Year 8
Revision Booklet
Summer Exams 2025
Monday 19th May
to
Friday 23rd May
Contents
A Short Guide to Revision Techniques 3
English 8
Mathematics 9
Junior Science 10
MFL 12
Latin 15
Geography 16
History 17
RPE 18
Computer Science 19
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A SHORT GUIDE TO REVISION TECHNIQUES
Effective Revision
Students use various techniques to revise, but unfortunately many of the techniques are questionable.
We have put together this guide to help simplify things and demonstrate what works and what doesn’t.
This guide is based on over 700 pieces of research!
Getting Started
It is useful to have a revision plan to focus attention on what needs to be learnt and to provide a
sense of satisfaction when a session can be ticked off. The revision plan should take account of any
homework and build in time for short breaks. It is better to revise three different subjects in 90
minutes, with two short breaks, than revise the same subject continuously. It helps to break up the
time by doing different activities, for example:
• 25 minutes making flash cards for geography
• 25 minutes practising maths questions
• 25 minutes adding quotations to a mind-map for English.
Using a RAG system to identify strengths and weaknesses is helpful. More
time is needed to review and revise harder topics than easier ones. Using
this system makes it easier to plan a revision programme. For example, a
student might RAG subjects and topics as follows:
Physics RED Atoms, waves, circuits – RED, Forces, Space – AMBER
History AMBER Causes of WWI – AMBER, Fighting in WWI – GREEN
Maths AMBER Fractions – RED, ratios – AMBER, Equations – GREEN
French GREEN Past tense - AMBER, verbs, adjectives- GREEN
The starting points should be atoms, waves and circuits! Easier topics can be woven in to help
maintain focus and a sense of achievement.
Many students find it hard to motivate themselves or to avoid distractions when revising. The
following techniques can help to provide motivation and focus:
• Remembering end goals – what are the benefits of doing well?
• Building in rewards – three completed revision sessions = 30 minutes free time.
• Revising with a friend; take it in turn to teach each other a topic and test each other.
• Variety of activity, e.g. using online quizzes, You Tube videos, platforms such as My Maths or
GCSE Bitesize.
• Chunking the material to be revised so it does not seem overwhelming.
• Turning off your phone or handing it to an adult to look after while you are revising.
• Staying away from the computer unless it is being used to revise.
• Finding somewhere quiet to work.
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What Doesn’t Work
The techniques below are considered inefficient and ineffective. They only help students remember
things for a short period of time.
The reason they are so ineffective, is that they require very little thinking. It’s easy to see why they
are popular though. They are undemanding, they make you feel as if you are ‘doing revision’ and there
is a product for your efforts.
Highlighting
Spending time underlining, highlighting or otherwise marking material is quick and easy, but it does
little to improve performance. In fact, it may actually hurt performance on some higher-level
tasks. One study found that underlining reduced students’ ability to draw inferences from a History
textbook. It may be that underlining draws attention to individual items rather than to connections
across items.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD - Highlighting or underlining can
be useful if it is the beginning of a journey—if the marked information is
then turned into flash cards, or categorised to provide plans for model
answers.
Re-reading
Spending time re-reading textbooks or exercise books requires no
training and makes only modest demands on your time and brain. Again
this does little to improve overall performance in examinations.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO INSTEAD – Re-reading fares poorly against more active strategies such
as those listed below. It may help to remind you what the topic is about, but it is not revision in itself.
Re-reading is only preparation for revision.
Summarising Text
In summarising, you identify a text’s main points, excluding
unimportant material. It is easy to argue that the process of
rereading and then summarising helps you to remember the
information; however, you can summarise information
without thinking about it too much, so it doesn’t help
much when it comes to recalling and using information
in exams. Like highlighting, summarising can be useful if it is the
beginning of a journey, for example if you use the summarised
information for testing. It is not the end of the journey!
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What Does Work
Practice Testing
Methods might include using flash cards (physical or digital) to test recall or answering the sample
questions at the end of a textbook chapter. Hundreds of experiments show that self-testing improves
learning and retention.
One theory is that practice testing triggers a mental search of long-term memory that activates related
information, forming multiple memory pathways that make the information easier to access.
HOW CAN I DO IT?
▪ Create some flashcards, with questions on
one side and answers on the other – and
keep testing yourself.
▪ Work through past exam papers – many can
be acquired through exam board websites or
your teachers.
