A and A* students... Share your revision tips
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I actually find cramming it all in in the last week helps me. :>
Make sure you learn how to answer the questions not just the facts you'll need particularly for essay subjects.
For GCSE and A level I went through the syllabus for each subject, made notes on every point and made sure I understood it all then just lots and lots of past papers.
As others have said though the main thing is to actually understand what you're doing, not just memorise it.
I read in New Scientist before that you can improve your mark by 10% by doing this: If you revise before an exam revise again 10-20% of the time between your first revision session and your exam. For example, if you revise 24 hours before your exam, revise again 2-4 hours later.
To be honest I have no idea if this works because I'm the sort of person who has to revise non stop until the very last minute lol but maybe it will work for someone!
As others have said though the main thing is to actually understand what you're doing, not just memorise it.
I read in New Scientist before that you can improve your mark by 10% by doing this: If you revise before an exam revise again 10-20% of the time between your first revision session and your exam. For example, if you revise 24 hours before your exam, revise again 2-4 hours later.
To be honest I have no idea if this works because I'm the sort of person who has to revise non stop until the very last minute lol but maybe it will work for someone!
I'm assuming this will have been said before, but I'll say it again anyway 
Always make sure you make really good notes all the way through the year, and don't skip over stuff you don't understand just to plan to learn it later. No matter how good you are at revising, if you don't know the stuff in the first place, it won't get you anywhere. My method is to make my notes look really pretty with nice layout and coloured pens etc, and than way they look so good I actually want to keep reading and looking at them. Might not work for everyone thought
Always make sure you make really good notes all the way through the year, and don't skip over stuff you don't understand just to plan to learn it later. No matter how good you are at revising, if you don't know the stuff in the first place, it won't get you anywhere. My method is to make my notes look really pretty with nice layout and coloured pens etc, and than way they look so good I actually want to keep reading and looking at them. Might not work for everyone thought
I am studying Further Maths, Physics, Computing and German (Bilingual) and recently got my AS results (in Maths I have completed the A-Level).
I think it is wrong to use past papers/tons of questions as your primary revision resource. I always work with the books. By going through the book chapter by chapter you can extract all the information and really understand it. If it helps, you can make summaries in form of bullet points. The first time you read a chapter things might not become clear right away. It takes time to really get new concepts. You might have to re-read the pages several times and use other books/internet to get answers to small questions. You cannot say that you understand a topic as long as there is the smallest doubt in your head about something. Be sure to resolve all these issues.
After doing that you can use past papers. Trust me, they'll be a lot easier after doing that, and after doing one or two you will find you are prepared.
Sometimes a video (YouTube etc.) can be very helpful, but be careful not to learn something wrong. Try to find university/college lectures. If in doubt about anything, ask your teacher, as he knows what the exam board wants.
My way of revision might sound intimidating, but its not as bad once you get into it (I do not spend every weekend revising). It also teaches you to teach yourself! My computing teachers were quite bad but I still managed to get an A in both exams because of the way I studied.
Anyways, I cannot say that this is the only correct way as people learn differently. Hope these tips help somewhat
I think it is wrong to use past papers/tons of questions as your primary revision resource. I always work with the books. By going through the book chapter by chapter you can extract all the information and really understand it. If it helps, you can make summaries in form of bullet points. The first time you read a chapter things might not become clear right away. It takes time to really get new concepts. You might have to re-read the pages several times and use other books/internet to get answers to small questions. You cannot say that you understand a topic as long as there is the smallest doubt in your head about something. Be sure to resolve all these issues.
After doing that you can use past papers. Trust me, they'll be a lot easier after doing that, and after doing one or two you will find you are prepared.
Sometimes a video (YouTube etc.) can be very helpful, but be careful not to learn something wrong. Try to find university/college lectures. If in doubt about anything, ask your teacher, as he knows what the exam board wants.
My way of revision might sound intimidating, but its not as bad once you get into it (I do not spend every weekend revising). It also teaches you to teach yourself! My computing teachers were quite bad but I still managed to get an A in both exams because of the way I studied.
Anyways, I cannot say that this is the only correct way as people learn differently. Hope these tips help somewhat
I did all essay subjects:
1) Know your exam technique. A good structure will allow you to pick up more marks.
2) Essay practice. Do this throughout the year, it will help you develop the above point! And remember to get it marked so you can see where there is room for improvement.
3) Plan essays. I found this especially useful for history. It means you can recap the course whilst planning structure and arguments at the same time.
4) Don't rely on cue cards. They are useful, but sometimes they can mean you only remember the sketchy information you wrote on the card instead of the actual detail.
