General Exam Information
Please follow the below link to view the GCSE Exam Timetable for Summer 2024
Exam-assembly-presentation-2024.pdf
Uniform during GCSE Exams
Students are expected to wear full school uniform throughout the exams period. The exception to this may be when the weather is particularly warm when students are permitted to remove their ties and blazers.
Equipment for exams
Students are expected to bring their own equipment for exams. This should be carried in a transparent pencil case or small bag. The minimum expectation would be:
- 2 black pens
- For exams such as science and maths students will also require:
- Pencil
- Rubber
- Ruler
- Scientific calculator
Sickness
If a student is ill on the day of a written exam and is so sick that they cannot come to school, a parent or guardian must ring the school by 8am to inform the Exams Officer or email exams@twickenhamschool.org.uk. You will also be required to complete JCQ Form 14 self-certification which will be sent to you by the exams officer. You may also wish to contact your doctor to obtain evidence of the sickness and a medical certificate should be signed by the doctor.
Student Information
2022-Unauthorised-Items-poster-live-text-September22-3.pdf
IFC-Coursework-Assessments-2023-FINAL.pdf
IFC-NE-Assessments-2023-FINAL-1.pdf
IFC-Written-Examinations-2324-Revision-One-FINAL.pdf
Information-for-candidates-Privacy-Notice-21-22-1.pdf
JCQ-AI-poster-for-students-2.pdf
JCQ-Preparing-to-sit-your-exams-2023-24-1.pdf
JCQ-Social-Media-Infographic-v4-1.pdf
Warning-to-Candidates-2022-23-3.pdf
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to wear school uniform? Yes, you must wear full school uniform for all your exams. You must not wear coats/scarves/hoodies and hats in the exam room What if there is a clash or a subject missing on my timetable? Speak to your teacher or Ms Jones (Exams Officer) as soon as possible.
What if I lose my timetable? You should try to keep your timetable in a safe place and write the dates and times of your exams in a planner or calendar. If you have lost your timetable and do not know the dates of your exams, you can consult the timetables on the Exams noticeboard or ask Mrs Smith to print another copy.
What if I have an appointment at the same time as an exam? GCSE exams cannot be moved/changed as the exam boards, JCQ and OFQUAL, set these. You should avoid making any appointments during exam times.
What if I am late – will I still be able to sit the exam? If you are running late, you should contact the school as soon as possible to let us know. Depending on how late you are, you may be able to sit the exam as soon as you arrive (you will be given the full time to complete the exam). GCSE exams cannot be taken at another time so if you do not show up, you will be marked as absent.
What do I do if I think I have the wrong paper? Invigilators will ask you to check that you have the right paper before the start of the exam. If you have the wrong paper, put your hand up and let the invigilator know immediately.
Do I have to go to lessons if I do not have an exam? Yes, you should go to your usual lessons if you do not have an exam unless you are told otherwise.
What if I am unwell during the exam? Put your hand up and wait for an invigilator to help you.
Can I go to the toilet during an exam? You will not normally be allowed to go to the toilet during exams as this can be disruptive to other students. However, if it is absolutely necessary, you will be escorted by an invigilator. You will not be allowed any extra time.
Can I leave the exam early if I have finished? No. If you finish the exam early, you must stay seated in the exam room until the exam ends. This is because it can be disruptive to other students if people leave at different times. You should use any remaining time you have to check over your answers.
Managing Exam Stress
First of all remember it is completely normal to have anxiety before exams. Read the NHS guidance on coping with exam stress, along with some useful leaflets which can be found at the bottom of this page.
Ofqual - Managing Exam Anxiety (for parents and students)
Emotional Health Service - Dealing with Exam Stress
Coping with Exam Stress - Student Guide
Emotionally Healthy Approach to GCSEs
Further exam and revision tips from AQA:
AQA’s exam and revision tips with The Student Room
AQA have worked with The Student Room to update their series of exam and revision tips for summer 2024 for their biggest subjects. They have updated their exam advice to take into account the advance information and adaptations for this summer’s exams, including lots of useful tips.
