new situation.
It want us to be able to quickly make sense of it.

 

But when it comes to exams and assessments, this can be detrimental if students aren’t ready and able to dissect the wording with fresh ‘non-caveman’ eyes so to speak.

 

Because if they’ve done practice questions in revision, or written an essay in class on a specific topic, then chances are, when they see a similar question in the real exam, or an essay on the same topic, even if any of these are worded differently, their brains will naturally try to make this new question or title fit the previous one.

To be able to continue a pattern or to make something NEW, more FAMILIAR.

To keep things SAFE.

 

But the danger of this of course is that students may then interpret the question incorrectly or even misread it altogether.
Or they may miss the real focus of the essay title and although they’ll write accurately about the topic, they won’t necessarily have the appropriate level of discussion or structure to their writing.

This is one reason why students sometimes have that experience of feeling like they’ve written a great response, but the result isn’t what they hoped for.

Now of course, this isn’t to say that students shouldn’t practice example or past exam questions.
That is a GREAT way to revise and prep for exams 🙂
And it certainly isn’t an excuse that’s gonna get them out of writing that English essay either!
But it IS a reason why students need to learn and practice and hone their skills in dissecting every exam question for the specific command and demand of that question AND become really skilled in things like identifying the topic and focus of any essay title or question.

So that they don’t fall into that pattern of recognition and prediction that our ‘caveman brains’ have so cleverly designed for us, but in this case, unfortunately doesn’t necessarily work so well for us.

This skill of dissecting the question, identifying command words and know exactly how to respond to them is just one of the 3 key secrets I’m revealing in my online Term 1 Parent Information Event. So if you’d like to grab the essential insider dissection skills for your teen, then be sure to >register for it for free<.
TIP! – This Term 1 Event is for one week only, and spaces at each session are limited, so be sure to register now.

 

Let me know in the comments…
Have you ever read something, and read what you THOUGHT it said or was going to say, only to realise you made a mistake?
Has your teen ever mis-read an exam question?
If this situation resonates with you or your teen, then please share this blog post with other parents and students AND go register for the Term 1 info event!

And until next week, let’s make this a fantastic ‘Term 1 Event Week’!.

Katie 🙂

 

 

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Starting Year 9 – What to expect and how to succeed

Moving up to the next year group can feel like a big deal and can be pretty daunting (whether students choose to show it, or not).

There might be butterflies of excitement (‘Yesssss – Year 9 always sounded so cool’).

Or butterflies of anxiety or worry (in an ‘Eek! Y9! OMG – Things are gonna start getting tough!’ kinda way).

So, here’s what your teen can expect and should be ready to look out for as they embark on Year 9 – so they’re not only feeling cool and calm about what lies ahead, but can also really make the most of the opportunities to show their best work.

Okay, so your teen’s going into Year 9!….

There are gonna be a few things that feel pretty similar to Year 8, but also a couple of significant changes in the tasks they’ll likely be set.

 

Things that won’t change too much are the level and quantity of the subject content that is being taught. So no need to worry about anything suddenly feeling super-difficult or being out of their depth in terms of knowledge and understanding of a subject if they went okay with it last year.

Of course, they may have one or two new subjects if they have electives starting this year and that’ll be really exciting. This could be the place where there might be a steeper learning curve if it’s a brand new subject, like a new language perhaps. But of course the teachers and the syllabus will take account of that and most other students will be in the same boat, so nothing to worry about. Students just need to be willing and able to ask for help if they need it, for example from teachers, parents or tutors, or know where to find additional help or resources on the internet, for example tutorials on YouTube or subject-specific websites such as ‘Litcharts’ for English literature.

The one thing your teen might notice a change in though is the types of tasks they’re set. Rather than the more standard – e.g. answer these text book Qs for homework – they may be set more extended tasks like research assignments or even, perhaps their first essay.

These will require some independent research as well as the ability to structure a comprehensive but clear response.

At this stage teachers will most likely give them a scaffold or model to help with structure, but just in case they don’t, or you’d still like a bit more help with that then, try using my tip that I blogged about previously – ‘Write the Intro Last’.

I know. It sounds a bit backwards, but everyone who’s used it has told me how well it’s worked so give it a go 🙂

Plus, that independent research I mentioned – well that can massively sap your teen’s time.

