year 7 revision and examination preparation guide 2021 · 2021. 3. 26. · year 7 . 7 . sometimes...

Each day, discovery.

YEAR 7 REVISIONAND EXAMINATION PREPARATION GUIDE2021

Subjects with Exams: Mathematics English Biology Chemistry Physics Subjects with NO Exams: Art Drama DT French Geography German History Latin Mandarin Music RS Spanish

Year 7

YEAR 7 EXAM TIMETABLE 2021

Day

Monday 24 May

Tuesday 25 May

Year 7

1

Pathway to Effective Exam Preparation

Year 7

2

TOP TIPS

GET ORGANISED

Benjamin Franklin did not find his face on the $100 bill by chance; he spoke sense.

• Start early – this means you will not feel under too much pressure to get huge amounts done in the first few days.

• Create a revision timetable – see page 4. • Use A4 folders or exercise books for your revision notes. • Make sure you know what you need to revise for each subject. Your teacher

should help you with this.

SET THE MOOD

• Find somewhere you can work at your best and you won’t be distracted. • Have a comfortable place to sit, a glass of water, a desk or table, and plenty

of light. • Stay away from social networking sites, your phone and other external

influences. • If you play music, ensure it is either quiet classical music or a long playlist of

familiar songs.

THE POMODORO TECHNIQUE (Pomodoro is Italian for tomato)

Working in short bursts of intense concentration is better than sitting there for hours and hours without a break.

• The technique dictates that you work for 25mins... • ...and then take a 5min break before returning to your revision. • Repeat this cycle a further 3 times (depending on your timetable).

There is something about setting yourself a short time limit that forces your brain to focus and retain as much information as possible.

Year 7

3

REWARD YOURSELF & TAKE A BREAK

Revision requires hard work. It is therefore only fair that you should receive rewards for achieving goals or targets as part of your revision.

If you give yourself enough time in advance, you can afford a day or two off... see friends, play on your console or better still exercise!

MIX IT UP

• You only remember 10% of all that you read.

• Your revision therefore needs to be active & varied.

Over the next few weeks, you should aim to try some of these methods as part of your revision. Think about what you might try this year and record it on the following page. After your exams you will return to this to decide how successful the method was. Here a few examples, you may have others.

Mind mapping

Mnemonics

Summarise points on revision cards

Repeat lists / processes aloud over and over again

Set yourself questions from your notes (review wrong answers)

Explain work to a friend / parent

Get someone to test you

Watch relevant videos on Bitesize or Youtube

When you feel ready, practice exam questions

Year 7

4

MAKING A REVISION TIMETABLE

• Planning your revision is essential if you are to take control of your revision and not get too stressed.

• It requires you to think about which exams you have when and which subjects you find more difficult than others.

• Remember the Pomodoro Technique • It is better to do a few hours each day rather than cram at the last minute.

You could use a proforma like this:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday AM 1 8-10

AM 2 10-12

PM 1 12-2

PM 2 2-4

PM 3 4-6

PM 4 6-8

PM 5 8-10

AVOID WORKING DURING THIS SLOT WHERE POSSIBLE…

Year 7

5

Or you could stick closer to your school timetable, with additional end of day slots

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 8.30-9.00

9.00-9.35

9.35-10.10

Break

10.30-11.05

11.05-11.40

11.45-12.20

12.20-12.55

Lunch

2.05-2.40

2.40-3.15

3.15-3.50

Break

4.30-5.30

5.30-6.30

Break

7.00-8.00

Year 7

6

Coping with Exam Stress

Exams can be stressful, and the pressure to do well can add to this. Exam pressure can feel tough at whatever stage of your school career you are at. Try to take breaks, manage your expectations and offer yourself some kind words – after all your mental health is important as well.

Everyone has one of those friends who comes out of an exam believing they failed, only to find out they got the highest grade in the year. Try not to compare yourself too

much. After all, everybody has different strengths. You may not have got the highest grade in the year, but you have other strengths that others don’t.

If you’re feeling pressured because of friends, remember:

• Take a break from social media. Feeling guilty isn’t going to make you any better in the exam.

• Stop comparing yourself. If you start beating yourself up because you haven’t done as well as a friend, recognise this as an unhealthy thought. Replace these thoughts with a reminder of all the things you’re great at instead.

• Ask your friends for help. There is no shame in asking for help. Perhaps you and your friends can revise together and share revision tips.

Pleasing your parents can be a challenge. Remember, they want the best for you and sometimes this can lead to pressure to

perform. They may not even notice they are pressuring you. It is important to let them know – in a calm and serious manner. When talking to your parents remember to make it a discussion rather than an argument.

