“GCSEs should be scrapped and A-levels replaced“. Or so Robert Halfon, the former chairman of the Education Select Committee says, primarily since pupils may not know or understand the material involved but have simply memorised it. Anyone who is currently going through, or who recently went through these tests would probably agree: it seems that you can have a good understanding yet not achieve the marks to reflect that. An extremely frustrating matter!
Let’s face it: exams are stressful! Or exams that you care about are stressful. No matter who you look at, there will always be at least a small amount of anxiety in the gutters of even the most laid back and prepared minds.
Given that exams are necessarily omnipresent, I am going to leave the question of whether it is fair to put those that are undergoing huge neurological development through this kind of stress. Instead, I will focus on ways to make the process better. For example, how might we revise more effectively? The answer is most certainly not to spend hours rereading notes late into the night to the complete depletion of our neurotransmitters. Rather, there are more efficient techniques which have been proven to increase grades without decreasing the enjoyment of life.
You could use the Pomodoro Technique in which you integrate structured breaks into your study time, in which to do something fun and relaxing; for example, for every 25 minutes you spend doing a maths paper, you get 5 minutes off. Each of these cycles is called a Pomodoro and after four cycles, you get a longer break of around 30 minutes to do something completely different in order to give your brain a chance to recharge. You can repeat this process to your heart’s content. Not only do studies show that this method increases your focus by up to 40% but it also allows you to spend more time being productive and improving your knowledge, simply because you are not constantly burnt out.
I could keep enumerating different strategies like mind maps or being consistent but frankly that is not very interesting to read (or to write, in all honesty).
I feel that it may be better to present some ways to make this whole arduous process a small, but not insignificant amount less exasperating.
One very popular way of studying at Oundle is in groups, for boarders especially. Having such easy access to friends who are going through the same pain as you, gives a great opportunity to socialise and enjoy your time while still actually learning in a valuable way like teaching material to one another, testing each other, or even simply being in each other’s presence which seems to give a boost to morale.
Even going to vols (a set period in the evening where pupils can go to a teacher for advice on their subject) together poses an excellent source of encouragement because being back in your classroom after the school day is over is made more enjoyable and less taxing by being there with friends. During this time, it is extremely important to have a conversation with your teachers about the topics you need help with, which you can then work on together for a better understanding.
It could be argued that these methods could all too easily lead to distraction, which would be a correct supposition, but such distraction is an even trade for a more enjoyable and sociable approach to revision.
Ultimately, exams are undeniably frustrating to deal with, and the importance of certain exams like your GCSEs or A-levels, especially, place a lot of pressure even on the most prepared of souls. So, whatever you can do to help yourself improve, while not simultaneously losing your head in the process, is a win and is more likely to help you succeed than sacrificing your life and sanity for a small chance at full marks.
As Shakespeare once almost wrote:
‘To fail, or not to fail, that is the question.’
