Exams Archives — The Life Tutor

16Aug 2020 by Lucy 1 Comment

Thoughts on A Level results 2020

Exams, University

I’ve spent the last few days supporting distressed A Level students, and now we’ve had some time to reflect on the whole experience, I have some thoughts to share, and a call to action for our government. How were the results worked out? Teachers were asked to provide Centre Assessed Grades several months ago, and the understanding was the final A Level grades would be based on these, subject to the usual standardisation. So far so good – the vast majority of these grades will have been based on solid evidence and professional integrity. Then it was announced that the schools’ previous performance would be taken into account. A sensible precautionary measure to avoid artificial grade inflation, but there was some understandable worry about the negative impact on strong students…

30Jun 2020 by Lucy No Comments

Exams 2021 – what will happen to A Level and GCSE students next year?

Exams

I’m enjoying doing lots of one-to-one catch-ups with my college students this week. This is my favourite part of the job, the bit where you get to know them as friendly and interesting individuals, rather than the sullen faces you see in the classroom (I know they don't mean it!) or the anonymous initials you’re faced with on Microsoft Teams. It’s one of the reasons I started my coaching business. One question that has come up again and again in these meetings is, “What will happen with exams next year?” It’s really bugging them. These are students in their first year of A Levels and many of them are hoping to go to university. They’re starting to look at courses now, and this worry is uppermost in their minds as…

18Mar 2020 by Lucy No Comments

How to respond when education as you knew it is no more

Exams, Mindfulness, Wellbeing

Wow, what a week! The world has changed beyond recognition in the last few days, and no more so than in education. There’s been a lot of anxiety and confusion around social distancing and how this relates to the seemingly contradictory decision to keep UK schools and colleges open. Students and teachers have been in limbo and it’s been hard to focus on anything except watching for the latest news updates. The news we've all been waiting for Gavin Williamson’s announcement this evening changed all that: schools closing and exams cancelled. People have asked for both of these in recent weeks, but the suddenness of the announcement is shocking, especially given the very recent U-turn on the “herd immunity” policy, which looked like it was putting children and education staff…

17May 2019 by Lucy 4 Comments

Instant mindfulness techniques to learn today

Exams, Wellbeing

Most of us have heard about mindfulness, the popular method for controlling stress, anxiety and a host of other ills, but how many of us have tried it and found “it doesn’t work”? The thing is, learning mindfulness, really learning it so that it integrates with your life and helps you cope with life’s ups and downs, takes a long time. Lots of practice of formal techniques like sitting meditation is needed before everyday mindfulness becomes part of our lives. And meditation is hard! Those feelings of boredom, frustration and wandering thoughts are real (it’s just that noticing them and bringing the awareness back is part of the practice, hell, it IS the practice!) So what if there was a way to get some of the benefits of mindfulness without…

13May 2019 by Lucy No Comments

How to thrive in Mental Health Awareness Week

Exams, Wellbeing

It’s Mental Health Awareness Week… and it’s the week my students start their exams. I’ve been all too aware of my own mental health lately (always the case when it’s a bit below par) and I figure that sharing my experience might help those wondering how they can possibly tackle the mountain of exam pressure when just living is hard enough. I first became fully aware of mental health as A Thing in 2002, when a dear friend, severely depressed, came to stay in my home. He struggled to get out of bed, to shower, to interact, to contribute to the household… almost everything seemed impossible for him and I couldn’t understand why at the time. Later, my inability to help him in a meaningful way was a huge source…

19Apr 2019 by Lucy No Comments

Revision – Why bother?

Exams, Wellbeing

So it’s the end of the week: how have you and your young person been getting on? Is revision well under way or are they having trouble getting started? Today is all about motivation, which can be a challenge for everyone. Each day brings a new start and new ways to procrastinate! The good news though, is that even if they’re feeling like they’ve wasted the week, it’s not too late. You don’t have to wait until Monday to make a fresh start – just Start Where You Are! Go back to the plan, make some adjustment and off you go. The phrase, “Just Do It” might be a sporting cliché, but I find it a useful mantra for all sorts of things, perhaps with a choice word added for…

17Apr 2019 by Lucy No Comments

Staying well in the exam season

Exams, Wellbeing

We’ve looked at the “why” and “what” of planning, and yesterday we explored the “how” of revision. But with all this focus on work, it’s no wonder young people and those around them find this a stressful time. So how can we keep our teenagers and ourselves as well as possible during the exam season? Well of course there are two main aspects of health: physical and mental. We all have them, at varying levels, and they’re much more closely intertwined than may people think. Physically, students need to be getting enough sleep (hopefully that’s already in their plan from Monday), drinking enough water and eating the right foods. There’s been a lot written about “brain foods” but generally the normal advice for a healthy, balanced diet still applies at…

16Apr 2019 by Lucy No Comments

How to Revise – strategies and styles

Exams

Yesterday we looked at planning for revision and making sure there’s some fun stuff in the plan too. How did you get on? Is your household feeling any more productive yet? Today I’d like to tackle the “how” bit. When I asked parents to think about their own experiences of revision, many of them said they had no idea how to use their study time, and I think it is the same for a lot of young people now. I know that as a tutor, I have a lot less time than I used to for helping people learn how to revise. It’s no good having a plan to revise at 6pm on a Tuesday if you don’t know exactly what you’re going to do with that time. So how…

15Apr 2019 by Lucy No Comments

Exams – Set – Go! Plan for Success

Exams

Last week, I ran a video challenge over on LinkedIn, with quick tips and ideas to help families prepare for the upcoming exam season. It’s especially important for teens to have some guidance during this unstructured holiday time, so I’m recreating the main ideas here for you this week. I hope you find them useful. Part 1: Plan for Success Today I want to talk about planning. Your kids’ teachers will have told them to make a revision plan. There are lots of ways of doing that, from whizzy interactive tools to old-school colouring in. What they might not have discussed is the “why” of planning. It’s not supposed to be just another timetable to fill the time while you’re on study leave. Why plan? I think there are a…

27Mar 2019 by Lucy No Comments

Exams – what happens if my child fails?

Exams

It’s every parent’s nightmare: the envelope opened on Results Day, the tears and recriminations, the panicked rushing around trying to set up an alternative plan for September, the loss of a dream career... but it doesn’t have to be like that! In an ideal world, you could help your child avoid all of this; you’d find a way to let them sail through the exam season like a swan gliding across the local pond. After all, results are getting better each year and Freda Bloggs down the road is getting straight As, right? But there’s more to every story. Poor Freda might be working all the hours there are to make things appear so effortless; that swan is paddling its legs madly under the water! Getting revision right will help…