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Any advice for passing your GCSEs when your not the smartest person?
Hi
Honestly you are smart, you just need to find what study techniques are right for you. I know that sounds so stereotypical of what all teachers say but it is so true. I'm dyslexic so I struggled with exams and coursework. Basically you need to find something which will help you revise. So for me, I used mind maps and cue cards to help me remember, oh and I also got my mum to discuss topics with me. (Btw she had no idea what I was saying on half the time). But that can be different for everyone, you might not like that. It's about strategy and putting effort in to revise.
Another technique I would say is helpful is going through past papers, seeing what the questions are like. Don't worry if you get the answers wrong, its all about trial and error and just seeing how much you know.

Hope this helps!
Olivia :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by olivia1payne
Hi
Honestly you are smart, you just need to find what study techniques are right for you. I know that sounds so stereotypical of what all teachers say but it is so true. I'm dyslexic so I struggled with exams and coursework. Basically you need to find something which will help you revise. So for me, I used mind maps and cue cards to help me remember, oh and I also got my mum to discuss topics with me. (Btw she had no idea what I was saying on half the time). But that can be different for everyone, you might not like that. It's about strategy and putting effort in to revise.
Another technique I would say is helpful is going through past papers, seeing what the questions are like. Don't worry if you get the answers wrong, its all about trial and error and just seeing how much you know.

Hope this helps!
Olivia :smile:

Hi Olivia I’ll try them techniques thank you so much !πŸ™πŸ˜Š
Original post by N478
Any advice for passing your GCSEs when your not the smartest person?


If you do not understand the class content, seek help from your teacher as soon as you can. They should be able to go more in-depth and explain concepts to you, or refer you to extra resources that makes things clearer.

Build up a solid understanding of your modules and review to make sure you understand. You can read online resources or revision guides to help summarise things.

Past papers will be your friend. They give you an idea of what type of questions are likely to come up on the real exam. Try to do as many as you can, ideally in mock exam conditions (timed, silence, no notes) and then compare your answers to the mark scheme. This will help identify your strengths and areas that need more improvement. For most exams, it isn't just knowing the content it is about how to apply it to answer the questions.
1. Make your notes as you go along, and take note of anything you don't understand when you're doing homework so that you can ask your teacher and understand before you have to revise for exams!

2. Keep simplistic notes... Limit your use of highlighter and try to keep to one colour of pen. Basically, you just want to make it as easy to read as possible.

3. If you're studying languages, try to listen to music in the language regularly as well as learning the vocab as you go along. There are complete vocab sets on memorise and Quizlet.

4. Don't be afraid to find a new way of understanding something... There was one physics topic that I just didn't understand until I read an A level explanation, and a biology topic that I found easier to learn through a podcast. Work out how you learn best, and utilise it.

5. Don't waste time... reading through notes passively and making revision posters often feels like hard work, but you take very little of the information in. You're also unlikely to look at the posters. It's better to spend 5 minutes writing down everything you remember about a sub topic, 30 mins using notes and textbooks to correct and add information to what you remembered, and another 5 minutes to see what you remember about the topic after revising it, than to spend 3 hours making a cool poster. Rest isn't a waste of time either, and it means that the revision you do will be of a higher quality.

6. You're cleverer than you think - it takes intelligence to plan ahead and to be willing to work hard. You'll be ok :smile:
Reply 5
Original post by redmeercat
1. Make your notes as you go along, and take note of anything you don't understand when you're doing homework so that you can ask your teacher and understand before you have to revise for exams!

2. Keep simplistic notes... Limit your use of highlighter and try to keep to one colour of pen. Basically, you just want to make it as easy to read as possible.

3. If you're studying languages, try to listen to music in the language regularly as well as learning the vocab as you go along. There are complete vocab sets on memorise and Quizlet.

4. Don't be afraid to find a new way of understanding something... There was one physics topic that I just didn't understand until I read an A level explanation, and a biology topic that I found easier to learn through a podcast. Work out how you learn best, and utilise it.

5. Don't waste time... reading through notes passively and making revision posters often feels like hard work, but you take very little of the information in. You're also unlikely to look at the posters. It's better to spend 5 minutes writing down everything you remember about a sub topic, 30 mins using notes and textbooks to correct and add information to what you remembered, and another 5 minutes to see what you remember about the topic after revising it, than to spend 3 hours making a cool poster. Rest isn't a waste of time either, and it means that the revision you do will be of a higher quality.

6. You're cleverer than you think - it takes intelligence to plan ahead and to be willing to work hard. You'll be ok :smile:

Thank you this gives me a better understanding of how to reviseπŸ™πŸ˜Š
Reply 6
Original post by cheesecakelove
If you do not understand the class content, seek help from your teacher as soon as you can. They should be able to go more in-depth and explain concepts to you, or refer you to extra resources that makes things clearer.

Build up a solid understanding of your modules and review to make sure you understand. You can read online resources or revision guides to help summarise things.

Past papers will be your friend. They give you an idea of what type of questions are likely to come up on the real exam. Try to do as many as you can, ideally in mock exam conditions (timed, silence, no notes) and then compare your answers to the mark scheme. This will help identify your strengths and areas that need more improvement. For most exams, it isn't just knowing the content it is about how to apply it to answer the questions.

Thank you πŸ™πŸ˜Š
Original post by N478
Thank you this gives me a better understanding of how to reviseπŸ™πŸ˜Š

No problem, if you have any GCSE questions, feel free to DM me:smile:

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