Years 8 and 9 Semester 2 Examinations

Semester Two examinations will commence in mid-November; dates and details are provided below.

• Year 9 and 8: Monday 17 November to Thursday 20 November

During the examination period, our Year 8 and 9 students attend as normal and will have regular timetabled classes when not involved in examinations. All students are encouraged to allocate time from now, not only for homework, but also for revising for the semester examinations. Your child will receive revision materials to assist in their preparations.

Elevate Education – Free Parent Webinar

Elevate Education’s next Parent Webinar 'How you can help your child manage their time' is occurring on Wednesday 29 October. We encourage you to register your attendance via this link.

Study Skills

Developing a positive study routine allows all students to achieve their personal best. Below is a summary of which study practices are most effective, as well as some ineffective study practices that do not enhance learning.

Effective study techniques:

Retrieval practice

Using flashcards, completing a past exam paper and creating mind-maps from memory, are all examples of retrieval practice. Testing yourself and retrieving information from memory are effective ways to strengthen your recall in the future.

Spaced practice

Completing regular review for shorter periods of time is more effective than completing six hours of practice the day before a test. Create a study timetable where you review each subject frequently throughout the week.

Interleaving

Rather than doing large blocks of study for one unit or topic of work, it is better to switch between units/topics/skills at regular intervals. This does not mean multi-tasking! Interleaving allows your brain to make better neural pathways and connections and strengthens your understanding of each topic. Often, skills are interrelated, and this approach allows you to think laterally.

Food, sleep and exercise

Going outside and getting some fresh air can make you feel refreshed and help you to focus when you return to your studies. Having a regular sleep and rest schedule also helps your brain. Your brain recovers and lays down new neural pathways when you sleep. Rest offers you a chance to refresh and can include wider reading. Finally, eating nutritious and healthy foods (and breakfast!) can help improve your academic results.

Ineffective study techniques:

• Studying by only re-reading notes
• Studying by highlighting or underlining textbooks
• Cramming
• Having a poor study environment.

Distractions such as a mobile phone nearby or music can detract from your learning. Whilst some students may claim that music helps them study, scientific studies have shown the opposite. A study by Perham and Currie (2014) showed that students listening to music while studying answered fewer questions correctly compared to their peers who studied in silence. Similarly, a study by Ward et al. (2017) illustrated that the further your mobile phone is from you while you study, the better you will perform on your test.

We encourage all families to discuss this with their children and help them to make positive study choices.