So try out these tips too:

3 Google Hacks to help you research and find information that’s actually useful

And

The Ninja referencing trick

 

So there you have it.

Not too much change in the demands of the subject content, a bit of excitement for new electives (or perhaps just having been able to drop one that they didn’t enjoy!) and some new expectations in terms of likely more extended tasks, inquiries or investigations. Maybe even the first essay!

So be sure to use those tips I mentioned to help deal with those or just have a browse for other related tips using the categories in my blog at the bottom-right of the page.

Clicking on the ‘Assignments’ tag in the column of tags to the right of this post will be a good place to start 🙂

 

I really hope that helps with any pre-Term 1 nerves or anxieties, as well as giving you some go-to tips and strategies.

Leave me a comment or drop me an email and let me know… What’s the thing your teen’s most concerned about for the next school year, or the thing they’re most looking forward to?

And look out for my Term 1 parent information event coming up very soon.

(Totally free and with a new twist for 2019! Woop woop!).

Here’s to a SUPER- happy and successful year ahead and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!

Katie 🙂

 

 

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Starting Y12 – The challenges & opportunities to thrive (rather than survive) this final year!

Moving up to the next year group can feel pretty daunting (whether students choose to show it, or not).

And of course, well, it’s Year 12. It’s kind of a big deal.

There might be butterflies of excitement (‘Yesssss – Year 12 – at last!’).

Or butterflies of anxiety or worry (in an ‘Eek! Y12! OMG – Wait, no, I’m not ready!’ kinda way).

So, here’s what your teen can expect and should be ready to look out for as they embark on Year 12 – so they’re not only feeling cool and calm about what lies ahead, but can also really make the most of the opportunities to show their best work.

 

 

Yikes, it’s Year 12 for your teen!

You’re probably wondering how on earth they’re in Year 12 already, right!?

The final year of high school and a particularly important one if they want to give themselves as many future opportunities as possible – including those they don’t even think they might want or need right now.

(My sister started out working with artists and corporate commissions when she left school at 18. Then she worked in the marketing department for the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Now… she’s a vet – and did her study and training for that almost 10 years after leaving high school. And I can tell you – she was very glad she’d gotten good grades first time around, even though she didn’t need them for what she THOUGHT she was going to do with her life.)

So, with maximising choice and options in mind, here’s what to look out for and be READY for in Year 12.

The types of tasks and assessments will be similar to Year 11 – including essays, inquiries, research assignments and investigations.

A lot of what’s done in Year 11 is kind of a dry-run for Year 12.

So they should be fairly familiar with these by now and be confident in tackling them.

Therefore, what’s going to really pay off is being able to optimise these opportunities to operate at the highest levels of cognitive ability, i.e. respond at the highest levels of Blooms taxonomy.

(By the way – if you’re not sure what I mean by any of that, then be sure to come to my upcoming online Term 1 Parent Info Event – I’ll be emailing out details soon) 🙂

One way is to strategically select a topic or focus for any open task.

One that provides the greatest opportunity to incorporate high level info and demonstrate high level analytical and evaluative skills. I recorded a blog video specifically on this – ‘Choosing a great topic for an open-ended task’.

 

And of course, there are those final exams. It’s essential for your teen to know and have had plenty of practice in the six elements of exam technique, as well as be very familiar with mark schemes and how they work. Plus, they need to be savvy with time management by being clear and succinct in their answers, whilst also providing the required depth and detail.

It’s a lot to consider I know, which is why I teach all of these in my 10 Week Grade Transformation Program as well as the skills and techniques of active revision and revision planning.
(When it comes to revision, there’s nothing worse than seeing a student studying hard, but revising in all the wrong ways).

 

So, to sum up, have your teen keep in mind this year:

  • How can they manipulate tasks to allow them to operate and respond at the highest levels?
  • Have they nailed the 6 elements of exam technique?

And

  • Do they know if their revision techniques are what we call ‘active’ and scientifically proven to be effective

 

I really hope that helps with any pre-Term 1 nerves or anxieties, as well as giving you some go-to tips and strategies.

Leave me a comment or drop me an email and let me know… What’s the thing your teen’s most concerned about for the next school year, or the thing they’re most looking forward to?

And look out for my Term 1 parent information event coming up very soon.

(Totally free and with a new twist for 2019! Woop woop!).

Here’s to a SUPER-happy and successful year ahead and until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!

Katie ?

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