Any high-achievers willing to share revision techniques for GCSEs?
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
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This will also work for A-levels, but - important note! - this will work terribly at University, so bear that in mind if you do ever decide to go.
-Kao (Lancaster Maths & Stats Student Ambassador)
7s, 8s and 9s are amazing results, particularly for a y10 so be proud of yourself.
Here are some tips:
- don’t make flashcards later than March time, because as much as one might think an hour of making flashcards or reading them counts as sufficient revision, it doesn’t work as well as past papers because their isn’t enough active recall or attempting longer answer questions. I used flashcards the night before or week before an exam, getting my parents to quiz me on them. This I found very helpful (don’t try a past paper the night before you will find this stressful and tiring).
- Seneca and Quizlet I found an amazing alternative to hard copy flashcards (if you still like hard copy flashcards I recommend buying some from CGP). Seneca premium which you can pay for offers discord platform where uni student tutors can answer your questions within minutes, and also offers predicted papers which you can tailor to specific topics, Chatbot help, and re-answering questions you got wrong until you get them right. I really recommend these for English, science and history but not for maths (take the textbook and countless questions approach, maths is all about try and try again).
Overall I preferred past papers as my go to method, also topic-based questions I found on PMT
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I received 7s, 8s and 9s in my GCSEs this is how i did it.
Create a study timetable - aim for one/two subjects each day for minimum 5 hours. Weekends off.
To determine what you don't know - do topic tests, blurting a topic so anything you got incorrect or any information you missed out can be identified.
To learn content - read, write notes (if You have ALOT OF TIME), search for flashcards using websites such as anky, brainscape, quizlet. watch videos, ask your teacher for intervention classes to explain a topic, research, make mindmaps, make summary sheets.
To test content you just learnt - exam papers, topic tests, teaching friends and family then ask them what they just learnt.
EXTRA TIPS: wake up earlier before school to fit in an extra hour of revision,
I like to do 45mins on then 30mins break
websites
Mygcsepod
senaca
mygcse science
physicsandmathstutor
hope this helps xx
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi there,
Since you are already getting quite high grades, but wish to achieve all 9s, I would suggest spending your revision time effectively. There's no point going all out 5 hours all day, you have to space it out. I liked to space out 1 hour every day (this was about 5 months before exams) and really learn the knowledge, and not cram it. This meant that the information wouldn't be muddled up, and I used visual techniques. Since everyone says GCSEs aren't as hard as they seem, since A Levels are a lot harder and you need to work more, I just stuck to it and ended up getting 8 Grade 9s and 3 Grade 8s
So realistically, you will totally be able to achieve Grade 9s even if you do little but gradually consistent revision. Make sure that you do not get burnt out, my friend (one of the smartest girls in my class) started her revision very early and when it came to exam time, she felt overwhelmed and couldn't retain information. I remember she cried after her exams and achieved 1 Grade 6, 7 Grade 7s, and 3 Grade 8s. Hope that helps!This will also work for A-levels, but - important note! - this will work terribly at University, so bear that in mind if you do ever decide to go.
WOW! this is an amazing advice..I was having the same problem..Thanks a lot
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Yo i got all 8s n 9s i got my geo notes up if you want
https://www.stuvia.com/en-gb/doc/3617383/grade-9-aqa-geography-paper-1-detailed-notes-every-single-thing-you-need-to-know
In terms of revision techinques, blurting n visually writing out whatever concept youve just learnt, Flashcards work too but making your own is best cus the making process itself is heavy revision.
Maths specifically id say practise practise practise: Go on GCSE mathstutors's gcse maths playlist and do everyt singel vid. After doing a vid, go onto maths genie and maths upgrade find the topic that the vid you just did was on and do all the qs. Make a note of any rules or any harder qs into your flashcards. Do that on repeat, you should be done in about 200 days if you did a vid + qs for it in every week day. Weekends for revision + make use of your journey to and from school for flashcards and in general for all subjects. Do your hwk at lunch or break so you have your own time to get ahead at home + relaxin
Anyways hope you have a great day n get the grades you want xx
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hi, everyone else has given really good advice a lot of which I followed - I got eight 9s and a 7. One thing I didn't see mentioned was whenever I did a practice paper or exam questions, after I'd marked it. I would look at the math scheme and see exactly where I dropped the mark and made a flashcard on that. I often had trouble expressing what I meant in a concise way so I found this really helpful to remember key phrases.
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I got all A*s in my 14 gcse subjects (wjec so letter system not numbered). Are there any specific subjects you'd like tips for?
Hi, could you give tips for English. I'm not terrible but I'm not amazing either. I predict i'll get a 6, but am aiming for 8/9s in other subjects. How do I improve?
Thanks
Thanks
Literature or language?
both please
Literature:
I’m assuming you’re doing a novel of some sort, maybe some unseen poetry, maybe a play. I’ve used some examples from what I can remember from my gsce spec and books, so don’t get confused with the examples of characters/scenes they’re all just examples. If you need me to elaborate further let me know. I’ll post language tomorrow.
Quotes:
In literature essays quotes are your biggest allies, as long as you explain them and don’t ‘dump’ them. So that means instead of going ‘The author shows that the character is sad. This is shown by the quote “his eyes glistened, lips quivered, and he stared at his boots as if they were the most interesting thing in the world”.’ Made up quote, but a better way to structure it is ‘Character A is shown as upset, perhaps ashamed as he “stared at his boots”, implying that he feels too guilty to look the others in the eye. Furthermore the verb ‘quivered’ possibly shows how shocked he is at what has been said as he physically cannot control his anxiety over the matter.’
