Here are my GCSE results: ask me anything

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Hi! I found GCSEs a long and stressful journey, and always found these types of threads really helpful. So feel free to ask me anything, and I'll do my absolute best to answer honestly and give you a clearer picture of how to prepare for and- most importantly- not panic about your GCSEs!
History: Edexcel: 9
Maths: Edexcel: 9
Textiles: Edexcel: 8
Biology: AQA: 9
Chemistry: AQA: 9
Physics: AQA: 9
Spanish: AQA: 8
English Language: AQA: 9
English Lit: AQA: 9
Drama: Eduqas: 6
RS: Edexcel: 9
Any questions, general or specific, welcome. Feel free to ask whatever!

WOW, those are pretty impressive results! Mind telling how you revise for science???

Reply 2

OP

Original post by User_09

WOW, those are pretty impressive results! Mind telling how you revise for science???

Hi! for sciences, I cannot recommend enough doing every past paper you can get your hands on over multiple times till you can ace them! these are all available very easily for free online, and if you want you can print them out for an even more realistic feel, though you don't need to. Additionally, what really helped me was the YouTube channel Freesciencelessons. There are playlists covering everything you need to know for aqa science at every level. I watched them and made notes on what I didn't understand, memorised the notes and followed that up with exam questions. teaching other people your notes is also a really good way of memorising them, as well as flashcards.

(edited 1 week ago)

Reply 3

User_09

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Hi! for sciences, I cannot recommend enough doing every past paper you can get your hands on over multiple times till you can ace them! these are all available very easily for free online, and if you want you can print them out for an even more realistic feel, though you don't need to. Additionally, what really helped me was the YouTube channel Freesciencelessons. There are playlists covering everything you need to know for aqa science at every level. I watched them and made notes on what I didn't understand, memorised the notes and followed that up with exam questions. teaching other people your notes is also a really good way of memorising them, as well as flashcards.

tysm, these are rlly helpful, especially teaching others ur notes!!!

Reply 4

User_09

also, how many hours did u spend revising, did u start revising from september???

Reply 5

Amber12100

8

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Hi! I found GCSEs a long and stressful journey, and always found these types of threads really helpful, and want to give others the reassurance and help I received! So feel free to ask me anything, and I'll do my absolute best to answer honestly and give you a clearer picture of how to prepare for and- most importantly- not panic about your GCSEs!
History: Edexcel: 9
Maths: Edexcel: 9
Textiles: Edexcel: 8
Biology: AQA: 9
Chemistry: AQA: 9
Physics: AQA: 9
Spanish: AQA: 8
English Language: AQA: 9
English Lit: AQA: 9
Drama: Eduqas: 6
RS: Edexcel: 9
Any questions, general or specific, welcome. Feel free to ask whatever!

Your results are amazing, any tips for English?

Reply 6

OP

Original post by User_09

tysm, these are rlly helpful, especially teaching others ur notes!!!

np!

Reply 7

OP

Original post by User_09

also, how many hours did u spend revising, did u start revising from september???

I would say that for some subjects I was able to motivate myself more than others, but overall my revision was not that structured. this is one of those 'do as I say not as I do' situations😅, and I think that's the case for a lot of gcse students, given its your first set of real exams and everyone makes mistakes. I will say I struggled to motivate myself to revise at home, and whilst I did do some, I threw myself into all the study opportunities my school had to offer- revision classes after school, going and finding teachers if I didn't understand a topic. I was lucky enough to go to a good school where these resources were available, but there are a couple of subjects I think could have fallen through the cracks if I wasn't careful. I think the most important thing I took away was that it truly is never too late to revise- I do not recommend leaving it till the last minute, but if you find yourself in that situation don't panic, don't give up and try your absolute hardest till the exam.

In terms of revising from September, this would definitely be beneficial but be careful to not overwork yourself and burn out. sleep is just as, if not more important than overdoing work!! I had a few friends that over-revised for mocks and struggled to motivate themselves for the real exams, so do be sure to avoid that. little and often is always the best kind of revision, but in the weeks leading up to the exams cramming is always going to be an important tool.

sorry for rambling, but to summarise:
1) little and often is the best way to revise
2) work hard, but know yourself and prioritise your health- this will benefit your results!
3) in a worst-case scenario, it is never too late to cram!
4) be proud of yourself and your hard work throughout the process- you will have your ups and downs, but that's normal and does not devalue your work. your results do not define you, and your best is all you can do. this stuff is hard- look after your mental health- your study will eventually pay off!

hope this helps!

