The step up from GCSE to Sixth Form work is significant and can be daunting for some. This is in part due to you having more ownership and responsibility for your own learning. Therefore, careful planning of assignments, revision and home learning is critical to ensure you meet deadlines and reach your aspirational target grades.

 

Additionally, a fundamental difference between Sixth Form and GCSE academic expectations is the amount of independent study needed for you to be a successful learner. It is recommended that students spend at least 5 hours per week studying independently for each course you are completing. Some of this independent work will be structured through homework and pre-reading, but it can be hard to begin with to know what to do with the remainder of the time.

Therefore, the following resources have been consolidated to help give you the best possible chance of success. Plus, the best part is that spending time ‘learning-how-to learn’ counts in a proportion of your independent study time.

 

At GWA we have reviewed open access resources available from across the internet and the links and descriptions below have been drawn together to allow our students to gain an overview of the resources available for them to develop their academic and study skills. Credit and thanks are given to all the original authors and creators that resources re-direct to.

 

Overview of Academic Areas Covered (& when you might need them):

• Skills needed from day one of Sixth Form are:

  • Reading Skills (including Note Taking)

  • Writing Skills

  • Digital Skills

  • Healthy Study Habits (including Organisation & Time Management)

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• Skills that you will need after a few weeks, when looking to taking your studying further:

  • Revision Skills

  • Communication Skills

 

• Skills needed when you have coursework or NEAs set, or you’re looking to reallyadvance your independent studies:

  • Research Skills

  • Referencing Skills

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• The last section provides resources that are specific to subject areas and provide a summary of how successful studying in that subject may differ from others.

• Glossary – Use this link to make sure you are familiar with commonly used academic terms.

• Study Skills Checklist – Use this link to work out what study skills you need to improve most and so where it be most useful to spend your time from the resources below.