Here are some tips to help manage the conversation:

• Explain to your parents that you are finding things to be challenging. • Give reasons – try to explain which areas you are struggling with

If a teacher predicts you a higher grade than expected it can feel great and be a reason to celebrate. On other occasions, it can feel overwhelming and like you’re out of

your depth. Remember it is positive to aim high but if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, you can always talk to your teacher.

With the help of your teacher, you might want to:

• Express your worries about upcoming exams. Talking about your problems is often the first step to feeling better.

• Work with your teacher to set realistic goals.

My friends are all doing better than

me

I don’t want to let my parents down

My teacher is asking too much

of me

https://www.themix.org.uk/work-and-study/study-and-exam-tips/exam-stress-1241.html

Year 7

7

Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Everyone around you is probably saying you can only do your best, while you’re telling yourself to work harder, revise longer, do better.

It is good to have high expectations for yourself, but if you find you’re pushing yourself too hard, remember:

• Working to extremes isn’t productive. Taking breaks when revising are necessary for a fully functioning brain. Leave your computer, go outside, watch a film – anything that will distract you for a short while from your work.

• Congratulate yourself. If you’ve done a really great stint of revision or have done well in a mock exam, give yourself a treat.

• Use the Mix's Stresshead tool (https://www.themix.org.uk/apps-and-tools/stressheads). This was designed by young people to help relax and distract you when it all gets too much. It also has great stress-relief advice.

I’m putting pressure on

myself

My Exam Stress Action Plan.

Use the space below to identify a minimum of three actions that you will take to help manage your exam stress.

https://www.themix.org.uk/apps-and-tools/stressheads



https://www.themix.org.uk/apps-and-tools/our-apps

Year 7

8

Subjects with Exams

Year 7

9

Subject: Biology Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be two sections in the paper.

Section A will be 20 multiple choice questions; recommended time spent on this is 15 minutes

Section B will consist of some longer answer questions, adding up to 40 marks; recommended time spent on this section 45 minutes

There will be a mixture of different question styles including short-answer questions, calculations and questions that will test your practical skills as well as the factual content of the topics we have covered this year.

Content

The exam will cover the following topics:

• Cells • Diet and Digestion • Soil • Variation

Recommended material for revision

• Using your exercise book. Look at the notes, the practical writeups and homework material

• Sharepoint – Biology section, lower school pages or Class Team area

• Topic Checklists given out as we have gone through the course, but also found on Sharepoint and Teams

• Look over past tests and the corrections you made, use your self-reflection as a guide to focus your revision.

• Textbook(s)

Recommended revision activities

1. Using the topic Checklists, make a table of contents for your own exercise book (you will need to number your pages)

2. Condense your notes, using the Check list as a guide

3. Create a mind map for each topic

4. Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the Checklists for a list of Key Words for each topic)

5. Practice questions, from the topic tests

6. Explain a topic to someone at home.

Year 7

10

Subject: Chemistry Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

The paper will contain a mixture of question styles. These will include multiple-choice questions and short answer questions where a clear, concise response is required. There will question(s) requiring you to plot or analyse data – precise plotting and accurate lines of best fit will be needed, so you should ensure you have sharp pencils. You should also expect to be asked to plan or evaluate experiments similar to those you have completed throughout the year.

Content


• Atoms, Elements and Compounds

• The Periodic Table

• Chemical and Physical Changes

• States of Matter

• Combustion and Fuels

• Acids and Alkalis


• Textbook

• Topic Checklists available from your teacher

• Notes in your exercise book and homework material


1. Condense your notes

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the topic checklists)

3. Practice questions

Year 7

11

Subject: English Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be 1 section in the paper. This will take the form of a writing task and will be marked out of 20.

You will be provided with an extract from a novel as a stimulus for writing. You will also be given a bullet-point list of authorial techniques to consider in your own writing. There will be a choice of two creative writing tasks and both will assess your descriptive and narrative writing skills.

Content


• Writing to Describe

• Writing to Narrate


• Revision Booklet



• Complete all the activities in the Revision Booklet

• Practise writing in some of the genres you studied this year and practise using a range of techniques

• Go back through your exercise books and look at the creative writing your English teacher has marked.

Highlight your targets and learn them.

Year 7

12

Subject: Mathematics Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

There will be one examination paper.

You will need a scientific calculator, pencil, ruler, compasses and a protractor for the test.

