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Original poster

Please, as we hit exam season in earnest – take a moment to check…

120 replies

clary · 16/04/2024 15:43

… that your DC are prepped as they should be. I am not talking here about revision but exam rubric and spec.

I conduct speaking assessments for MFL and while some candidates are excellent and well-prepared, I am always surprised by how many have not filled in the form correctly, or have not checked what kind of questions I will be asking, or have not realised that they need to ask me a question or questions. This is at both KS4 and KS5. None of this information is secret – it is all right there on the exam board websites. Candidates are losing marks because they have not checked this out.

Yes, teachers should be flagging this up – but sometimes students do not listen to teachers. And of course many students will be sitting exams via HE, so may not have an exam-expert teacher or tutor to consult.

We are well into the speaking assessment windows for A level, international A level, GCSE and IGCSE now, but it may be that your DC still has their MFL speaking assessment coming up. If it’s AQA GCSE, they do not need to develop answers in the role-play, but they do for the photocard. They do need to ask the examiner a question in the general speaking. If they are taking Edexcel IGCSE MFL, the detail of the kind of questions they will be asked on the photo is online, and worth a look. If they are sitting Edexcel A level MFL, they are supposed to ask the examiner multiple questions during both elements of the conversation. And so on.

The same goes for other papers and other subjects too. In MFL AQA GCSE, there is a choice of two questions on the written paper, so please only write one piece, not both. For the 20th century text in AQA Eng lit, they only need to write answers for one of two questions. For AQA Eng lang, only four short answers are needed for the first task. There are similar details to bear in mind for all subjects – and like I say, the info is on the exam board website, under spec, or under details for specific papers. Please take a look. Better to know twice and be sure than to walk into an exam unprepared.

OP posts:
DramaLlamaBangBang · 09/05/2024 09:50

My DS gas been doing art for 2 days then straight into RE today. I've been bombarding him with all the advice on here, and forgot to ask him if he'd remembered his pens! He's only had to take in his portfolio!

Original poster
clary · 09/05/2024 09:39

Very best of luck to everyone’s DC. Give them all the support they need.

OP posts:
tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 09/05/2024 09:06

Aggghh they're here Confused

Good luck to everyone and thanks again OP and all knowledgeable bods for a very helpful thread.

See you on the other side!

Countrylife2002 · 08/05/2024 19:36

MrsHamlet · 07/05/2024 20:20

I got mine in y7 in 1989 and it's still going strong.

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Thanks this is so reassuring! I just mentioned on the other thread that dd has got water on it scrubbing off stickers. Let’s hope it’s also robust !!

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 08/05/2024 13:03

Ok thanks

Phineyj · 08/05/2024 13:01

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz depends what the guidance to examiners says. This is generally provided at the beginning of mark schemes.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 08/05/2024 11:35

Can I clarify something from up thread which I'm now confused about ...

Student makes a mistake so crosses answer out with a single line. Doesn't then provide a new "correct" answer to replace.

If correct can the first crossed out answer be accepted?

MrsHamlet · 08/05/2024 08:28

Crossed out work in both Englishes isn't read.

noblegiraffe · 08/05/2024 08:23

sequin2000 · 07/05/2024 20:18

Anything crossed out for the papers I mark cannot be marked so if it may be correct better to leave it in as positive marking means the examiner ignores incorrect info.

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Probably best to specify subject here!

In maths, work that has been crossed out but is still readable can be marked if it hasn't been replaced with incorrect working.

Maths isn't positively marked. If there are two answers/methods presented, then the examiner marks both of them and awards the lower number of marks, unless one is clearly designated the method/answer the student intends as their solution.

Newlittlerescue · 08/05/2024 08:17

Just to throw in a tip I heard on an Ancient History GCSE YouTube, but presumably applicable for other subjects too:

In a passage of writing, if ellipses (three dots) have been used, there are marks to be gained from using the text after the ellipses (as otherwise the examination board would have just ended the text before the ellipses). So always try to use the text that comes after the ellipses in your answer.

MrsHamlet · 07/05/2024 20:20

Countrylife2002 · 07/05/2024 20:15

Do calculator batteries last forever.. I’ve never changed DD’s and having a minor panic it might die. I don’t want to mess with it at this point though! Was new in y7…

I got mine in y7 in 1989 and it's still going strong.

MrsHamlet · 07/05/2024 20:19

sequin2000 · 07/05/2024 20:18

Anything crossed out for the papers I mark cannot be marked so if it may be correct better to leave it in as positive marking means the examiner ignores incorrect info.

