Revision over Christmas for mocks?

Hello, I am exactly the same with revision timetables. But, to be honest I prefer to create a list of what I want to do over the holidays, rather than appointing certain things to certain days.

According to research between 20 minutes- 30 minutes is an average span of attention before frankly boredom sets in! I find what works for me is spending 10 minutes reading something that you really struggle with. Then I transform it into a poster, flashcard or sometimes try create a song out of it (say for instance a structure like the MSM model in psychology). After doing this I then stick it up somewhere, or file it somewhere where I know I will glance over it from time to time. Then a week from then I will review my transformation and by then I feel quite comfortable to answer an exam question on it. I usually look through past papers online and find a few 3/4 mark questions to start me off. This technique I find works especially works for psychology.

I also study English Literature, and I tend to annotate the texts I am studying, by highlighting and picking out key language techniques, such as figurative language, the structure or sometimes just quotes that I think are really effective. I then use what I have found to form an essay answer. After doing this with a few extracts I feel more comfortable using key terms and more familiar with the texts themselves.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 2

OP

Original post by StudyHelp97

Hello, I am exactly the same with revision timetables. But, to be honest I prefer to create a list of what I want to do over the holidays, rather than appointing certain things to certain days.

According to research between 20 minutes- 30 minutes is an average span of attention before frankly boredom sets in! I find what works for me is spending 10 minutes reading something that you really struggle with. Then I transform it into a poster, flashcard or sometimes try create a song out of it (say for instance a structure like the MSM model in psychology). After doing this I then stick it up somewhere, or file it somewhere where I know I will glance over it from time to time. Then a week from then I will review my transformation and by then I feel quite comfortable to answer an exam question on it. I usually look through past papers online and find a few 3/4 mark questions to start me off. This technique I find works especially works for psychology.

I also study English Literature, and I tend to annotate the texts I am studying, by highlighting and picking out key language techniques, such as figurative language, the structure or sometimes just quotes that I think are really effective. I then use what I have found to form an essay answer. After doing this with a few extracts I feel more comfortable using key terms and more familiar with the texts themselves.

An exam tip that I was once told was

Thank you very much and i really liked your MSM example for Psychology! :smile:

What text are you studying in English may i ask? For my mocks i am doing Unit 1, is that the same for you?

Reply 3

I am currently studying A Clockwork Orange, Brighton Rock and Hamlet. I also have knowledge relating to several other dystopian novels similar to Brighton Rock. Also I have analytic knowledge of The Kite Runner, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Lovely Bones, The Revenger's Tragedy and The Spanish Tragedy. Are any of these texts of any relevance?

Reply 4

OP

Original post by StudyHelp97

I am currently studying A Clockwork Orange, Brighton Rock and Hamlet. I also have knowledge relating to several other dystopian novels similar to Brighton Rock. Also I have analytic knowledge of The Kite Runner, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Lovely Bones, The Revenger's Tragedy and The Spanish Tragedy. Are any of these texts of any relevance?

I am doing the Kite Runner from you list for the mocks and i really enjoyed the book :biggrin:

Reply 5

The Kite Runner is a personal favorite of mine. If you have any questions concerning the novel, I would be more than happy to answer your questions :smile:

.

Also, on AMAZON they have an excellent revision prompt for The Kite Runner here is the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Kite-Runner-Notes-Advanced/dp/1408217295

I created a timeline for the Kite Runner using this revision prompt and stuck it on my wall. It was extremely useful to me and I referred to it for help all through the year!

Hope this helps!

Reply 6

Original post by an0thergirl

Hi, I am studying English lit and am struggling to revise for it too. How do you write an essay? We haven't been taught so I don't know how to structure it.��

What texts are you studying?

