Mock exams, also known as ‘mocks’, are practice exams for students preparing for GCSEs and A levels. They are excellent opportunities for students to experience exam conditions and get an indicator of their progress and likely grade in the real exam.
When are mock exams?
Students in Year 11 and Year 13 will almost definitely be required to sit mock exams and they are also common for Year 10 and Year 12 students. Younger students may have mock assessments for end-of-year exams, but these are set by schools and not part of GCSE qualifications.
Every school sets their own dates for mock exams, they are not set by exam boards themselves (e.g. AQA, Edexcel, OCR). As the examination period for the real exams spans from May to June, many secondary schools choose to hold mocks in January to give students ample time over the Christmas holidays to revise, and then sufficient time afterwards for them to make any necessary progress to improve their grades.
Year 10 mocks are often in July
Year 11 mocks are often in December/January
Year 12 mocks are often in June/July, and sometimes also December/January
Year 13 mocks are often in December/January
Schools often hold a week or two of mock exams to reflect the real, intense schedule of GCSE or A level examinations. Students may be taken ‘off timetable’ for this period, and their days filled with mocks and revision sessions.
What are mocks for?
There are five main purposes of mock exams:
- To give students the experience of exam conditions, such as: working in a large room, being timed, and perhaps being invigilated (supervised by external staff).
- To simulate a real exam, including taking a whole paper at once and remembering all the important information.
- To give students a mock exam grade which is an indicator of their level and progress.
- To identify gaps in students’ knowledge to direct their revision and teachers’ support.
- To test whether students’ revision strategies so far have been successful.
Mock exam grades may just be used internally within the school, but some schools use mock exam grades to inform students’ predicted grades, particularly at A level. Predicted grades are very important. Predicted grades are included in students’ UCAS applications and are used by universities to offer places.
Are mocks important?
Whilst mock exams are just practices for the real thing, they are still very important, particularly if the results will be used to decide A level predicted grades. Mock grades are also used in cases where the exam can’t take place, such as during covid, or special individual circumstances.
Aside from this, they are also an important marker in students’ preparation for their final exams. Good results in mocks are encouraging and help students feel prepared. Disappointing results can be disheartening and demotivating. Either way, the results will reveal any gaps in knowledge and enable students to more effectively target their revision.
How to prepare for mock exams?
Because of how important mock exams are, students should always revise for them. How much students should revise depends on which mocks they are preparing for, how much content they have to remember, and also their individual learning habits and memory.
It is important that students create a revision timetable at least two months before mock exams to ensure they have plenty of time to prepare in a relaxed manner. Repetition is key to retention and the more time they have, the more times they can revise the information, meaning a higher chance of success.
Subject teachers should also provide students with support and direction for their revision. Parents’ evenings and school reports may also contain information to help parents support revision at home.
Click here for more advice on exam preparation and strategies.
What to do if mocks do not go well?
If mock exams do not go as planned, it is important not to panic. At the end of the day, they are mocks: practices. The most important thing to do with a disappointing mock result is learn from it! School teachers will be able to give students advice on how to improve their grades in time for the real thing.
Following a disappointing mock result, it is important that students fully understand why they did not achieve as expected, and how they can make progress. Our GCSE, A level and IB tutors at Seven Springs Education are experts at supporting students with revision to help them get the grades they deserve. Enquire here about examination support classes.
你需要知道的一切：模擬考試
Mock exams（模擬考試），簡稱「Mocks」，是為了幫助學生準備GCSEs和A levels而設的練習卷。對於學生而言，這是讓他們體驗考試模式、感受考試氛圍、了解自身進度並估算在實際考試中可能取得成績的絕佳機會。
模擬考試在甚麼時候？
11 年級和 13 年級的學生幾乎都會被要求參加模擬考試，10 年級和 12 年級的學生考模擬試卷的情況也很常見。年齡較小的學生則可能會參加年終考試的模擬評估，但這些模擬評估是由學校制定的，而非GCSE考核的一部分。
每所學校都會制定自己的模擬考試日期，而不是由考試委員會規定（例如 AQA、Edexcel、OCR）。由於真正考試的考試期大約在五月到六月，許多中學都會選擇在一月舉行模擬考試，以便學生在聖誕假期間有充足的時間複習和改進，以提高他們的成績。
10 年級的模擬考試通常在7月進行
11 年級模擬考試通常在 12 月/1 月進行
12 年級模擬考試通常在 6 月/7 月進行，有時在 12 月/1 月進行
13 年級模擬考試通常在 12 月/1 月進行
學校通常會舉辦一到兩週的模擬考試，以模擬 GCSE 或 A Level 考試那種真實、緊張的考試日程。在這段期間，學生可能會被「取消時間表」，因為他們每天都將充滿了模擬和複習課程。
模擬考試有甚麼用？
模擬考試有五個主要目的：
- 讓學生體驗考試氛圍，例如：在大房間內應試、面對計時、可能還會感受被監考（由外部人員監督）。
- 模擬真實考試，包括完成一整篇試卷並記住所有重要資訊。
- 為學生提供模擬考試成績，作為反映他們程度和進步空間的指標。
- 找出學生的學習差距，以指導他們的複習方向和如何尋找老師的協助。
- 測試到目前為止學生的複習策略是否成功。
模擬考試成績可能只適用於學校內部，但有些學校會用模擬考試成績來作為學生的預測成績（Predicted grades），尤其是 A Level 成績。 預測成績（Predicted grades）非常重要。 因為預測成績包含在學生的 UCAS 申請中，並被大學用來考慮錄取名額。
模擬考試重要嗎？
雖然模擬考試只是真實考試的一次練習，但它們仍然非常重要，特別是在考試結果將用於代表 A level 的預測成績的情況下，它更為重要。在無法進行考試的情況下，例如在新冠疫情期間或特殊的個人情況下，也會取用模擬考試成績。
除此之外，它們也是學生準備期末考的重要指標。模擬考試中取得良好成績固然令人鼓舞，並幫助學生做好準備；不甚滿意的結果也可能會令學生感到沮喪。但無論哪種方式，結果都會揭示同學間學習進度上的差距，使學生能夠更有效地進行複習。
如何準備模擬考試？
由於模擬考試非常重要，學生應該經常複習。而學生應該複習多少，取決於他們正在準備哪些模擬考試、他們需要記住多少內容以及個人的學習習慣和記憶力。
重要的是，學生應在模擬考試前至少兩個月制定複習時間表，以確保他們有足夠的時間準備。重複的溫習是牢記知識的關鍵，複習的時間越多，他們可以改進的次數就越多——這意味著成功的機會就越高。
學科老師也應為學生的複習提供支援和指導。家長晚會和學校報告也可能包含幫助家長支援在家複習的資訊。
如果模擬考試未如理想怎麼辦？
如果模擬考試結果未如理想，重中之重的是不要驚慌。歸根結底，它們只是模擬考試——一次練習。對於未如理想的模擬結果，最重要的事情就是從中學習！學校老師將會為學生提供如何及時提高成績的建議，以實現你真正的目標。
在得悉未如理想的模擬考試成績後，重要的是學生要充分理解為甚麼他們沒有達到預期的成績，以及如何取得進步。Seven Springs Education的 GCSE、A Level 和 IB 導師是協助學生複習的專家，幫助他們取得應有的成績。點擊查詢有關考試支援課程的資訊。