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GCSE Revision & Exam Tips Thread

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Reply 60
Original post by BookWormShanti
I saw this too late (and the thread link is invalid) but what was he like when you met him? Say anything useful?


Didn't know you made this thread!
Very helpful, Shanti :smile:
Reply 61
Original post by Ears
Didn't know you made this thread!
Very helpful, Shanti :smile:


Yeah :h: (see the massive OP!) Thanks :smile:
thanks for the helpful thread :smile:
Original post by BookWormShanti

Original post by BookWormShanti
Post your tips for exam success/how to revise and we can help each other out to get the best grades possibly :smile: This way as well as supporting each other in the chat thread, we can more easily get study help too.
We get loads of similar threads asking these sorts of questions, hopefully this means it is easier to find advice.

My tips:

Credit goes to Wizard of Oz, Ree-Ree, Xurvi, Rae, LilyAcademia etc - I have moved some of their posts up here to make this thread easier to search through.

English Language & English Literature (AQA)

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Science (AQA)

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French & other Modern Foreign Languages (AQA)

Spoiler


RE (OCR Philosophy & Ethics)

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History (OCR B Modern World)

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Useful Websites

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More to come! (Geography/Maths)


I was wondering if you can help me figuring out what I need to get in my Eng Language and Lit exams to get A*s.
I got an overall mid-A for English Language coursework
and high-A for English Lit coursework

Roughly what percentage would i need to get in the exams to get A*s? thanks.
Reply 64
Original post by zactissue
I was wondering if you can help me figuring out what I need to get in my Eng Language and Lit exams to get A*s.
I got an overall mid-A for English Language coursework
and high-A for English Lit coursework

Roughly what percentage would i need to get in the exams to get A*s? thanks.


Each mark you get in the Language exam is worth 3x each mark in your coursework. For an A* in the exam you need 98/108 (so 91%), if you're coursework is mid A then you'll need more like 95% (more like 103 or 4), I'd reckon. I could work it out properly if I knew your exact mark in each coursework componenent, but that should give you a rough idea.

Lit coursework is only worth 30% not 40% and with a high A I'd say you'd need about 92%. Because the grade boundaries are usually around 90% and sometimes lower, with your coursework you'll need slightly more.

Those are only rough estimates though
Original post by BookWormShanti

Original post by BookWormShanti
Each mark you get in the Language exam is worth 3x each mark in your coursework. For an A* in the exam you need 98/108 (so 91%), if you're coursework is mid A then you'll need more like 95% (more like 103 or 4), I'd reckon. I could work it out properly if I knew your exact mark in each coursework componenent, but that should give you a rough idea.

Lit coursework is only worth 30% not 40% and with a high A I'd say you'd need about 92%. Because the grade boundaries are usually around 90% and sometimes lower, with your coursework you'll need slightly more.

Those are only rough estimates though


Great :smile:
I'll give up Language (doesn't sound good lol :p: ) and aim for an A... and put all the efforts in for Literature to get an A*
I don't think I'll ever get anything higher than something like 90% in Language :frown:

thanks :biggrin:
Reply 66
Original post by zactissue
Great :smile:
I'll give up Language (doesn't sound good lol :p: ) and aim for an A... and put all the efforts in for Literature to get an A*
I don't think I'll ever get anything higher than something like 90% in Language :frown:

thanks :biggrin:


That's a shame.. good luck anyway :smile: You may surprise yourself! And Lit is better anyway :yes:
Original post by BookWormShanti

Original post by BookWormShanti
That's a shame.. good luck anyway :smile: You may surprise yourself! And Lit is better anyway :yes:


Thanks :smile: good luck to you too!
Reply 68
Honestly, I think I need to get a revision schedule in plan now...
Reply 69
Can someone tell me what grades these will be for English Language plz and any tips...thanx[

U]Describe your home
My small emerald island. A rather minute island but an island within its own right.
The rooms: extensions of some green-covered hills parading their beauty with the upmost pride. Within them, every bed is a nest, a cave to shelter every sort of wondrous creature that has stepped its foot on this earth. They rest there carelessly, snoring their dreams until every room is a magnificent creation of their minds where waterfalls flow beside the window, where the sun -hanging from the roof- throws its rays in every corner declaring a new day, a new beginning!
My room. Well, I wouldn’t say mine alone. I share it with lots of people and things. I share it with every person I’ve ever loved, with every memory that gains entry into my mind, with every dream, with every imagination...Every afternoon, having left the restraining walls of schools, I set foot into my universe and a whole world unravels. Not our world. Not the world encapsulated in the shell of reality. My own world.
The kitchen: a room where I cook up my life. In the sink, I wash away the dirt from every painful moment, clean it out with water and leave it to dry. Learn from my mistakes. I don’t need to use the bin. I like to keep everything even if it is rotting with age. They all mean something. They all fill a gap in the timeline. The knives, forks and spoons are dancing in assonance, cropping and mushing to create a picturesque collage.
It’s my universe. A 3-bedroom, 2-reception universe. It’s where I get to be me without the makeup.



