Exams can be a stressful time for students, especially those who find writing challenging or need additional support.

At Crick Software, we believe that every student deserves to feel confident and prepared for exam season. That's why DocsPlus is designed to support learners who find writing tough and help them revise effectively so they can perform their best under pressure.

Here’s how educators and students can use DocsPlus to reduce stress and build exam confidence.

Start revision early

Starting revision early gives students time to absorb information gradually, reducing last-minute panic. DocsPlus makes this easier by providing a structured environment for writing and note-taking. Students don’t need to keep track of exercise books, folders, and notes for different subjects. Instead, they can digitally save and back up their work on the school network for easy access.

Students can use Wordbars to access key vocabulary and concepts, helping them build revision notes efficiently and independently. When students use a Wordbar, they have the keywords for the topic at the bottom of their document. They can then add them into their writing by clicking on the desired word.

Teachers and students can also use the mind-mapping tool, WorkSpace, to create a revision timetable. You can create your own WorkSpace by selecting a template from the Smart Tab ribbon and adding and arranging the cells to suit your needs. Creating an easy-to-follow visual plan can ensure students are prepared and revising as early as possible.

With early access to these tools, students have everything they need to begin exam preparations with confidence.

(Top tip: Don’t forget to export WorkSpaces as graphics or Wordbars into your document for seamless integration!)

Collaborative revision

Revision doesn’t have to be a solo activity. DocsPlus encourages collaboration between students and teachers. Teachers can create and share custom Wordbars or use ready-made resources from LearningGrids, allowing students to revise together using consistent terminology and structure. Peer collaboration is also supported through shared writing tasks and group feedback, helping students learn from each other and feel less isolated during revision.

Inclusive revision

Every student learns differently, and DocsPlus is built with inclusivity in mind. Whether a student has dyslexia, processing difficulties, or simply benefits from visual support, DocsPlus offers tools to meet diverse needs.

Here are some of the tools learners can use:

• The DocReader to access curriculum content
  
  
• Speech feedback to proofread and review their writing
  
  
• The Predictor to overcome blank page syndrome and build up writing stamina
  
  
• Voice Notes to capture their thoughts before attempting to write them down
  
  
• Accessibility settings to meet a diverse range of needs

This inclusive design ensures that all students are able to engage with revision in a way that suits them, promoting equity and reducing stress caused by inaccessible materials.

Streamlining and structuring revision across subjects

One of the most effective ways to reduce exam stress is to provide students with a consistent and structured approach to revision across all subjects.

Using the WorkSpace allows students to visually map out their revision plans using templates like spider diagrams and flow charts. This helps break down key questions, such as what/why/how/where, into manageable chunks.

DocsPlus also enables educators to create subject-specific tabs within the WorkSpace, each tailored to the unique requirements of a topic but following a unified layout.

This consistency helps students feel more in control and less overwhelmed, especially when juggling multiple subjects. Consistency across subjects not only improves organisation but also fosters a sense of calm and preparedness, making the exam journey smoother and more successful.

Positive connotations surrounding exams

Changing the narrative around exams can make a big difference. The supportive features in DocsPlus encourage independence and success, which helps students feel like they can succeed. This support means that instead of viewing exams as a source of anxiety, students see them as an opportunity to showcase their knowledge.

When students feel empowered by the tools they use, exams become less daunting and more manageable. Our Exam Mode enables students to practise using exam papers with the arrangements they would usually have on the day. The support tools can also be used day-to-day to ensure students feel confident using them as part of their normal way of working.

Stress-free environment for those with access arrangements

For students with access arrangements, DocsPlus is a game-changer. It supports exam accommodations such as use of a reader, a scribe, or a word processor. With DocsPlus, students can work independently while still receiving the support they’re entitled to. This creates a calmer, more familiar exam environment, helping students focus on their answers rather than their anxieties.

With the right tools and strategies, your learners can approach their exams with confidence and clarity. DocsPlus is more than just a writing tool - it’s a partner in learning, helping students revise effectively, collaborate meaningfully, and perform their best when it matters most.

For personalised support on using DocsPlus for exams in your setting, you can book an exam support meeting.

And to learn more, you can read our blogs:

• JCQ updates for 2025/26 - Why an AT solution like DocsPlus could be the game-changer schools need
  
  
• Embedding technology as students’ normal way of working

A lot of the time, we can forget the most important part of the lesson: reflection.

This period is often found during the plenary aspect of a lesson once the main activity has been completed. However, due to time restraints, a plenary can sometimes be forgotten, and the children are expected to move to the next task of the day.

This was something I struggled with when I used to teach year 4. Having to stick to the compulsory 55 minutes per lesson, which needed to include engaging starter activities and enough time for everyone to understand and complete the objective, meant that plenaries were something that I couldn’t always plan for.

