Lesson 7: Exam Hacks

• LessonUp
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)
• Upper Secondary (Key Stage 4)

Introduction

The exam period is an exciting yet often stressful time for students. They struggle with planning, concentration, exam anxiety, and balancing study with relaxation. The lesson series Exam Boost supports students in preparing for their exams in a structured and calm way. These lessons are light-hearted, interactive, and immediately applicable, helping students to study effectively without feeling overwhelmed. The focus is on practical strategies they can use right away, such as smart planning, managing stress, building healthy habits, and studying more efficiently. Each lesson includes: A short introduction presenting a relatable scenario. Interactive elements like polls, quiz questions, and practical tasks to actively engage students. Concrete tips and exercises to help students take immediate action. A closing reflection where students share what they’re taking away from the lesson and how they’ll apply it. The lessons can be delivered individually or as a complete series. The goal is not only to help students succeed, but also to teach them how to do so with a healthy mindset and without unnecessary stress.

Instructions

Short introduction for the teacher:

Exam strategies can make the difference between a good and a mediocre result. In this lesson, students will discover clever techniques for answering multiple-choice and open-ended questions, helping them feel less stressed during the exam.

Exam Hacks

Lesson: 7

How would you approach these GCSE English questions? 

(what is your process?)

Introduction:

Get your pupils to explain how they would go about answering these questions - they do not need to know the answer, but how would they ensure they have achieved the highest mark they can? Is the process, or any parts of it, repeatable for all their subjects?..

What is your biggest challenge during exams?

I panic and freeze.

I always run out of time.

I don’t know how to answer open-ended questions properly.

I doubt myself with multiple-choice questions.

Other...

Poll

Bespreek hoe examenstrategieën kunnen helpen om deze problemen te voorkomen.

What is the smartest way to answer

 multiple-choice questions?

1. Choosing the first answer that sounds correct right away.
2. First, read all the options and cross out the incorrect answers.
3. Always choose the longest option.
4. Guess randomly if you don’t know the answer.

Quiz

Explain why eliminating and critical reading help with multiple-choice questions.

Emphasise that eliminating helps reduce the number of options, which increases the chance of selecting the correct answer. Critical reading prevents students from being misled by distracting answers and ensures they focus on the core of the question.

Provide examples of questions where eliminating and critical reading are effectively applied. Let students practise by analysing a question and eliminating incorrect answers before making a choice.

Stap 1: Maak een lijst met alle vakken waarvoor je moet leren voor je examen

Stap 2: Verdeel de stof over meerdere dagen en blokken

Stap 3:Maak ruimte voor herhaling en rustdagen.

Stap 4: Maak een visueel duidelijke planning

Extra hacks for multiple-choice questions

Exclusion strategy: cross out incorrect answers to increase the chances of selecting the correct answer.

Apply the reversal trick: formulate the answer yourself before looking at the options.

Watch out for absolute terms: words like “always” and “never” are often suspicious.

Hack 1

Hack 2

Hack 3

Example question: 

What does the word meticulous mean?

A) Careful and precise

B) Lazy and indifferent

C) Quick and reckless

D) Unpredictable and wild

Example question: What is the function of a counter argument in a debate?

Do now: Think of the answer yourself.

Crossing out unlikely answers:

 • Lazy and indifferent (B) is the opposite of meticulous → cross it out.

 • Quick and reckless (C) suggests no carefulness → cross it out.

 • Unpredictable and wild (D) is not related to precision → cross it out.

Correct answer: A) Careful and precise.

Answer options:

A) It supports the main thesis of the text.

B) It provides a counterpoint to a previously mentioned argument.

C) It introduces a new topic.

D) It repeats the main idea of the text.

Extra hacks

 • Use the elimination strategy: Cross out incorrect answers to increase the chances of selecting the correct answer. Show an example question and practice together by crossing out unlikely answers. Discuss why certain answers are less likely and how this helps in making the right choice.

 • Apply the reversal trick: Formulate the answer yourself before looking at the options. Show a question and ask students to write down an answer without the options first. Then, discuss whether their answer matches the correct option and how this strategy helps them work faster and more accurately.

 • Watch out for absolute terms: Words like “always” and “never” are often suspicious. Give examples of questions where absolute terms appear in the answers and discuss why these are often incorrect. Have students practice in pairs identifying misleading terms.

How do you effectively answer

 'open-ended' questions?

1. Write as much as possible, even if it’s not relevant.
2. Use keywords from the question in your answer.
3. Just start and see where you end up.
4. Copy sentences from the question without processing them.