Childhood memories can be very important. Choose one childhood memory. Describe the memory and explain its importance to you.
OPEN THE DOOR! Don’t you know who I am? I’m her sister. Don’t ask any more questions. Open for goodness’ sake.
Waiting for someone to finish their exam can be the drabbest experience; it was exactly that for me! It wasn’t just that it was a 2-hour long exam; it was that there was a 5-year old child waiting anxiously in front of the door with their mother tugging tightly at their hand to keep them still. I just couldn’t do it anymore. My feet were jumping in their own world, my hands engaged in a battle with my mum and my mind begged for even 1 meter closer to the door. Would I dare?
I did...
Jumping hurdles and racing through mazes, I battled my way through the room. It didn’t matter that there were answer sheets flying in every corner now or that shrieks of anguish were stabbing at my face. I got there. That’s all that mattered. And I got a good welcome too. A warm hug and a sweet smile that put everything straight. That’s all I wanted and I got it even if I did have to storm into a room full of 30 or so complete strangers-rather angry too-. It was five minutes before the end of the exam and my sister got the motivation she needed. Having done my deed, it was time for me to go out and I did.
Not only did this mean that from this moment onwards, every room that was forbidden was locked carefully twice and thrice, but also that there was now a loving bond between me and my sister; we would be bound to each other as long as that memory lived in our thoughts. Now we are more than sisters that happened to come from the same womb. We’re best friends. Why? Because I proved to my sister that my love for her exceeds any boundary of a wooden door. It exceeds every rule the world can place to restrict us.
It’s not just that. After the disciplining I got from the invidulator and my mum once we were home, I never had the courage to step into a room with a closed door again. Instead I knock! I knock three times, wait for permission then walk in cautiously. I do it everywhere. And I have the best excuse too: it’s polite...
OPEN THE DOOR...After I knock!
brilliant thread - I'm not revising yet, got to get science coursework out of the way first. subscribed :smile:
Reply 71
Here is some note on the 'Roaring Twenties' (AQA History). Sorry if it doesn't help...

I made it myself :colondollar:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 72
Original post by rae_
Here is some note on the 'Roaring Twenties' (AQA History). Sorry if it doesn't help...

I made it myself :colondollar:


That must have taken you years to do....thanx a lot anyway; I have my own notes (handwritten:smile:) but it's always good to have more resources!

Ohhh, by the way, have you finished revising the whole of the history spec (I assume u're doing WJEC)? I've revised the 2 in depth studies.

I just noticed right now that u're actually doing AQA....excuse me!!!!
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 73
I found a good way to organise your revision is to write all the topics you need to revise on a separate post-it note and stick it on a wall in your room. Once you have revised that topic, move it to another wall. Set at time limit e.g 2 weeks to clear the wall. If you do a past paper in that subject write your score on the back of the post-it, next time you visit this topic see if you can beat this score. Once the wall is clear set a new date and revise them all again! Sounds dull but it's a good visual way to see what your getting done!
Reply 74
Original post by bsblitter
That must have taken you years to do....thanx a lot anyway; I have my own notes (handwritten:smile:) but it's always good to have more resources!

Ohhh, by the way, have you finished revising the whole of the history spec (I assume u're doing WJEC)? I've revised the 2 in depth studies.

I just noticed right now that u're actually doing AQA....excuse me!!!!


Your welcome :biggrin:

I guess the exam boards' are quite similar. What are you studying?

Regarding your english descriptive writing, I believe your telling more of an story rather than describing i.e imagine your a super camera that you see, touch, smell, taste and hear things, but hey I could be wrong since I suck at English
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 75
Original post by rae_
Your welcome :biggrin:

I guess the exam boards' are quite similar. What are you studying?

Regarding your english descriptive writing, I believe your telling more of an story rather than describing i.e imagine your a super camera that you see, touch, smell, taste and hear things, but hey I could be wrong since I suck at English


Yh, I think they're quite similar. I'm doing the roaring twenties, Germany (1929-1947) and USA (1929-2000).

Thanks for the feedback on the writing, u're actually the only person to have commented on that considering I also posted it on another 2 forums...I really struggle with English too!:frown:
Reply 76
Original post by bsblitter
Yh, I think they're quite similar. I'm doing the roaring twenties, Germany (1929-1947) and USA (1929-2000).

