A huge misconception of exams is that they’re there to test students’ knowledge of their subjects.
I know, I know, I can almost hear some of the cries of “Whaaaat Katie?! That’s EXACTLY what they’re for.”
coming through the screen…
And don’t worry, I haven’t completely lost it 🙂
I agree that that’s what they’re doing – in PART.
But there’s another important skill being tested here and if your teen isn’t savvy in it, then they likely won’t get the results they could and that they deserve for the work they’ve put in.
Let me explain…
Testing subject knowledge is EXACTLY what I thought exams were there to do when I was a student.
In fact I’d say also in the first couple of years of teaching too.
(And that’s the scary part.)
Because that was before I became an external exam marker and coursework moderator.
I was teaching students the subject content and then they get tested on it to see how well they’ve understood and remembered it.
But after training with exam boards like AQA in the UK, ACARA and the QCAA in Australia, THEN I realised that there’s a whole lot more to this exam malarkey than meets the eye!
There are specific skills that mean students will or won’t perform well in exams.
These include:
- Time management
- Being able to decipher specifically what the question is asking
- Knowing how mark schemes are structured so that they can craft a response that meets the success criteria
- And THEN – being able to write succinctly and concisely so that they can fulfil THOSE requirements – i.e. be able to convey the information needed in the most concise way, with clarity – in other words, giving a quality, focused response, with speed.
If any of those skills and techniques are missing, then the knowledge and understanding of the subject becomes almost secondary.
Because if students can’t get the info from brain to paper, or filter that info for what’s being specifically asked for in the WAY it’s being asked for,
OR
they aren’t able to complete the exam paper in time,
then all the subject knowledge in the world won’t matter.
So, here’s the take-away from this – for students to succeed in exams, we need to get away from the outdated idea that it’s all about learning and revising subject knowledge.
And we need to start acknowledging and taking action on the fact that there are specific skills – the 6 elements of exam technique (which I train students in, in detail, in my 10 Week Grade Transformation Program!) – that are also being tested and examined.
I’ve got a feeling this will be a revelation to many parents and students out there, so if you know anyone else that could benefit from this info, then please go ahead and share this blog with them.
And until next week, let’s make this a fantastic week!
Katie 🙂
