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CGP books....are they any good?

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Reply 20

Asheeers

[QUOTE='[ I R I S ]']I don't like them.

Why? - You have to give a reason.

Reply 21

RightSaidJames

Asheeers

Why? - You have to give a reason.

Reply 22

FyreFight

For GCSE revision they're absolutely ideal - everything you need to pass the test in a concise, well laid out paperback. I wouldn't trust them for A-level though.

Reply 23

BlondeNorfolkGirl

I used them for 4 of my GCSE subjects and found them most helpful for English and English Lit, which were my weakest subjects. I didn't find the maths one as helpful as the English ones because the examples were over-complicated - much more complicated than any exam question I had!

Reply 24

Mrs Cullen

They annoyed me so much. The 'funny' jokes, the way they talk, and incessant bolding, underlining and font and colour changes drove me nuts. And those random cartoons they occasionally put in. I barely used mine.

Making your own revision notes is much more effective. Or buy a book that is specifically for your syllabus/course, not just a generic one.

Reply 25

x y z

I loved them when I was younger but the random jokes and cartoons just don't do it for me anymore. I prefer the Letts revision guides.

Reply 26

lilangel890

I don't think they are the best. At GCSE they aren't very good at all, they put in all these stupid comments which makes it confusing at time. I used to have an AS level biology book and it looked better than GCSE's but still a bit poo :P

Lonsdale books are fantastic though, IMO. Or one's that are specific for your board

Reply 27

Jooeee

I found them OK. At GCSE i think if you learnt them off by heart you could easily get A*'s in every subject. I didn't use them that much and certainly never did any "active" revision or their questions, simply cos i hate doing the questions during the exam and can't stand doing extra work lol, wether for my benefit or not.

Reply 28

Origami Bullets

I'm going to put in a vote for CGP books. Despite messing around all through Y11 Chemistry (along with the rest of my class, because we had a crap teacher), I started learning C2 and C3 five days before the exam, using the CGP book. I got an A :biggrin:

Reply 29

Echolife

Well I found them brilliant for GCSE but didn't use them as much for AS.

Reply 30

panjabiflower

used them with AS maths modules (c1 and s1) and got an A (1 weeks revision) - so they have got to be good!

Reply 31

LO :)

I used them at GCSE and they were great.

Reply 32

lil_miss_rapunzel

They can be a bit vague for some subjects, but when they're exam-board specific they are amazing IMO. I revised solely from them for my Science GCSEs and completely ignored my textbook/class notes, as did quite a few people in my year.

Not sure about A-levels...I'll probably just use them as a companion guide, because the textbook has more detail. I still love them though :biggrin:

Reply 33

funkiichiicka

Agree with above.

I definitely avoid them as the only revision source. I've learnt that textbooks are definitely the best and safest options. Saying that, I managed to get a C for Science GCSE from just CGP .. and trust me, that was way higher than my predicted grade

Reply 34

Beska

People don't understand the difference between a revision guide and a text book. Of course revision guides aren't in text-book detail. They are for .. revision.

Edit: Used 'em for GCSE, got A*'s. So far at AS, using 'em, top of my classes.

sucks -.0

They. Are. Great.

BUT it's opinion guys. For some they work; for others not. And even if you're an a* they work. They are helping me to achieve a* in my mocks although I think they should make WJEC ones. And WJEC PRACTICE PAPERS! That would be AWESOME. (Physics, Maths and English for me are WJEC.)

Reply 38

megz13

Original post by XAlonso

atrocious!
barely go into any detail (even the big ones)
will certainly not give you enough good material to get a grade a or even a grade b.
i had one for a level physics, but i still found my a levels textbook more detailed.

I've been having to do catch up for physics as we haven't had a teacher for most of this year (additional science) and our teacher is useless in general even when he is there, I've used my CGP book to revise the whole syllabus over the past week and half, today I did a mock exam, mocks are always easier anyway, but I got an A* so it is very much possible, but I guess it depends which book and how well you apply it. Also this is for GCSE so as the person I quoted said, they are probably not so good for A level, but I've found them fine for GCSE.

Reply 39

RichardPG

I think they're great for the sciences. They have got me an A* in both Core Science exams and an A* in the first Additional Science exam, hoping for the same next month! However, for the humanities I wouldn't recommend them. I bought the History one and there was no where near enough information in it for the exam so I have had to buy a guide endorsed by the exam board instead.