Show quote history

Same

sequin2000 · 07/05/2024 20:18

Stopsnowing · 22/04/2024 22:50

Sorry what do you mean see below? Won’t below be where the following question is?

Show quote history

Anything crossed out for the papers I mark cannot be marked so if it may be correct better to leave it in as positive marking means the examiner ignores incorrect info.

Countrylife2002 · 07/05/2024 20:15

Do calculator batteries last forever.. I’ve never changed DD’s and having a minor panic it might die. I don’t want to mess with it at this point though! Was new in y7…

MrsHamlet · 07/05/2024 20:10

Gunnersforthecup · 07/05/2024 20:03

Not my DC, but what happens if a child has an injury and can't write?

Emergency access to a scribe.

Let the school know asap - not on the morning of the exam

Gunnersforthecup · 07/05/2024 20:03

Not my DC, but what happens if a child has an injury and can't write?

NellyCortado · 28/04/2024 08:59

This is so helpful, thank you

MrsHamlet · 23/04/2024 17:42

Don't make "jokes" about how you're going to smuggle notes into exams. We have to pass them on, and - frankly - we have enough to do without having to investigate.

noblegiraffe · 22/04/2024 23:24

No, there's often blank space below a question box if it's the last one on a page, I guess for formatting because the next question wouldn't fit in the space.

Stopsnowing · 22/04/2024 22:50

noblegiraffe · 17/04/2024 11:15

For papers like maths, please do not write outside designated area for the workings and answer as the papers are scanned in, and any working outside the box may not be seen on the screen by the examiner. Write ‘see below’ or put an arrow to show there is further working if necessary.

If you cross out incorrect answers, only do it with a single line so it can still be read. If it turns out to be correct and hasn’t been replaced with other incorrect working, you can still get marks for it. If it has been scribbled out and can’t be read, it can’t!

Common sense check your answer. If you’ve worked out a kilo of potatoes costs £1000 you’ve probably made a mistake.

Sorry what do you mean see below? Won’t below be where the following question is?

WardenOfGarden · 22/04/2024 18:08

@tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz Ds had prepared essay answers for a couple of subjects, one was History and they had to answer a how far do you agree with this sort of question. They had been taught 4 paragraphs and a conclusion for certain mark questions (18 or 20 not AQA) so for every past paper question that had ever been asked he had prepared a yes or no conclusion and had then bullet point statements to elaborate on in exams. There is only so many ways they can ask a question about a topic. That meant he had already figured it out before he went in. He just wrote things like yes Babington Plot, no excom Pope date, Walsingham spy network, etc but then he was a History grade 9 motivated student. It meant he wasn't sitting there trying to think up what to write under pressure.

The same for English lit poems, he would have Form, Opening, Structure, Ending already to write about five poems he knew inside out. He would write FOSSE which is one of the Mr Salles's methods I believe and tick each letter.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 22/04/2024 17:43

MrsHamlet · 22/04/2024 16:53

In the exam paper under the question it relates to, if the answer booklet has the questions (eg English Lang)
At the top of the page in a blank booklet - but make sure it's numbered with the correct question.

Thanks!

MrsHamlet · 22/04/2024 16:53

In the exam paper under the question it relates to, if the answer booklet has the questions (eg English Lang)
At the top of the page in a blank booklet - but make sure it's numbered with the correct question.

tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz · 22/04/2024 16:43

listsandbudgets · 22/04/2024 15:55

if you have a number of long essay questions especially A level.. check how many you need to write.. pick out your questions then write brief essay plans for each one. believe me when you've written 2 long essays already and you've still got a third to go then having a plan helps.. and if for any reason you don't finish you'll most likely still get marks from the plan.

secondly some subjects require you to use certain key words in your answers.. fairly sire this applies to some biology a level papers.. identify which words and write them down early in exam and then use them.

check page numbers, check back page fior questions and if you finish early dint just go check you're happy with your answers

Can I ask, for essay plans for GCSE, where would you write this plan? That's useful to know

listsandbudgets · 22/04/2024 15:55

if you have a number of long essay questions especially A level.. check how many you need to write.. pick out your questions then write brief essay plans for each one. believe me when you've written 2 long essays already and you've still got a third to go then having a plan helps.. and if for any reason you don't finish you'll most likely still get marks from the plan.

secondly some subjects require you to use certain key words in your answers.. fairly sire this applies to some biology a level papers.. identify which words and write them down early in exam and then use them.

check page numbers, check back page fior questions and if you finish early dint just go check you're happy with your answers

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