Important information for Year 2 A Level students about their exams.
As you approach the final few weeks of your programme, I am writing to provide you with a summary of key dates and a reminder of the support available to you.
Key Dates
- Individual student exam timetables are now available for students on the MySCG app and on ProPortal. These include candidate numbers, rooms, seat numbers, and any access arrangements that have been approved. The exams officer will contact individuals with information about any exam clashes. Please keep checking as sometimes rooms/seats may need to change at short notice.
- The process for downloading the timetable will work in the same way as for the mock exam week earlier in the year – please ask your tutor if you need reminders for how to do this.
- Normal lesson timetables continue through this half-term until the end of Friday 22 May.
- A Level exams begin during the week beginning Monday 11 May for some subjects – lessons continue through this period, but students can take the morning before an afternoon exam as study leave where needed; they must report their absence as study leave to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via the MySCG App. - Half-term is from Monday, 25 May, to Friday, 29 May.
- Year 2 students can take full study leave from Monday, 1 June onwards. However, teachers are still available throughout this period to support you during usual lesson times and with revision workshops – your teachers will provide details of any specific workshops.
- Exams continue throughout much of June. The exam boards have collectively agreed that Wednesday, 24 June, will be the final national contingency date. In the event of a significant national or local disruption, they reserve the right to reschedule the date of any exam at short notice, and this is the last such date that they could use. All students must remain available until this date; the exam board will not accept holidays as a reason for missing a rearranged exam.
Support available in college:
We know that the last few weeks of an A Level course can sometimes feel challenging, but take confidence in the work that you have done throughout the course and make a plan for the final few weeks to manage your workload effectively. We have confidence in you!
- College campuses will be open during the May half-term; information will come out later this term with specific opening times for each LRC so that you can come in to revise in a quiet environment if you prefer.
- After half-term, you will be on study leave, but subject-specific support continues to be available on Tuesday and/or Thursday lunchtimes. You can drop in, or you may be directed to attend by your subject teachers; in this case, please prioritise attending wherever possible.
- Please speak to your teacher(s) for help to plug any gaps in your knowledge of specific topics – they are there to help!
- Exam papers and mark schemes are available in all subjects. Please check with your teacher to ensure you have all the necessary resources (available on Teams, Moodle, or in paper format).
- Revision sessions are available throughout the exam period to provide a focus for each paper. Individual subject areas will share details of the sessions that they have planned.
- Student support tutors are the primary point of contact for general support with creating a revision timetable, developing study skills, addressing attendance issues, or addressing other pastoral concerns.
- Our Academic Study Skills Coordinator is offering sessions on exam preparation and revision. Please ask your tutor for help with this if you haven’t already taken advantage of this service.
- If you are feeling anxious around exams, or anything else during the exam period, you can call our Student Assistance Programme on 0800 028 3766, where a trained counsellor will discuss strategies to help manage any feelings of stress so that you can perform at your best.
- An additional source of help is the Wisdom App from Health Assured. In addition to practical help, students can enrol in a 4-week programme to help manage stress or follow the guides for sleep and meditation. Students can download Wisdom from the App Store or Google Play using the college code: MHA249996.
Support at home
Discuss a revision plan with your parents/carers to ensure all subjects and topics are covered, while also allowing time for relaxation and sufficient sleep.
- Please seek support from teachers, tutors, or exam workshops as needed.
- Discuss with your parents/carers how to approach negotiating reduced hours of part-time work with any employers, from now through until the end of the exam period. Time invested in studying to secure higher grades and better progression opportunities will be worth more to you in the long run than short-term wages in the next few weeks.
- Make sure that you have full attendance for all lessons in college up to May half-term, as well as final revision sessions during the exam period.
- Devise a routine of sleep/getting up throughout the exam period - morning exams start early!
- Secure access to a quiet space to work or come in full-time to college from now onwards to work in the LRC or other study areas during the day when you are not in lessons.
- Make sure to print a copy of your exam timetable and stick it up somewhere at home as a reminder of the exam dates and times.
- Ensure that transportation to exams is planned and reliable.
A Level Results Day is Thursday, 13 August – details will be sent out next term for how you will receive your results and the support available to students for progression queries after receiving your results.
Good luck with your exams.