In the cold and dark days of December and January the warmth of the summer months can seem a very long way away. As teachers, we know that the exam period comes around much sooner then we’d like. However, most of our students, who are entering their first official exam period, still think they have […]
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Published just last month, this book stands out as an excellent resource on critical thinking for teachers of Theory of Knowledge. Do you already know neurologist and science educator Steven Novella? You may, like me, already be a fan of his keen analysis, clarity, and skill of combining vast knowledge with a light touch. He’s […]
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This blog post is based on a Facebook Live broadcast hosted by Rachael Gibbon, Senior Publisher in Primary Literacy, and Derry Richardson, Head of Professional Development across UK schools, at Oxford University Press. You can watch the video here , or read on to get an overview of the questions that were answered in the session. […]
Read moreContinuing our look at the Examiner’s Reports for the 2018 GCSE English Literature exams, as with English Language, students had much to feel proud about. Examiners were bowled over by the creativity displayed by many candidates and the analysis of their set texts. As always there were areas for improvement and we’ve summarised these below […]
Read moreThe dust has finally settled on the 2018 exams; students have received their results and the examiners have now published their reports. This year, although examiners found lots to commend students and saw improvements throughout the English Language and Literature exams, they also identified a number of areas where some students struggled. Below are […]
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This year’s AQA examiner reports for French, Spanish and German GCSE exams were extremely positive, the transition from controlled assessment to exam went well in general and students had been correctly entered into the right tier. Here’s a short summary of their advice to students. Read. Then re-read Some students lost points for mistakes caused […]
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AQA has released its examiner reports for the AQA A Level History exams which took place in the summer. The reports overall have been really positive, with students generally performing well. We have summarized the key issues that the examiners found students needed to improve, and collated some free content that address these issues to […]
Read more AQA has released its examiner reports about the first AQA GCSE History 9-1 exams which took place in the summer. The reports overall have been really positive, with students performing well in the new exams. We have summarized the key issues that the examiners found students needed to improve, and collated some free content that […]
Read moreRebecca Geoghegan is a secondary English teacher and former whole school Literacy Lead with 15 years experience of teaching KS3, GCSE and A Level. There are no short cuts to getting good grades in GCSE English Language, but the development of two key areas can support students in feeling confident when they walk into […]
Read moreIn our first blog post we focused our attention on young people’s motivation. What does history have to offer them? If we’re clear about why we’re teaching what we’re teaching (instead of just saying that they ‘need it for their exam’), then we’re much better equipped to plan effectively and help students to engage with new ideas and […]
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