Supporting Your Son’s Exam Preparation

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Dear Parents/Caregivers,

School exams are happening in the first week back after the holidays. NZQA exams start on 22 November.

Study leave will begin for Year 11-13 students from 11 November and continue throughout the NZQA exams.  Teachers will be available at school as well as via Zoom during this period.

How can you support your son at home?

Below are some tips, ideas and resources that might be helpful.

• Have the necessary equipment needed for study and a quiet study environment
  

  • Stationery – Ensuring the boys have some exercise books for making study notes & highlighter pens for using in the exam to highlight keywords from the questions.
    

  • Find a quiet place with a desk to study from
    

  • Any notes stored on their laptop need to be engaged with e.g. simplified and re-written, mind-mapped…
    

• Supplementary notes can be found on these websites:
  

  • www.studyit.org.nz (Outline of key content)
    

  • http://www.nobraintoosmall.co.nz (Science notes)
    

  • http://thepulse.org.nz/school/ncea/ (A range of supporting references)

• Commercial study guides are also available for purchase from most bookstores. Getting the latest version is important, as content may have changed over the years.

• For more visual learners there are many Youtube clips on-line that explain many concepts.

• There are also on-line tools for making quizzes and flashcards such as https://quizlet.com You can also search for quizzes made by other people on a topic.

• Providing a distraction free work space – encourage phones to be left in another room while studying and only used as part of a study break. Regular breaks are important.
  

• A desk is used for studying. A bed is used for sleeping. So mixed messages like watching movies in bed or studying from your bed is not helpful for resting and enabling your brain to process and sort the information that it has consumed during the day.

• Realistic study timetable planning – quality over quantity. Encourage your son to plan around their commitments. They must also maintain a healthy balance of social and physical activity for their overall well-being.

• Water is the best type of drink when studying. So sugary sports drinks are not required!

• The boys will need to begin studying before the school holidays. Making a checklist of the topics they need to cover for each standard within each subject will give them a framework to work from.
  

• The following website provides old exam papers and model answers for students:  http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/

• Consider the higher order thinking strategies when studying https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/higher-order-thinking/.

Your son's best resource will be their teacher.  Keep regular contact with them to ensure no stone is left unturned during the study break.