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Revise! Revise? Revise... by Sally Brockway

We’re sorry, but it’s time to mention the dreaded ‘R’ word. And so close to Easter too, when you all wanted to do was pig out on chocolate eggs and watch Skins. The fact is, exams are on the horizon and whilst some of you may have been clever enough to get straight A's in your coursework without too much effort, the same is not going to happen with A Level or GCSE exams. If you don’t revise, you won’t get the grades. End of story.

Here are some top tips to make the most of your revision and watch this great Youtube by Jennifer McTaggart from Beanbag, full of useful tips on revising and exam techniques. It's targeted at GCSE but applicable to any exams you might be taking.

Top tips…

If the thought of going over everything you’ve done in class makes you want to hide under the duvet, join the club. The amount of knowledge you need to absorb and process to pass your exams is quite daunting. Here are some tips to make it less so…

Bite size!

Get hold of a copy of the exam syllabus for each subject (available on your exam board’s website) and divide it into topics to tackle one at a time. Break up your revision into bite-sized chunks for each topic. Don’t try to learn everything in one go.

Timetable

It will help if you draw up a revision timetable. Plan in all the topics you need to go over and make sure your revision timetable suits you. Libby Bishop, 17 who is taking A Levels in Maths, Geography and Religious Studies this summer says: “There is no point in me doing any more than three or four hours of revision in a day. I get too tired and nothing goes in. I also work much better in the mornings, so I try and get my revision done before lunch.”

Practice

Do as many practice exam papers as you can and wherever possible, get your teachers to mark them. The same sorts of questions tend to crop up in A Levels time after time and you’ll also get used to the way they are worded. Rupert Price, 18 who needs top grades in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Design Technology to take up a place at Cambridge University, says: “Doing old exam papers is really important – especially in maths and physics. I’ve got a friend who is really bright who NEVER does old exam papers, so in mocks, his grades have always been lower than expected.”

Method

Everybody has different ways of learning effectively. Some people are very ‘visual’ and like to draw diagrams and mark pages with highlighters. “I draw spider diagrams and pin them all over my bedroom,” explains Libby Bishop. Others find that the act of writing something down helps things sink in. Rupert Price says: “I have to write stuff down. It’s the only way I really learn it. If I just read, it doesn’t stick in my head. So, I go through my text books and condense the information in note form.”

Each subject demands a different approach. If you are doing a language, immerse yourself in it. Listen to a radio station or watch TV in the language you are studying. Or join a group where people speak the language. That will really help with oral exams.

Here’s another good video about how to use Mind Maps to help with your revision.

Expert help

For expert tuition, sign up to an Easter Revision course. They are an ideal opportunity to crack the topics and theories that are causing you problems.

Andy Thompson, Principal of Cherwell College explains: “Good tutors like ours will already know the areas which students are likely to stumble on. We teach from the syllabus during the day, test in the evening and then give feedback the next morning, letting the student know how they handled it and what they need to do next to move forward. It’s about learning to apply your knowledge in an exam situation. We work in small groups and offer one-to-one tuition.”

Cherwell College

Tel: 01865 242670
E-mail: secretary@cherwell-college.co.uk
www.cherwell-college.co.uk

For a range of all course providers see our Easter revision Fact file, download it from this link.

Exam techniques

Remember, the whole point of all this revision, is to pass the exam with flying colours. Exam techniques are really important and you need to nail them before the day of reckoning.

Wording – notice the way exam questions are worded. If you are asked to ‘evaluate’ or ‘analyse’ then you need to show both sides of an argument. Use words like ‘however’ to remind yourself to do this. If you are asked to ‘explain’ then using a single-sided answer should do the trick. However, check these points with your teacher or tutor as some exam boards take different approaches.

Timing – you need to complete all the questions in the allotted time, so don’t make the mistake of spending too long on one and therefore jeopardizing your marks on another. Practice answering questions/writing essays in the allotted time while you are revising and make a brief essay plan before you start writing during the exam.

If you are a slow worker, try and put more energy into the questions worth higher marks.

Show your working out clearly whenever required. In papers like maths, points are awarded for your calculations.

Read the questions carefully. Don’t rush in until you understand what you are being asked to do.

Never leave a question unanswered. Make an intelligent guess.

Check for mistakes and spelling errors.

And finally. Don’t panic – revise!