Grade-Boosting Revision & Exam Preparation Workshops for Schools

Our Year 7 study skills workshops focus on managing the transition to Senior School, and starting to take on more responsibility and independence as a learner.

Year 8 can sometimes be an overlooked year, sitting as it does between the transitional Year 7 and the start of the GCSE journey in Year 9. But Year 8 students are noticeable more mature learners than Year 7s, and as such, it can be an invaluable opportunity to advance their study strategy early, and get them into the best learning habits so they can hit the ground running in Year 9.

All Exam Study Expert study skills workshops are highly interactive, but our Year 7 one is especially so. For that reason, more than for any other age group, we highly recommend a “carousel”-style format for mid-size or larger schools. As a result we will be able to deliver the workshop to small groups of students in turn (rather than a single full-year session where the opportunity for interaction is more limited).

We get more requests for GCSE revision and exam preparation workshops than at any other level, and for good reason. GCSEs are a major milestone in a learner’s academic journey, marking their arrival as scholars as they aim to gain a set of qualifications that are essential for progression in academia and their careers.

The objective here is simple: the best possible GCSE results for each individual learner, while maintaining good mental health and wellbeing along the journey.

Our GCSE revision workshops focus on teaching highly effective, evidence-based revision strategy which allows students to learn faster and remember more.

We also introduce test-taking tactics that allow students to unlock more marks on exam day itself.

Depending on your learners’ needs, we may also include strategies to break through possible obstacles to learning: overcoming procrastination, beating distractions and getting focused, growth mindset coaching, maintaining consistent motivation to revise, time management and revision planning / routines.

Sixth formers face a marked step-up in expectations vs GCSE years. They are increasingly expected to function as independent scholars, and become capable of managing more of their learning for themselves.

As such, their study skills need to step up as well, and our revision & exam preparation workshops can help.

If speaking to newer sixth formers (Year 12 / lower sixth), we will focus on embedding robust strategies for managing their time, priorities, attention, mindset and more, as well as ensuring they have the tools to effectively tackle more advanced revision and test-day challenges.

As exams loom nearer, workshops would focus on preparing for A-level (or BTEC) exam success, including more sophisticated lessons on revision technique, as well as how to tackle the challenges posed by A-level exams.

We LOVE talking to parents!

This has been an increasingly popular request in schools we work in in recent years.

Revision happens at home, so getting parents on-side can hugely helpful – and is a great way to keep parents feeling valued by the school community. Revision workshops for parents might cover:

• Educating The Teenage Brain: how the teenage brain works, and the role parents can play in supporting learning, from the science of sleep to smart revision routines.
• GCSE / Sixth Form Success: how to support your son / daughter in their revision, including what to look out for in their study habits, how to coach good mindset, and how to help them manage the pressures of exam week.

Parents who are engaged in their child’s learning have a range of common questions which we can address, such as managing tech distractions (phones, gaming), sleep routines, how often to take breaks, what role a parent can play in their child’s learning. For the best results, we recommend a holistic approach to embedding effective, evidence-based revision techniques right throughout the school community: workshops for students, for their parents, for their teaching staff.

Our cumulative programmes are carefully designed to optimise study skills and maximise exam performance, building mastery through a cumulative curriculum delivered throughout your learners’ whole school career.

We have designed bespoke study skills curriculums for a number of our longest-standing school clients, and they enjoy fabulous results.

For example, for a school Year 7 all the way through to Year 13, we might recommend a 5-part programme:

• Year 7: Senior School Survival Guide – successful transition to senior school
• Year 8 or 9: Skills for Scholars – foundations for high achievement
• Year 10 or 11: Study Smarter & Ace Your GCSEs – effective revision and exam technique
• Year 12: Sixth Form Secrets – successful transition to sixth form, introducing advanced learning strategies / study habits
• Year 13: Your A-Level Success Game Plan – finalise and optimise your revision plan for maximum results and advanced exam techniques

Students get the strategies and inspiration they need to ace the stage in front of them, and over the years, gradually build a comprehensive expertise across all the study skills areas we teach.

By the time they take their A Levels, they will be highly proficient masters of effective revision and exam-taking strategy.

Like the cumulative concept, but looking for something a little more lightweight?

Slimmer versions of a cumulative programme are also possible, and very popular with many of the schools who work with us.

For example, a two-part programme focusing on success in GCSEs and A levels:

• Year 10 or 11: Ace Your GCSEs – Study Smarter Essentials
• Year 12 or 13: Ace Your A-Levels: Advanced Study Strategies for sixth formers

We deliver a variant on this two-part programme for many of our schools, it proves very popular.

Or for a cumulative programme focused on sixth form study skills:

A two-part programme of “Study Skills Workshops for Sixth Form Success” can also work really well.

• We run a study skills workshop in Year 12 (Lower 6th Form) to lay the foundations for sixth form success.
• A year later, we build on that groundwork in an exam preparation workshop to in Year 13 (Upper 6th Form) to sharpen their gameplan to ace their A Level (or BTEC) exams.

There’s never a bad time, but we would focus on different objectives depending on the time of year. (That’s another reason we don’t use an “off the shelf” approach to talks.)

• Early in Autumn (Michaelmas) term is a great time for teaching good study skills, supporting students in the transition into their new school year and setting them up with the habits for academic success throughout the whole year.
• Later in Autumn (Michaelmas) term, the focus may shift towards preparing for mock exams before or after Christmas, especially for those year groups who have mocks (e.g. Year 10 / 11 / 12 / 13).
• In Spring (Lent) term, attention is squarely on the final run-up to exams for the year groups with exams (Year 11 / Year 13), the perfect time for a revision workshop for your GCSE or A-level candidates to set them up for success.
• Early Summer term, exams are but a few weeks away, but it’s still not too late to support students with the final revision push (e.g. ahead of study leave), and ensuring they have the tools to unlock maximum points on the day of the exam itself (test-taking technique).

Thank you for your interest in our services!

Your quote will be based on what you are looking for (e.g. number of days on site, number of speakers delivering). We’d be delighted to discuss what you’re looking for further, please schedule a consultation call with us or send us a message detailing your needs.

To set your mind at rest, unlike some other school speakers with significant media / public profile, we keep our rates as affordable as possible. Many schools approach us with a <£1000 budget, there are plenty of options to do some great work together on that basis.

If you have a more generous allowance to invest in exam success, we can do even more for you, for example a parallel carousel (both speakers are on site, students hear from us both) to deliver a deeper set of materials, or our Cumulative Programmes that see us working with multiple year groups.

Both Alix and William hold enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, for working with children and vulnerable adults.