AS History Revision Tips

ah I'm doing Italy too!
what I'm doing, and I'm aiming for an A, is I made my notes like a month in advance to easter, so they are all done..
I used different textbooks and worksheets. Now I have the 2 week holiday to learn it inside it..
If you havn't made notes then just read through the book and for each section quickly jot down some notes, and go over it a few times.
after you go through, let's say, the Acerbo Law 1923, repeat some facts and when you finish the topic, do an essay on it
then you basically remember everything you learned, and give it to your teacher to mark

Reply 2

OP

Original post by ohmars

ah I'm doing Italy too!
what I'm doing, and I'm aiming for an A, is I made my notes like a month in advance to easter, so they are all done..
I used different textbooks and worksheets. Now I have the 2 week holiday to learn it inside it..
If you havn't made notes then just read through the book and for each section quickly jot down some notes, and go over it a few times.
after you go through, let's say, the Acerbo Law 1923, repeat some facts and when you finish the topic, do an essay on it
then you basically remember everything you learned, and give it to your teacher to mark

ah thanks thats really helpful, at the moment the amount of content we have to learn seems daunting :frown:

how did you go about compressing it into notes ?

Reply 3

Hey, I'm doing Irish History too and I know exactly what you mean, the amount of content is daunting. To revise for Ireland I am doing a lot of different things, I read through my class notes and make flash cards/mind maps on key areas. That's more or less the bare minimum you should do, but you definitely do a lot more if you are aiming at an B/A.

Outside reading is a great way to learn the course, I'm revising from a book called 'The Green Flag' by Robert Kee, which is fantastic as it covers Irish History right up until the end of the course in 1922.

If you aren't an avid reader, then documentaries are a great way to revise too, 'The Story of Ireland' is a great little series to watch. The course starts from around ep3 up to halfway through ep5 and it is genuinely interesting.

Overall, just read through your class notes and do lots of activities to help you remember it, then do a bit of outside revision as well every night, even if it means hopping on wikipedia for 20 minutes, it's better than nothing. AND try to genuinely be interested in the course! I thought the course was boring and dry up until the later years with Collins and De Valera, my interest grew from there and I started to enjoy revising the earlier Parnell/Gladstone years. Good luck!

(The only thing I need help on is actually learning how to answer the exam questions :P )

Reply 4

Ninjabutterfly

8

I'm currently revising for a different module HIS1H - Tsarist Russia. I'm presuming the revision 'technique' would remain the same.

I would go onto the exam board website and go over ALL their exam papers. I would write out the question and a summary of what they want your answer to be about. For example:

Why did the defeat in the Crimean War lead to reform under Alexander II?
He was convinced that reforms were necessary in order to revive Russia.
The Military was outdated and inefficient. This prompted reforms that altered the basis of conscription which made the army better trained and more efficient. Etc Etc.

I would also recommend looking at how the exam board wants you to answer a question. For example, in terms of factors that affected a certain topic i.e. factors that the Duma's were effective in restoring the autocracy and factors against it. It really depends on your subject, but I'm sure you get the point?

Other than that I'd advise reading over your subject book over and over again. If that doesn't appeal to you either highlight key concepts or write out key notes from your book that you can learn from.

Reply 5

natasha_wallis

Is anyone doing the Cold War for A/S History? ( If so - help! :/ )

Reply 6

Original post by natasha_wallis

Is anyone doing the Cold War for A/S History? ( If so - help! :/ )

US in Asia from 1950-1972? I can help with that :smile:

The edexcel revision guide is your best friend, unlike some of the other guides I felt this one is really well written and includes all the info you need to know. Go through the basic measures like mind maps and past papers, making more notes and you read through the guide.

As for revision from outside sources, you can find a ton of documentaries on both Korea and Vietnam, 'Vietnam: American Holocaust' is a really good one, as well as the series 'Vietnam in HD', (sorry no link, easy to find the episodes on youtube though). 'Korea: The Forgotten War' is a good documentary on Korea.
As for good books to read (other than your revision guide!), I recommended 'Cold War' by Jeremy Isaacs and Taylor Downing, it includes plenty on Korea and Vietnam as well as the rest of the Cold War, which is useful if your looking to expand your knowledge on the area as a whole.

There are hundreds of other books and documentaries out there, so keep searching if you want more! If you need anymore help just say so, or PM me if you have any troubles :smile:

Reply 7

OP

Original post by JollyEnglishman

Hey, I'm doing Irish History too and I know exactly what you mean, the amount of content is daunting. To revise for Ireland I am doing a lot of different things, I read through my class notes and make flash cards/mind maps on key areas. That's more or less the bare minimum you should do, but you definitely do a lot more if you are aiming at an B/A.

