This is the email you need to read before exams start next week

I was disappointed every results day.

On GCSE results day there wasn’t enough A*s.

A-Level results day I wanted an A* in my favorite subject History.

And on University results Day,

It doesn’t quite work like this at university but you get what I mean,

I was also disappointed.

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In this email I am going to outline the final things I would focus on in the lead up to an exam,

Both for essay subjects and a non-essay subjects.

But first,

Why am I telling you about my disappointing results days?

In the grand scheme of things,

They are fantastic problems to have.

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I think the feeling of wanting to do better,

Focusing on the ‘bad’ rather than the ‘good’,

Is a natural feeling within most of us.

And if it was up to me,

I wouldn’t get rid of this feeling entirely,

It is irreconcilably linked with ambition,

At least for me.

I would just encourage us all to have perspective before going into these exams.

Remembering what really matters:

Wellbeing.

Followed by getting sufficient grades so they can take their desired next step.

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Essay Subjects – Your Teacher doesn’t know everything

This is a poignant point,

That no one wants to hear.

Essay subjects are subjective.

You will not receive the same grade from five different teachers.

Therefore, how do we decide who to listen to?

It’s your teacher, right?

Right …

Well, I’m not so sure.

Of course, we absolutely listen to them in part,

And take on board what they say.

But the truth is that the quality of marking will vary,

And if we’re being really honest,

If you took all the teachers at state schools,

And compared their marking to all the teachers at private schools,

I would wager the private school group would provide marking that is more in line with the examiners.

Maybe I’m wrong.

All I know is that time and time again I see full classes get their grades moderated down,

I see students who got a certain grade the whole way end up with a grade or two less in their final exam.

So, what can you do about this?

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Examiners Reports are the key.

They are direct feedback from the head examiner,

Available online – search for the exam board, the subject and examiners reports.

They reflect on how last year’s intake answered each question in their exam.

What the examiners liked about their responses,

And what they definitely did not.

After reading a few of these you will start to gain an appreciation for the types of things the examiners particularly care about.

In addition,

Diving deep into model answers,

Especially any provided in an official context by the exam boards,

Will again provide you with a useful comparison between what they are looking for and what you currently do.

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Non-Essay Subjects

I have been banging on the silly mistakes drum for a while.

Silly mistakes have patterns,

And it would be worth a good handful of marks,

Probably half a grade,

If a student could identify,

By looking through all their past papers,

What types of questions they tend to make a silly mistake on.

For example, forget a minus, use the wrong terminology, make a multiplication error.

Then you create a mantra of sorts for yourself.

So that walking into the exam,

You are so hyper focused on these types of questions,

And not making the same silly error.

I would argue that have this mantra at the front of your mind,

Instead of some random fact or formula,

Will generate more marks for the student.

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I hope you all have a great week ahead,

And best of luck to those starting GCSEs next week,

Best,

Joel