I noticed something by Day 5 of exam marking that surprised me… at first.
It was something I noticed about where the A grades were happening.
Then I thought about it and figured it out.
Here’s what I realised (and it’s what I’ve been saying for years!).
I hate to be blunt, but I’ve seen soooo many examples of students ‘wasting’ time and effort in the exams I’ve been marking.
Time and words that they could’ve spent much more effectively in the places where they’ve had to scrimp or even (eek!) miss out whole questions else where.
Here are 2 specific ways this is happening and how your teen can make sure they save themselves tens of minutes of time and many lines worth of writing.
A key question we ask ourselves as markers helps us determine whether an answer is in the upper or lower part of the mark scheme (i.e. D and E grades or A’s and B’s) and can be a deciding factor between an ‘on the fence’ response.
Your teen can ask themselves this exact same question to ensure they are giving the required detail in their answers.
Check out the third instalment of my Exam Marker Video Diary to find out what it is!
In Day 2 of my Exam Marker Video Diary I explain just ONE of the examples why getting to grips with mark schemes is so important for students.
Because here is an example (and full explanation!) where giving just half a great quality response, when a question asks for two, can still result in a B grade.
Good to know, right!?!
How many times does an exam paper get marked?
…And other common ‘wonderings’ I often get from parents and students about what really happens to those exam papers once they get scooped up off those exam desks!
Check out Day 1 of my Exam Marker Video Diary to find out what really happens behind the scenes of exam marking!
I’ve been observing this for a while now.
I’ve realised that when students understand the exact reasons why they lost out on marks or grades in an exam or essay, every reaction really comes down to one of two categories.
In this week’s video I reveal what those two categories are,
the name for one of them (answers on a postcard for suggestions for the second one!) 😉
and which one you should encourage for your teen.
Overwhelm is a constant challenge for students, especially in the senior years. That feeling of too much to do and not enough time.
Or not knowing precisely how to tackle or approach certain tasks. The feeling that everything is getting on top of them.
And although students can’t always do anything about the number of tasks they need to do or the deadlines for them, there definitely ARE things they can do to minimise the feelings of overwhelm.
Enter… ‘The One Window Rule’
When I run workshops or take classes, I LOVE to put students in the role of the examiner.
It makes them think about marking criteria and what a question commands and demands so that they can pretty accurately ‘predict the mark scheme’ for any question they are faced with when they are sat in the exam hall. And of course, being able to do THAT means they can write a clear and succinct answer, without waffle or wasted time.
#saynotowaffle!
Here’s ONE way your teen can put themselves in the role of the examiner at revision time and in preparation for exams. Watch the video to discover how 🙂
P.S. If you’d love for your teen to be expertly guided through this process, I’m going to do exactly this with a step-by-step interactive exercise in my Exam Mastery Workshop. There are only 6 spaces left (I limit numbers to ensure the level of interaction and feedback is high for every student) so CLICK HERE NOW to reserve your teen’s spot to get them exam-savvy with less stress in time for end of year exams.
I’ve discussed before how scheduled mini-breaks during study, homework and revision are important to keep brain power and retention at an optimum.
But, what should students do in those breaks?…
Watch the video to discover a great way to address (and have fun!) with this 🙂
P.S. This is an opportunity for parents to get involved in the fun part 🙂
You hopefully heard me talk last week about ‘the power of unpacking’ and two brilliant questions students should ask themselves or their teachers about their marked assessment tasks.
I had a couple of email requests for a bit more info on this and in particular about the ‘What can I learn from this?’ question.
In other words
So here are my key suggestions…
