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How long does it take to see an improvement on GCSEs revision like how many grades can you jump with active and effective learning.

Reply 1

flowersinmyhair

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper

18

it depends on how quickly you learn and how effectively you revise - I can't give you a specific number and it is especially difficult as the grade boundaries are different every year

Reply 2

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by Student2346

How long does it take to see an improvement on GCSEs revision like how many grades can you jump with active and effective learning.

It depends on so many factors e.g.

•

What are the things that are holding you back?

•

Which are your stronger subjects?

•

Is your approach the only thing holding you back?

•

How do you fare in your weaker subjects?

•

What were the feedback you received in each subject?

•

How's your memory?

•

How much time do you have?

•

What are your strengths in terms of study skills?

I was mentoring an acquaintence and she was able to jumpt from 4 to a 6 in English after one week because of a specific techniques she was struggling with. I then have friends who required months to help get from a foundation to a higher tier paper in maths, because they were lacking in so many areas.

It will be difficult to say with a blanket answer since it would be very individual for everyone.

Having said that, I have seen people turn things around in a relatively short space of time e.g. 1-3 months. See the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEKC9pvrv_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgLh4RNQT9I

Unless I know more about your specific circumstances, it's difficult to say

Reply 3

username6103191

OP

3

Original post by MindMax2000

It depends on so many factors e.g.

•

What are the things that are holding you back?

•

Which are your stronger subjects?

•

Is your approach the only thing holding you back?

•

How do you fare in your weaker subjects?

•

What were the feedback you received in each subject?

•

How's your memory?

•

How much time do you have?

•

What are your strengths in terms of study skills?

I was mentoring an acquaintence and she was able to jumpt from 4 to a 6 in English after one week because of a specific techniques she was struggling with. I then have friends who required months to help get from a foundation to a higher tier paper in maths, because they were lacking in so many areas.

It will be difficult to say with a blanket answer since it would be very individual for everyone.

Having said that, I have seen people turn things around in a relatively short space of time e.g. 1-3 months. See the following:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEKC9pvrv_c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgLh4RNQT9I

Unless I know more about your specific circumstances, it's difficult to say

Well my strongest subject is science I can grasp the content pretty well but I struggle with essay based subjects such as English and history. My memory is pretty good but I make silly mistakes in exams. I have about a month and 3 weeks left. I like to do mind-maps and making sure my revision is active. Like I can’t think outside the box like me and my friend were comparing our English language answer for the mocks and like she had really good points which I was like how do you think of that. And I am a huge procrastinator btw.

Reply 4

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by Student2346

Well my strongest subject is science I can grasp the content pretty well but I struggle with essay based subjects such as English and history. My memory is pretty good but I make silly mistakes in exams. I have about a month and 3 weeks left. I like to do mind-maps and making sure my revision is active. Like I can’t think outside the box like me and my friend were comparing our English language answer for the mocks and like she had really good points which I was like how do you think of that. And I am a huge procrastinator btw.

For any subject that requires regurigation/straight memory exercise, consider picking active recall method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukLnPbIffxE
https://aliabdaal.com/activerecallstudytechnique/

Silly mistakes can be due to a number of things e.g.

•

Overly stressed

•

Felt rushed

•

Not aware enough

•

Huge oversights

I don't know the specifics of your situation, but the typical recommendations for resolving careless mistakes include:

•

Noting down the details of those mistakes and working through those solutions to find the actual answer

•

Redoing the questions with those mistakes/lessons in mind - note the improvements that you made

•

Do as many practice papers as you can under timed conditions - familiarity reduces the stress and anxiety

•

Meditation and learning about flow states of mind - both help with focus and clarity of mind

If thinking outside of the box is an issue and you seem to keep coming up with careless mistakes, then I would figure it's likely down to stress, Essay based subjects (as well as maths) require a sense of creativity, and you can't think creatively or clearly if you're too stressed.
With essays, there's an added complexity compared to STEM subjects because you don't just need to know the material but you would also need to express it appropriately. I'm not brilliant with essay based subjects but you can often get through them by being analytical.
When expressing your points, it's also important that you are able to develop your answer in sufficient depth as well as added critical thinking (what I consider to be the "so what?" factor). If you look at the mark schemes of non-English subjects, you would often see that some of the higher marks will require you to think critically about certain points. It can sometimes be helpful to draw diagrams in essay based answers so you can get your points across clearer (depending on the subject) as well as being a way to cut down the amount you need to write.
I would do as many past papers on essay questions and ask the teachers of those subjects to have a brief look at how they would mark the answers. What's important is to understand how the answer is marked as then you would understand what the examiners are looking for, how people marking the papers think, what consitutes a good answer, and then be able to interpret the cryptic mark schemes appropriately (I don't understand half of what is in some of these mark schemes for essay based subjects either). You might want to ask your teachers whether they are willing to do this.

It's also strategic to work on your weakest areas first, because that's where you will likely get the most improvement in marks. For example, if you just focus on improving on a 25 mark question where you got 20 marks already, you're not going to improve as much as say a 25 mark question where you have scored 5. The improvements are not linear; it's often one or 2 small things that would make the biggest difference in marks (I just can't tell you what they are without knowing more about the situation with specific subjects).

The other thing about procrastination is that it can sometimes be down to fear (anxiety -> stress). If this is the case, having a structured approach to improving your grades can sometimes help you kick the habit. If you can, getting a tutor for the specific subjects can be helpful.

With less than 2 months left, it's a good idea to pick your revision strategies and then stick with them. Switching things up a month before the exams isn't going to help that much.

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 5

OllyWilson

9

Original post by username6103191

How long does it take to see an improvement on GCSEs revision like how many grades can you jump with active and effective learning.

tbh, I've seen my friends jump from 5s to 9s. Which subjects are you interested in? For maths, I can share this https://edumentors.co.uk/blog/how-to-get-a-9-in-gcse-maths-in-less-than-2-months/

Just keep revising, don't lose motivation, plan everything ahead and you'll be fine. I would do this: I would choose some topics (most popular ones) in every subject and study them so that I can write them if they come up. This would decrease my anxiety and then I'll be able to revise more topics thoroughly. It's better to know 70% thoroughly than 100% but not being able to use that knowledge

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