Content


• Number skills • Analysing and displaying data • Equations, functions and formulae • Fractions • Angles and shapes • Decimals • Equations • Multiplicative reasoning • Perimeter and area • Sequences and graphs

A breakdown of the above topics can be found in the Scheme of Work on the Maths SharePoint


• Homework textbook

• MyMaths tasks


Year 7

13

Subject: Physics Exam Length: 60 Minutes

Exam Format

You will need to answer all the questions in the exam. There will be a mixture of short and long answer questions as well as calculations. You will need to have access to a calculator, ruler, pencil and a protractor for the exam.

Content

The exam will only be on topics that you have covered this year.


• Energy Transfers and Resources

• Forces

• Light

• Space


• Textbook(s)

• Topic Checklists and revision material available from your teacher



1. Condense your notes (Mind Maps etc)

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings and equations (use the topic checklists)

3. Practise questions and check your answers against the mark scheme

Year 7

14

Subjects with

No Exams

Year 7

15

Subject: Computing No Exam

Content covered this year

• Programming in Python

o Variables (Strings, Integers, Floats, Chars), Conversions and Calculations

o Input and Output

o If statements

o For Loops

o Subroutines (without parameters)

o String Manipulation

• Cyber security

• Hardware components of a PC (CPU/Hard drive/RAM)

• Logic Gates (NOT, OR and AND)

• Binary/Decimal Conversion

• Binary Addition

• Representing Images, Sound and Characters • Office 365 tools

Recommended material for reference

• SharePoint – Year 7 pages

• Python tasks on trinket/coding rooms

• Notes in your exercise book

Year 7

16

Subject: French No Exam

Vocabulary topics:

• Greetings • Numbers 1-30 • Your family • Your pets • Colours • Where you live • Where things are in a room • Dates (days, numbers and months) • Clothes • Descriptions (clothes, pets and people) • Weather • Activities

Grammar:

• Present tense of regular ER verbs • Present tense of AVOIR and ETRE • Adjectival agreements (add an E, add an S) • Gender – le/la/les/un/une/des • Link words (et, aussi, mais etc) • Time references (d’habitude, le matin, le weekend etc)

Recommended material for revision:

• Textbook(s) • Teams • Notes in your exercise book and homework material • www.languagesonline.org.uk • www.quizlet.com • www.linguascope.com (username: elthamcoll / password: lang2020)

Recommended revision activities:

1. Mind-maps per topic with relevant vocabulary and structures

2. Create flashcards for key words and meanings (use the topic checklists)

3. Practise vocabulary and grammar

http://www.languagesonline.org.uk/

http://www.quizlet.com/

http://www.linguascope.com/

Year 7

17

Subject: Geography No Exam


Where we Live: Earth to Mottingham

• The World: Location of the following: Continents, Equator, Tropics, Latitude and Longitude • Europe: EU, Locate Major Geographical features within Europe • The UK: Political and Physical structure of the UK • OS Map Skills: Scale, Straight Line Distances, Compass Directions, Curved Line Distances, Relief, 4 Figure Grid

References, 6 Figure Grid References

Weather and Climate

• Weather and Climate: What is weather and climate? Who is affected by weather? • Measuring Weather: How do you measure weather? Eltham College Weather Station. Plotting Climate

Graphs • The UK’s Climate: Relief Rain • Urban Heat Island: City of London comparison to the South Coast of England

Conflict

• What is Conflict? Different types of Conflict • Somali Pirates: Modern Day Pirates, Conflict on the coast of Somalia. • Heathrow 3rd Runway: Why is there conflict over the Runway? Different stakeholders' opinions. • Resource Conflict: how and why resources can cause conflict, Palm Oil. • Water Conflict: What is Water Deficit? Why water Deficit occurs at the Aral Sea • National Parks: Conflicts in the National Park. • Glaciated Areas: Conflicts in glaciated areas. Arguments for and against the use of glaciated areas.




• Textbook for skills

Year 7

18

Subject: German No Exam

Content covered this year Topics:

• Introducing yourself (name, age, birthday, where you live) • Family and pets (characteristics, colours, appearances) • Free time and hobbies (sports, instruments, computer games and opinions, adverbs of time) • School (classroom objects, school subjects and opinions, telling the time)

Grammar:

• Present tense (regular and irregular) • Nouns (genders, nominative, accusative and plural) • Gern, lieber, am liebsten • Prepositions • Word order (verb as 2nd idea)


• Textbook(s)

• Sharepoint – Year 7 pages


• Memrise

Year 7

19

Subject: History No Exam


• The Battle of Hastings

• William’s consolidation of power after 1066, including the repression of the North, the Feudal System, the Domesday Book and the building of castles.

• Henry, Becket, and medieval religion.

• The Crusades.


• Your notes in your exercise book and homework material.

• Any photocopied sheets and worksheets in your exercise book.

