by David Quinney | Apr 17, 2024 | News
- Get organised. Forget the midnight cramming sessions – the time to get organised is now. Starting now will ensure that you’ll have plenty of time to focus, get the help you need, and go over all the relevant information. Being organised will save lots of valuable time in the long run and will help you to avoid last-minute stress. Start by going through your course materials, this includes all notes and handouts from your teachers, any books that were used in class, and any additional resources – collect them together in one place. Ensure that you are well stocked on stationery, including pens & pencils, flashcards, highlighters, sticky-notes and paper.
- Make the most of the WJEC free resources. Name the subject – they’ve got you covered. Working closely with teachers and subject leaders, they’ve prepared a wealth of free digital resources to help with your revision, and these are all available for free. Visit their website here: https://www.wjec.co.uk/home/student-support/revision/revision-resources/
- Know your learning style. Everybody learns in different ways, so creating a timetable that works for you is the key to effective revision. There are a number of great articles online exploring different learning styles. Shake it up! Experiment with an array of different revision techniques. You won’t know what works best for you until you give it a try.
- Past papers are your new best friend! Past papers are a revision must. They will give you an understanding of how the exam works and the type of questions to expect. They’re also a brilliant way to quiz yourself. Have you checked out the WJEC Question Bank? It’s a free tool which allows you to mix and match questions from thousands of our past examination questions. Find the questions you need, add them to your paper and then export with the accompanying mark scheme and examiner’s comments. Remember to take a note of the questions that you struggled with and revisit these topics in your next revision session.
- Slow and steady wins the race. Maintain motivation and concentration for longer by taking your time and pacing yourself. Organise your revision into small sessions (25-30 minute bursts) with regular breaks. Remember, it’s important to reward yourself with some “me time”. Whether that’s socialising with friends, playing your game console, or updating your social media. Don’t forget to relax and unwind around studying. Try giving yourself incentives, for example, go to the cinema, or cook your favourite meal after a strong uninterrupted revision session.
- Immobilise that emoji. Don’t let your mobile phone or tablet be your downfall – remove all distractions from your study station. Ignore those notification bells and typing text bubbles, they’ll still be there after your 30-minute revision spurt. However, if you’re a pro procrastinator who just can’t put the phone down, there are some great apps around that help remove the temptation entirely. For example, this Cold Turkey app temporarily blocks out social media, games, and any other apps that act as a distraction.
- Thirsty for success? Drink lots of water and stay hydrated! Studies have shown that drinking just one glass of water a day can help boost your productivity and energy levels. Why not use a free app to help monitor your daily water intake? My Water Balance is just one of several free apps available.
- Don’t bottle it up. Worrying about your exams is perfectly normal, a certain amount of pressure can be a great motivator, helping you to work and think more effectively. However, if your anxieties start building, it’s important to talk it out. Speaking with a friend, teacher, or family member about how you’re feeling is a great way to relieve anxieties.
- Stay positive! Remember that short-term sacrifices will bring long-term benefits. Just think of how amazing it will feel when all of your exams are over and you can enjoy the summer break.
Start revising today – you’ll thank yourself later!
by David Quinney | Apr 24, 2023 | News
Since energy drinks gained popularity in the UK in the mid-90s, the level of consumption has increased substantially. Red Bull is a great example of the prolific rise of energy drinks, as it has grown to become the bestselling provider in the world with 7.9 billion cans being sold in 2020 alone.
Ingredients
A brief overview of the contents of energy drinks reveals that caffeine, glucuronolactone (i.e. glucose), pantheon, niacin, taurine, B-complex vitamins, inositol, panthenol and inositol are the most common ingredients of the drinks. Other drinks include a concoction of powerful herbal ingredients added to the existing components to make the drinks more powerful and give stronger, longer-lasting effects. Nutritionists state that the stimulants used in making these energy drinks are often well above what is recommended for the daily intake for the average person. Consequently, some of the ingredients are not regulated to guarantee the safety of the users.
Misuse
The greatest danger of consuming energy drinks starts with unregulated levels of caffeine. The caffeine content in energy drinks is often so high it can often result in adverse health effects on consumers, especially when multiple drinks are consumed in short periods.
Other negative impacts that have been recorded can include:
- Caffeine sensitivity tolerance can cause skin irritation, raised blood pressure, heart palpitations, an increase in heart rate, and uncontrolled panic.
- When not used for sports performance, energy drinks can actually cause a lack of concentration and hyperactivity when studying due to the excessive amounts of caffeine contained within each drink.
- The main disadvantage of most sports drinks is their high caloric content. These calories come from sugars, which usually make up 4 to 9 percent of the drink.
- High levels of consumption have also been linked to headaches, sleep problems, alcohol use, smoking, irritability and in some cases exclusion from educational facilities.
Summary
In summary, it is recommended that energy drinks should not be used as a study aid or as part of exam preparation. They are designed to aid the performance of professional athletes and can have many positive impacts when consumed properly, such as:
- Provides a high amount of energy for sports performance.
- Low in calories.
- Increase focus on sports performance.
- Increased blood flow allows more oxygenated blood cells to muscles enhancing performance when lifting and running.
by David Quinney | Apr 19, 2023 | News
It can be difficult to know what to do and how to help your child when they are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed ahead of exam season. Even if they remain cool cucumbers through the next term, there are a few things you can do to ensure they are organised and on the right track to efficient and productive revision. If you feel helpless and unsure of the best ways to support, here are our Founder Nyree’s “Top Tips” on how to encourage your child to productively prepare for the exam season and minimise exam stress as a result.
Things you can be encouraging your child to do now:
- Download a copy of their exam timetable from the WJEC website using these links:
GCSE exam timetable https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/vvylggia/summer-2023-wales-and-eduqas-gcse-final-exam-timetable-02-11-22.pdf
A level timetable: https://www.wjec.co.uk/media/leiijmb0/summer-2023-wales-and-eduqas-as-a-level-final-exam-timetable-v2-15-11-22.pdf
- Put their exam dates on a calendar or wall planner so they can visually see how much time they have left!
- List the order of their exams by date and use that order to help make a revision timetable. Feel free to use our template.
- Find out what they have to revise by downloading the subject specification which is the list of all subject matter that needs to be covered. If you want even more detail – download the guidance for teaching. Students can use this as a revision checklist – if their teacher or tutor hasn’t provided one – they can make one from the specification. To find these documents – click on the qualifications page https://www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/ > select your subject > select specification
- Using the specification or the revision checklist they’ve made, students can identify topics they missed from school/haven’t covered yet and they rank them by difficulty or understanding – they can then visit BBC Bitesize for GCSE and write their own notes if they have gaps.
- Download the Advance Information 2023 for every subject by visiting the qualifications page (link above) and selecting the subject and then advance information 2023. The advance information provides key areas of focus for revision but please note, that their revision plans should still take account of everything that has been taught. We know that some students will have done all of this already and that some may not know when their first exam is and need bribery to get out a book, but hopefully, there will be at least one or two constructive things that they can do to get organised. Good luck!
Summary:
- Download exam timetable
- Display/dates on wall planner/calendar
- Use exam order to create a revision timetable
- Download the subject specification to use as a revision checklist
- Fill gaps in notes or understanding using BBC Bitesize
- Check advance information 2023 to guide revision