Reply 8

HaRbo10

6

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Hi! I found GCSEs a long and stressful journey, and always found these types of threads really helpful, and want to give others the reassurance and help I received! So feel free to ask me anything, and I'll do my absolute best to answer honestly and give you a clearer picture of how to prepare for and- most importantly- not panic about your GCSEs!
History: Edexcel: 9
Maths: Edexcel: 9
Textiles: Edexcel: 8
Biology: AQA: 9
Chemistry: AQA: 9
Physics: AQA: 9
Spanish: AQA: 8
English Language: AQA: 9
English Lit: AQA: 9
Drama: Eduqas: 6
RS: Edexcel: 9
Any questions, general or specific, welcome. Feel free to ask whatever!

need tips for chem and physics pls

Reply 9

e2009

10

OMD SPANISH AQA 8 CONGRATS I NEEDED HELP how on earth do i revise for spanish my teacher gives us absolutely no advice??

Reply 10

annakxx

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Hi! I found GCSEs a long and stressful journey, and always found these types of threads really helpful, and want to give others the reassurance and help I received! So feel free to ask me anything, and I'll do my absolute best to answer honestly and give you a clearer picture of how to prepare for and- most importantly- not panic about your GCSEs!
History: Edexcel: 9
Maths: Edexcel: 9
Textiles: Edexcel: 8
Biology: AQA: 9
Chemistry: AQA: 9
Physics: AQA: 9
Spanish: AQA: 8
English Language: AQA: 9
English Lit: AQA: 9
Drama: Eduqas: 6
RS: Edexcel: 9
Any questions, general or specific, welcome. Feel free to ask whatever!

Omg congrats!!! do you have any tips for history and how to remember the people (in medicine specifically) and what they did? do u recommend notes, flashcards, or mindmaps?

Reply 11

OP

Original post by Amber12100

Your results are amazing, any tips for English?

Language, literature or both?

Reply 12

OP

Original post by HaRbo10

need tips for chem and physics pls

I recommend the YouTube channel Freesciencelessons. There are playlists covering everything you need to know for aqa science at every level, all worded clearly using exam terminology, so they're a really useful revision tool. Watched them all and make notes and flashcards, and memorise those. Then, follow that up with exam questions on those topics. make sure you do as many past papers and exam questions as you can get your hands on, they're all available for free online. teaching other people your notes or having a friend quit you on them is a really underrated way to memorise them!

Reply 13

OP

Original post by e2009

OMD SPANISH AQA 8 CONGRATS I NEEDED HELP how on earth do i revise for spanish my teacher gives us absolutely no advice??

Hi! Spanish was actually a subject I struggled a lot in, so I had to work really hard to get to my final grade. There are different ways of optimising revision for the different papers, do you struggle with any in particular or do you want advice for all of them?

(edited 1 week ago)

Reply 14

OP

Original post by annakxx

Omg congrats!!! do you have any tips for history and how to remember the people (in medicine specifically) and what they did? do u recommend notes, flashcards, or mindmaps?

For History, I used flashcards to learn and brain dumps to test my knowledge of CK. I don't think my school did the medicine unit, sorry! In terms of tips, be sure to time your papers right and focus your effort on the high mark questions. I sometimes tended to spend too long on the lower mark ones, and this would throw me off massively. Also, when you write your conclusions for the higher-mark essays, be sure to spend at least 3ish minutes on it as make a meaningful point to back up your final judgement, instead of only regurgitating your previous essay point you made in your paragraphs, though you will want to recap these in your conclusion. make sure to plan your longer questions very briefly before you begin to write them!

(edited 1 week ago)

Reply 15

Amber12100

8

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

Language, literature or both?

Both 😭

Reply 16

annakxx

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

For History, I used flashcards to learn and brain dumps to test my knowledge of CK. I don't think my school did the medicine unit, sorry! In terms of tips, be sure to time your papers right and focus your effort on the high mark questions. I sometimes tended to spend too long on the lower mark ones, and this would throw me off massively. Also, when you write your conclusions for the higher-mark essays, be sure to spend at least 3ish minutes on it as make a meaningful point to back up your final judgement, instead of only regurgitating your previous essay point you made in your paragraphs, though you will want to recap these in your conclusion. make sure to plan your longer questions very briefly before you begin to write them!

thank you queen!

Reply 17

HaRbo10

6

Original post by PerpetuallyWhere

I recommend the YouTube channel Freesciencelessons. There are playlists covering everything you need to know for aqa science at every level, all worded clearly using exam terminology, so they're a really useful revision tool. Watched them all and make notes and flashcards, and memorise those. Then, follow that up with exam questions on those topics. make sure you do as many past papers and exam questions as you can get your hands on, they're all available for free online. teaching other people your notes or having a friend quit you on them is a really underrated way to memorise them!

okay thank youuu

Reply 18

*LifeHappens*