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Any tips for each GCSE subjects?

I'm currently studying:
Maths
Further maths
Triple science
English
Geography
Computer science
French
Re
If you have tips for any subjects other than mine it would still be useful for others so please do share!

Reply 1

EdgeHillStudents

Official Rep

Original post by Rf_29

Hi @Rf_29,

Some overall advice is practice questions/papers these are an amazing way of highlighting your strengths and weaknesses, they also provide the opportunity to use everything you have learnt and ensure this can be used/worded in the correct manner within a paper.

There is also BBC Bitesize which could be useful for some practice questions as well I never used them for that for what I remember but the tools look rather useful.

Maths:
For me I found the best way for revising this was using MathsWatch to teach me the basics of things and provide some practice questions. The only way I saw improvement for my maths was through practicing as this highlighted areas I struggled with/concepts I didn't understand.

English:
For English Literature I found learning a couple of quotes from each poem and ones that could link well together helped and knowing some kind of key themes or techniques used in these quotes rather beneficial. For the books we read I would also choose a couple of quotes reflecting on the characters and any specific themes that occurred throughout. Then following this I would make essay plans for ideas/points I would want to address if I wrote this out as a proper.
Mr Bruff is also recommended on YouTube as well - I never used him so I can't say he was useful for me but I know others found him very useful and if I was aware on him I likely would have used that to support my revision.

For English Language I found practice papers the best and just looking up random photos to try and create some premise of a short story. I know trying to read is recommended to get an idea of different words you can use and get ideas for story lines.

Geography:
When I did this I remember using SENECA and we were fortunately provided a lot of resources by our teachers on all the topics and the info we needed to learn so I was able to revise from this and answer practice questions. I also found for the case studies if I was able to remember specific facts such as death toll, injury, cost to the country and the damage caused for each one and any really important takeaways from that case study rather useful.

Computer Science:
I found SENECA and practice questions rather useful at ensuring I understood everything properly. I used Isaac computer science for A-Level Computer Science and found it really useful for studying and the practice questions so I would definitely recommend this for GCSE you can just sign up to it as well for free.

French:
I found SENECA and practice papers useful. I never used Duolingo for some reason but I know this would have been super useful for learning new words and making sure I was using the correct tense of words as well.

Overall, I would recommend looking into what resources your high school have available as you can use these to your own benefit. For any subject you are specifically struggling with I would recommend speaking with your teacher and seeing what advice they may have for you.

Hope that helped, good luck in your GCSE's!

Rebecca
3rd Year Geoenvironmental Hazards Student

Thank you so much!

Original post by Rf_29

Thank you so much!

No problem!

Reply 4

KWad

I agree with most of what @EdgeHillStudents said, but I have a few things to add.

But first, just to restate what they said, past papers are probably the best thing you can do to improve. They should compose a major part of your revision scheme.

Further maths:
Past papers as before, but my personal favourite for this subject was 'first class maths' on YouTube. They teach you precisely what you need to know for the specification, and in the depth that you need to know it, in a very easy to understand way. I basically just binged their entire Further Maths series a few times and once before the actual exam, then walked out with 93%. Imo easier to revise for than normal Maths. The link to their full playlist on Further Maths is https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ6MxZJs9Ht9B4ZOxMQA8Qw4XQKOwae2q&feature=shared

English:
Just do loads of past paper questions and get your teacher to mark them and give feedback. Also-off heart as many quotes as possible. Don't get caught in the trap of "its not possible to revise for English". Yes, it is. And you won't get a 9 unless you do. As @EdgeHillStudents said, Mr Bruff is great (I for one did get the chance to look at his content before the exams and it was very useful).

Computing:
I understand people's revision styles are different so this varies, but in my experience Seneca is not as good as some of the resources I've seen and used. My main issue is that is basically just tells you the answer before it asks you to answer a question, which I don't think is a very good way of learning information. Maybe its just me though. In my experience, Isaac CompSci is pretty good, but I'd generally stick to past papers on this one.

