CGP vs TEXTBOOK GCSE/IGCSE

last week i went to the library and got some text books for science
when i went home and read them i hated it
i really think cgp is a miliiion times better it has all the notes you need and its so easy to understand
hope this helps

The textbook has everything you could possibly need to know for the exam (and a bit more). CGP books are less comprehensive and less detailed and so they both have their benefits, although if you’re aiming for grade 9s, i would suggest the textbook to peruse and make notes from.

The textbook has everything you could possibly need to know for the exam (and a bit more). CGP books are less comprehensive and less detailed and so they both have their benefits, although if you’re aiming for grade 9s, i would suggest the textbook to peruse and make notes from.

Hi, I did GCSEs last year and I used the CGP books over the other textbooks. They don't cover everything 100% in the detail you need (in my opinion), but the details that are missed are relatively small and easy to add in yourself into your own notes.

I made quizlets from the CGP guides, used seneca and mostly did a lot of practise questions - the packs off of physics and maths tutor and the AQA practise papers (my exam board). Freesciencelessons on youtube was also really useful. I did not do IGCSEs, and this was just my experience, but I hope this still helps!

Thanks!! Did you make any notes yourself or only CGP? Also, in terms of practice, did you do them as you learn or mostly during exam season? Do you think I can still do very well if I did loads of practice around 2 month before my exams even if I haven't done as many questions during the learning? Should I repeat papers? Another thing, (sorry for the questions), I was wondering when did you finish your resources (like flashcards) before exams and used them?

Thank you! By the way does this apply to all subjects or science in particular?

No problem, happy to help
-I made notes on CGP guides for the end of topic tests and then used the main textbooks and class notes for the topics that I really didn't get (mostly chemistry and physics). The Freesciencelessons on youtube were amazing in explaining the topics that I still did not understand 100% (sorry if I'm repeating myself a bit!). I cannot sit there and make flashcards though, so Quizlet was really useful in making a set quickly and the going into more interactive revision to consolidate knowledge.
-The topics that I hadn't made notes for in Yr 9/ early 10, I made notes for in Yr 11, so it was beneficial to revise. I did it mostly as I went, because for exam season I switched to Seneca.
-I started my main GCSE revision in January, but the revision questions mostly happened in March until the exams, so I'm sure it would be fine if it works for you. I also found the questions at the end of each page/topic in the CGP guides good as a quick form of revision and memory test, but without doing too much exam practise.
-I had done each paper about 3x before the exam becasue I wanted to practise the timings and making sure I could finish as well as the content and there are not very many papers available!
-I had probably finished all my resources in March/April, but I printed out the quizlets on the topics I was struggling with the night before and highlighted them as a 'fun' way to finish revision and consolidate knowledge. But even if you don't finish, seneca has the majority of the content and its interactive. So, the day before the exam, I would go through the contents of the paper on seneca (3-4 hrs) and then print out quizlets on topics I didn't understand/ do a mock exam paper just to reassure myself.
-Other really good resources were the pearson active learn (you need a school subscription to this though) and GCSE pod.

This is just my experience and I achieved good grades in triple science for doing this, but everyone's different and you should do what works for you. Feel free to PM me if you want a chat/ any more help or advice!

Woww thank you so muchhh! I really appreciate it and ohhh, when were you able to commit all the content into memory, especially for biology? As in how long before exams?

I don't think you really can commit all the content to memory and there isn't a specific point where you suddenly realise you know it all. But I think by Easter/ May half term for my second papers on each, I had a fair understanding of each thing. When you are in the exam hall and the question comes up, its really not about how much you know but your exam technique and how to answer the question, which is why, for me, practise papers were so important.

When you are going through questions and you have a good understanding of each topic and you get reasonable marks then you're probably good. I remember dreading certain topics because I still didn't understand them and revising in the line before the exam and in the exam hall, so there was never a point where I was 100% confident. But probably Easter is a good time to be topping up the memory as opposed to learning new things. Sorry for the long winded answer!

Thank you soooo much for the advicee!!! This has helped me a lott ：）