just going into year 10, have to start studying for GCSEs , don't know what to do!

hey, I am just starting year 10, and my GCSE subjects are
physics
chemistry
biology
English lit
English language
spanish
computer science
religious studies
geography
maths
... I am worried because I feel like I am doing okay but I want to do better and do good for mocks.
I'm most desperate for computer science, triple science- i barely know anything :frown:

(

can I have some studying tips>
generally how many hours should I be studying??

Reply 1

m_ezi

hi! for triple science, i recommend freesciencelessons + cognito as they are really helpful and explain things in detail!
how i would revise is i would watch the video then use my whiteboard and blurt everything i learnt from the video ( if i didnt know much, i would watch it again and repeat until i knew)
but please! my advice is unless you have upcoming year 10 mocks or end of topic tests soon, theres no need to be studying 2+ hours everyday as you will be burnt out!

But honestly I recommend just studying 2 hours (max) a day if you have mocks.

the best revision technique that helped me in year 10 was topic questions, flashcard + blurting !!

so for biology + chemistry, i would do topic questions (which you can find from accesstuition + physics and maths tutor) , and mark the paper and questions i would get wrong, i would make flashcards for it , then after using them i would use my whiteboard or mirror and blurt out each flashcard, use a different colour for things i missed out, and repeat until i knew every flashcard off by heart!

i also recommend knowing your exam board for every subject so you can find your specification, which tells you what you need to know for your exams and what do you dont know , which you can eventually use as a checklist during your mocks ensuring you know everything required !

but as i said before, you only need to really start revising if you have mocks or end of topic tests, and i recommend studying 45m - 2h a day if you have them.

also a quick tip for science , a lot of your mocks or tests will be from past papers ( which u can find from physics and maths tutor and access tuition) , so i advise doing some ppqs ( if you can) as you will be seeing the same questions come up in your assessments!

i hoped this helped for triple science, let me know if you have any other questions!

Reply 2

m_ezi

Original post by m_ezi

hi! for triple science, i recommend freesciencelessons + cognito as they are really helpful and explain things in detail!
how i would revise is i would watch the video then use my whiteboard and blurt everything i learnt from the video ( if i didnt know much, i would watch it again and repeat until i knew)
but please! my advice is unless you have upcoming year 10 mocks or end of topic tests soon, theres no need to be studying 2+ hours everyday as you will be burnt out!
But honestly I recommend just studying 2 hours (max) a day if you have mocks.
the best revision technique that helped me in year 10 was topic questions, flashcard + blurting !!
so for biology + chemistry, i would do topic questions (which you can find from accesstuition + physics and maths tutor) , and mark the paper and questions i would get wrong, i would make flashcards for it , then after using them i would use my whiteboard or mirror and blurt out each flashcard, use a different colour for things i missed out, and repeat until i knew every flashcard off by heart!
i also recommend knowing your exam board for every subject so you can find your specification, which tells you what you need to know for your exams and what do you dont know , which you can eventually use as a checklist during your mocks ensuring you know everything required !
but as i said before, you only need to really start revising if you have mocks or end of topic tests, and i recommend studying 45m - 2h a day if you have them.
also a quick tip for science , a lot of your mocks or tests will be from past papers ( which u can find from physics and maths tutor and access tuition) , so i advise doing some ppqs ( if you can) as you will be seeing the same questions come up in your assessments!
i hoped this helped for triple science, let me know if you have any other questions!

i meant 30m- 2h a day by the way **

Reply 3

Mickey Mouse 1

Hey! I think the key thing for year 10 is to keep up with the work load and make sure you understand everything. Ask your teacher for help if you need it as you don’t want to get left behind if they go thru things too fast. For revising, you could try using textbooks like CGP books or websites like Seneca. To revise, I think doing past paper questions are really good and can help you in your mocks. I haven’t tried this yet but I’ve heard that keeping a notebook of past questions you got wrong with their answers is a good idea as it can stop you from making the same mistakes on something you are struggling with. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Reply 4

scar-the-queen

Original post by cbgirl1073

(
can I have some studying tips>
generally how many hours should I be studying??

if you're struggling with the programming side of computer science i found hackerrank good for practising! the best way to get better at programming is to practise! for the theory flash cards and past papers are great since it's basically just memorisation imo. i don't think there's a set number of hours you need to be studying but it is great if you can start making revision resources (e.g. flash cards) once you've finished a topic in class rather than waiting until right before mocks because that can be stressful! little and often is better than cramming right before mocks. good luck for year 10!

