Literature: I made booklets out of A3 paper with character summaries based off the plays and books I did, summarising how each character changes throughout, key quotes by/about them and then same with themes (I recommend Stacey Reay (sp.?) on youtube, she does really good analysis of characters and themes and also poetry) I recommend a structure called IFLIRT to base your paragraphs and ideas off, if you're stuck thinking of bits to focus on: Introduction, Form, Language, Imagery, Rhyme and Rhythm, Tone - always try to write about AT LEAST 2 per essay

Language: practice papers and questions, and make sure you really know what each question is looking for (use Mr Salles and Mr Bruff if you do AQA). I made summary sheets for each question on both papers, bullet pointing what I had to focus on for each of them (e.g. imagery, setting) & if you're a person that loves a good ol' structure like me(!) I recommend using PEEA point, evidence, explain (what the reader thinks), analyse (the writer's purpose) <== APPLICABLE TO LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Maths: literally just tonnes and tonnes of practice questions!! even just old specification papers, or I like mathsmadeeasy or mathsgenie for worksheets

The Sciences: FREESCIENCELESSONS.COM!!!! not everyone's cup of tea but I love him. I watched videos with the specification in front of me and wrote down only the very key points. Again, mathsmadeeasy has some non-examboard specific questions but they're very good for consolidating knowledge. Biology specifically is very vocab-based, so I recommend making flashcards / quizlet sets on certain questions as their mark schemes are CRAZY SPECIFIC. Also, make sure you know the required practicals, know the limitations and WHY you do everything

Geography: I made summary booklets and mind maps for each chapter of my textbook and then note cards for each case study and example. If you find geography difficult to remember (like me) I recommend mainly focusing on learning all the case studies, as the vast majority of marks are on them, and even the questions that aren't based around them, are strongly linked to them.

Religious Studies: ridiculous amount of mind maps - not focused on aesthetic, just scribbling down what you know and please make sure you have some VERSATILE QUOTES!! Didn't have the best teacher so my advice on this one isn't so great.

I didn't do French but I did German, and I seriously love Quizlet. I made so many sets and just quizzed myself daily on the bus on my phone!!

I didn't do computer science, sorry.

Goodness me that's a long rant, but I hope it's helpful and I'm down to give anymore advice or answer any questions :smile:

PS I recommend UnJaded Jade's youtube channel, check out her video on the technique 'Blurting'!

Reply 4

LucyMincePies

OP

10

Original post by mamasaywhatnow

Literature: I made booklets out of A3 paper with character summaries based off the plays and books I did, summarising how each character changes throughout, key quotes by/about them and then same with themes (I recommend Stacey Reay (sp.?) on youtube, she does really good analysis of characters and themes and also poetry) I recommend a structure called IFLIRT to base your paragraphs and ideas off, if you're stuck thinking of bits to focus on: Introduction, Form, Language, Imagery, Rhyme and Rhythm, Tone - always try to write about AT LEAST 2 per essay

Language: practice papers and questions, and make sure you really know what each question is looking for (use Mr Salles and Mr Bruff if you do AQA). I made summary sheets for each question on both papers, bullet pointing what I had to focus on for each of them (e.g. imagery, setting) & if you're a person that loves a good ol' structure like me(!) I recommend using PEEA point, evidence, explain (what the reader thinks), analyse (the writer's purpose) <== APPLICABLE TO LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Maths: literally just tonnes and tonnes of practice questions!! even just old specification papers, or I like mathsmadeeasy or mathsgenie for worksheets

The Sciences: FREESCIENCELESSONS.COM!!!! not everyone's cup of tea but I love him. I watched videos with the specification in front of me and wrote down only the very key points. Again, mathsmadeeasy has some non-examboard specific questions but they're very good for consolidating knowledge. Biology specifically is very vocab-based, so I recommend making flashcards / quizlet sets on certain questions as their mark schemes are CRAZY SPECIFIC. Also, make sure you know the required practicals, know the limitations and WHY you do everything

Geography: I made summary booklets and mind maps for each chapter of my textbook and then note cards for each case study and example. If you find geography difficult to remember (like me) I recommend mainly focusing on learning all the case studies, as the vast majority of marks are on them, and even the questions that aren't based around them, are strongly linked to them.

Religious Studies: ridiculous amount of mind maps - not focused on aesthetic, just scribbling down what you know and please make sure you have some VERSATILE QUOTES!! Didn't have the best teacher so my advice on this one isn't so great.

