The pressure of exams and coursework- Michael Ababio

When I started university I knew the work load would be more, I knew it would be at an intensity I have never experience before and I have not been underwhelmed by the work so far. Every coursework we get is a big challenge because it also involves a huge amount of our own research on top of what we have been taught in lectures and classes. But I do find the mark scheme that are given to achieving a good grade very helpful as it give clear guidelines to what should be there and what shouldn’t be.

Exams have been very stressful since I have been here and as the tend to be a lot of pressure put on us a week or two before the exams, and they tend but I feel like revising well before any exam will go a good way to cutting the nerves of the whole exam. So in future exams I will makes sure that I am fully prepared then some nerves will be taken. While doing the exams I have found out is that what we have been taught comes up in exams very clearly and it does not differ at all from what has been taught.

I do not like exam and coursework pressure but I understand that is what comes with being at university. My main determination is to make sure that they do not get to me; that I keep a cool head and carry on to do my work, hopefully to a high standard. Also make sure I do much better in exams that I have previously done while being here.

Pressure of Tests & Coursework - Farid Jalil

When I started university I though we would be bombarded by coursework, but the amount of coursework I received is similar to A - Level. This could just be because its a foundation year so it starts much slower then other degrees. The coursework I have received so far hasn't been too difficult it just takes a lot of time, also the mark scheme we receive along side it is very helpful. So far I have been able to keep a average grade of 60+ which is a 2.1 at university level if im not mistaken. 

Moving onto the exams I found the core maths exam quiet standard no new structure, it is like any other maths exam that I have taken (if you know the formulas you should get a good grade). But the academic skills exam was quiet different, it tests how well you can analysis two piece of text. Then they are taken away after 50 minutes which meant if the notes you had taken did not make sense or were just poor it would be very difficult to answer the questions in the exam. I found this the hardest of all the exams and do not think I have done too well because I ran out of time in note taking for the second piece. 

In term 1 I was stressed out but this was a financial problem, it caused a lot of sleepless nights which affected my attendance at university as well as my participation in classes. There was problems with student finance not getting the right information for my application and with their lengthy process it took the whole of term to fix.This meant I was short on money, this is where my parents came in and helped me out a lot. But the main issue was that I had not paid for my accommodation or tuition fees. This meant that I was at risk of being kicked out of university for not paying their fees as well as my accommodation.  

Overall university has been going quiet well and I hope I'm able to keep improving my academical skills as I believe it is my worst subject.

Pressure of Coursework and Tests - Yasin Gonen

When I started doing this course, I noticed that there would be a lot of coursework involved in the subject and that made me somewhat happy about the subject area. This meant that I could take my time and focus on researching about the subject and implementing it to my coursework to show my full potential of working around the subject.

Finding out the coursework assignments had a deadline, meant that I could be able to devise a plan to overcome the problem. This meant that I could plan an initial plan to complete the assignment and will be able to proof read it as well to make sure that the coursework was up to scratch and no mistakes were made. However I do make a lot of plans to make sure I can adapt to each coursework I do and that I would not be able to have a problem just in case there was an obstacle in my way.

Time management was key to me because having assignments and exams meant that I would have to create a schedule in which I would have time to complete my coursework and still have time to revise the subject area so that I can complete the exam with. It was hard at first during secondary school but coming to university meant that I could work around the subject and make time for myself to revise.

Coming to university meant that I would have to deal with problems like this and having these kind of situations meant that I would be able to deal with future situations e.g. working in a business where the workload would become a lot more. Therefore having pressure from coursework and tests meant that I could develop more confidence and less stress about my subject area that I am doing. 

Pressure of Coursework and Tests

I knew my course would be a mixture of coursework and exams, at the start of my course i was not initially worried about the coursework or exams. I have always felt more confident in coursework than exams, so i was not so worried about the coursework and more worried about the exams. 

When i received my first coursework assignment i felt confident in that i knew what i needed to do and this made me very confident and i started to think that all my assignments might be quite easy after all. My second assignment came as a bit of a shock because it was significantly harder than my first. This is when i started to panic a little. I then knew that i simply had too work hard and hopefully the results would follow. 