Also, I don't know what your exam board is, but if you have AQA consider yourself lucky. The specification is basically just a checklist which is perfect for preparation. If you have OCR you can cry yourself to sleep before the exam.

French:
Duolingo is king. Cultivate a streak - It will do wonders for your writing and reading papers. Listening and speaking may require extra work though.

Generally:
Your teachers are the (second) best resource you have. Use them to mark papers, or check you have self-marked correctly, or to go over certain concepts again.

Good luck!

Reply 5

Qpd

Original post by KWad

I agree with most of what @EdgeHillStudents said, but I have a few things to add.
But first, just to restate what they said, past papers are probably the best thing you can do to improve. They should compose a major part of your revision scheme.
Further maths:
Past papers as before, but my personal favourite for this subject was 'first class maths' on YouTube. They teach you precisely what you need to know for the specification, and in the depth that you need to know it, in a very easy to understand way. I basically just binged their entire Further Maths series a few times and once before the actual exam, then walked out with 93%. Imo easier to revise for than normal Maths. The link to their full playlist on Further Maths is https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ6MxZJs9Ht9B4ZOxMQA8Qw4XQKOwae2q&feature=shared
English:
Just do loads of past paper questions and get your teacher to mark them and give feedback. Also-off heart as many quotes as possible. Don't get caught in the trap of "its not possible to revise for English". Yes, it is. And you won't get a 9 unless you do. As @EdgeHillStudents said, Mr Bruff is great (I for one did get the chance to look at his content before the exams and it was very useful).
Computing:
I understand people's revision styles are different so this varies, but in my experience Seneca is not as good as some of the resources I've seen and used. My main issue is that is basically just tells you the answer before it asks you to answer a question, which I don't think is a very good way of learning information. Maybe its just me though. In my experience, Isaac CompSci is pretty good, but I'd generally stick to past papers on this one.
Also, I don't know what your exam board is, but if you have AQA consider yourself lucky. The specification is basically just a checklist which is perfect for preparation. If you have OCR you can cry yourself to sleep before the exam.
French:
Duolingo is king. Cultivate a streak - It will do wonders for your writing and reading papers. Listening and speaking may require extra work though.
Generally:
Your teachers are the (second) best resource you have. Use them to mark papers, or check you have self-marked correctly, or to go over certain concepts again.
Good luck!

Thanks for the help! What made the ocr computer science paper 2 so hard??? 😭

Reply 6

KWad

Original post by Qpd

Thanks for the help! What made the ocr computer science paper 2 so hard??? 😭

I don't actually know for sure since my board was AQA for GCSE, but from what I heard there was some stuff on there which wasn't even on the specification and which lots of people had never learned. This is why AQA is so much better - they tell you precisely what you need to know, nothing more or less - whereas OCR is very vague and unspecific (I'm doing OCR for A-Level Compsci so wish me luck 😭)

Reply 7

rysua

Original post by Rf_29

Pleasee do loads of past paper questions for geography under time conditions. If you memorized the content well you'll realize you have alot to write, but not enough time. I only really had issues with time management for geography. Flashcards are amazing for geography, and make sure you have your case studies written up on a mindmap, from memory. You'll be fine then.

For triple science, have a list of all the topics on excel and RAG them. Focus on topics you find the hardest, and practise loads of past paper questions. I wouldn't waste my time copying notes and making flashcards, but if it'll help to stick into your long term memory then go for it. Loads of the questions are application style, and as someone who was 998, 3 marks away from a 9 in chem, please make sure you read all questions carefully and understand how to draw tangents, interpret graphs and convert units correctly. Practical terminology e.g precision, accuracy, uncertainty always catch students out as well.

Use this time to focus on your weakest subjects and trust you'll be fine during your exams. No matter what happens, you'll know you did your best. Don't waste time at the end of the exam talking about what was on the paper, or looking at exam paper forums on this site, move on and before you know it it'll be over and you'll have an extended summer to enjoy!