▪ Quiz a friend (or yourself) on key bits of
information.
▪ Create ‘fill the gap’ exercises to complete.
▪ Create multiple choice quizzes for friends to
complete.
▪ Use the Cornell system: on class notes, make a column on one edge of the page where you
enter key terms or questions. In the next column, enter the answers. You can test yourself
later by covering the notes and answering the questions (or explaining the key words on the
other side).
Testing only works when you can check your answers afterwards. You must get hold of the correct
answers/mark schemes etc. Your teacher may also be able to look through your work for you.
Distributed Practice
For best results, spread your study over time.
HOW IT WORKS - Pupils often cram, but distributing learning over time is much more effective. In
one classic experiment, students learned the English equivalents of Spanish words, then reviewed the
material in six sessions. One group did the review sessions back-to-back, another had them one day
apart and a third did the reviews 30 days apart. The students in the 30-day group remembered the
translations the best. The gap gives you some forgetting time. This means that when you come back
to it a few weeks later, you will have to think harder, which actually helps you to remember it.
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HOW CAN I DO IT? Longer intervals are generally more effective; to remember something for one
week, learning episodes should be 12 to 24 hours apart; to remember something for five years, they
should be spaced six to 12 months apart. Rather than cramming all of your revision for each subject
into one block, it’s better to space it out from now, through to the exams. Furthermore, the more
frequently you come back to a topic, the better you remember it.
Interleaved Practice
When you are revising a subject, the temptation is to do it in ‘blocks’ of topics. Like below:
The problem with this is that it doesn’t support the importance of repetition – which is so important
to learning. So rather than revising in ‘topic blocks’ it’s better to divide these topics up in your revision
programme and interleave them:
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Elaborative interrogation
You can (either to yourself or with a friend) ask why an
idea or concept is true – and then answer that why
question.
Answering a why question makes you think about and
organise information. It makes you explain. The more
we think about and explain information, the more likely
we are to remember it. Explaining is also a higher-level
skill than just remembering. Examiners love
explanations! So, for example, you could ask:
In Science - increasing the temperature can increase the rate of a chemical reaction….why?
In Geography - the leisure industry in British seaside towns like Barry Island in South Wales has
deteriorated in the last 4 decades….why?
In History - the depression in Germany in the 1930s supported Hitler’s rise to power….why?
Self-Explanation
Rather than looking at different topics from a
subject in isolation, you should try to think
about how this new information is related to
what you know already. This is where mind
maps might come in useful, but the process of
producing the mind map is probably more
useful than the finished product. So, you
should think about a key central idea (the
middle of the mind map) and then how new
material builds on the existing knowledge in
the middle. Once you have completed your
mind-map you need to self-test. This could be
by remembering sections and then explaining
them out loud, by completing practice
questions or by planning longer answers and
essays. Explanations can also be used when practising problem questions in subjects like maths or
physics. Articulate what you are doing, for example, ‘I want to simplify a fraction. First, I find the
common factors, then I remember to cancel down’.
Alongside this, when you are solving a problem e.g. in maths, try and explain to someone the steps
you took to solve the problem.
Conclusion
It is important that the revision process is active and involves plenty of self-testing. Different
approaches suit different subjects and different topics. Teachers will be able to provide guidance
about the most effective methods. When reflecting on what they would do differently after the
exams have finished, pupils always say that they would have started revising earlier. Allow plenty
of time to revise as cramming at the last minute is less effective than spaced revision for all
the reasons given in this guide. We wish you every success in your exams!
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English
What’s in the exam?
The examination will focus on one key component: Reading
For the reading section, you will be expected to read a short non-fiction extract and respond to
three questions. These questions will assess the following skills: comprehension (5 marks),
identification of techniques (5 marks) and analysis of how writers use language and structure (10
marks).
You should spend 45 minutes on this section.
How can I revise?
For the reading section, we would recommend the following for revision:
• Read a range of non-fiction extracts (use the booklet with examples provided by your teacher on
Teams)
• Learn the definitions of the following techniques to support your identification of subject
terminology:
o Direct Address
Top Tip: Create flashcards – place a piece
o Alliteration
o Anecdote of terminology on one side and an example or
o Facts definition on the other side.
o Flattery
You can test yourself and, as you become
o Opinion
more confident, have others test you.
o Rhetorical Question
Kahoot also has some quizzes which might
o Repetition
start you off with some self-testing.
o Emotive Language
o Exaggeration
o Superlative
o Statistic
o Triadic Listing
• Revise structure of analytical paragraphs (your teacher may use a variation of PEA, PEAL, PETER)
and practise analysing the language and structure used in your non-fiction passages.