Reply 7

OP

Original post by an0thergirl

Hi, I am studying English lit and am struggling to revise for it too. How do you write an essay? We haven't been taught so I don't know how to structure it.��

I haven't been taught how to write an essay and i am struggling with doing so :s-smilie:

At school we have been practising answering Section A part A question on "The Kite Runner" and i have been scraping band 5. I am just going to practice questions on the book and get my teacher to mark them so i can see where i am at and listen to their feed back so i can improve. Part a is about following the objective A02- form, structure and language. :smile:

Reply 8

an0thergirl

Original post by Aliyah_rose

I haven't been taught how to write an essay and i am struggling with doing so :s-smilie:

At school we have been practising answering Section A part A question on "The Kite Runner" and i have been scraping band 5. I am just going to practice questions on the book and get my teacher to mark them so i can see where i am at and listen to their feed back so i can improve. Part a is about following the objective A02- form, structure and language. :smile:

I'm doing th Kite Runner too and the Great Gatsby :smile:

I just don't know what to focus in on ect. :frown:

how much are you supposed to write?

Reply 9

OP

Original post by an0thergirl

I'm doing th Kite Runner too and the Great Gatsby :smile:

I just don't know what to focus in on ect. :frown:

how much are you supposed to write?

So am I! My teachers have advised me to write part a in 30 minutes and i usually write 1 and a half to 2 sides but i have big hand writing :biggrin:

but i have no idea how much you should write. Just stick to the assessment obje ctives and you'll do fine :wink:

Reply 10

OP

Original post by StudyHelp97

The Kite Runner is a personal favorite of mine. If you have any questions concerning the novel, I would be more than happy to answer your questions :smile:

.

Also, on AMAZON they have an excellent revision prompt for The Kite Runner here is the link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Kite-Runner-Notes-Advanced/dp/1408217295

I created a timeline for the Kite Runner using this revision prompt and stuck it on my wall. It was extremely useful to me and I referred to it for help all through the year!

Hope this helps!

Thank you very much! :biggrin:

and Good luck in your exams

Reply 11

an0thergirl

Original post by Aliyah_rose

So am I! My teachers have advised me to write part a in 30 minutes and i usually write 1 and a half to 2 sides but i have big hand writing :biggrin:

but i have no idea how much you should write. Just stick to the assessment obje ctives and you'll do fine :wink:

I'll try to stick to that then!! :smile:

better start practising writing essays soon:\

Reply 12

Zaryab.

Original post by Aliyah_rose

Christmas holidays are here and it's the time for relaxation :smile:

but AS level mocks are coming up in January and i really want good grades because in my school, whatever you get for the mocks determine your new predicted grades.

At the moment, i am predicted 3 C's in English Literature, Psychology and Philosophy and Ethics and i really want to do well in my subjects to prove my teachers that i have what it takes to achieve higher than what they "think" i will get.

Long story short- i've always been an average grade student when i was younger and when i got higher GCSE grades than predicted, i was ecstatic :h:

and believe i can do it again for my AS levels.

I have made a revision timetable to help me plan my time revising my subjects on "get revising" but i have a feeling i will not stick to it :s-smilie:

I was wondering if anyone else is revising for the January mocks? If so, how many subjects would you recommend to revise each day? 1 for the whole day or switch it up between the 3 subjects? How many hours per subject each day? Also, if anyone is doing either English Literature, Psychology or Philosophy and Ethic i would very much appreciate if you could share what revision techniques you use and whether they are efficient for revision. I have yet to find a technique that will work well for me especially with English Literature :cool:

Lastly, does anyone have any revision/exam tips for these essay based subjects. I will very much appreciate it :colondollar:

and Merry Christmas to you all and have a happy New Year :biggrin:

Hey there!

I too am studying for the January mocks. Relevant to your timetable issue - I personally don't bother making a revision timetable because I know I will never follow it. This is due to me being dependent on my mood for studying. If I'm not in the mood to study, I'm not studying. Now note that you cannot apply that rule whenever it is time to study, but this rule has been passed down in my family - you can never learn or do something if you do not want to. So the solution for this would be to get motivated to study. Talk to your friends in college or fellow students that are studying the same subject as you and ask them if and how they're studying. Maybe you can arrange a study session with these particular friends, which would motivate you to study. Personally, when I actually get to the table to revise, I get my head down and deep into the books. I ensure that what I have read firmly enters my mind and I always recap before my breaks from studying. 1/2 hours minimum a day should be fine, as long as you are EFFECTIVELY studying (the information enters and stays in your mind).

