IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START PRACTISING EXAM TECHNIQUE!

Although it might seem as though the school year has only just started, you’re probably already looking towards completing Unit Assessments if you haven't already done so, and remember – prelims are just around the corner. This National 5 and Higher Exam Guide and Revision supplement, in association with Hodder Gibson – Scotland’s Number One Educational Publisher – is designed to provide you with useful advice, as well as examples of exam questions to help you to become more familiar with the exam format and more confident when sitting your actual exams.

These online magazines contain sample questions for National 5 and Higher English, as well as for National 5 and Higher Biology, National 5 and Higher Geography, and National 5 and Higher Physics in the first one

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=022f88b0-c581-49b8-bcb7-bba218d0f576

While the second one gives expert advice and practice exam questions for Maths, Chemistry, History and Modern Studies.

http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/Launch.aspx?EID=9773a306-5851-4dff-85bd-497aa46f526b

And do remember to check out www.hoddergibson.co.uk for more free exam practice papers.

Plan your time 

When you are studying during a typical week, you will be guided by a timetable of lessons. Go one step further and ask for a copy of the academic calendar for your school or institution so that you can see how many teaching weeks there are in each term. With this information, you can plan and manage your time effectively during each term and have targets for any ‘study periods’ on your timetable.

Organise ‘study groups’ so that some revision sessions are collaborative. Start or join a social media group to share ideas and resources.

There is a great deal of value in discussing your studies with class-mates and talking about topics informally. A study group is a support base and sounding board, and everybody benefits from a shared sense of purpose.

Make use of areas within your school/college that are most conducive to learning (such as a quiet library) and avoid social distractions when you have planned to study. No, it’s not easy, but it is essential if you want to be able to focus on securing that bit of knowledge or that technique in the subject that you’re working on.

That said, even the most thorough planning should include some balance, with time for friends, some space to pursue outside interests and perhaps some work experience.

Find a place to study

Would you say ‘I work better at home than at school’? Home is only a good place to work or revise if you’ve got an atmosphere for study and success organised. It might be worth modelling your ‘home’ space on the standard student accommodation at university: desk, lamp, bookshelves and a noticeboard for planning, revision sheets and reminders. To ensure that ‘home’ has the study atmosphere you need to achieve success, you also need to be honest about the barriers to learning that you encounter at home. It’s worth carrying out a distraction audit to identify the things that interfere with your learning the most.

Find out more

Hodder Gibson publishes a range of quality classroom, exam and revision support materials including SQA-endorsed textbooks, SQA-endorsed How to Pass revision resources and the Official SQA Past Papers for Nationals, Highers and Advanced Higher levels.

Our wide range of resources to assist your learning and revision, as well as a wealth of free revision material, can be found at www.hoddergibson.co.uk. You can also contact us at 211 St Vincent Street, Glasgow G2 5QY; via telephone at 0141 333 4650, or by email at hoddergibson@hodder.co.uk Oh, and by the way, if you haven’t already, download your free Model Papers now from our website. Just go to www.hoddergibson.co.uk and follow the links/enter the code WD0008857 for amazing offers on the Past Papers and the new Hodder Gibson Practice Papers!