What impact did exam question practise have on results?

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3. What impact did exam question practise have on results?
​Another common question. Did centres who practised exam questions frequently do better in terms of grade stability? Short answer: not really, no. (I have taken the options here which had by far and away the most responses – 90% between them)

When this was broken down to look at school type, the strongest correlation with improvement for lower attaining schools was to have exam question practise on a half-termly basis. Only practising during the final revision period in these schools however was by far and away the worst option. There was certainly no obvious benefit to weekly or fortnightly practise. Average and higher attaining schools showed almost no pattern when it came to frequency of practise.

Takeaway: Think carefully before bombarding your kids with loads and loads of exam practice questions – they may not really be helping. Sometimes grasping the content well, or doing something which builds confidence can be just as effective. Also, if you are musing over a 3 year KS4, spending the extra time on loads of exam practise does not seem to be a great driver.

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