How should I revise for GCSEs 2020?

I'm currently in Y10 going into Y11 next year. My target grades are all 8s and these were my results in my Y10 mocks:
Art: 5
English Language: 6
English Lit: 8
French: 8
History: 8
Maths: 6
RS: 6
Biology: 7
Chemistry: 5
Physics: 5

For most of these exams I only studied the night before except for history and maths. I would really like to do well in Year 11 and I'm aware that many Year 11s wish they had started revision earlier. However, I have no clue how to start revising and how much time to spend revising. I want to start as soon as possible to avoid stress in Year 11, so I was wondering if anyone had any tips to help me prepare myself for Year 11?

Reply 1

username4542966

Throughout the year, use websites like Seneca just to refresh your memory, but only start proper revision like making big mindmaps or doing past papers closer to the time so that you don't burn out!

Reply 2

megan-louisew

I'm in a pretty similar position but honestly jus start making flash cards revision notes and mind maps now because the later you leave it to make them the less time you have to revise and start revising now but only do like 10 minutes a day and gradually work your way up but by the sounds of it your gonna do great!

Reply 3

amelierxse

Original post by drystar

Throughout the year, use websites like Seneca just to refresh your memory, but only start proper revision like making big mindmaps or doing past papers closer to the time so that you don't burn out!

thank you, i already use seneca so hopefully that will do me some good for Y11, i was thinking about when it was suitable to start doing past papers so thank you for the help ☺️☺️

Reply 4

amelierxse

Original post by megan-louisew

ayyyy, i’m assuming you’re kinda scared about starting Y11 too then? thank you for the tips, i’ve done a few sets of flashcards but not many so i think i’ll focus on making them, and i’m sure you’re going to do amazingly too! :smile:

))

Reply 5

megan-louisew

yeh pretty scary think I'm just at the point where all I'm gonna do is revise and do my best cuz that's all we can do really good luck!!

Original post by amelierxse

))

Reply 6

deaesthe

You should ideally start doing past papers 3 weeks before exams start, and going over your notes 12 weeks in advance (so february). Don't do what I did, which is revise really hard for like a month for the first two exams and not revise at all really for the other exams, because they came so quickly after the first two I couldn't catch up. I reallllllllllllyyy regret not doing revision, as I was supposed to, and hoping to get all 9s in my exams. I thought about doing revision the night before, and so did like half the nation, but you really don't understand how exhausted you get after exams until you do them, they're nothing like mocks. They're both mentally and physically draining, you really really really won't want to revise the night before, and then you end up not doing anything, trust me. Start using websites like Seneca, Quizlet, Memrise for French, things like that, just as a slow warm-up to the knowledge you need to know, and then start making things in January, to start going over them in the Feb/March. Start doing past papers in the middle of April, and aim to do about 5 on each subject overall, not per week. Use the first two to fill it in with knowledge from textbooks and revision guides, and untimed, and the next two as timed, closed book, leaving gaps to fill in with things you don't know and then do one the night before the exam to prepare yourself for what you're about to sit. Use GetRevising to build a timetable of revision, as they kinda do it in a way that makes sense (more about french the week leading up to it, more about re leading up to it, etc.). Ensure that you leave enough breathing and relax time too, at the start of y11 you'll hear a lot of tense statements about your future and things, but you shouldn't start at the start of y11, relax at the start, so you don't burn out (I burnt out). Leave time for socialising and hobbies in the weeks leading up to your exams, and don't stress too much about it, GCSEs don't really count for much at the end of it all. :smile:

Reply 7

Sinnoh

By paying attention in lessons, doing the homework, making a note of what you learn in each lesson and testing yourself regularly.

Reply 8

username4878650

Revise for topic tests, that info will stick with you! Focus on your worst subjects, even if you hate revising them... I didn't revise for English Lit because I despised it, but the exam didn't go so well. Instead, I revised for the subjects I was good at such as Maths, even though I would've got a good grade anyway. So you should do smart revision, and remember it's about the quality, not the quantity.