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 13

iraaam

Original post by Aliyah_rose

Christmas holidays are here and it's the time for relaxation :smile:

but AS level mocks are coming up in January and i really want good grades because in my school, whatever you get for the mocks determine your new predicted grades.

At the moment, i am predicted 3 C's in English Literature, Psychology and Philosophy and Ethics and i really want to do well in my subjects to prove my teachers that i have what it takes to achieve higher than what they "think" i will get.

Long story short- i've always been an average grade student when i was younger and when i got higher GCSE grades than predicted, i was ecstatic :h:

and believe i can do it again for my AS levels.

I have made a revision timetable to help me plan my time revising my subjects on "get revising" but i have a feeling i will not stick to it :s-smilie:

I was wondering if anyone else is revising for the January mocks? If so, how many subjects would you recommend to revise each day? 1 for the whole day or switch it up between the 3 subjects? How many hours per subject each day? Also, if anyone is doing either English Literature, Psychology or Philosophy and Ethic i would very much appreciate if you could share what revision techniques you use and whether they are efficient for revision. I have yet to find a technique that will work well for me especially with English Literature :cool:

Lastly, does anyone have any revision/exam tips for these essay based subjects. I will very much appreciate it :colondollar:

and Merry Christmas to you all and have a happy New Year :biggrin:

Hi Aliyah,

For English Literature, I think mind-maps worked best for me, however, both my English teachers recommended a 'Quote book' in which you put all the relevant quotes regarding the question. So eg: Reputation & Respectability on A Doll's House, Mrs Warren's Profession & Jane Eyre, and colour code each prose or play (whatever method triggers your memory)

For Sociology I again used mind-maps and flashcards for each topic, eg: Education with Research Methods, say Social class, I would write important sociologists suggestions/view in one colour and sentence starters (for the essay questions) in another.

Regarding your revision timetable, I also used get revising, however I just couldn't stick to it! Instead I found writing up all the topics that I needed to cover within the holidays and then dividing the topics by the days I have, worked best. Also doing a checklist or to-do list the night before of the topics that i needed to cover the next day worked better for me. I spend usually 1H 30M or 2 Hours max on each topic, alternate between your subjects and remember to take 30 mins break..

Lastly, 2 or 3 weeks before your exam, do a lot of past papers!! I can not stress this enough. Start practicing essay based questions from the start, don't leave this to last minute.

I hope this helps somewhat and all the best in your upcoming exams!!

Iram

Reply 14

iraaam

Original post by an0thergirl

Hi, I am studying English lit and am struggling to revise for it too. How do you write an essay? We haven't been taught so I don't know how to structure it.��

Hi,

I found it also difficult to revise for English Lit, however try a mind-map for all your books, relate them back to the question, if not, try producing a 'Quote Book' of all your reading. Focus on the weightings which has the higher %, there's more marks to be gained from that particular AO

Also, with the essays ideally you should have been set essays every week, like I was (x5 pages handwritten) which should have helped you gain practice of what's expected in the essays.

If you're still struggling, do ask for help. All the best for your upcoming exams! You will do better than expected, just practice a past paper with the reading you've been studying in lessons :smile:

Iram

Reply 15

OP

Original post by iraaam

Hi,

I found it also difficult to revise for English Lit, however try a mind-map for all your books, relate them back to the question, if not, try producing a 'Quote Book' of all your reading. Focus on the weightings which has the higher %, there's more marks to be gained from that particular AO

Also, with the essays ideally you should have been set essays every week, like I was (x5 pages handwritten) which should have helped you gain practice of what's expected in the essays.

If you're still struggling, do ask for help. All the best for your upcoming exams! You will do better than expected, just practice a past paper with the reading you've been studying in lessons :smile:

Iram

Thank you Iram and i will definitely will do mind maps and ask for help if i am struggling. Have a fab Christmas and New Year! :colondollar:

Reply 16

Zaryab.

Original post by Aliyah_rose

Thank you very much Zaryab! The group studying is a great idea. I really wanted to go to the library for this holiday however, all the libraries are closed due to Christmas :frown:

and you are definitely right that you need to be motivated to study or it won't happen. Have a great Christmas and a happy new year!

Haha, you too bud! :smile:

Reply 17

OP