How to improve your grade in RE

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How to improve your grade in RE
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Exam Performance

• Most people believe that you have to be really
  intelligent to get top grades in exams
• This is simply NOT TRUE!
• Exams do not always reward intelligence, they
  reward Memory and Proper Preparation!

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How do you improve your Memory?

• Use your brain regularly
• Train your brain so you can use it to its full
  potential
• Key to improving your memory is
• Concentration
• Comprehension

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Concentration

• You must get it before you can forget it!
• One of the main reasons for not understanding a
  topic is that you didnt pay full attention when
  you first looked at it

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Tips for improving Concentration

• Dont study with your Mobile, TV, Radio etc!
  These prevent full concentration so you wont be
  using your time efficiently
• The more things your brain focuses on at once,
  the slower it is
• If you get stuck on a topic go back to it later

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Comprehension

• You must understand something before you can even
  try to remember it
• If you dont understand something write it down
  and ask someone who does (ie) Teacher or even
  fellow pupil

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How to use your Memory

• Exam preparation is more than picking up an
  exercise book a couple of nights before the exam
  and reading it from cover to cover
• If you do this, it may sink in, but not enough to
  achieve a top grade
• Preparation is the Key!

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Brain Workout!

• To get the most out of your brain, you need to
  put it through its paces!
• How do I do this?
• Review revision
• Mind maps
• Highlighters
• Tapes and CDs
• Talk about it

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Review your Revision

• To make sure you have remembered what you
  learned, you need to review on a regular basis
• 30 mins after first learning
• 1 day later
• 1 week later etc
• This helps transfer information from the Short
  Term to the Long Term Memory which makes it
  easier to absorb more information

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Mind Maps/Spider Diagrams

• Great way to review how effective your study has
  been
• Useful to see exactly how much you know a through
  use of Trigger words without writing things out
  in detail

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Highlighters

• Highlighting and underlining important
  information makes them easier to recall
• Colour is the key to making your notes come alive
  and more appealing to you to learn

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Tapes and CDs

• Words of songs are easy to remember
• Some people find it useful to put notes on tape
  and listen to them on the way to school/work

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Talk about it!

• If you constantly read text or passages over and
  over again out loud you will find it easier to
  remember
• Talk to someone about it (ie) Fellow Pupil
• Try to explain the topic to someone

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Kit Kat Time!

• You need to take breaks regularly to give your
  brain a rest
• After study sessions lasting 40mins, take 5min
  break
• Take a 15min break every 2hr
• You have to be realistic about whether or not you
  have earned your breaks!

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Marks Gospel Tips

• When you look at any story in Mark you need to
  ask yourself
• 1. Why did Mark write?
• 2. Who did he write for?
• 3. What message was he promoting?

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Reading the Stories

• Each story should be looked at on 3 levels
• 1. Meaning for the people at the time
• 2. Meaning for the persecuted Christians in the
  Early Church
• 3. Meaning for Christians today

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Details

• If you are told something in the Gospel it is
  usually important
• Eg Words of God at the Baptism or Words of Jesus
  during Miracles
• Strong candidates should be able to include
  Quotes in their answers

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Things to look for when reading Mark

• Location?
• Who was there?
• Was touch involved?
• What was said?
• Reaction of others

• Significance for early Christians
• Meaning for Christians today

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Tips when sitting the exam

• Read the question properly
• Underline key words
• Do exactly as the question asks and not what you
  think it asks

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Syllabus B Paper

• You must know the Sacraments, their significance
  for Christians and related issues
• You must also refer to relevant teachings or
  actions of Jesus in your answer

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Top Marks!

• If you want to get a top mark you need to include
  examples/quotes from the Bible
• These details improve the quality of your answer
  and push you up into the higher mark bracket

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Evaluation Questions

• Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer
  showing that you have considered more than one
  point of view
• Common Mistakes
• Students give an opinion and dont back it up
• Quotes or Egs of the Church are not included
• Students think they will lose marks if they
  disagree so they try to argue a point they dont
  believe in. This comes across very clearly to an
  examiner!

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How to answer this type of Question

• Start with a general statement about the issue
• Say why some agree 3 lines
• Say why some disagree 3 lines
• Say what you think and why 3 lines
• Include the words/teachings, Eg of Jesus or other
  Christian teachings
• Give reasons to support your opinion Dont go
  on a crusade!
• Once you give reasons you will get the marks!

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General Tips

• Be careful with time
• If your mind goes blank - leave the question and
  go back to it later
• Read all the information carefully and only do
  what you are asked
• The more marks that are available the more you
  have to write to earn those marks
• 2 mark Q usually requires 2 main points etc

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• If you make a mistake put a line through it but
  dont scribble it out so that it cant be read
  there may be something there to gain you extra
  marks
• Read your answer and make sure it relates to the
  question
• Dont panic and you will get there!