Exams and Revision

The parents’ guide to exams

Cue stressed students, mounds of past papers and WHSmith selling out of clear pencil cases; exam season is well and truly upon us. With revision taking up all your child’s time, there’s a chance they may forget key logistical information. That’s where this guide comes in. Here are all the dates, timings, and information you need to make sure the exam season goes smoothly for your family. We’ve also got words of wisdom from our tutors, themselves successful exam-takers, on last-minute rituals and how to deal with any hiccups in the exam hall.

General information

  1. Key dates
  2. Exam timetables

What to do on exam day

  1. The night before
  2. What to bring to exams
  3. Arriving at exams

Unexpected problems and emergencies

    1. Sickness
    1. Oversleeping
    1. Severe weather
  1. Special consideration

General information

Key dates

  • 30th June is the last date for receipt of UCAS applicants with up to five choices. Applications received after this point are automatically entered into Clearing. The applicant will need to contact the universities directly to be considered for a course.
  • Early August is when SQA results are published and Scottish Clearing vacancy information starts.
  • 17th August is when A-Level, Advance Diploma and Pre-U results are published and full Clearing information service starts.

Exam timetables

Below are links to the exam timetables for all the major UK exam boards. It’s worth double-checking the dates of your child’s exams and having them displayed prominently somewhere in your house, to ensure no one in the family forgets when they are.

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What to do on exam day

The night before

The first priority is a good night’s sleep. Your child should have finished revising by now – last minute cramming is not productive or efficient. What matters at this point is them getting a good eight hours’ shut-eye, so they feel alert in the morning. Make sure they have set an alarm (or two!) as well – this is not the day to oversleep.

Their bag should also be packed with all their exam materials and their clothes laid out, so there is no panic in the morning.

Ask the tutors: what were your last minute exam rituals?

“A good meal. If it was a morning exam I would eat porridge with peanut butter and a banana for slow release energy.”– Laurie

“I always tie my hair up into a ponytail just before an exam starts – I guess it makes me feel like I’m about to begin a race!” – Anna

Playing the piano and Sudoku. Avoid your peers who ask questions like ‘How much revision have you done?’, as they can easily fluster you.” – Oliver

What your child will need

  • A water bottle (with no labels)
  • Black pens (bring several spares!)
  • Additional equipment such as rubbers, pencils, and calculators
  • A clear pencil case (a clear plastic bag will be fine)
  • A watch
  • Private candidates will need photo identification

No phones will be allowed in the examination room, so be sure there is somewhere safe to store valuables at the school. If not, your child should leave their phone at home. In 2013, 814 students were penalised for having a phone on them during an exam.

Arriving at the exam

It is absolutely essential that your child arrives on time. Leave extra time to get to school in case of traffic or other transport delays. Your child should aim to be there at least 10-15 minutes before the start of their exam. If they arrive late, their work might not be accepted. Additionally, arriving at an exam late and flustered is not a good way to get their head in the game. The extra minutes at the start will give them the chance to relax and get mentally prepared for the exam.

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Unexpected problems and emergencies

If any of the below occurs, the main thing to remember is not to panic. Systems are in place to help students cope.

Ask the tutors: did you experience any unexpected problems on the day of an exam, and if so, how were they resolved?

“I had an issue in one of my physics exams where the formula sheet wasn’t in my paper booklet. I had to put my hand up and ask for it. It was easily resolved. However, I’d recommend checking you have all the material at the start of the paper.” – Chris

“Finding the location of an exam can become so much harder if you are rushed and stressed. Make sure to leave in plenty of time and research how to get there – Google Maps is great as it gives you an idea of what the place looks like.” – Laurie

Sickness

If your child is sick on the day of the exam, please ring their school or college and let them know as soon as possible. Be sure to get a medical certificate from a doctor to prove that it is a severe illness – a light cold or a runny nose doesn’t count. The exam officer will let the exam board know.

Oversleeping

If a student does not turn up to an exam, some schools will phone their home or parents to see if they are asleep. Depending on your school and/or the exam board, your child may, if they can get to the exam site in time, be allowed to start the exam late (with no recourse to make up the missed time). If they oversleep and completely miss the exam however, there is little you can do. With this in mind, it is imperative to make sure they are up and at school on the big day!

Severe weather

As much as the British may love to make small talk about the weather, it rarely proves to be an active problem in our lives. However, in the case of severe weather, allow extra time to travel and check for updates from your school or college. If weather conditions mean you will arrive late, ring your school to let them know. Depending on how late you are, you might still be able to sit the exam. Your exams officer will tell you what your options are. If many students arrive late, you will all sit the exam. Your exams officer can apply for special consideration.

Special consideration

Special consideration can be applied when a student, despite being fully prepared for an exam, is disadvantaged due to unavoidable circumstances or illness at the time of the exam or coursework submission. In these situations, a small boost is given to the raw mark.

If a student is absent from an exam for a valid reason, a mark will be calculated for the missing unit, provided the student has completed enough of the specification to meet minimum requirements (as specified by the JCQ). The calculation of the mark takes into account the national average and the student’s marks in other modules, and is considered to be fair. The mark cannot be based on predicted grades issued by your child’s school. The school/college must support a student’s request for special consideration.

You can read more about special consideration on the AQA website.

Ask the tutors: do you have any other advice for parents and/or students?

“Providing encouragement after each paper is a key factor in retaining motivation, especially if your child didn’t feel like the exam went well” – Chris

“The (exam board) specification is a key document, as it fully describes everything you should know prior to your exam, and everything they could potentially test; use it to ensure you understand everything that could come up!” – Oliver

“You need down time. Watch TV, read a book or go for a walk. You can’t work every hour of the day.” – Emily

We hope this helps! For everything else you need to know about making a UCAS application, download The MyTutor Guide to UCAS 2019/20.

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