Reply 5

lopsyloo

English lit make mind maps . So if you do Macbeth do a mindmap for stave 1 and write points about key quotes, characters, ideas, themes ect. It really helps a lot, it was really the only way I revised and I got a 7 in my year 10 mock despite being predicted a 4. I recommend flash cards too as its what some of my friends did and they did really well too. You can find these on quizlet ☺️

Reply 6

relativq

if you have educake, spam questions there and for questions u get wrong look at the explanation or the relevant topic on their website (they got really good and concise guides).
go through seneca, its a bit tedious to go through the learning bit but the questions are good.
look through your tests and see what you got wrong and why (did you just not know? did you have a different understanding of it? was there an exceptional case?)

this is a hot take, and might contradict a lot of people (make what you will) but don't look at how long you revise. it essentially implying quantity over quality. revise however long you want, and look into continuous improvement of how you revise.
youll naturally revise at the optimum length of time given you have the energy and will, and when either runs out you should stop. you've revised enough when you can look at 90% of questions and immediately know the exact answer, or the rough guidelines for the correct answer. you don't need to have revised enough in 1 sitting.

for programming, stop watching youtube videos or reading books/blogs all the time, you don't code when you're doing either of those. its akin to how you don't learn to learn to drive by watching a youtube video (it helps, but it doesn't do the work).
pick a field you're interested in, examples including chat bots, websites, games, and work on a project. i developed my programming skills through coding discord bots a few years back. just said ill make a discord bot, looked up guides and tutorials to get me started and winged it. learned javascript on the way. when i got stuck id look up the problem and find solutions and continue adding stuff i wanted. some of the worst code i ever made, but it worked

this might sound unhelpful (i dont mean for it to) but you need to find your way of learning and revising. not everyone has the same brains, likes/dislikes, habits. so just go and try out all the methods everyone tells you, pick ones you like, keep doing them. you might find my advice might not work for you, if so then no problem. but you've gotta go out and find what methods you like. no rush, you're only in year 10. i didnt figure my likes out until like mid year 11.

i should also add, pay attention in class. i hated revising or studying outside lesson, so just paying attention really helped me to minimise how much i need to revise later. this might be difficult depending on who it is, but have a shot at it.

(edited 1 week ago)

Reply 7

multiple-learner

Original post by cbgirl1073

(
can I have some studying tips>
generally how many hours should I be studying??

As someone who is going to year 11 i believe overall you should try and revise now so you know how to when the time for mocks comes also to make flashcards,use resources like mr free science lessons and mr everything english as well as science websites like cognito.
Year 10 you may want to mess around but also make sure your revising so it doesnt become a burden and you have to stress about it
thank you

Reply 8

cbgirl1073

Original post by m_ezi

hi! for triple science, i recommend freesciencelessons + cognito as they are really helpful and explain things in detail!
how i would revise is i would watch the video then use my whiteboard and blurt everything i learnt from the video ( if i didnt know much, i would watch it again and repeat until i knew)
but please! my advice is unless you have upcoming year 10 mocks or end of topic tests soon, theres no need to be studying 2+ hours everyday as you will be burnt out!
But honestly I recommend just studying 2 hours (max) a day if you have mocks.
the best revision technique that helped me in year 10 was topic questions, flashcard + blurting !!
so for biology + chemistry, i would do topic questions (which you can find from accesstuition + physics and maths tutor) , and mark the paper and questions i would get wrong, i would make flashcards for it , then after using them i would use my whiteboard or mirror and blurt out each flashcard, use a different colour for things i missed out, and repeat until i knew every flashcard off by heart!
i also recommend knowing your exam board for every subject so you can find your specification, which tells you what you need to know for your exams and what do you dont know , which you can eventually use as a checklist during your mocks ensuring you know everything required !
but as i said before, you only need to really start revising if you have mocks or end of topic tests, and i recommend studying 45m - 2h a day if you have them.
also a quick tip for science , a lot of your mocks or tests will be from past papers ( which u can find from physics and maths tutor and access tuition) , so i advise doing some ppqs ( if you can) as you will be seeing the same questions come up in your assessments!
i hoped this helped for triple science, let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks so much!! That helps alot!

Reply 9

whywegottastudy

Original post by cbgirl1073

(
can I have some studying tips>
generally how many hours should I be studying??

for spanish - have a look at the videos on https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6o0h5mgHmGXN743kTPdhuVtMh9ljNqB6

Reply 10

Tramar

Original post by cbgirl1073

(
can I have some studying tips>
generally how many hours should I be studying??

Don't panick, you're super early and you seem very on top of your education, you'll make it.

In my opinion its not about the number of hours you put into revising, especially if you're burnt out, procrastinating or not learning the right things. It's all about practicing: the more you practice mock exams, the better grades you'll have and the more confident you'll be. It's a virtuous cycle.

It's good to start revising now and be consistent but without panicking.

Look for computer science and triple science Cognito is great, it's free, easy to learn and llightweight.
For other subjects: find an AI app that makes flashcards for you or go to Knowunity, they share a lot of great content there, super high quality.
As for the subjects with large essays like English, RS, History, Geography: Tilf website is the way to go imo. Use it to practice past mock exams questions and check the feedabck you get. Best is to do it with real time exam condition like literally set a timer and write the essay as if it's real exam then see your mark and work on it.