Sixth Form
We recognise that you need to develop your skills in order to be successful at Sixth Form. As the first step on this journey we are asking you to reflect on your current study skills, as well as understanding more about the new skills you are going to need in order to be successful.
Work your way through the Passport to Y12 booklet, completing the tasks with as much information as possible. The video links offer you more information about the topic of each task.
Be prepared to discuss your completed handbook with your tutor.
During your Sixth Form studies you will be required to complete independent work during your private study time and at home. There will be challenges in balancing your time so that you complete all work set. If you are completing this work virtually then complete the task to show how you are going to schedule your work during the week.
It is important for you to know how you are being assessed and what the % weighting is for each unit. This will enable you to plan and prepare to meet all deadlines.
Currently you are a Year 11 student and so your study skills for Sixth Form are not yet developed. You will receive guidance and support from your teachers and tutor on how to develop your skills. The ability to self-reflect on your current study skills will help inform you of what you need to do next in order to start to develop.
Note taking is not about copying great chunks of information from the internet or a textbook, nor is it copying notes from a teacher’s classroom presentation. Note taking means reducing a large amount of information into a smaller, easier to understand and remember set of notes that are in your own words.
Getting organised so that you can locate information quickly is an essential Sixth Form skill. Information you will access comes from a variety of sources, such as textbooks, online class hubs, websites, classwork, revision guides, Youtube and exam board websites.
It is usual for students to be awarded marks in coursework, portfolio work and exams for good use of spelling punctuation and grammar. It is essential that you learn how to spell key terminology, as well as use punctuation and grammar correctly.
You will be required to read quantities of information, either online or from textbooks. You are going to develop the skill of being able to skim and scan text. This is a skill that takes practice and for many, will new to you, as it is not used often at GCSE.
Each subject exam board uses a wide range of command words in the exam questions and in assignments to test your knowledge and understanding of the theory you have studied.
Many of your courses will require you to complete work under timed conditions, usually in an exam setting. You need to understand how to use your time effectively in exams and your teachers will help guide you during your time at Shireland, such as Mock Exams. It is a skill you need to practice regularly during your studies and should not always be directed by your teacher, so incorporate it into your exam preparation.
You will need to assess your progress throughout your academic studies. This is achieved through being open-minded to the feedback your teachers offer you, both written and verbal. In addition, you will need to assess your progress in comparison to where you want to go. So, if you are aiming to read medicine at university and require 3 A grades, but are achieving grade Bs in your test papers you need to assess what you need to do to improve. By learning form your failings and mistakes, you will become a better more successful student.