• Your notes, resources, and tasks on Teams

• Y7 History Sharepoint pages.

Year 7

20

Subject: Latin No Exam


Latin Language:

• About the language: Grammar Phenomena of Stage 1-6 • Vocabulary

Roman Culture:

• Daily Life • Forum • Roman Houses • Theatre • Roman Family • Slavery


• Booklets: Stages 1-6

• Homework Booklet.

Year 7

21

Subject: Mandarin No Exam


Vocabulary and topics: Jin Bu 1 chapter 1-3

• Numbers • Age • Greetings • Introductions • Family • Pets • Birthdays • Hobbies • Sports • Days of the week Grammar List: Jin Bu 1 page 100 -112


• Textbook Jin Bu 1, chapter 1 - 3

• GoChinese online exercise

• Previous vocabulary test and worksheet

• Notes in your exercise book and homework materials

Year 7

22

Subject: Music No Exam


• Elements of Music (pitch, melody, rhythm, dynamics, texture, instrumentation)

• Music theory: notes of the treble clef, note lengths and performance directions (e.g. dynamics), and how to write major and minor chords

• Baroque Music & Pachelbel’s Canon

• Instruments of the Orchestra and ‘Showstoppers’ (singing project)

• Film Music & Foley sound effects

• Dr Who and found sounds


• Revision sheet will be given out in class, and available on Teams/Sharepoint

• Your folders and booklets – make sure you have filled in any glossary pages!

• If you need to practice note-recognition, www.musictheory.net is excellent

• Revision lessons after Easter – you will be given resources to use.

http://www.musictheory.net/

Year 7

23

Subject: Religious Studies No Exam


Topic 1: Religious Belief • Why do we study RS? • What are ‘ultimate questions’? • What is the Bible and why is it important? • Who was Abraham and why is he important for Judaism? • How do the Gospels tell of Jesus’ birth? • What is the incarnation of Jesus? • How did Jesus form his own community of believers? • What type of leader was Jesus? • What happened during Holy Week? • What is the significance of Easter Sunday for Christians? • What was the ascension of Jesus? • Why was Peter the first leader of the Church? • How and why were Christians persecuted in Rome? • How did Christianity come to Britain? • How did the Christian Church divide? • Who was Muhammad and why is he important for Islam? • What is the Qur’an and how did it come to Muhammad?

Topic 2: Religious Practice

• Where do Christians worship? What is a church like? • Where do Muslims worship? What is a Mosque like? • Where do Jews worship? What is a Synagogue like? • Why and how do Christians pray? • How did Jesus Pray? • Why and how do Muslims pray? • What are rites of passage? What have I been through? • How is birth celebrated by Christians and Muslims? • What are the marriage ceremonies in Christian tradition? • What are the marriage ceremonies in Muslim tradition? • What are religious food laws / customs and why? • What is pilgrimage? What is a Christian pilgrimage? An example of one • What is a Muslim Pilgrimage? What is Hajj? • What is charitable giving? From both a Christian and Muslim perspective


• SharePoint – Lower School pages • Glossary word list available from your teacher • Notes in your exercise book and homework material

Year 7

24

Subject: Spanish No Exam


Vocabulary

• Introductions (name, age, where you live, birthday) • School bag items and objects in the classroom • School (subjects, teachers, giving opinions, what you do in lessons) • Family members • Pets and colours • Physical and personality descriptions • Describing your home • Activities around the house • Numbers 1-100

Grammar

• Regular ‘ar’, ‘er’, and ‘ir’ verbs • The verbs ser/ tener/ llamarse • Adjectival agreements • Gender (un/una/unos/unas ; el/la/los/las) • Singular/ plural nouns • Qualifiers (muy, bastante, un poco) • Connectives (también, pero, y) • Use of the negative ‘no’ • Verbs like ‘me gusta’ • Boot verbs in the present tense


• Textbook and exercise book

• SharePoint – Year 7 pages

• Quizlet course

Year 7

25

NOTES

Year 7

26

Top Tips: Exam Technique

Exam Strategy Success in exams involves not only having a thorough knowledge of the subject matter but also making the most of your knowledge in the exam through effective answering technique. Two pupils with identical knowledge and ability can sit the same exam and their final grades can differ by as much as 25%. The difference in result is down to having an effective strategy and exam technique.

Here are four golden rules to apply to all your exams:

1. Allow time to read the paper carefully Make sure you really understand a) how many questions there are and; b) exactly what is being asked of you before you rush into answering the paper. Mistakes are easily made by failing to fully understand what you are being asked about, or even missing out a question that could be, for example, on the back page!