5) Read mark schemes and examiner's reports. This is a rare and precious insight into what the often unpredictable examiners are looking for. Use wisely!
6) Know your stuff, obviously
1) Know your exam technique. A good structure will allow you to pick up more marks.
2) Essay practice. Do this throughout the year, it will help you develop the above point! And remember to get it marked so you can see where there is room for improvement.
3) Plan essays. I found this especially useful for history. It means you can recap the course whilst planning structure and arguments at the same time.
4) Don't rely on cue cards. They are useful, but sometimes they can mean you only remember the sketchy information you wrote on the card instead of the actual detail.
5) Read mark schemes and examiner's reports. This is a rare and precious insight into what the often unpredictable examiners are looking for. Use wisely!
6) Know your stuff, obviously
Believe in yourself. Own that exam.
(went from a 'D' in geography january to full marks in july. no extra revision)
Of course, revision helps as well.
(went from a 'D' in geography january to full marks in july. no extra revision)
Of course, revision helps as well.
I did most of my revision in my head to be honest, alway think about what your learning and make sure you completely understand why something is. This works for abstract concepts such as Chemistry and Physics and to some extent biology. For more essay based subjects i find that just knowing everything about what you are studying helps, not just the course but other ancillary and not so vital things, obviously dont waste time with these but still be aware of them.
As for actual revision, my personal preference with essays is to write exemplars or ask your teachers for them, and then voice record them, most people hate the sound of their own voice, i know i do, but really this is a fantastic way to remeber crucial points, and it stops you waffling in exams. If you just plough through the points and facts in your essays the examier cannot help but give you marks. And just listen to your notes and essays all the time, it WILL sink in. Its a large intitial effort but the is the techique i would REALLY reccommend.
Secondly cover your house in notes and formulae, laminate them and put them inside your shower if you have too. (i did this)
The best way to revise is to just not forget, always read over your notes after a lesson or day in school/college. Never revise for more than an hour at a time. Frequent breaks. ALWAYS use mark schemes, sometimes it isn't what you know it's how you say it. Sometimes i feel like it's more important to know the mark schemes than the subject (especially true in chem and biol) after all this is what the examiners mark you against.
Thats the best part of my knowledge and experience, it worked ok for me and i hope that it does for you.
EDIT - Forgot to mention EXAMINERS REPORTS, these things can be amazingly hepful and can even give insight into what may come up in the next exam!!
My results -Chemistry - A
-Biology - A*
-Business - A
-Music A*
And I successfully passed the welsh baccalaureat
As for actual revision, my personal preference with essays is to write exemplars or ask your teachers for them, and then voice record them, most people hate the sound of their own voice, i know i do, but really this is a fantastic way to remeber crucial points, and it stops you waffling in exams. If you just plough through the points and facts in your essays the examier cannot help but give you marks. And just listen to your notes and essays all the time, it WILL sink in. Its a large intitial effort but the is the techique i would REALLY reccommend.
Secondly cover your house in notes and formulae, laminate them and put them inside your shower if you have too. (i did this)
The best way to revise is to just not forget, always read over your notes after a lesson or day in school/college. Never revise for more than an hour at a time. Frequent breaks. ALWAYS use mark schemes, sometimes it isn't what you know it's how you say it. Sometimes i feel like it's more important to know the mark schemes than the subject (especially true in chem and biol) after all this is what the examiners mark you against.
Thats the best part of my knowledge and experience, it worked ok for me and i hope that it does for you.
EDIT - Forgot to mention EXAMINERS REPORTS, these things can be amazingly hepful and can even give insight into what may come up in the next exam!!
My results -Chemistry - A
-Biology - A*
-Business - A
-Music A*
And I successfully passed the welsh baccalaureat
(edited 12 years ago)
I got AAAB . I think the best thing I did was test my self. Study a section by making notes or looking at flash cards for 25 mins take a five min break then write out some questions about them with the books closed and check back to see if your right. Then go over the bits you got wrong. Also when your writing revision notes use the preview question read review method. Preview- flick through the chapter for 3 to 5 mins looking at key headings and images. Question- look at the headings in the chapter and turn them in to questions ie how does photosynthesis work? Read: find the answers to your questions in the chapter and write them down. These are your notes. When it comes to revision use the questions in your notes to test yourself. My psychology teacher who is an expert in memory and learning taught my whole year this method. Hope this helps!
(edited 12 years ago)
Prioritise, don't revise topics you know well just because it's easier. Go for the really hard stuff and get loads of practice at that. highlighting books and rewriting notes help too. But make sure you're actually taking in the content when reading, and that it's not just going in one ear and out the other!