Quiz

Discuss the importance of keywords and a structured approach. Explain that keywords help to focus on what is truly important in the question.

Discuss how students can use a logically structured format (such as introduction, main body, and conclusion) and how this helps to formulate complete answers.

Stap 1: Maak een lijst met alle vakken waarvoor je moet leren voor je examen

Stap 2: Verdeel de stof over meerdere dagen en blokken

Stap 3:Maak ruimte voor herhaling en rustdagen.

Stap 4: Maak een visueel duidelijke planning

Extra hacks for open-ended questions:

The question as a guide:

Extract keywords from the question and incorporate them into your answer.

Work with a structure:

Start with a core answer. Support this with an explanation or example.

Be concrete:

Avoid vague answers; use facts and examples.

Check for completeness:

Answer the question fully. Make sure you haven’t overlooked anything.

Hack 1

Hack 2

Hack 3

Hack 4

Example question: What is the main argument of the author in the article about climate change?

❌ Too general answer: The author thinks climate change is a problem.

✅ Improved answer: The author argues that climate change is accelerating due to human activity, particularly through carbon emissions from industries and deforestation. He supports this by citing scientific studies and recent extreme weather events.

Example question: Write a formal letter to a local newspaper in which you express your opinion on the increasing use of AI in daily life. Provide at least two arguments to support your opinion.

Example question: Compare the themes of The Golden Egg by Tim Krabbé with another Dutch-language literary work you have read. What are the similarities and differences?

Example question: Prove whether a triangle with sides of 5 cm, 12 cm, and 13 cm is right-angled.

Incomplete answer: I have substituted the numbers into Pythagoras’ theorem and it works.

What is missing?

Extra hacks

Use the question as a guide: Extract key words from the question and incorporate them into your answer. Show an example question and, together with the students, highlight the most important key words. Then, practice formulating answers that include these key words.

Work with a structure: Start with a core answer and support it with an explanation or example. Show an example question and discuss together what a well-structured answer looks like. Have students practice by writing a short answer and then improving it in pairs.

Be concrete: Avoid vague answers; use facts and examples. Provide an example of a general answer and show how it can be improved by adding specific details. Have students rewrite a general answer into a more specific one.

Check for completeness: Answer the question fully and check if you’ve missed anything. Show an incomplete example answer and discuss what is missing. Practice improving answers by making them more complete and correcting misinterpretations.

What helps if you start to 

run out of time?

1. Do all questions in order, even if you get stuck.
2. Read and answer one question at a time without looking ahead.
3. First, answer the easy questions and tackle the difficult ones later.
4. Stop when you come across a difficult question and wait for inspiration.

Quiz

Discuss the importance of key words and a structured approach. Explain that key words help focus on what is truly important in the question.

Discuss how students can use a logically structured format (such as introduction, main body, and conclusion) and how this helps in formulating complete answers.

Stap 1: Maak een lijst met alle vakken waarvoor je moet leren voor je examen

Stap 2: Verdeel de stof over meerdere dagen en blokken

Stap 3:Maak ruimte voor herhaling en rustdagen.

Stap 4: Maak een visueel duidelijke planning

Extra hacks for time managment

Start with easy questions:

This prevents you from getting stuck on difficult questions and saves you time.

Use the 10-second rule:

If you don’t have an idea right away, skip the question temporarily and come back to it later.

Leave time for review:

Save the last few minutes to check your answers!

Hack 1

Hack 2

Hack 3

Extra hacks

Start with the easy questions: This prevents you from getting stuck on difficult questions and saves you time.

Show a practice exam and discuss how students can assess which questions are easy and which are difficult. Give them a short task where they organise the questions based on difficulty.

Use the 10-second rule: If you don’t have an idea right away, skip the question temporarily and come back to it later.

Discuss why it’s better to move on to other questions instead of staying stuck. Provide an example of a question that seems difficult but becomes easier once other questions have been answered.

Leave time for review: Save the last few minutes to check your answers.

Discuss how students can manage their time wisely, for example by using a timer. Let students practice estimating how much time they need for each question.

Clever tricks make the difference.

👀

Read all the questions first before you start.

❌

Cross out incorrect answers in multiple-choice questions.

🤔

Use key words in open-ended questions.

😎

Start with the easy questions and leave time for review.

Conclusion

Let students choose one exam hack they will apply in their preparation. Briefly discuss why they chose this hack and how they will concretely apply it in their study routine. Encourage them to test the strategy and reflect on its effect after a week.

#check

Exam tricks = 

maximum success

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