2. Stick to your “game plan” For each subject you should have an idea of what will appear in the exam, and you should be able to come up with a plan to deal with this. In most cases the questions will be as expected, but there will always be surprises to deal with in some papers. Don't get flustered. Stick to your “game plan”, and trust your judgement.

3. “Sweep up” any mistakes In the pressure of the exam room it is easy to make basic errors. These errors could cause you to lose you valuable marks. Misreading an instruction is a typical example. Simple miscalculation can lose you time as you try to figure out why your answer is wrong. Be disciplined with your time. Always leave a few minutes at the end to tidy-up errors. Simply changing a definition / formula / calculation could be the difference between a good and an average grade.

4. Attempt all questions It is amazing how many exam scripts are handed in unfinished. Every year, capable pupils who didn’t get time to finish a paper lose easy marks. Don't fall into this trap. Work on the basis that you will write an answer to every question. It is much easier to get the first 20% of the marks for any question than the final 5%. You can always polish an answer further but, if there is no attempt made a question, your teacher can’t give you any marks.

Year 7

27

The Teacher’s View

The job of your teachers is to give you marks, not to take them away, but they are powerless to help you if you fall into the most common traps. These are the most common pitfalls they have identified:

1. Not reading the question correctly

This is one of the most regular and fatal errors: it is often called the 'triggered answer'. You have your pre-prepared answer ready but you don't look at exactly what the question is asking you, and therefore write the wrong information in your answer.

2. Not finishing the paper Bad time management in an exam can easily bring you down a grade. The biggest exam 'crime' is to leave questions that you have not even attempted. Remember: it is much easier to get the first 20% of the marks for any question than the last 5%. Let’s pretend you have to answer five questions and you are stuck on question three: do not spend your remaining time extending and perfecting that answer. Instead, move on to questions four and five, even if your answer to question three is only a draft. If you have answered only three questions instead of five, the highest mark you can get is 60%.

3. Ignoring the marking scheme You must take the marking scheme into account when you allocate time to each question or part of a question. Lots of marks normally = lots of points to make; few marks = only a few points to make.

4. Repetition Make the point once. There are no extra marks for restating facts, even if you phrase them differently. Repetition is a very common mistake. It also wastes time and can be irritating.

5. Missing part of a question Sometimes part of a question can be carried onto the next page and, in the pressure of the moment, you don't see it. As a consequence you might fail to do a compulsory part of a question or miss out on the chance to take an option that would have suited you better. Always take time to familiarise yourself with the whole paper before you start answering it.

6. Rough work Include your rough work with your exam paper – you might get some credit for any plans or “workings-out” written on it.

Year 7

28

Final Preparation for Exams

Performing on the Day

1. Get a good night's sleep While the temptation can be to stay up half the night 'cramming' in more facts and figures, the evidence suggests this approach is counter-productive. In the context of a year’s work, an extra night's studying can make very little difference to your knowledge. Having a mind that is refreshed, alert, and ready to face the exam can make all the difference.

2. Arrive in plenty of time To perform well on the day, you need to be relaxed and to feel in control of the situation. This is difficult to achieve if you have missed breakfast and are stuck on a bus in traffic or standing on a train for 45 minutes as the exam time approaches. You will need about 15 minutes 'quiet time' to mentally rehearse your exam and run through your 'game plan' for the final time.

3. Have your equipment ready Each exam has its own requirements. Apart from properly functioning pens, pencils, rulers, etc. you may need a calculator for the Maths or Science exam. Drawing pencils may be required for diagrams in some subjects. A lot of nervous energy can be expended on last-minute hassle if these items aren't checked in advance.

4. Think positive On the day of the exam remind yourself of the good things (the material you know well, the revision you have completed, all the past exam questions done, the good grades achieved) rather than dwelling on areas of weakness. Having that self-belief will give you the confidence to trust your judgement within the exam room and answer questions with calm and confidence.

5. Maintain your focus There can be a lot of tension, drama, and hysteria in the air on the days of an exam. You want to keep the balance between maintaining your focus and interacting normally with your friends and classmates. Surround yourself with people who are likely to add to the calm rather than add to the clamour.

6. Beware of post-exam analysis The more you participate in the exam post-mortem, the more confused and disheartened you are likely to become. You can't change what has happened, you can only focus on the present and this will need your full attention.

Gloria Filiorum Patres

03/21

Eltham CollegeGrove Park RoadLondon SE9 4QF

+44 (0)20 8857 [email protected]

www.elthamcollege.london

year 7 revision and examination preparation guide 2021 · 2021. 3. 26. · year 7 . 7 . sometimes...

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