Thanks for the feedback on the writing, u're actually the only person to have commented on that considering I also posted it on another 2 forums...I really struggle with English too!:frown:


This might be a bit greedy of me, but can u read this one as well plz....:colondollar:

Describe a journey by plane, train, bus or car. (27 marks)
I was steps away from another universe, my dream universe. I went into the plane with more hope that a human heart can withstand. Exhausted by the troubles of the year and worn down like a coin bitten by age, I set foot into the plane desperate for a refresh. It wouldn’t be a normal refresh, it’s one that’ll keep me going for an entire year and I couldn’t wait!
The universe I left behind gave the same frown it gave every time the sun rose, it’s final frown. As I entered the plane, I tried to forget its gloomy face that disturbed me in every step, tried to forget the painful past that I spent in its cold arms, tried to forget what I left behind. The plane was my path to a new beginning and I would enjoy it. Even though the trails of my old life tried to cling on still to its wings, my saviours, I wouldn’t let them get to me!
I savoured every moment and every aspect of the plane journey even down to the nuts that I bit into slowly stimulating every taste bud before they approached my wet mouth. I would remember those moments for years to come, as long as I lived. The nuts weren’t themselves. They were a fantasy I lived with; with every bite would come a smiling thought, a creation of my imagining mind. When I broke the shell of the nut, really I was breaking the shell of my old, encapsulating life to give way to new-born hope.
When they clapped for the pilot, I clapped for him a million times, with all my heart; I applauded the person who had grabbed me out of the engulfing waves and for which, I would remember for the rest of my life. A tear or two will never be enough to repay him who saved me. Now, I can breathe. The rope that wrapped its hands around my neck loosened its grip and I was free!
The moment I knew I had reached the bay of safety. The moment I anticipated. The gush of wind that took me into its extensive arms as I stepped out of the air-conditioned plane. The warmth that surrounded me despite the dark night sky. It’s the moment never to be forgotten...
The holiday starts now.
Reply 77
Original post by bsblitter
This might be a bit greedy of me, but can u read this one as well plz....:colondollar:

Describe a journey by plane, train, bus or car. (27 marks)
I was steps away from another universe, my dream universe. I went into the plane with more hope that a human heart can withstand. Exhausted by the troubles of the year and worn down like a coin bitten by age, I set foot into the plane desperate for a refresh. It wouldn’t be a normal refresh, it’s one that’ll keep me going for an entire year and I couldn’t wait!
The universe I left behind gave the same frown it gave every time the sun rose, it’s final frown. As I entered the plane, I tried to forget its gloomy face that disturbed me in every step, tried to forget the painful past that I spent in its cold arms, tried to forget what I left behind. The plane was my path to a new beginning and I would enjoy it. Even though the trails of my old life tried to cling on still to its wings, my saviours, I wouldn’t let them get to me!
I savoured every moment and every aspect of the plane journey even down to the nuts that I bit into slowly stimulating every taste bud before they approached my wet mouth. I would remember those moments for years to come, as long as I lived. The nuts weren’t themselves. They were a fantasy I lived with; with every bite would come a smiling thought, a creation of my imagining mind. When I broke the shell of the nut, really I was breaking the shell of my old, encapsulating life to give way to new-born hope.
When they clapped for the pilot, I clapped for him a million times, with all my heart; I applauded the person who had grabbed me out of the engulfing waves and for which, I would remember for the rest of my life. A tear or two will never be enough to repay him who saved me. Now, I can breathe. The rope that wrapped its hands around my neck loosened its grip and I was free!
The moment I knew I had reached the bay of safety. The moment I anticipated. The gush of wind that took me into its extensive arms as I stepped out of the air-conditioned plane. The warmth that surrounded me despite the dark night sky. It’s the moment never to be forgotten...
The holiday starts now.


It's quite good but you can write a lot more in the advised 45 minutes you spend.
You have some very interesting and unusual imagery which is sure to catch the examiner's eye but you still seem to tell a story rather than describe, try to use the 'show not tell' method and use more descriptive devices to paint a picture in the examiners head. Also try to use a range of sentence structures and shape you writing using punctuation. The use of the exclaimation mark in your piece may seem extensive, try to use more of an range like a semi colon which is highly regarded by examiners if you use it properly.

Not the best advice but yeah...
Reply 78
Original post by rae_
It's quite good but you can write a lot more in the advised 45 minutes you spend.
You have some very interesting and unusual imagery which is sure to catch the examiner's eye but you still seem to tell a story rather than describe, try to use the 'show not tell' method and use more descriptive devices to paint a picture in the examiners head. Also try to use a range of sentence structures and shape you writing using punctuation. The use of the exclaimation mark in your piece may seem extensive, try to use more of an range like a semi colon which is highly regarded by examiners if you use it properly.

Not the best advice but yeah...


Thanx so much...Yh, I kind of got lazy and spent about 30 minutes on it...Thanks so much for the advice; I actually think it's great:smile:
Reply 79
Original post by BookWormShanti
Each mark you get in the Language exam is worth 3x each mark in your coursework. For an A* in the exam you need 98/108 (so 91%), if you're coursework is mid A then you'll need more like 95% (more like 103 or 4), I'd reckon. I could work it out properly if I knew your exact mark in each coursework componenent, but that should give you a rough idea.

Lit coursework is only worth 30% not 40% and with a high A I'd say you'd need about 92%. Because the grade boundaries are usually around 90% and sometimes lower, with your coursework you'll need slightly more.

Those are only rough estimates though


What about speaking and listening mark for Eng lang, how much do they count ? (I'm doing AQA)

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