Helpful revision websites
Developing analysis - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4ck8hv#zd8jqfr
Analysis of non-fiction texts - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4ck8hv#z2xpn9q
Examples of analytical paragraphs -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4ck8hv#zgjmxbk
Investigating language in non-fiction texts -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zq9mxbk/articles/z7m9cmn
Investigating structure in non-fiction texts -
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zq9mxbk/articles/zrhjdp3
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Mathematics
Book STP8
• Probability – chapter 2
• Polygons - chapter 6
• Formulae – chapter 10
• Transformations - chapters 11 & 19
• Linear Equations - chapter 12
• Straight Line Graphs – chapter 13
• Simultaneous Equations – chapter 16
• Volume – chapter 18
• Pythagoras – chapter 21
Book STP9
• Number Work – chapter 2
• Percentages – chapter 4
• Algebraic Products – chapter 6
• Algebraic Factors – chapter 7
• Organising Data & Box Plots – chapter 8
• Quadratic Equations – chapter 11
• Area and Volume – chapter 13
“The above list reflects topics taught this year, the test will also include topics taught in the previous
year.”
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Junior Science
Pupils will complete a single 90 minute examination paper. The paper will contain multiple choice
questions and short answer response questions covering the content covered in both Science 1 and
Science 2 lessons.
Science 1
The paper will cover the following topics:
Sound
• Describe how sound travels in different mediums
• Explain why sound does not travel in a vacuum
• Describe pitch and frequency
• Predict or interpret the oscilloscope wave form when pitch or frequency is changed
• Calculate the speed of sound in different mediums
• Label the key parts of the human ear and explain how humans hear
• Describe how human hearing can be damaged and how damage can be prevented
Heat
• Explain the difference between temperature and heat
• Use the particle model to explain conduction
• Use the particle model to explain convection
• Describe radiation
• Evaluate how insulation reduces the flow of thermal energy
• Explain expansion
Acids & Alkalis
• Recall a definition and examples of acids and alkalis
• Recall a definition for chemical and physical change
• Justify a classification of a change as chemical or physical
• Describe the pH scale and how the pH of a chemical can be found using UI
• Describe the use of indicators and interpret the colour changes to draw conclusions
• Recall a definition, with everyday examples of neutralisation
• Recall the equation for the reaction between an acid and an alkali
• Use the general equations for the reaction of metals/ metal carbonates with acids
Science 2
The paper will cover the following topics:
Separation
• Be able to explain dissolving
• Be able to explain how temperature affects dissolving
• To be able to explain how the following separation techniques work: filtering, distillation
(simple), fractional distillation, chromatography, crystallisation, decanting and separating funnel
• To be able to explain and justify which is the most appropriate separation technique
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Circulation & Movement
• Definition and equation for respiration
• Breathing – breathing system and what happens when we breathe in and out
• Difference between respiration and breathing
• Circulatory system – comprised of heart, blood vessels and blood
• Different type of blood vessels – artery, vein and capillary
• Movement – the skeleton, joints and muscles
Plants & Ecology
• Overview of plant structure – key organs and their functions
• Describe how plants reproduce
• Describe different seed dispersion methods
• Photosynthesis – theory and equations
• Investigate how light intensity affects photosynthesis and draw conclusions consistent with
results
• Plants role as producers, leading into food chains and webs
• Predator /prey relationships
• Adaptations of organisms to their habitat and environment
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MFL
French
This year, we have been working from the Allez 1 textbook and have covered:
Unit 4: À table
Unit 5: Mon quartier
Unit 6: Ça c’est mon truc
Pupils have a sentence builder booklet which contains all the vocabulary, structures and challenge
phrases we have been learning this year as well as a list of subscription websites which they can use
to support their revision.
Listening
Listening exams will take place in lessons the week beginning Monday 12th May and pupils will be
tested on the following:
• Food and drink (likes and dislikes)
• Directions
• Making plans
• The time
• Numbers / quantities
• Clothes
• Places in town
Reading and writing
The reading and writing paper will take place during exam week.
Pupils will read a variety of French texts relating to units 4, 5 and 6 of the Allez 1 textbook. They
should revise the relevant vocabulary pages from their sentence builder booklets. They can do this
using websites such as Quizlet or Blooket or by getting someone to test them.
