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GCSE revision

Hi, I’m really struggling with sorting out how to revise for my GCSEs and I know they’re so close now, 3-4 months and I just really don’t know how to revise or create an effective revision timetable, any advice would be appreciated, thank you
Reply 1
I set mine up in 3 20 minute sessions a day to start with then gradually increased to 30 minutes a day on a weekday. on weekends I used to do a past paper in a subject I was struggling on. I did this from around this time and came out with 4A*'s and 5A's

you can do it!

hope this helps and good luck
For a revision timetable think weekly. block out your day into hours. block out your current time commitments (school, sleep, any clubs or extra curricular you do), pop in 2-3 hours of revision a day based on subjects (ie. an hour of history and an hour geography on Monday,) For the weekends put in 6-7 hours per subject with breaks in between.
Rather than a revision timetable, however relaxed or realistic it may be, I found it much easier to make a grid with all the different topics in. For example for biology I had individual sections such as nerve synapses, genetic diseases, heart part names etc. I had 5 boxes after each topic, and blocked off some of the boxes in topics that I felt comfortable, for example if you have memorised the different nutrients plants need to grow and their individual functions, you may only need 2 more sessions. Once you have spent around 20 mins on a topic, scribble out one of its boxes and take a short break. Then have a look and see which topics have a lot of boxes that need filling, and work on those. Have them on your bedroom wall, trust me you will feel much better seeing how many 20 minute sessions you have put into the different subjects when it comes closer to the real exams and you feel as though you have gotten nowhere (everyone feels that way at some point haha).

As it is still quite early in the year, how about you make it your goal to try out as many different revision techniques as you can? Have a go at everything, for different topics, and when it comes to the next time you have tests, see which topics you knew the best and decide from that how to revise further.
Original post by Jdn0015
I set mine up in 3 20 minute sessions a day to start with then gradually increased to 30 minutes a day on a weekday. on weekends I used to do a past paper in a subject I was struggling on. I did this from around this time and came out with 4A*'s and 5A's

you can do it!

hope this helps and good luck


So I don’t need to think about doing about 3-4 hours of revision a day? I’m just a bit clueless to be honest, thank you for replying to my question
Original post by thefilmbuff
For a revision timetable think weekly. block out your day into hours. block out your current time commitments (school, sleep, any clubs or extra curricular you do), pop in 2-3 hours of revision a day based on subjects (ie. an hour of history and an hour geography on Monday,) For the weekends put in 6-7 hours per subject with breaks in between.


Thank you for replying to my question, 6-7 hours on a weekend seems like a lot? Not meaning to sound rude I’m just asking, I am very clueless about this to be honest
Original post by gingerbread10000
Rather than a revision timetable, however relaxed or realistic it may be, I found it much easier to make a grid with all the different topics in. For example for biology I had individual sections such as nerve synapses, genetic diseases, heart part names etc. I had 5 boxes after each topic, and blocked off some of the boxes in topics that I felt comfortable, for example if you have memorised the different nutrients plants need to grow and their individual functions, you may only need 2 more sessions. Once you have spent around 20 mins on a topic, scribble out one of its boxes and take a short break. Then have a look and see which topics have a lot of boxes that need filling, and work on those. Have them on your bedroom wall, trust me you will feel much better seeing how many 20 minute sessions you have put into the different subjects when it comes closer to the real exams and you feel as though you have gotten nowhere (everyone feels that way at some point haha).

As it is still quite early in the year, how about you make it your goal to try out as many different revision techniques as you can? Have a go at everything, for different topics, and when it comes to the next time you have tests, see which topics you knew the best and decide from that how to revise further.


Thank you for replying to my question. That’s a good idea about the revision techniques however there are so many topics for so many different subjects and I feel I might focus on say English and forget all about Science without realising
are you struggling with thinking of revision techniques??
Original post by clouddbubbles
are you struggling with thinking of revision techniques??


It’s not so much techniques as a case of what to revise when
Original post by starryeyedstudy
It’s not so much techniques as a case of what to revise when


ok cool, so i think what people have suggested above my comment are probably more relevant
Original post by starryeyedstudy
Thank you for replying to my question, 6-7 hours on a weekend seems like a lot? Not meaning to sound rude I’m just asking, I am very clueless about this to be honest


It might seem like a lot but when you consider that a school day is about 6 hours it's not asking too much especially this close to your GCSEs, Obviously you can build it up if it's too much to jump straight into that many hours.

If you did want to try to revise for 6-7 hours on weekends your time table might look something like this:

10:00 - 11:00: wake up, breakfast, get stuff together to revise etc

11:00 - 12:00 a past paper

Half Hour Break

12:30 - 1:30: look through paper again and mark it then go over problem areas from that specific paper.

1:30 - 2:30: Lunch/break

2:30-3:30: Revision for History

3:30- 5:00: Leisure activity (watching a film, going out with friends, swimming etc)

5:00- 6:00: Revision for a subject

6:00-7:00: Dinner/Break

7:00- 8:00: Revision for a subject

8:00-9:00: Revision for a subject

I know it might seem daunting but of course you would be building up to that point and of course breaks can be rearranged so that if you have plans for that day you can still fit everything in.

It also helps you to prepare for the stamina you need to concentrate in actual exam season when you might have several exams in a row with little to no breaks and of course a revision timetable is more of a goal than a rigid routine and should be treated as such you shouldn't worry if you can't make the hours work for you, you just have to find a schedule that works for you personally.

I followed a timetable similar to the example I've given for about a month and a half before exam season started, the months did I built up to that point adding an hour of revision every week. When I was in exam season the hours I spent revising actually dropped because I made sure that I prioritised self care to avoid getting too stressed out.

Obviously this is the method that worked for me and everyone has their own methods it's just a matter of finding yours.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by starryeyedstudy
Thank you for replying to my question. That’s a good idea about the revision techniques however there are so many topics for so many different subjects and I feel I might focus on say English and forget all about Science without realising


That's the idea of the revision grids, so that you can easily track how much you've done, and what to do next :smile:

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