On top of the coursework i then started to worry about the exams that i had coming, i knew then that i needed to manage my time better so that i was giving the more difficult modules more time. As i start to do this i think that the pressure of coursework and exams will become less. 

So far i have received a few coursework tasks and have had a couple of exams. I think that the workload has been manageable but i know that it will increase and so to make sure that i stay on top of it i will need to make sure that my time management is very good. 

The Pressure of Tests & Coursework - William Davis

For the start of the Autumn term I felt very confident in my work, finding the courses easy I had no worries about it. From receiving my first piece of coursework however, this perception changed greatly. The work felt like it was collecting far too quickly with tightly packed deadlines that I felt I would be unable to meet in the time frame. With two exams added to the mix as well I felt a fear of failure.

Overcoming my initial panic, I devised a plan. Taking each piece in turn I worked through them confidently. Upon the success of finishing the first item, my workload seemed to half and the whole task seemed more manageable. Working through them all I found the work easier than I had first anticipated and completed it all with time to spare.

For the exams I felt a familiar fear in the lead up to it, having always being slightly unnerved by exams. This was more prevalent for the Academic Skills exam where my natural instinct to revise could not be fulfilled, resulting in a build up of stress. This worry continued into the exam where it lead me to rush slightly too much at stages due to worries about getting the work done.

Overall I found the workload manageable but it does leave me with some concerns over later requirements where more will be required in similar time frames. However I remain confident that if I plan my time and begin work on each task when I receive them that I will be able to meet the requirements.

coping with the stress of the work load of the first term and exams.

My first term here

In my time here  I have maintained a steady mind and mood. When it came to studying for exams and writing essays I made sure that I would understand the things that I am learning, even trying to catch up on anything I have missed. I have used my usual methods of coping with stress which are socialising and joking around with mates, by doing this, my studying was more efficient. I did one hour of studying and then gave myself some free time just in-case I get distracted too much, by doing this it made my mind refreshed and ready for the next full hour of studying. I was a bit worried over my maths exam but I hit the target I was looking for and this made me very proud of hitting the first target I have set for myself in university and so by hitting the target made me very confident in the rest of my maths classes even though it was not a high score and it was only 40 but I was really worried because I have never learnt any of this maths before unlike everyone else so I was proud of the result.

And in my other classes I am hitting the target I have set for myself so I am finding it very enjoyable and I am happy with the work I am doing. I am improving in many different ways such as being able to work at home is a massive improvement than before coming here because I was in a college environment  for such a long time and I never had to study for an exam or do any homework for a long time so being able to hit the targets I set for myself had me feeling very happy and less stressful then before I came. This has got  me more use to the work load, I know there will be more work ahead but I am feeling less stressful going into the next term then I was when I started.

So I believed I handled the workload and the studying for exams very well, but I have had trouble going to some lessons because I was not getting enough sleep and this is because of  over thinking if I have passed or not but hopefully it won’t be the same next term and I can have a clear mind and be refreshed for next year when this holiday is over.

ifp blog 2 group 7

Blog 2 - The Pressure of Tests & Coursework.

The subject of our second blog is the Pressure of Tests & Coursework. Please take time to think about the pressure or stress that you have (or haven't) been under thus far this term. Has the workload been too heavy or has it been manageable? What can you do to lighten the load and make life easier for yourself? What concerns do you have about your workload and what expectations of future workload? 

Please plan your thoughts in Word first so you can check you spelling, grammar, and punctuation before posting. Although a blog can be less formal than a normal piece of writing, try to use language thoughtfully watch for overly simplistic language and repetition and refrain from using slang etc. Spend some time on this as you will be using as a input source for a 'reflection' later and the quality of your blog entries will constitute part of that overall mark. 

Please feel free to make (respectful and thoughtful) comments on others’ posts but please refrain from insulting or offensive language - I will have to remove it and it may constitute an academic offence. Please note these posts can only be read by myself and the other students in your academic skills class, unless someone has the specific URL. 

This blog was supposed to be completed by the end of Week 10 but as I am a little late in getting it to you you can take up to the end of week 11 - so the new deadline is lunchtime Friday 13th.