Original post by LeGiggs
What tips would you give for someone just starting their GCSEs?
I wasn't very driven or successful in Year 9 and I have ground to make up so would appreciate help to make the most of Y10. Thanks
I wasn't very driven or successful in Year 9 and I have ground to make up so would appreciate help to make the most of Y10. Thanks
Hi, I've started year 10 recently and I understand it's quite difficult, but once you've established a good study system, it becomes easier.
During year 10, the best thing to start doing would be to make your resources. This can be in the form of one or two-page summaries of each topic, online or paper flashcards or even compiling different past paper questions from one topic and adding the mark scheme for it. It highly depends on the subject, because for me, I use two-page summaries for science, online flashcards for some aspects of english and for my gcse language and compiling different past paper/exam-based questions along with the mark scheme for geography.
In order to identify the best resource system for each subject, I recommend you first have a look at the specification from the exam board for that subject and using your exercise book from your lessons to see how much content you have and how much you will have to compile into a resource. For some subjects with a lot of content, it can help to make flashcards for them (as this forces you to simplify the info). Or for some subjects that require you to apply your learning, it's best to rely on your specification and past papers/exam-style questions to summarise what you need to know for each topic.
Don't worry if you don't find a great resource system, because you have plenty of time to explore and see what method works best for you! Another reason not to worry is mainly because the main way to ace your exams are by using past papers/exam-style questions so you can get an idea of the type of questions being asked and how to structure your response.
Here are some tips that are more specific to each subject:
Science:
- Use freesciencelessons and cognito yt channels to help you understand the content
- Make super concise notes (maximum an A4 page) for each topic (or just for topics that you don't understand well), this is a resource for you to refer back to when you're confused - use freesciencelessons and your exam board specification to help you do this
- Finally, practice! Use physics and maths tutor (pmt) and mme revise for free practice questions with mark scheme
- Make sure to revise practicals and know your equations, as these are common questions that pop up in an exam
Languages:
- Extend your learning outside of school by doing a language course, you can use duolingo or Rosetta stone (basically anything), because not only does this help consolidate your learning it also helps you learn more vocab and grammar which are essential for learning a language!
- Expand your learning to help fluency in your understanding by listening to podcasts or french music/ french versions of your favourite songs (if you're a music person), read french books or french versions of your favourite books (if you love reading) or watch french tv/movies or french versions of your favourite tv shows + movies (if you love entertainment)
- Use quizlet and make flashcards on topics that you are weak in, reviewing them once every week or two weeks really helped me for my gcse language
Maths:
- Use maths genie, gcse maths tutor (they have a website and youtube channel) and mme revise.
- Aim to practice consistently, because that's the best way you can move forward in maths.
- Don't get discouraged if you get a question wrong in a topic you are confident in, just copy down the steps from the mark scheme and learn from it - because every time you practice, you will get more and more confident in your maths, so keep going!
English:
- I highly recommend knowing context (what happened at the time the text was set e.g: victorian era), structure (the layout of the text), language (language techniques + how text was written), themes (main ideas in the text) and key quotes (quotes that you can zoom into, identify language techniques from and analyse)
- I recommend pmt, past papers + examiner reports from your exam board, seneca and glow up your grades is a great yt channel to use
I hope I helped and good luck for year 10!
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