It has been said that one of the single best and simplest things a student can do to immediately improve their exam results for almost all subjects is to read regularly. Young people today are going to need to read and write more than they have in any point in human history. Whether this is for finding and keeping a job, searching for information or socialising with friendship groups, the ability to read and write well has never been more crucial. Research published in the Oxford Review of Education shows that having a high academic self confidence can increase GCSE results by up to 6 grades. What's more is that these grade inflations are not limited to those with high prior attainments - it would seem that anyone can benefit to some degree or other. Improve your chances of getting those top grades with my top five most effective ways to get the most out of your revision using past exam papers. Let's be honest, revision can be boring. So how do you keep doing it? Here are some strategies you can use today. Teachers should never underestimate the effect of their interactions with students. After their parents, teachers are the highest determining factor on the development of a young person's performance and personality. Exam season can be a stressful time. Students are stressed. Teachers are stressed. Parents are stressed. Often it's the parents of young learners who have to pick up the pieces left over from all this havoc. Yet often the parents are overlooked, and are in need of help themselves. So this brief guide is an attempt to put things right. We're deep into revision time for Year 11 as they approach their GCSEs. So I'm treating the whole year group to a chance to watch me complete last year's Chemistry paper in what is commonly called a "Walking, Talking Mock". What is it and how is it done? Exams are looming. You're running out of time and you're getting stressed. You're working as hard as you think you can but you've still got soooo much to revise. I'm going to show you a simple technique that anyone can use to get through more work in less time. I'm going to give you back a bit of your sanity. The idea of energy and the suggestions of how to teach energy in school Physics lessons has changed recently. Rather than thinking of energy as a "thing", teachers are now being encouraged by the exam boards and the Institute of Physics to talk about energy stores and energy transfer pathways. Find out how. Too many students revise badly. Find out here what effective revision looks like and how to recognise wasted effort.