The reason for the season; revision and examinations

This week St Mary’s School, Cambridge has plunged headfirst into examinations season proper: in addition to GCSE and A Level students (Year 11 and Sixth Form) now on study leave and sitting examinations, our Year 7 to Year 10 students are also tackling a week’s worth of internal examinations.

Revision can often feel boring (as the topics have all been covered before), or feel overwhelmingly difficult (as the amount of information to work through can seem daunting). But it’s important to remember that the experience of revising is itself beneficial. Throughout the year the girls will have covered a range of subjects, some which will have been readily understood, some of the facts of which will have been easily memorised; but there will be gaps in understanding as well as recall. The process of consolidating the year’s learning for examinations provides an opportunity to fill in gaps of understanding, and to ingrain in the girls’ minds those dates, or formulas, which were elusive at the initial moment of learning.

Another positive part of the revision process is the opportunity for peer group study; you may think the idea of the girls meeting up to revise together sounds like a sure way for a day’s revision to be wasted, but think again! Working with peers to practise solving problems and having explanations of difficult concepts on their level should be embraced and encouraged. Friendship groups also offer a great source of comfort and support to the girls – having a shared understanding of the topic and the way it has been taught in class – and coming together in a practical and emotional way to review the information and support each other is important for learners of all ages.

The girls across all year groups have already received guidance on how to revise effectively: planning (making revision timetables); ensuring they understand the topics before revision commences; revising using recommended techniques, such as exploding topics; and testing themselves to gauge progress in each area. For more information on these techniques please click here to download a copy of the letter that was sent to Year 7 to Year 10 parents about internal examinations.

A REMINDER OF THE REVISION ADVICE GIVEN TO GIRLS

• Eat and drink well, exercise, get fresh air, and get enough sleep
• Avoid comparisons with others – do things your own way
• Start with the most difficult topics; it is tempting to focus on the things that we are already good at, but be flexible – not all topics and subjects will require the same amount of time
• Don’t give up! Revision shouldn’t be easy – if it is, it probably isn’t working
• Don’t worry! Evidence shows that experiencing difficulties is consistent with long term success
• Take short breaks at least every hour – this helps the brain work better
• Prepare yourself by visualising yourself in the examination room – this will help to minimise stress
• Keep things in perspective!
• If you are worried, tell someone! Your teachers will be happy to help.

Ultimately, education is there to serve each individual student. What it’s not there for is to serve the government, the school, or the parents. As an element of education, assessment too (in all forms, not just formal examinations) is not to be used by governments, schools, or parents to compare individual students against each other. Rather, assessment, when done well, provides an opportunity for each student to measure their progress against their potential – and for this progress to be reviewed and reflected on, by the students, parents, schools and government, for the purpose of improving the learning and teaching experiences to benefit the student.

We are extremely proud of our wider ability intake at this school, and the use of assessment (in all forms) to measure individual progress – as opposed to ranking an entire class, or even year group– ensures that everyone is able to receive personalised feedback on their progress; have extension activities tailored to their particular level of understanding; and be praised for their accomplishments. When students join our Senior School they take Cognitive Ability Tests (CAT), which enable us to make informed predictions about their potential outcomes, at GCSE and A Level; this provides a fair and reliable benchmark for each individual, allowing their learning journey to be tailored to them.

Formative assessment begins with even our youngest girls in the Junior School; although they will no doubt be unaware of being assessed, the positive applications of ongoing assessment are always at play. The process of taking formal examinations also provides students with an opportunity to consolidate the year’s learning, demonstrate their progress in each subject, and develop their revision skills in preparation for examinations in the future – whether for GCSE or A Level, or assessment in vocational training or Higher Education.

Examinations are an important part of the wider, ongoing process of ‘formative assessment’, which is undertaken by teachers throughout the year, by observation and questioning in the classroom. For students in Year 7 to Year 10, they will experience this ‘exam week’ and then return to the normality of taught lessons before breaking up for the summer. Teachers will be able to provide feedback on the girls’ performances; being aware of each student’s ability in the subject from classroom evaluation, and how this compares with the outcomes of the examinations. This joined up process allows teachers to be instrumental in helping the girls to set targets which, in turn, help the girls to progress in their learning.

Of course, however well prepared each girl may be, and however much we try to instil calm in the girls, things can go wrong – from running out of time to revise a subject in its entirety, or suffering an attack of nerves during the examination, to missing out a page of questions. So it is important to (and so we do) teach the girls resilience, and encourage them to recover ‘well’ when faced with failure or disappointment. The school’s current Teaching & Learning focus is on promoting a growth mind-set; an approach that, built upon Carol Dweck and Guy Claxton’s teachings, sees students and staff across the school replacing the words ‘I can’t do that!’ with ‘I can’t do that… yet!’.

As a continuation of this focus, it’s important to remind the girls that all is not lost because of an unexpected examination result. I wonder how many families felt an increased amount of stress over the recent half term break, with one child (or more!) prioritising revision over spending time with the family – or prioritising spending time with the family over revision! I imagine both can lead to increased stress levels. And, of course, both are essential – what’s key is to strike a balance.

I recall my own experience of O Levels (as they were at the time): as a triplet, there were 33 O Levels being studied for at once! – but also a home life that needed to continue, with meals to be made and domestic tasks to be shared out as usual. So whilst we were each special to our parents, none of us was able to have a privileged status as the sibling who was taking examinations. Our parents were very pragmatic about the situation; although they no doubt felt a certain amount of pressure at the time, our examinations weren’t allowed to be all-consuming – which I think added a vital element of calm. As is the case in the working world, there is only so much that can be done on any given day and it is necessary to draw a line under revision at a particular point.

Two of our Year 11 students have recently shown themselves to be great ambassadors for balancing work and other commitments: Annie Q. achieved a National Qualifying time of 2:17, for running the 800m to compete at the English National Club Championships in July; and Jemima C. won the J16 pair race at the Nottingham Masters Regatta in May and will be rowing in several other national events during the next couple of months.

It can be incredibly easy for parents and children alike to buy into the examinations-obsessed culture; we want to support our children in their pursuits, and undoubtedly feel some weight of responsibility about protecting them from regrets later in life. But it is essential for the whole family to remember how important affection and love are at a time like this, especially for children, and much more so than a clutch of outstanding results.

So, as we near the end of exam week for Year 7 to Year 10, and continue with examination season for GCSE and A Level students, I hope parents and students alike are able to embrace the experience, and shake off any residual stress that the experience may have caused. Let’s go forward with the spirit of optimism and resilience that is cherished at our school, and urge the girls to do the same as they embark on their next year of study here, in Higher Education, in the pursuit of their vocation, or as they enter the world of work.