Oh, and tea. Lots of tea!
Oh, and tea. Lots of tea!
For me, I pretty much memorised the biology, chemistry and physics textbooks (official exam board ones obv), and especially the major topics, you want to have a solid answer in your head which you can manipulate slightly according to the question rather than spending time trying to phrase out what you have in your mind which often wastes me time. With this method I usually deal with the slightly longer explanation type questions and then there are just the short answer questions left, I found the best way to practise those was past papers and getting friends to test you during your revision timeframe. Of course revision is personal as mentioned before and its really up to what works well for you.
I personally find understanding the mark schemes pretty effective..after all that's what the examiners will use to give you your grades
I'm going to say two things which are absolute gems, especially if you have a good spatial intelligence.
USE THE METHOD OF LOCI! Especially in exams where you're meant to remember many names/research. In a Psychology exam I can remember around 70 names with some effort the week beforehand.
PREDICT THE QUESTIONS! Don't limit yourself to revising for those questions, but it is likely at least one of them will come up. For one of my exams ALL of my predictions came up.
USE THE METHOD OF LOCI! Especially in exams where you're meant to remember many names/research. In a Psychology exam I can remember around 70 names with some effort the week beforehand.
PREDICT THE QUESTIONS! Don't limit yourself to revising for those questions, but it is likely at least one of them will come up. For one of my exams ALL of my predictions came up.
I got AABa in Maths, RS, Lit and AS Further Maths.
For Maths: Past papers and Solomon papers are both your best friends. Use them and abuse them. The actual papers are a breeze after doing so many Solomon papers and the past papers prepare you for the style of the exam questions. Also, for Maths, it is close to impossible to cram everything into the week/night before so don't try and leave it to the last minute to re-learn everything you're unsure of. If you don't understand a topic, ask a teacher, a friend/ watch videos on YouTube or those revision websites, but MAKE sure you understand everything well before the exam. I also did little flash cards for my A2 modules on which I put down all the equations/integrals/diffrentials I needed to know, I carried it around with me everywhere, mini flash cards are great because you can use them whenever you have a spare 10 minutes or so to go over everythign you need to.
English: Practice essays. Lots of them. Also, brainstorms and discussing your ideas with the people in your class really helps. Swapping and reading each other's essays is a good idea too, two of my friends managed full marks for their courseworks so I read them both and it gave me a real feel for the kind of points I needed to articulate to get a higher grade. The best essays are those that are well written without being too flowert and poetic. I managed to get my coursework up from a B to full marks too.
RS: Ditto with the essays and discussion, I found mind maps also really helped me. And if all else fails (as it did for me for one of my A2 modules) I just sat and read through the entire year's worth of notes again and again. Then I wrote them all up in a scrapbook in the hope that I would retain some of it. It seemed to work. It also helped that I had 2 amazing teachers that had a whole lotta faith in all of us.
For Maths: Past papers and Solomon papers are both your best friends. Use them and abuse them. The actual papers are a breeze after doing so many Solomon papers and the past papers prepare you for the style of the exam questions. Also, for Maths, it is close to impossible to cram everything into the week/night before so don't try and leave it to the last minute to re-learn everything you're unsure of. If you don't understand a topic, ask a teacher, a friend/ watch videos on YouTube or those revision websites, but MAKE sure you understand everything well before the exam. I also did little flash cards for my A2 modules on which I put down all the equations/integrals/diffrentials I needed to know, I carried it around with me everywhere, mini flash cards are great because you can use them whenever you have a spare 10 minutes or so to go over everythign you need to.
English: Practice essays. Lots of them. Also, brainstorms and discussing your ideas with the people in your class really helps. Swapping and reading each other's essays is a good idea too, two of my friends managed full marks for their courseworks so I read them both and it gave me a real feel for the kind of points I needed to articulate to get a higher grade. The best essays are those that are well written without being too flowert and poetic. I managed to get my coursework up from a B to full marks too.
RS: Ditto with the essays and discussion, I found mind maps also really helped me. And if all else fails (as it did for me for one of my A2 modules) I just sat and read through the entire year's worth of notes again and again. Then I wrote them all up in a scrapbook in the hope that I would retain some of it. It seemed to work. It also helped that I had 2 amazing teachers that had a whole lotta faith in all of us.
(edited 12 years ago)
I got all As at AS Level and a combination of A*s and As at GCSE.
GCSE, I revised every weekend, 6 study periods 45 minutes each and didn't get the results I wanted.
