Using the concept of designing an "exam buddy" app, students develop helpful strategies for managing their own exam stress and learn how to be supportive of friends who may also be experiencing stress.

Lesson plan includes:

• accompanying PowerPoint for use in class
• starter activities – carry out a baseline assessment of students' prior knowledge, skills and understanding
• peer-to-peer activity, plenaries and exciting extension ideas
• 3 films to support the activities, including "Dealing with exam stress"

Get lesson plan for KS3 and KS4

Getting Young People Through Exam Season

Young minds have put together the following activities to use to help young people get through exam time.

Stress bucket activity – help young people identify what exactly is causing them stress and the things they can do to reduce it.

Mindfulness activities –  help young people calm their heightened emotions and cope with anxiety.

For more tips and advice on managing exam time, check out our guides for parents/carers and professionals

Preparing for exams

As exam season gets underway, The Departement for Education have pulled together a range of resources designed to support schools and colleges, teachers and students through this busy and important time of year.  

Tips to help students handle exam stress 

Exam season can be a stressful time for many students, with pressure to perform potentially taking a toll on their wellbeing. While encouraging students to work hard remains important, it's equally vital that they feel supported throughout the process.

The NHS has put together a helpful guide for parents on supporting their children during exams, with practical advice on building healthy routines, spotting signs of stress and creating a positive environment at home.  

Read the NHS tips Help your child beat exam stress - NHS

Read the Education Hub blog The Education Hub

Free targeted revision support for your pupils

As workloads build during exam season, Oak National Academy offers free teaching resources to help you save time. Use the search function to find downloadable quizzes by topic or keyword alongside adaptable worksheets to consolidate and extend classwork.  

GCSE revision support 
Oak’s teaching resources now cover GCSEs across a wide range of subjects, including Foundation and Higher tiers in maths, with many mapped to major exam boards. This makes it straightforward to align revision activity with your curriculum and ensure every pupil is well supported. 

Hand-picked units from subject leads 
Oak’s subject leads have hand-picked some units you may find useful to help your pupils. You can use these resources in your classroom and to support independent learning and revision. 

Oak’s pupil area  

All the units and lessons you can see are also available for pupils to complete online in their own dedicated pupil area. You can set tailored homework and revision tasks focused on the topics your pupils need most, with resources ready for pupils to access directly. 

Visit the teaching resources : Free, time-saving teacher resources | Oak National Academy

Visit the hand-picked units : Targeted GCSE revision support for your pupils | Oak National Academy

Visit the designated pupil area : Year listing | Oak National Academy