As students in Years 9, 10 and 11 prepare for semester examinations we encourage them to consider their revision plans and commend the model of self-regulated learning to students.

Ultimately, as students progress though school, they learn to take charge of their own learning and by the end of their schooling they (should!) become less reliant on their teachers as they increasingly acquire the skills and knowledge to set them on their future pathways. Certainly, as educators, nothing gives us greater pride than watching a student achieve these goals.

The ability to self-regulate learning – that is to understand what to study and how to study it – is the key to academic achievement. Research shows us that testing is the most effective way to check if something has been learned accurately and permanently.

Whilst it can be useful to briefly review and revise content through reading notes and making cue cards and mind maps, most revision and study time should be devoted to practising for the assessment to be taken. This is effectively where a student can test what they know and what they can do, and where they can still improve. In short, anything a student is unable to do when they ‘test’ themselves is what they need to revise and practise more.

In English, students often ask us how to revise for English and tell us they are unsure what they can do to revise for an assessment or an exam. There are certainly several highly effective steps they can follow that will reduce nerves and enhance performance:

1. Check topic understanding by revising text knowledge and associated metalanguage
2. Look at worked examples – sample responses that demonstrates the task requirements
3. Try a practice response – make this the same as the assessment/exam task
4. Seek feedback – seek constructive feedback from teachers/peers
5. Try another practice – make sure you implement the feedback
6. Repeat (over time) to make the learning stick

We wish all students well as the examination period commences and commend the value of good revision habits, which will foster confidence and expertise.

Nicola O’Shea
Learning Leader: English