Description

ABOUT THIS COURSE

This A/A* course, revised and updated for Autumn 2024 is aimed specifically on how to ensure your students achieve the highest marks in AQA A-Level Sociology. It will focus on exploring the characteristics of work produced by students at the highest levels and delve into a range of teaching materials and strategies designed to ensure that students achieve the top grades of A and A*.

BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Take away teaching ideas and approaches that challenge and develop A and A* students
• Explore exemplar materials to identify characteristics of outstanding work
• Explore thinking deeply, synoptic links and A)3 Analysis
• Take away strategies and approaches to maximise students’ marks in the examination
• Scrutinise and discuss exemplar A* and A grade answers
• Insights into what success looks like in examinations
• Find out more about to give the most effective feedback to A/A* calibre students
• Take away methods to best prepare students for exam success

PROGRAMME

Thinking Deeply, Synoptic Links and AO3 Analysis To Access A/A*

10.00 – 10.40am

• Strategies to embed thinking in TLA – examiners reward evidence of thinking
• Teaching methods to encourage deep thinking and reflection among students – moving away from regurgitation of information
• Strategies to develop students’ synoptic links, including signposting these to examiners
• Making synoptic links – why are women more religious than men?
• Make AO3 Evaluation stronger (and easier!) through making comparisons to similar or different sociological theories’

Morning Break

10.40 – 11.00am

Maximising exam performance: review where top marks are lost and how to avoid them

11.00 – 12.00pm

• Ensuring you’re A/A* students know exactly what examiners are looking for, how to structure answers and the skills needed
• Embed Assessment Objectives in TLA – Stay focused on the end-goal’
• The 4 & 6 mark questions on Paper 1 and Paper 3
• Excellent starters and plenaries
• How to maximise marks in the two types of 10 marks exam questions
• How to best approach and structure 20 & 30 mark exam questions to achieve top band
• Teaching strategies to maximise marks in the exams’

Exemplar A and A* Grade Answers

12.00 – 1.00pm

• Grade descriptors, activities, practical teaching strategies
• Model answers for Paper 1 Education and Paper 3 Crime and Deviance
• Candidate style answers and commentaries – what examiners look for
• Peer marking and its role in improving skills – teaching students how an examiner recognises a top band answer

Lunch

1.00 – 2.00pm

Effective Feedback for A/A* Students – Comments, not Marks

2.00 – 2.45pm

• Feedback strategies to stretch able students to maximise their potential – asking questions as feedback, no mark just feedback, amending answers using mark schemes
• Feedback suggestions…
• Exploring ways to use feedback to support able students in improving their marks
• What an examiner looks for in a top band essay using exemplars
• Going beyond a template, getting students to understand what a top-grade essay looks like.
• Effective feedback strategies, to encourage better evaluation and conclusion writing skills.

Afternoon Break

2.45 – 3.30pm

• Preparing For Exam Success
• Effective teaching strategies to support your high ability students in preparing for examinations
• 3 steps to revision success
• How to get high ability students to take ownership of their revision
• Balancing exam technique and specification requirements whilst encouraging student engagement with sociology in the wider world and signposting to HE