AS: I revised the night before. I suppose it comes down to if you are really interested in the subject or not.
I also found it useful to make acronyms if I had to learn something. Also making massive mindmaps and sticking them on walls helped me even when I was tired because I was subconsciously learning (I think!)
GCSE, I revised every weekend, 6 study periods 45 minutes each and didn't get the results I wanted.
AS: I revised the night before. I suppose it comes down to if you are really interested in the subject or not.
I also found it useful to make acronyms if I had to learn something. Also making massive mindmaps and sticking them on walls helped me even when I was tired because I was subconsciously learning (I think!)
i also used to revise for really long periods and while this was ok at GCSE, at a level it was not. Anyway here are some things that really helped me this year and i got AAB
- Revising for 45 minute periods then having a 15 minute break to make a cup of tea, check facebook etc.
- On weekends I'd get up around 9 o'clock and get started on work at about 11, and I'd do one hour of revision then have an hour off, and carried on all day til about 6 or 7.
- I'm a person who works well in the evenings, so I made quite a lot of time on school nights to revise. About 2 hours most nights worked for me.
- My methods of revision included mindmapping EVERYTHING for every subject, making things as detailed as possible, but also really nice and neat because you'll be reading it a lot.
-I'd read my mind maps every morning and every night before bed (I had about 30 A3 mindmaps for all 3 subjects haha)
- I got all the revision guides which were useful to some extent but i probably could have managed without them (apart from my biology one which was an absolute godsend!)
- I didn't make my notes from the textbooks, I used the revision guides, but if anything I felt was missing then I added it from the textbook.
- I did all the practice papers I could find, marked a few myself and got some of my teachers to mark them
- If there were still things I weren't completely sure of, I'd just write it all down in linear notes and re-read and highlighted and re-wrote until i got my head around it. (this is like last minute night before the exam thing i did)
It probably sounds like I did a lot but honestly it wasn't that time consuming, I had plenty of time to do other things like going out with friends etc. and it really worked for me. I'm a person who learns best by note taking and writing things down so I'd say anyone else who learns like that might want to try this? Revision really all depends on when you work best, like I said I work best in the evenings, much faster and less distracted but everyone is different. I think you just have to go trial and error and hope something works!
Also, I realise this post is kinda pointless now exams are over but maybe someone will see this during January exams haha
- Revising for 45 minute periods then having a 15 minute break to make a cup of tea, check facebook etc.
- On weekends I'd get up around 9 o'clock and get started on work at about 11, and I'd do one hour of revision then have an hour off, and carried on all day til about 6 or 7.
- I'm a person who works well in the evenings, so I made quite a lot of time on school nights to revise. About 2 hours most nights worked for me.
- My methods of revision included mindmapping EVERYTHING for every subject, making things as detailed as possible, but also really nice and neat because you'll be reading it a lot.
-I'd read my mind maps every morning and every night before bed (I had about 30 A3 mindmaps for all 3 subjects haha)
- I got all the revision guides which were useful to some extent but i probably could have managed without them (apart from my biology one which was an absolute godsend!)
- I didn't make my notes from the textbooks, I used the revision guides, but if anything I felt was missing then I added it from the textbook.
- I did all the practice papers I could find, marked a few myself and got some of my teachers to mark them
- If there were still things I weren't completely sure of, I'd just write it all down in linear notes and re-read and highlighted and re-wrote until i got my head around it. (this is like last minute night before the exam thing i did)
It probably sounds like I did a lot but honestly it wasn't that time consuming, I had plenty of time to do other things like going out with friends etc. and it really worked for me. I'm a person who learns best by note taking and writing things down so I'd say anyone else who learns like that might want to try this? Revision really all depends on when you work best, like I said I work best in the evenings, much faster and less distracted but everyone is different. I think you just have to go trial and error and hope something works!
Also, I realise this post is kinda pointless now exams are over but maybe someone will see this during January exams haha
(edited 12 years ago)
Maybe your problem was overworking yourself and not taking enough breaks, this could lead to you being stressed out in the exams. Or you didn't fully understand the work/syllabus, in which case you should ask your teachers/consult the syllabus for more guidance this year.
Try to start LIGHT revision very early (maybe learn your notes throughout the year) and don't leave as much to cram in the rest in the month or few weeks before your exam. As others have said, do lots of past papers whilst you are studying the topic and if your teachers are happy to mark them for you then please ask them to. Most teachers would prefer to mark lots of past papers to give you an idea of where you need to improve than have you do less than your best.
Hope this helps.