Ofqual student guides
Ofqual has published the following guides to support students this summer:
Their student web pages also have lots of helpful information, including guidance on managing exam stress, and a list of support services should students need them.
Examination tips for success
It is usually good to take some advice when planning your revision work. Planned revision, tactics for revising well, time out to rest and relax are good things to ensure examination success.
| Have a plan and work hard through it - Most things are better when they are well planned, but do not spend too much time making the plan. Look at your evenings and weekends. Look for those good chunks of time – an hour or two. Plan your revision to follow the pattern of the examination timetable. Don’t fall into the trap of revising the things you already know well, you have to plan to tackle the harder topics too. Divide all big tasks into a series of smaller ones and then take on the least pleasant ones first. |
| Get some exercise - be active - It is good to be in a sports team and it is good to be physically busy. Twenty minutes each day would be good. It gets the blood flowing well, which a hard working brain really needs. It helps release endorphins which is our brain letting our body know that things are good. Get into a pattern, a routine while you are exercising. |
| Know how to - Most people feel more anxious when they are not sure what to do, so become an expert. Know your exam timetable, what is on when, how long the paper is, how many questions. Make sure that you know from each teacher what you have to show that you can do to get those high marks and then rehearse it, learn your lines. Allow your growing expertise to replace any anxiety, and be quietly confident. |
| Eat a balanced diet - This is always important, but particularly when we are facing challenges. We need to keep fit. So make sure you eat plenty of protein, fruit and vegetables. DO NOT USE ENERGY DRINKS - they are the wrong sugars and the high caffeine dose is not at all good for a brain that wants to work well. |
| Sleep well - As the evening gets later, then do the things that help you to wind down. Make sure that you have worked hard and that you have taken some exercise. Work out at what time you will fall asleep most easily. Six hours is your minimum. Some researchers say that teenagers need 9 hours’ sleep each night. |
| The power of positive - It is hard to be stressed when you smile so practise smiling at other people. It is good for everyone. It is hard to be stressed when we are breathing out so breathe out slowly. Six deep breaths in and slowly breathe them out. Try to keep a good perspective on yourself and on this year. |
How to revise well
Here are some tips in no particular order. The best way is to try them out and see which ones help you to work most effectively:
- Transformation is really good – make it into a song or bullet pointed list or a limerick or a tongue-twister, a pie-chart – changing what something looks like may well give us two ways to remember it.
- Make up an acrostic/acronym – where each point gives you a letter of a word, real or made up eg Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain – leads to ROYGBIV – which are the colours of the spectrum in the right order – Red, Orange etc. The ones that you make up are the best for your brain.
- Take the blank page challenge – revise a topic, then walk away from it, do something else. Next time you are going to revise the same topic, take a blank piece of paper and write down all that you can recall. Compare what you have written with what you need to know – see where the gaps are.
- Space it out – work on a topic for half an hour and then do something else. Go back to the topic after about half an hour and then work through it again. Take a bigger break from this topic – maybe 48 hours – and then try it again. It is an idea called optimal spacing. Work out your own best pattern.
- Turn your topic into a story and tell it to your friends or family.
- Mind maps – some learners find these really helpful in getting a whole topic onto one side of A4 – and it is very good because it is visual as well as verbal.
- When I am learning lines for a play especially Shakespeare, I have to walk around and I have to say them out loud. Revision does not have to be sitting or silent.
- What’s on the tray? The old memory game when there are a series of objects on a tray – tea towel on the top – remove it for 20 seconds – how many can you remember? Use the same visual technique with your chosen topic.
- Get on the Internet – The revision app Gojimo is excellent. Don’t forget The PiXL maths app. There is a lot more available – check in with your teachers about which are the best for each subject.
- We tend to be very good at remembering gossip and stories – so turn your revision topic into a story which you visualise, with the key points becoming characters in your story.
- Question and answer is good – work with someone else.
- Teach someone what you have just learned.
- Make it into a cartoon/collage/poster – something a bit creative can help to memorise something.
Twickenham
Middlesex TW2 6JW
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