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Please read this and help me!!!!!

So i started school on the 6th of September and since then i've been doing very light revision, however the coming Monday which is the 26th, I am going to properly revise and start using all m frees. My question is if i start revsisng on the 26th of September is that considered starting revision late or early and have i left it to last min. This is literally stressing me out so much.

Reply 1

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Freshstart123

Ok. A few questions before a detailed answer from me:
Are you in year 12 or 13?
Revision for what? Summer ASs, A Levels, A2s, or just mocks?
Which subjects are we talking?

Reply 2

Freshstart123

Original post by 04MR17

Ok. A few questions before a detailed answer from me:
Are you in year 12 or 13?
Revision for what? Summer ASs, A Levels, A2s, or just mocks?
Which subjects are we talking?

I just started year 12 on the 6th and just revision in general, i am taking bio,chem, psycn

Reply 3

Shadowdraconis

Original post by 04MR17

Ok. A few questions before a detailed answer from me:
Are you in year 12 or 13?
Revision for what? Summer ASs, A Levels, A2s, or just mocks?
Which subjects are we talking?

Hi,
I have the same question as freshstart. Im in year 11 and i havent been doing much revision cos i have so many CAT's at the moment. Should i do more or leave most of it and focous mostly on the CAT's for now? (and do most of the revision just b4 the mocks?)

Reply 4

ML8020

Your AS exam will be held in May 2017 so how is start revising in September/October 2016 too late...?
You have at least 6 months time and that's probably enough if you work hard.

Of course, the final answer depends on your natural talent. A clever student can complete his revision in 3 or less months while a mediocre one might need more time. But in general, I think you do have to enough time to revise.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5

Freshstart123

Original post by ML8020

I started year 12 on the 6th i did do revsion but very light and when i start on the 26th its been 20 days which i feel like is not the beginning of the year or is it?

Reply 6

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Freshstart123

I just started year 12 on the 6th and just revision in general, i am taking bio,chem, psycn

Ah OK. My advice is as follows:
The most important thing is not to be stressed. You are sitting A Levels, getting worried about that fact will not change the outcome.

Be aware that these A Level subjects do not require an AS to be able to do the A Level. Check with your school whether you will be doing the AS or not: there are many schools who (wrongly in my opinion) make you sit an AS and then an A Level, where you don't need the AS to do the A Level.

Biology, Chemistry and Physics are very demanding subjects. If your teachers are good (subjective of course) then I believe they should be giving you regular homework. There is a figure out there that you should be doing 5 hours of study per subject per week. This should include homework. Any time you have surplus of this (within your 5 hour limit) could be used for revision, but don't be too rigorous.

The best way to revise for science/maths based subjects is through past papers. My advice is to use the specimen paper first in September to give yourself a baseline in terms of GCSE knowledge applied to A Level if that makes sense. The most important thing with this though is marking them yourself. If you understand this concept then great! If not please ask more and I will elaborate. Then slowly build it up with a crescendo of revision across the two years!

If you're doing AS then work towards that: but it isn't essential to your A Level (they've been de-coupled is the term I think); if not then bear in mind that you have 21 months until you're finished.

Usually September is considered early for "revision" but it depends how you define revision. If you haven't learnt content in lesson, then there is little point to looking at that because it won't be revising (re-capping etc.)

If you would like revision tips then I recommend this thread:http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1375172
If you want to post there and revive the thread then please do so.

You need to find revision methods that work for you though: otherwise it's pointless.

I wish you luck and feel free to tag/VM/PM me for any more information or advice - though I'm not an expert in science!

Reply 7

AfcFob

I revised for an hour each week for biology and got an A, I did nothing really besides night before revision in Psychology and got a B.

So long as you do the class work in psychology, you can probably put that off until Christmas BUT you need to keep on with Bio all year as there is so much to learn (and I imagine it is the same with Chem)

You're doing the right thing just don't do too much too soon as you run the risk of burning out

Reply 8

Napp

Chap, relax on the revision you're a way off from the exams, if i understand the new system correctly? By all means revise, the more the merrier as it were, don't stress over it or let it consume you though or i'd surmise itll do more harm than good.

Reply 9

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Shadow_12

OK. Mocks are for teachers not for you. Sure the practice helps, but you should be practicing papers anyway. Forget about mocks and revise for the real ones. Give yourself a final deadline (agree with your teacher) for the coursework stuff (defiinitely have it complete before end of November - Christmas at the latest in my view.) and stick to it. GCSE is a different beast to A Level. See the link I posted above and have a look. As above, let me know if you want more advice.

Reply 10

Epistemolog y

You can start revising from December and you will be fine.... I recommend you start working now though

Reply 11

username2817576

Original post by Freshstart123

You literally just started why would you be be revising late? How can you revise if you've hardly learnt anyhting yet. I mean you could be like me and just go through what you have learnt so far so that it sticks in to your head but until you know when you mocks are and until you have learnt a bit more then maybe you can start revising then. Don't stress out over nothing yet. My mock exams are in December time so I'm going to start revising late October as well as rereading the stuff I have now. If you just overboard revise right now you won't have time to do homework. If you class your homework as revision as well, it may help. Just my opinion tbh.

Reply 12

Shadowdraconis

Original post by 04MR17

Thank You!!!!! That really helped!!! How often would u reccomend to do papers at this stage? like 1 per week or more. And also i heard that if you are ill or somthing on the real exam day, your mock mark is taken to be your real gcse mark. Is this true?

Reply 13

04MR17

Volunteer Section Leader

Original post by Shadow_12

You're talking about special circumstances there. That doesn't mean that you can sit off the exam because you've got a cold. In that way yes mocks can be important, always treat them as another practice though, and be very serious about your practicing papers. Don't do one a week yet (maybe Jan/Feb start at one a week) but do some beforehand. So, a baseline in September (like the sample assessment materials or the very first paper of the spec. Then maybe another in October, two in November and three in December, by that stage you then progress to one a week: I'm talking about science and maths here, you need to be doing a different paper every week, not the same subject.
E.g.:

Sept. weeks:
1. Physics
2. Biology
3. Maths
4. Geography

Oct. weeks:
1. Chemistry, Biology
2. Physics, Maths
3. Geography, Biology
4. Maths Chemsitry

Etc. until January:

1. Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths
2. Chemistry, Geography, Maths, Physics
3. Physics, Maths, Biology, Geography
4. Biology, Geography, Physics, Chemistry

Make sense?

Also, play to your weaknesses, if you're feeling great about Chemistry, but nervous about Biology then swap the papers round to see what you get, so you can ask the teacher about something you're stuck on.

Reply 14

Shadowdraconis

Original post by 04MR17

ThanK You again!!!!!!! =D This was also really really helpful! Thanks for giving me an idea about how often to do papers! I diddnt have a clue about how to approach past papers leading up to exams and wos panicking cos i couldnt fit a paper every single week and thought i wos not doing enough. The gentle ease into lots of practice makes sense and seems practical! =D
Thank you so much!!! You really deserve the title of TSR Demigod!!!

Also im so sorry im asking GCSE stuff in a thread in the A Level section! I just realised that it is in the A Level section