Prior to the exam, pupils will be given a writing task to prepare for. They can use their sentence
builder booklet and model answers for support. They are encouraged to write extended, detailed
sentences and where possible include ‘challenge phrases’ from their booklets to enhance their work.
They will then be asked to write a similar piece in test conditions during exam week.
Speaking
End of year speaking assessments took place in lessons before Easter and the mark will be added to
the end of year result.
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German
• Use your exercise book and class notes to help you revise.
• The following websites are also useful:
www.klar.co.uk (bablake/ languages)
www.quizlet.com (babgerm)
www.languagesonline.org.uk
You will complete examinations in listening, reading, writing and grammar.
Speaking exams will take place just before the Easter holidays.
The Listening exam will be in the week before the main school exam week.
Reading, writing and grammar tests will take place during exam week.
Listening tests:
Revise vocabulary and grammar notes from the topics covered. Use the vocabulary lists for each topic
to help you to fully prepare. This test will be held in the lesson immediately before exam week.
For the Writing test:
You will complete a written task based on the topic of school that your teacher will explain in advance.
You must include 4 key words or phrases that you will be given in advance. You can prepare your
work and receive feedback from your teacher.
Look back at the written pieces you have done this year. Make sure you know the key vocabulary and
structures.
For the grammar section:
• Revise the verb patterns for haben and sein as well as the regular verb endings (EST TEN TEN).
• Accusative patterns (einen/eine/ein) and adjective endings (blaue Augen etc).
• Revise how to make comparisons and use the superlative
Topics to revise:
• Hobbies
• School subjects and teachers
• The time
• Food
• Rooms
• Furniture and prepositions
• The weather
If you have any questions, speak to your teacher.
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Spanish
This year, we have been working from the Claro 1 textbook and have covered:
Unit 4: Mi casa
Unit 5: En mi ciudad
Unit 6: Mi insti
Pupils have a sentence builder booklet which contains all the vocabulary, structures and challenge
phrases we have been learning this year as well as a list of subscription websites which they can use
to support their revision. They can also access the textbook online via Kerboodle.
Listening
Listening exams will take place in lessons the week beginning Monday 12th May and pupils will be
tested on the following:
• Places in town
• Weekend plans
• Directions
• The time
• School routines
• School subjects and opinions
Reading and writing
The reading and writing paper will take place during exam week.
Pupils will read a variety of Spanish texts relating to units 4, 5 and 6 of the Claro 1 textbook. They
should revise the relevant vocabulary pages from their sentence builder booklets. They can do this
using websites such as Quizlet or Blooket or by getting someone to test them.
Prior to the exam, pupils will be given a writing task to prepare for. They can use their sentence
builder booklet and model answers for support. They are encouraged to write extended, detailed
sentences and where possible include ‘challenge phrases’ from their booklets to enhance their work.
They will then be asked to write a similar piece in test conditions during exam week.
Speaking
End of year speaking assessments took place in lessons before Easter and the mark will be added to
the end of year result.
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Latin
Your examination will last 45 minutes and will test your knowledge of the grammar, vocabulary
and cultural material that you have studied this year.
There will be three sections to the exam:
• A comprehension on a Latin passage you have not seen before. You will need to know all
the grammar and end of stage vocabularies up to and including stage 9.
This part is worth 40 marks.
• Grammar sentences where you have to fill in the correct form of the missing word in a
sentence and translate the completed sentence.
This part is worth 20 marks.
• Questions on the lives of the Romans. The topics to learn are daily life (stage 2) and
gladiators (stage 8).
This part is worth 20 marks.
HOW TO REVISE
• Re-learn all the end of stage vocabularies
• Look back at the “about the language” pages in each stage and any notes you may have. Re-
do the sentences in these or the exercises at the end of the book (“practising the language”).
You will be given a summary of the grammar that you have learned from which you may
revise.
• Make brief notes (half a page of A4) on each of the background stages you need to learn and
learn the information. Do these in the form of bullet points, mind maps, flow charts etc.
15
Geography
Your summer exam will focus on the Global Citizen unit which we have been studying this
year. By the time you sit the exam, you will have completed the Aral Sea Assessment which
contributes 25% to your final end of year attainment grade.
The table below breaks down what you need to know for the exam.
