The Student Room Group

How to revise, and get good GCSE grades.

I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.
Original post by Anam*

Original post by Anam*
I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.


Learning your style of revising is up to you, but all I can tell you is...DO NOT laze off in the summer. If you study/revise starting from now, you'll be garaunteed a grade B or above. I remember for a few exams I got grade B by revising the night before...and I felt quite dissappointed because I felt that if i had done the work a few months earlier I would have gotten an A.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 2
Original post by Anam*
I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.


Just keep reading, listening and taking notes I guess. Make sure you understand everything and know how to apply it to a question (Science and Math).

However, I wouldn't go crazy on revision yet (unless you really like doing it, like me), because there isn't an awful lot to learn and you will have forgot most of it by the time you reach next summer.

Edit: Don't leave it too late however, When I did my GCSE's a month ago, I left all of the Chemistry unit for the night before! But that's because I love Physics and got sidetracked with that and also wanted 100% in Biology, so most of my revision went to that. As a result I feel I have dropped alot more marks than I wanted to, but Biology and Physics makes up for it :wink:
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 3
Just revise in the way that best suits you :smile: Personally, I'm in year eleven now, revising for my last gcse exam, and I find the best way to revise is to use lots of different methods!

First of all, I read the revision guide, and, using a combination of the information in the revision guide, and notes from my exercise books for the subject, I compile a set of revision cards with questions on one side and the answers on the other.

After doing this, I answer any questions in the revision guide, and then any questions on websites such as BBC Bitesize.

Finally, I do some past practice papers. I think overall this is probably the revision method I find most useful, as it helps you revise the information you've learnt, whilst developing exam technique and introducing you to the type of questions that may be asked.

But really it's completely up to you, maybe using a combination of different techniques isn't something that appeals to you, so you could just make revision cards, or just use websites like Bitesize.

In any case I hope I've been in some way helpful, good luck with all your future exams, work hard and do yourself proud, but don't get stressed out about gcses and you'll be fine :smile: x
Reply 4
PAST PAPERS. if you don't get something read through your notes and then do PAST PAPER questions on it to make sure you understand it fully.
Reply 5
For some subjects like history/geography where a lot of learning is required, try learning your syllabus now. That way, when your exam comes, you'll already know the first half of it and won't have to spend as much time working on that subject.
Reply 6
2 days revision and you should be able to smash GCSE
Reply 7
is it really important to revise? ive never revised for tests in the past and ive always done well (sorry) but are gcse tests much harder covering loads of stuff that you wont remember? i
Reply 8
The best idea is if you have the book for the stuff you'll learn next week read and if you really like make some notes on the most complex subjects so that you have some background knowledge when you learn it next year. But honestly don't over revise for it go out and enjoy your summer. The more you relax in the summer the more prepared your mind will be next year. There isnt too much to learn though honestly :smile: you only really need to start "hardcore revision" like 2 weeks before the exam thats plenty of time to learn everything and do well in the exam :smile:
Reply 9
Get a copy of the Anthology poems book and get used to all the poems ?
Original post by rhiam
is it really important to revise? ive never revised for tests in the past and ive always done well (sorry) but are gcse tests much harder covering loads of stuff that you wont remember? i


Nooo everyone gets so worked up about gcses, they're really not that scary once you undertake them :smile: It's important to revise in so far as they affect your future, but as long as set aside enough time to revise beforehand, gcses aren't that bad :smile:
Reply 11
If you're worried about GCSEs, wait until you start your A-Levels!

What I'd do after the summer term: focus in lessons, do homework/past papers etc, buy a folder and dividers (and label them accordingly), make sure your notes are clear/not dull and whatever else the TSR users are saying. If I had done that from the start of year 11 I would have achieved higher than the Bs I received..

When it comes up to your exams prepare a revision time-table and try to spend an equal amount of time on each subject. If you want, do past papers as well. Then you can see what you really struggle with.

Just focus though, these exams are actually really easy. They may not seem like it now but when you take A-Levels you'll really realise how babyish GCSEs were! During the April/May/June period where the exams are taking place and you're do heavy revision, and it's off-putting, remind yourself that you have a very long summer after. People underestimate how important these exams are for getting into sixth-forms. Some universities ask for good grades as well - i.e. As/Bs usually.

It's good that you're looking forward to your exams next year. Good luck.. my advice isn't perfect, but if I was given the opportunity to re-do my GCSEs that would be the steps I'd take to get all As.
A year of revision for GCSEs? :O Just revise around the end of April the earliest
Reply 14
Original post by Anam*

Original post by Anam*
I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.


get some good review text books and every single page. then after you have done do lots of papers from different boards so you really get used to different type of questions. try read around the subject like get some magazines. also create a timestable for each subject and stick to that time no matter what
Reply 15
Original post by Anam*
I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.


Don't revise what you're best in but instead, revise a little for that and revise more for the subjects you aren't so confident in!
Original post by Anam*
I am currently in year10 and i want to revise through-out Summer as i REALLY need to if i want to achieve ideally B+grades. Anyone have any tips on how to revise for the JanMocks and the actually GCSE's. Already so nervous about them:frown: I have most of the revision guides.


hey i find that because i have the revision guides to write out the summaries from the book and look over them notes remember word equations separately. The thing is to use logic when answering the questions and not to worry if its long answer use knowledge and English skills guaranteeing 5/6 out of 6 this method helps me a lot and its useful if you dont have loads of time. If you visualize what the topics about it really helps! This method has got me A-A* so far in year 10 so it can help :tongue:
Original post by Little Ant
Don't revise what you're best in but instead, revise a little for that and revise more for the subjects you aren't so confident in!


This is the best advice! I did three weeks of revision for my History GCSE, a LOT of revision and one night for Physics. I did great in both but the stress I felt under for my Physics exam was quite bad - I hated that subject and so felt demotivated to revise. Don't do what I did :colondollar:

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