To support students and teachers preparing for GCSE and A-Level exams in 2022, the exam boards are required to provide “advance information” for most subjects.
ABOUT ADVANCE INFORMATION
If you’re taking GCSE or A-Level exams in the summer of 2022, then you need to know about something called ADVANCE INFORMATION. It’s been a really tough time recently for students – particularly the current Year 11s and Year 13s, who have never sat public exams before. So, to help students whose education has been disrupted during the pandemic, the government have told exam boards to provide some special exam guidance to teachers and students for 2022. This guidance is called ADVANCE INFORMATION.
The purpose of Advance Information is to help communicate to students and teachers SOME, but not all of the aspects of the GCSE and A-Level specifications that will be assessed in the 2022 exam papers. And we stress SOME, not ALL. So why is advance information being provided? Well, as it stands, for nearly all GCSE & A-Level exams in 2022, there won’t be any changes, or modifications to the usual structure of the papers. There are a few subjects where there will be changes. But for most, NO CHANGE For example, they’ll be no changes to how many papers you sit, how many questions are set, how many marks for each, and how your answers are assessed! Now, in many ways that’s a good thing – since the exam papers you will sit will look just like the ones that have been using to practice. So, you’ll be able to use past papers really effectively – they’re a great way to get used to the question format AND DEVELOP YOUR EXAM TECHNIQUE.
Instead, Advance Information is intended to help you focus some, BUT NOT ALL your revision on some key topic areas and themes. So, how’s it going to work? Well each exam board will provide Advance Information in different ways, and it will also vary by subject! The exam boards are required to publish the Advance Information for all of your subjects by 7 February 2022. Now this is important! Advance Information is intended to SUPPORT your revision and to help your teachers structure their lessons once the course specification has been completed and your are into revision mode.
Advance Information is NOT DESIGNED to tell you which questions will appear in the exam papers! The exam boards have to make sure that the Advance Information does not allow students to ‘QUESTION SPOT and use pre-prepared and memorized answers! So, WHEN should Advance Information be used? Well, you’ll be able to use it as soon as it is released. Once the information is available, you’ll be able to see, along with your teachers, which parts of your specification are worth the most focus But, don’t forget, Advance Information won’t necessarily be the same. For some of your subjects, you might be told what the topic focus for the high mark or high tariff questions might be. If your subject has quantitative skills, like Economics , Business Psychology or Geography, you might be told which quantitative skills, or which research methods will be examined. The key will be to listen to your teachers and take their advice on how best to respond to the advance information for your subject and exam board And of course all our subject teams will be looking at how we can help you make the most from advance information.