I didn't do French but I did German, and I seriously love Quizlet. I made so many sets and just quizzed myself daily on the bus on my phone!!

I didn't do computer science, sorry.

Goodness me that's a long rant, but I hope it's helpful and I'm down to give anymore advice or answer any questions :smile:

PS I recommend UnJaded Jade's youtube channel, check out her video on the technique 'Blurting'!

Thanks for the advice, I have a few questions If you don't mind me asking...
1) What grades did you get?
2) With literature( I do AQA) how miuch paragraphs wpuld you recommend for each question?
3) Do you think It's possible to jump 5 grades up within the few months left? ( Keeping in mind that I've really haven't done revison properly ever but willing to change).

Reply 5

Aurorae

14

You can definitely still be jumping up grades!!

With English Literature (I do Eduqas, so I’m studying Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas Carol, Lord of the Flies and poetry.) focus on the themes and quotes.

Make a mind map of how each key moment relates to a certain theme or character and include quotes! Write your response essay as if you’re having a conversation with the marker. If the question was ‘How does *writer* present *character* in *text*?’

(A Lord of the Flies example, but can be applied to any text.)

Eg: In this extract, we see a wilder and more “animalistic” side to the previously subdued and civilised boys. We see Jack acting as “Chief” to the. boys... (Etc etc.)

‘Pepper’ in your quotations! This helps a lot. As well as this, describe the language used - talk about how it affects YOU!

Eg: The writers use of emotive language in this scene displays the importance of the events, and makes a harder impact on the reader.

As for how many paragraphs: It depends on the amount of marks! If the question is 10 marks, you need to be including 8-10 points, so around that many paragraphs is okay. Make sure they’re detailed enough!

For language, tell the examiner WHAT is happening in the paper. This is more formulaic. Quote, explain, analyse. Past papers are really good helps.

Eg: ‘How does the writer present _____ as a bad place to live?’

We see that this place is “dismal” and “dingy”, giving us the impression of a worn down, broken place with little to offer. The gloomy language giving us a real sense of the hopeless environment.

This is the same concept: 5 marks? Make 5 points. Etc etc!

I seriously hoped this helps!! I can’t offer much advice on other subjects, apart from flashcards haha!! Good luck <3
(I get 9s in English Lit and Lang btw!)

Reply 6

mamasaywhatnow

9

Original post by LucyMincePies

Thanks for the advice, I have a few questions If you don't mind me asking...
1) What grades did you get?
2) With literature( I do AQA) how miuch paragraphs wpuld you recommend for each question?
3) Do you think It's possible to jump 5 grades up within the few months left? ( Keeping in mind that I've really haven't done revison properly ever but willing to change).

Sorry for the late reply!
1) I got seven 9s (English Lang, German, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, Business (A* but 100%)) and four 8s (English Lit, Drama, RS and Geography) :smile:

2) I did AQA as well! I think it really depends on the question, but in my exam for the Poetry Seen (anthology q) I wrote 3 comparative paragraphs (basically 6 - I wrote about one poem and then the comparison with the other in the same paragraph) but each comparison paragraph was around 3/4 of a page.

For the Unseen poetry, I would recommend 3 or 4 paragraphs depending on length and detail, basically as much (useful!) information you can pack into it as possible.

For Shakespeare, I think I wrote about 4 or 5 paragraphs, again around 3/4 of a page each - I tried to write about how the character/theme changes through the play, the significance of that, how it is shown in the scene given (2ish paragraphs on that), give context in every paragraph, and include THE WRITER'S PURPOSE!!!

Then for modern prose/ drama (mine was An Inspector Calls) I structured it very similarly to my Shakespeare essay, where I wrote about how the character/theme changes throughout & it's significance - NOTE: this will be a waste of time if you do not write about WHY it changes - does the writer want to portray a message??

3) Absolutely. Revision is about being effective, not the time you spend on it. You just need to make sure you're making your summary notes/sheets/booklets and quizzing yourself on quotes. TIP: learn short, versatile quotes, because the marks are for the APPLICATION of the quotes, not being able to memorise them.

I hope this helps!! I'll answer any more questions you have :smile:

x

Reply 7

M-Holloway

9

Original post by LucyMincePies

Hey
Please tell me what textbooks/resources you used for each subject. Thanks you. This will be very helpful.