The great thing about Clicker is that we can utilise activity sets in several ways to create plenary opportunities. Lesson-appropriate activities only take a couple of minutes to plan and create but enable children to reflect on what they have learnt.

The first example of a great plenary builder is a Talk Set. Sometimes, we can over-rely on children physically writing their ideas on paper, rather than communicating with peers. Building a Talk Set allows children to share their ideas verbally, without you worrying about, “how will I show their progression if they haven’t put it on paper?” Because what’s great about Talk Sets, is that you can record ideas on the activity itself, so you don’t need to worry about losing them! Children can truly reflect and share ideas within their recordings, consolidating their understanding. This is a great way to round off a lesson.

The second example is a Connect Set. Although these are very useful for the main activities to support writing, using one at the end of a lesson would allow you to see if the children have understood the concepts covered, like fronted adverbials and expanding sentences. They could work in groups using whiteboards or even use an interactive whiteboard to create some sentences of their own.

You could even get the children to share some of their own ideas from the work they have completed in the lesson.

Plenaries are an integral part of the lesson: they allow us to consolidate understandings and reflect upon what we have learnt. They don’t have to be time consuming or overthought either; a simple retrieval activity or voice note recording can be the difference between all children demonstrating their knowledge at the end of the lesson versus only those who flourish with pen and paper.

Free ‘How to adopt Rosenshine’s 10 Principles with Clicker’ PDF!

Using plenaries is one of many pedagogical choices teachers employ in their classroom. For other examples of how Clicker can support teaching practices, our ‘How to adopt Rosenshine’s 10 Principles with Clicker’ PDF is full of handy tips and tricks to keep your children learning and engaged using Clicker.

Plenaries are an integral part of the lesson: they allow us to consolidate understandings and reflect upon what we have learnt. They don’t have to be time consuming or overthought either; a simple retrieval activity or voice note recording can be the difference between all children demonstrating their knowledge at the end of the lesson versus only those who flourish with pen and paper.

Free ‘How to adopt Rosenshine’s 10 Principles with Clicker’ PDF!

Using plenaries is one of many pedagogical choices teachers employ in their classroom. For other examples of how Clicker can support teaching practices, our ‘How to adopt Rosenshine’s 10 Principles with Clicker’ PDF is full of handy tips and tricks to keep your children learning and engaged using Clicker.

Every September, teachers plan and create transition lessons for their new class. This is something I specifically discuss with schools when they are looking to implement Clicker in preparation for a new school year.

This transition period isn’t just to welcome pupils back from their time off - it is used to move them confidently into their new curriculum and set expectations for the year ahead. When I was teaching, I spent days organising even the simplest of activities, from creating documents and cutting them out, to sharing everything with the class.

However, this crucial time can be used much more effectively, with the help of Clicker and some simple transition ideas.

About me:

About me activities are a great way to get pupils to open up to their new teacher. It also allows us to see what barriers we might face in future lessons. Usually, these would be printed booklets. However, with a simple Clicker Custom Set label activity, this can be far more interactive and gives pupils the options to choose from, taking away any anxiety they may have.

Classroom rules:

Every classroom needs rules. Rules set boundaries and help pupils to understand what each lesson’s expectations are. Without these guidelines, pupils may be unaware of what goals they need to achieve and more importantly how to achieve them in an effective way.

In my personal experience whilst teaching as well as visiting schools around the North of England, these types of activities are often made on a whiteboard or flip chart paper. They are often taken down after a few days of the class discussing them. However, with the use of a Clicker Custom Set, these rules can be kept electronically and printed off on A4 paper, being easier to display within the classroom.

These are just a couple of ways you could use Clicker to help children transitioning in September. If you would like to discuss how Clicker can support your new pupils, don’t hesitate to get in touch email at info@cricksoft.com or fill in this short form to book in a free web demo.

At a training session in Kent (before the lockdown!), a teacher showed me a really interesting way that they were utilising Clicker to support new arrivals at their school.

They had created a Talk Set in Clicker, but with a difference!

The Talk Set was populated with photographs of the staff. Each teacher right-clicked on their picture and recorded a little message about themselves, including their name, their class  and some of their interests and hobbies (I have used some of the Crick team in the examples here so you might recognise some faces…).

They use this at the start of the year or when a new child arrives to make the experience less daunting, and a bit more fun!

Children can also personalise the Interview Me resource to record information about themselves as a way of introducing themselves to the class (thank you Karin for the idea!).

To see how you could do this yourself, take a look at our training video. Of course if you have questions about Clicker, or want to share some of your own fantastic ideas with us, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via our Facebook page, our Clicker Community group or by email at info@cricksoft.com.