HELP! My revisions isn't going in and I want all As?

I am predicted all As and two Bs in my GCSEs, my targets are all A*. I've never really been very hard-working and I have attained grade Bs, a couple of As and A couple of Cs in my mock exams without revision. I have never revised (stupidly) so I have no idea what to do! I don't want to be stuck with grade Bs when I know I can potentially get As in the majority of subjects. However, time is running out, I have only got 3 weeks left and I need to crack on! What have you previous students found most effective for each subject and how long before did you start revising? Is it too late? Thanks for your help. I am shitting myself to be quite honest.

Reply 1

CourtlyCanter

what subjects do you do?

Reply 2

PenguinNinja

Original post by lottiemorton

I don't know if this will help you but here i go anyway. So i make brief notes on each topic of the subject and record myself speaking them. If you want, you could just use your class notes. I do this mainly for science and History. Then, i listen to the recording of my notes as i read them. Then i do a past paper. I've also found that it works best to plan your revision out. You might not want to do a full-on revision timetable, but you could have a checklist of all the subjects you're going to revise that day.

Reply 3

lottiemorton

Original post by CourtlyCanter

what subjects do you do?

I do French (but I am not too bothered about my result in that), Separate sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry), English Lit & Lang, World History, Maths, Sociology, and Art and Music (no revision neccessary)

Reply 4

ThatIzziGirl

Hey. First things first, stop worrying so much! This may well be what's stopping the revision going into your head, because when you're stressed, it's extremely difficult to concentrate. I know that GCSEs seem like the be all and end all of everything, but they honestly aren't. The most important thing is that you just get enough to do sixth form (if you want to). Also, remember that GCSEs are written so that the average person can pass... otherwise there would be no point in making them compulsory. You're teachers aren't fools - they've obviously seen something in you that has made them think that you're significantly more intelligent than average (if they hadn't they wouldn't have predicted you such high grades) and so tackling something that is written for someone less intelligent than you to pass in shouldn't be a problem. Yes, it probably would have been a good idea to revise earlier, but you do still have time. What I would do, considering you don't have a whole load of time, is prioritise. The subjects that you got Cs in probably need a fair bit of your attention (if you don't want Cs even though they're perfectly acceptable), so focus on the subjects that you find hardest, have more content and the ones that you want to do particularly well in. Write up a revision timetable so that you have a plan of how you're going to go about your preparation and then write notes. Once you've done that, do an activity that makes you recall what you have learnt as this is the best way to consolidate information (for most people). This may be making your own question cards, going on a revision app/website or explaining it to others. I'd also recommend doing as many past papers as you possibly can (another fantastic way to get the info into your head by recalling it) and then mark them with the mark scheme so that you can see what the examiners are wanting from your answers and where you might be going wrong. At GCSE, it's unfortunately just a bit of a game of giving the examiners what they want, so make sure you use the mark schemes to brush up on your exam technique. Obviously, these tips that I am giving you are just my opinion, so don't take them as gospel. However, following this procedure did help me to achieve 5 A*s and 4 As even though I was seriously unwell for all of year 10 and most of year 11, so they work for me!! All the very best in your exams. If I can help you in Biology or RE, don't hesitate to message me and I'm always happy to lend a hand. Best, Izzi.

Reply 5

CourtlyCanter

Original post by lottiemorton

Hi Lottie!
I did all of your subjects (except World History, Art, Sociology and Music) plus a few others like Geography and German and I'd say I did reasonably well. I do think I could've worked harder and get a couple more A* so if I could travel back in time to do it all over again I certainly would! Anyway, I'm glad that you've still got some time to do some patching up. First thing first, set up a revision timetable. It won't take you an hour to make a decent revision timetable but it will most certainly save you an immense amount of time spent contemplating on what to revise next. I prefer breaking a subject down into its constituent units when filling up the blocks in my table as I get to know exactly how much time I am allowing myself to study over every individual unit. Colour-code the blocks too! For instance, blue for physics, green for biology and so on. It may help you in getting a clearer picture of the whole thing and take it all in easier.

As of Sciences specifically, go over as many past papers as you can! Make sure you mark the papers yourself and look through the relevant mark schemes and examiner notes. More than often you will see a trend and know most, if not all, of the keywords they look for in your answers!

As of English, I would honestly spend a little more time on memorising quotes and analysing them to the fullest extent. Sometimes that little bit of elaboration can get your point across stronger and get you a few extra marks.

I hope this helps and I sincerely hope that your exam results will reflect your academic competence. Best of luck and don't give up!

(edited 8 years ago)

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HELP! My revisions isn't going in and I want all As?

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