Try to start LIGHT revision very early (maybe learn your notes throughout the year) and don't leave as much to cram in the rest in the month or few weeks before your exam. As others have said, do lots of past papers whilst you are studying the topic and if your teachers are happy to mark them for you then please ask them to. Most teachers would prefer to mark lots of past papers to give you an idea of where you need to improve than have you do less than your best.
Hope this helps.
1) Play World of Warcraft for the whole year
2) Only do assignments/homework outside of class
3) 2 days before the exam spent 8 hours a day cramming, I broke down the syllabus into digestible sections and made acrostics then memorised everything that way.
4) Claim A*'s
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Shippy
i also used to revise for really long periods and while this was ok at GCSE, at a level it was not. Anyway here are some things that really helped me this year and i got AAB
- Revising for 45 minute periods then having a 15 minute break to make a cup of tea, check facebook etc.
- On weekends I'd get up around 9 o'clock and get started on work at about 11, and I'd do one hour of revision then have an hour off, and carried on all day til about 6 or 7.
- I'm a person who works well in the evenings, so I made quite a lot of time on school nights to revise. About 2 hours most nights worked for me.
- My methods of revision included mindmapping EVERYTHING for every subject, making things as detailed as possible, but also really nice and neat because you'll be reading it a lot.
-I'd read my mind maps every morning and every night before bed (I had about 30 A3 mindmaps for all 3 subjects haha)
- I got all the revision guides which were useful to some extent but i probably could have managed without them (apart from my biology one which was an absolute godsend!)
- I didn't make my notes from the textbooks, I used the revision guides, but if anything I felt was missing then I added it from the textbook.
- I did all the practice papers I could find, marked a few myself and got some of my teachers to mark them
- If there were still things I weren't completely sure of, I'd just write it all down in linear notes and re-read and highlighted and re-wrote until i got my head around it. (this is like last minute night before the exam thing i did)
It probably sounds like I did a lot but honestly it wasn't that time consuming, I had plenty of time to do other things like going out with friends etc. and it really worked for me. I'm a person who learns best by note taking and writing things down so I'd say anyone else who learns like that might want to try this? Revision really all depends on when you work best, like I said I work best in the evenings, much faster and less distracted but everyone is different. I think you just have to go trial and error and hope something works!
Also, I realise this post is kinda pointless now exams are over but maybe someone will see this during January exams haha
- Revising for 45 minute periods then having a 15 minute break to make a cup of tea, check facebook etc.
- On weekends I'd get up around 9 o'clock and get started on work at about 11, and I'd do one hour of revision then have an hour off, and carried on all day til about 6 or 7.
- I'm a person who works well in the evenings, so I made quite a lot of time on school nights to revise. About 2 hours most nights worked for me.
- My methods of revision included mindmapping EVERYTHING for every subject, making things as detailed as possible, but also really nice and neat because you'll be reading it a lot.
-I'd read my mind maps every morning and every night before bed (I had about 30 A3 mindmaps for all 3 subjects haha)
- I got all the revision guides which were useful to some extent but i probably could have managed without them (apart from my biology one which was an absolute godsend!)
- I didn't make my notes from the textbooks, I used the revision guides, but if anything I felt was missing then I added it from the textbook.
- I did all the practice papers I could find, marked a few myself and got some of my teachers to mark them
- If there were still things I weren't completely sure of, I'd just write it all down in linear notes and re-read and highlighted and re-wrote until i got my head around it. (this is like last minute night before the exam thing i did)
It probably sounds like I did a lot but honestly it wasn't that time consuming, I had plenty of time to do other things like going out with friends etc. and it really worked for me. I'm a person who learns best by note taking and writing things down so I'd say anyone else who learns like that might want to try this? Revision really all depends on when you work best, like I said I work best in the evenings, much faster and less distracted but everyone is different. I think you just have to go trial and error and hope something works!
Also, I realise this post is kinda pointless now exams are over but maybe someone will see this during January exams haha
Thanks for this, i'm defo gonna use it
Can i just ask, which revision guide did you use for Biology, and also, which board did you do it with? thanks (:Original post by V95
Thanks for this, i'm defo gonna use it Can i just ask, which revision guide did you use for Biology, and also, which board did you do it with? thanks (:
Can i just ask, which revision guide did you use for Biology, and also, which board did you do it with? thanks (:I'm on edexcel and i used the edexcel specific AS guide, this one:
http://large.plodit.com/edexcel-as-biology-revision-guide-edexcel-a-level-_SWBMTg0NjkwNTk4Mg==.jpg
It's a good revision guide but obviously only if you're on edexcel spec!
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