Using Past Papers More Effectively

When practising for your exams using past papers, follow the steps below:

1.     Answer the questions without looking anything up. This will simulate exam conditions. Don't worry about time constraints until you're closer to the exams.

2.      Before marking your answers, take the time to review them all. Use your notes, textbooks, revision guides, and other resources to identify areas for improvement or expansion. This active engagement with the material is key to solidifying your understanding. Add anything new to your answers in a different colour.

3.      Mark your answers using the official mark scheme. Keep track of two totals: one for your initial attempt (step 1) and one for your revised answers (step 2). This will help you quantify the improvement gained from the review process.

4.      If you find specific questions or parts of questions particularly challenging, consult the Examiner's Report for insights into the expected approach or common mistakes to avoid.

5.      Analyse your performance to identify areas where you struggled or made mistakes. These are the areas that need your attention the most. Focus your revision efforts on these specific areas, using targeted practice questions and additional resources. This approach will help you make significant strides in your understanding and performance.

6.      Repeat this process with multiple past papers, increasing the time pressure as you approach the exams to simulate exam conditions.

7.      Consider working through past papers with classmates or study groups. Discussing and explaining your thought processes can deepen your understanding and expose blind spots.

8.      After completing a past paper, reflect on your overall performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and adjust your revision strategy accordingly.

Remember, the key to significant improvement is to focus on the areas that need attention the most. Revision timetables can only be effective when guided by this targeted, active learning principle.

Maths Student of the Week

Sameeha 8T - For fantastic effort, hard work and resilience and for always showing full working in her book.

Well Done!

Year 9 Visit to Parliament

Last week, on Tuesday 7 May, 9R + 9T visited the Houses of Parliament as part of our studies on politics and democracy in PSHE and History.

I think that the parliament trip was insightful and interesting. I had never been to parliament and I thought it was a great experience. Since parliament is where decisions for this country are made, it is very important to understand our country and it's government, so visiting parliament is/was very useful for us as Londoners who are growing up in this 'new' world.

The tour guides were interesting and acting out a debate in the House of Commons was fun.

Indigo 9R

Assembly Speaker - Dr. Alice Bell
Head of Policy, Climate and Health - Wellcome Trust

This week’s assembly was led by Dr. Alice Bell, the head of Climate Policy at the Wellcome Trust. She discussed her professional journey from a “North London Comp” through a varying degree of employment circles to her current position.

Dr. Bell said she very much enjoyed working for the Wellcome Trust, stating that it is one of the richest global charities, and spends circa £1 billion annually, £100 million of which is put towards research and development and combating climate change.

When describing her job, Alice said that the Climate team at the Wellcome Trust was created 2 years ago, roughly when she was hired, and she stands between this and a second team, a Policy team and a Climate one. In her current position, Alice “work manages” certain people and “line manages” others, as well as finding intersections between her field of work in Climate Change and other areas. She also discussed how she was the spokesperson for this charity at the COP28 meeting, showing how her job could span across multiple sectors.

Through her own career, Bell detailed how it was ok to not know exactly what you want to do in life, as she altered career path throughout her life thus far, from various part time jobs, including as a journalist, author, bookseller, and lecturer. This non-linear approach to career progression led to a more varied path through life that gave her the opportunity for many rewarding experiences.

Alice attended a North-London school, where her brother went to LaSWAP. From there, she did not go straight to University, loving too many subjects to move on to any specific pathway. This then led her to a job at the Science Museum, as an Explainer. This was a fun job, however after almost 6 years working there she felt that there were few opportunities for development, and the pay was relatively low.

She moved on to a BSc at UCL in History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science, to allow for the wide range of opportunities that were not granted by other university courses. After this she moved on to do an MA at UCL in the Sociology of Education.

Bell’s PhD was in Science Communication, at Imperial, and she said that such a qualification was only for those who are truly dedicated to the subject, as it was quite a consuming experience.

From the time of her university to eventually becoming the co-founder of a charity called ‘Possible’, a charity that enables people to take practical action on climate change,  Bell took on a variety of professions. She told us how she became an Academic; a research fellow, then lecturer, where she wrote two books.. The decision to move on from this was described to be an easy one because Bell  felt as though the increasing prices of the MA degrees she worked with only fuelled the rich growing richer, creating what was referred to as a “privilege machine”. She also described her life as an author, where she took a part time position writing two books about Climate Change; “Can we save the planet?” and “Our biggest experiment”.

Before she eventually moved on to working at the Wellcome Trust, Alice took one more job combating climate change. She co-founded the aforementioned charity, ‘possible’. At this point in the assembly, Alice informed us of a quote from an old colleague of hers, that “once you begin to work with climate change, you can’t turn away from it”, and she described how the issue had in fact taken hold of her and she felt compelled to do whatever she could in the sector. This is where she moved on to working for the Wellcome trust, in a ‘middle-management’ position. She absolutely loves her job and feels very passionate about what she does, but also added that this doesn't mean she might not become passionate about another cause at some point in the future.

Much like the assembly itself, Dr. Bell’s career did not take a directly linear path, rather winding its way through different stages of employment until she reached her current position, and this served as one of the key messages throughout the assembly, that a set, direct route in life is not necessarily the best one. We very much enjoyed it.

Samuel
Sixth Form Head Boy

Camden School for Girls Anonymous Art Auction 2024

17 May - 23 June

The Camden School for Girls Anonymous Art Auction 2024 is now LIVE.

Visit https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/anonymousartauction2024

The auction launch is Friday 17 May. Bidders base their choice purely on what they like, as the identity of the artist is not revealed until the auction closes, when purchasers will discover whose work they have fallen in love with. 

The auction will run until 4pm on Sunday 23 June 2024 with all much needed funds raised going towards the school for the benefit of current and future students.

We will be hosting a Private Viewing soiree in the early evening when you will be able to see the artworks in real life on Monday 17 June. This event will coincide with the A Level Summer Art and Photography Exhibition, so you will be able to enjoy 2for1. Please save the date, further details will be shared in due course.

Contributors this year include:- 

ChristaLulu Antoniou, Lucy Baron-Thomson, Ariadne Birnberg, Yvette Blumberg, Kate Bradbury, Chloe Brownsey, Goldie Dill, Lucille Dweck, Philip Ellis, Lynda Farrell, Irene Graham, Carla Groppi, Leanne Hagger, Maggi Hambling, Cleo Harrington, Claire Harvey, Nicola Hepworth, Katie Heyes, Harry Hudson, Wendy Jacob, Jillian Knipe, Daniele Lamarche, Michael Landy, Vaishali Londhe, Kate Miller, Hannah Muskett, Issi Nash, Grant Penny, Francesca Picone, Hugh Ribbans, Amanda Ribbans, Sue Ribbans, Dorit Ronen, Calypso Rubinstein, Elisabeth Scheder-Bieschin, Pip Schofield, Mya Shah, Amy Sharrocks, Lorraine Snape, Anne Thidemann, Suzanne Treister