Outside reading is a great way to learn the course, I'm revising from a book called 'The Green Flag' by Robert Kee, which is fantastic as it covers Irish History right up until the end of the course in 1922.

If you aren't an avid reader, then documentaries are a great way to revise too, 'The Story of Ireland' is a great little series to watch. The course starts from around ep3 up to halfway through ep5 and it is genuinely interesting.

Overall, just read through your class notes and do lots of activities to help you remember it, then do a bit of outside revision as well every night, even if it means hopping on wikipedia for 20 minutes, it's better than nothing. AND try to genuinely be interested in the course! I thought the course was boring and dry up until the later years with Collins and De Valera, my interest grew from there and I started to enjoy revising the earlier Parnell/Gladstone years. Good luck!

(The only thing I need help on is actually learning how to answer the exam questions :P )

thanks thats great advice :biggrin:

also you have probably noticed that the course essentially starts at 1867, is it therefore worth revising much prior to 1867 ?

Reply 8

Original post by BC95

thanks thats great advice :biggrin:

also you have probably noticed that the course essentially starts at 1867, is it therefore worth revising much prior to 1867 ?

I've yet to actually sit the exam myself lol but if you can fit it in with your other revision it can definitely help you understand the course better. The main points you should look at are the various rebellions and the people behind them (United Irishmen, Young Ireland etc.), the famine, Daniel O'Connell and the Catholic Emancipation and the Fenian Movement. They aren't essential to the course but if you get a question on the earlier years with Parnell and Gladstone, earlier knowledge can prove to the examiner you have a deep understanding of the course. I wouldn't go any further back than the 1798 Rebellion under Wolfe Tone as then you are essentially looking at a completely different era.

The 'Access to History: Great Britain and the Irish Question' revision guide is great for revising the course and history before the course as it starts at the 1798 rebellion and ends in 1921, as well as having a useful study guide at the back which helps you answer exam questions and a glossary in case you don't understand some of the terms in the course :smile:

It's rather cheap and handy and can be found on most online book stores, I bought mine from Amazon.

Reply 9

OP

Original post by JollyEnglishman

I've yet to actually sit the exam myself lol but if you can fit it in with your other revision it can definitely help you understand the course better. The main points you should look at are the various rebellions and the people behind them (United Irishmen, Young Ireland etc.), the famine, Daniel O'Connell and the Catholic Emancipation and the Fenian Movement. They aren't essential to the course but if you get a question on the earlier years with Parnell and Gladstone, earlier knowledge can prove to the examiner you have a deep understanding of the course. I wouldn't go any further back than the 1798 Rebellion under Wolfe Tone as then you are essentially looking at a completely different era.

The 'Access to History: Great Britain and the Irish Question' revision guide is great for revising the course and history before the course as it starts at the 1798 rebellion and ends in 1921, as well as having a useful study guide at the back which helps you answer exam questions and a glossary in case you don't understand some of the terms in the course :smile:

It's rather cheap and handy and can be found on most online book stores, I bought mine from Amazon.

Hey thanks this advice is really useful !! :smile:

so how have you gone about making revision notes, have you assessed Gladstone and Parnell individually or looked at certain years all at once, i'm intrigued to know how you have structured your notes ? :biggrin:

Reply 10

Original post by BC95

Hey thanks this advice is really useful !! :smile:

so how have you gone about making revision notes, have you assessed Gladstone and Parnell individually or looked at certain years all at once, i'm intrigued to know how you have structured your notes ? :biggrin:

I am planning on creating lots of flashcards and mind maps about key figures and events, I was thankful to have a tutor who gave us lots of handouts that are super easy to revise from but your best bet is to do something that involves physically writing facts and notes down, various studies show that people who write notes down instead of simply re-reading them remember them a lot easier :smile:

Creating one big timeline and sticking it on your bedroom wall is a good idea as you can read it whenever you get up or go to bed and over time the information just sticks in your brain :tongue:

Try to ask your tutor for some past papers also as Unit 2 is completely source based (if you do Edexcel like me :biggrin:

) and it can be tricky to understand where to earn your marks even if you know the knowledge. Good luck!

Reply 11

ohmars

Original post by BC95

ah thanks thats really helpful, at the moment the amount of content we have to learn seems daunting :frown:

how did you go about compressing it into notes ?

Tbh, I went through the same thing you are going through now. I was worried there was too much to learn and little time. But when you break it down and link it, it's not that much! Just compress them so you don't have unnecessary words, but facts and dates an like background info. When you go into writing an essay then you develop by using the book and the internet

Reply 12

OP