Wealden Times | WT265 | June 2024 | Education Supplement inside

The Priceless Education Supplement sponsored by
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Help your child navigate exam season
with help from the experts
to get
exam
It is no secret that, for some students, the
exam season represents a stressful time.
Antony Nesling and Beverley Bloem,
Diploma Coordinator and High School
Counsellor at ACS International School
Cobham, have shared their advice on how
you can help your child conquer exam season
without being negatively impacted by stress.
Manage stress, don’t avoid it
First and foremost, it’s important to
recognise that exam season is not something
your child can avoid. If the result of an exam
matters to your child, it is inevitable that the
possibility of not achieving their desired grades
will create feelings of stress and anxiety. When
these feelings occur, your child should not run or
hide from them, but face them head on. This will
enable you and your child to identify the trigger
points and make a plan in order to deal with the
feelings effectively, allowing them to work towards
effectively utilising stress as a tool. Once your
child can manage their stress effectively, they will
be able to focus on the task at hand and do the
best that they can.
Master study time
Somewhat linked with managing
stress, mastering study time is arguably
the most important thing students
can do to help themselves during exam season.
Most students will be revising for several subjects
at once, all of which require a great level of
understanding with a lot of information to learn
– it can be overwhelming! Without a plan, your
child could end up feeling as though they haven’t
given each topic the time and attention they
deserve. By creating a schedule for study time,
your child will be able to visualise how much
time they should spend on a subject, which will
give them the confidence that they are sufficiently
prepared. When creating this schedule, we would
recommend making it a physical copy instead of
digital. By having something tangible, your child
will be able to keep it visible at all times to help
keep them focused when revising. But this isn’t
just to your child’s benefit; a physical schedule can
also keep you in the loop on your child’s study
time, and can help you aid your child’s focus
and make sure that they’re accountable to their
timetable.
Avoid burn out
Be careful of your child doing too
much. If your child’s study time doesn’t
account for adequate rest, recreational
time and regular breaks, they might start to find
themselves mentally unable to focus on the task
at hand. Ensuring that your child looks after
themselves in this period is just as important as
revision. As cliché as it might seem, getting a
good night’s sleep and eating healthy foods will
help them recoup energy and maintain focus
for longer which, in the end, will result in a
more productive study session. Remember, every
student is different: some students may not burn
out for a whole day, some students it may be a few
hours – but the important thing is that your child
is honest with themselves, and you, about what
rest they need in order to help them keep pushing
forward in a productive manner.
Develop a flexible routine
Even with sufficient rest and a study
schedule that allows for plenty of
time for revision, it doesn’t necessarily
79
mean that your child will be in a healthy routine
with study time. By having a rigid routine that’s
focused solely on studying, your child may start
to find that studying becomes a chore, and not an
enjoyable part of the exam process. Our advice,
would be to help implement a healthy, flexible
routine that allows your child to enjoy their day,
while also staying true to their original schedule.
For example, a routine that involves having your
breakfast, going for a walk, seeing some friends,
and then revising, would be more enjoyable than
waking up and revising for the same amount
of time. A rigid routine that doesn’t account
for enjoyment will ultimately become harder to
follow, and as a result may turn your child away
from wanting to revise. Flexibility allows them
to take control of their own time, and with your
support can maintain a healthy relationship with
their study schedule.
Redefine exams
For our final suggestion, we
recommend redefining what exams
really mean. We often see students who
stress over exams, and it’s easy to see how failure is
their biggest fear during exam season. Exams are
important for educational development, and of
course, every student should work hard to be able
to do their very best, but not getting their desired
grade will not determine whether they will be
happy or successful later on in life, or solely define
their future. Help your child to embrace their
own pathway, whatever that may look like.
If you’d like to find out more about ACS
International School Cobham, and how to
visit on their next open day on Saturday 28th
September visit their website online at
acs-schools.com/cobham
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