No matter what you are revising, remember to consider the following key geographical
aspects:
• Scale – always consider a range of scales from individual to local (community) to
national and finally international/global.
• SEEP – Social, Economic, Environment, Politics
Area to Revise What you need to know
Key Terms You need to be familiar with the key terms listed at the back of the
Global Citizen booklet.
Population & You should be able describe and give reasons for changes to
technology that we use. You should be able to explain advantages
Technology and disadvantages of those changes.
Changes
Transnational Explain what a transnational corporation (TNC) is and be able to
describe and identify key characteristics.
Corporation You should be able to discuss the drawbacks of TNCs and be able
to explain how they can operate more ethically.
Globalisation You need to be able to explain what globalisation is and discuss the
advantages and disadvantages of the process. You should be able to
link technology to globalisation and explain how it has affected the
process. You should be able to think on a local and global scale.
Glocalisation Explain what glocalisation is and be able to give examples of how
companies create glocalisation.
Sweatshops You need to be able to explain what a sweatshop is and discuss the
conditions that the workers are employed in. You should be able to
give examples of ways in which fashion companies can become more
sustainable.
Energy You should be able to give definitions and explain the difference
between renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
You should be able to give examples of both renewable and non-
renewable energy sources and be able to evaluate their use (explain
the advantages and disadvantages of each one).
Pollution You should be able to identify the three main types of pollution and
suggest sources for these.
You should be able to describe the impacts of pollution on the
environment and people both on a local scale and a global scale.
Skills
You should also be able to:
• Describe changes in a graph. Use TRASH to help you with this.
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History
Content: The exam has 3 sections:
Topic 1: Henry VIII and the Break with Rome. (Textbook pages: 16-21)
• The Tudor family tree
• The reasons why Henry wanted to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon
• The reasons why Pope Clement VII refused to allow the divorce.
• Differences between Protestant and Catholic beliefs.
Topic 2: ‘Bloody’ Queen Mary? (Textbook pages: 24-27)
• Reasons Mary does and does not deserve her reputation as ‘Bloody Mary’
• Mary’s marriage
Topic 3: Elizabeth I. (Textbook pages: 72-77)
• Issues to do with the succession
• Mary Queen of Scots.
• The Armada – background information and reasons why the Armada was defeated.
Questions will be a mixture of short factual answers, longer explanations and some source
interpretations. Think also about the skills you have learned this year. For the examination you will
need to demonstrate knowledge and understanding.
There will also be a number of extended answers where you will be expected to show your ability
to explain, worth 3 marks. When stretching your answer, turning identification into explanation,
try to do the following:
• Identify the precise piece of relevant evidence.
• Explain the significance of this using a phrase like ‘this meant’.
• Finally link this back directly to the question’s precise demands.
Thinking about how you might do this in each of the topics in the exam will help to focus your
revision.
You should ensure that you use your work in your exercise books and the sheets you
have completed, as well as your textbook.
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RPE
Your exam lasts 60 minutes
SKILLS
1. Knowledge – knowing basic information about the world religions
2. Understanding – understanding the significance of this information for religious practitioners
3. Evaluation – forming reasoned judgements about the truth claims of religion and the value of
religious practices.
TOPICS
Life after death – Evaluate and explain: resurrection, Heaven / Hell, reincarnation, non-religious
views
Judaism – key beliefs, key practices, prophets, Pesach
Hinduism – gods (including Avatars), key beliefs, worship
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Computer Science
Introduction to Data Representation
• Representing numbers
o Binary numbering system
▪ Why binary is used in computer systems
▪ Converting from denary to binary
▪ Converting from binary to denary
o Adding binary numbers
▪ Overflow
o Units – bit, byte, kilobyte etc
• Representing Text
• Representing bitmap images
More Computer systems
• Software
o Examples of different types of software
• Hardware
o Input vs output vs storage
o Common input devices
o Common output devices
o Storage devices
▪ How magnetic storage devices store data
▪ How optical storage devices store data
▪ How solid-state storage devices store data
▪ Properties of different types of storage devices
Developing Computational Thinking
• Definitions and examples of:
o Computational thinking
o Abstraction
o Decomposition
o Generalisation/pattern matching
o Algorithmic thinking
o Evaluation
▪ Sequence
▪ Selection
▪ Iteration
▪ Writing and following flowcharts
Databases
• Database structures including tables, fields, records, primary keys
• Data Types
• Validation types
• Queries
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