That’s not the best example but try and use that method of incorporating the quotes in, what does this suggest, what could the author mean?
For the book you’re studying have a bank of about 30 quotes. They don’t have to be long, they should be fairly short. For example with Lord of the flies I remember using quotes like ‘he’s queer, he’s funny’. Very short quote but describes how a character is isolated. Try and have about 3 quotes which are relevant to each theme and character. For example this quote ‘Ralph wept for the loss of innocence the darkness of man’s heart and the fall through the air of the once wise friend Piggy’. This is a longer quote but it connects to Ralph’s naivety, loss of innocence of the boys, good vs evil, piggy’s death, savagery takes over - all of these key themes and characters in the book. Try and find some golden quotes like that which you could use in almost any essay that comes up, and think about what this implies to you. For example that quote implies to me that Ralph hadn’t seen the severity their savagery had done until then, it implies that the author thinks that darkness is within us all being in our ‘heart’ even if we are children, it implies that often the most reasonable characters such as piggy suffer as we are not supposed to be civilised beings. This analysis is what they like.
Structure:
My go to structure for an essay is
•
Brief intro (sentence or two) and main opinion on the statement
•
Aim for 3-4 point paragraphs. For example if the essay was about Ralph as a leader 1) He holds the conch (symbol of authority and order). 2) He’s friends with Piggy and Jack - bringing everyone together. 3) He is reflective and tried to make a plan of action - the fire, keep civilisation in order. 4) He doesn’t bow down to Jack - violence and authority
•
IF it needs context weave it in. For example in point 4 I could weave in how Jack and Ralph represent Hitler and Churchill figures, themes of war from Cold War using oppression against each other, connect to Golding being a teacher son father and knowing how boys act (his essay).
•
Conclusion + bit of personal opinion
Poetry:
•
Similar structure when comparing very brief intro, 3-5 points, conclusion and personal response
•
I’d add analysis of the titles if you could at the beginning, and explain any key themes shown in both poems and use evidence
•
Analyse a lot but COMPARE AND CONTRAST. Don’t just say this has this and that has that. Say this uses ‘abcde…’ to imply that PTSD can make the father lonely and isolated but he still tries despite his moments of weakness to reach out to his son. Similarly in poem B in ‘fghijk…’ the father seems to be distant however perhaps because of … he is more closed off to his son, his ptsd trapping him in the past. Both of these show the isolation one can feel after ptsd but the poets convey the effects it has on families differently by showing the hope in one and the loss in the other.
Language
This is trickier as honestly it depends on your comprehension of the texts but these are my tips.
Coursework:
•
I had two assessed discussions - one an individual speech, another group discussion.
•
Prepare for these but don't make them scripted.
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Use ambitious vocabulary to sound more formal but don't overdo it.
•
Try your best in these as even though they're a small percentace they contribute.
•
If shy try and be confident, have good posture, CONTRIBUTE in group discussions. It's only 5-10 mins then I promise it's over.
Writing section:
•
For WJEC we have a writing section at the end where we had to write 1 or 2 pieces - I'm not sure if this is the same for everywhere else
•
If so - practise structure for forms! Make flashcards on every possible form. For example: Letter - I need two addresses, date, dear sir/madam, yours sincerely.
•
Make a small plan for two mins. For example a question essay on Can money buy happiness? My plan would be Intro debating both sides, point 1 money needed for luxuries, point 2 money needed for survival + cost of living means we need it, point 3 however experiences are best, point 4 materialistic ideas aren't everything like looking at celebrities so many are depressed even if they have all the money so proof money can't buy happiness, conclusion I believe we need money for basic needs and it can make us happy sometimes to splurge on ourselves however at the end of the day it isn't everything and happiness can be found in more meaningful things.
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Once you've jotted your above points on the side you can easily write the essays, the words comes naturally and you know where you're going.
Other questions:
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For example in WJEC there are two papers, one of them always had synthesis, one of them always had compare and contrast. Clearly then you needed to know how to do both!
•
If there is a definition question always think of it in the context of the text
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In analysing language pick up a good few key points/techniques and do the what how why technique. Depends on how many marks for the question. For example an 8 marker, you want to write at least 8 brief points
•
My teachers always said go for coverage in those sort of questions - pick out lots of different meaningful points, analyse deeply on a few.
In general for both:
•
PRACTISE PAPERS! If you're studying a book for lit, try different past essay questions. It gets to a point that they can't ask many new things, so if you've practised writing about a bit of everything then likelihood is a similar essay question will show up worded differently.
•
Read in general - improves your vocabulary
•
Time your past papers - there is a lot of writing, get it all in.
•
Ask your teachers what you struggle with.
•
PRACTISE PAPERS! If you're studying a book for lit, try different past essay questions. It gets to a point that they can't ask many new things, so if you've practised writing about a bit of everything then likelihood is a similar essay question will show up worded differently.
•
Read in general - improves your vocabulary
•
Time your past papers - there is a lot of writing, get it all in.
•
Ask your teachers what you struggle with.
Thank you, this is really helpful
Just finished Y10 and aiming for straight 9s by GCSEs in Y11. Currently, not really revising over summer. However, I'm trying to find a further branch of revision techniques. I passed my Y10 Mocks with 7s,8s and 9s, but still want to find more efficient techniques. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
I got all A*s in my 14 gcse subjects (wjec so letter system not numbered). Are there any specific subjects you'd like tips for?
Wow that’s incredible, obv idk if you do the same subjects but French (I do AQA) and Maths (I do Edexcel)
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