any advice for someone who hasn’t started revising yet?

year 13 has been quite tough for me due to some personal reasons, and i haven’t been on top of my revision since the beginning. i would like some advice/tips on what to do moving towards exams. i have been doing little bits of revision since the beginning of this month, but it hasn’t been enough at all. for reference, i do english literature, religious studies and sociology. i was predicted ABC, but would like to get AAB. could this be possible if i revised from now up until my exams?

Reply 1

Gravity0

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Original post by eviees

year 13 has been quite tough for me due to some personal reasons, and i haven’t been on top of my revision since the beginning. i would like some advice/tips on what to do moving towards exams. i have been doing little bits of revision since the beginning of this month, but it hasn’t been enough at all. for reference, i do english literature, religious studies and sociology. i was predicted ABC, but would like to get AAB. could this be possible if i revised from now up until my exams?

Definitely focus on writing techniques, especially with three essay and theoretical subjects.

I take English lit as well, and best to do is know your texts really well! Even watching movies (such as the thousands of hamlet movies if you study hamlet) is really good, especially if you go through the movie with the text in hand and read alongside (it helps a lot with being able to know where specific parts of the novel is if you have an open book exam, or just helps with revising key quotes).

For sociology and RE, I suggest revising key concepts or individuals, and applying key terms into your answer more. Sometimes at this stage it’s better to have a broad understanding instead of a focused one, as it’s much easier to link different concepts and ideas together. If you focus on the small details, you will either not get around to learning everything or forget earlier ideas a lot quicker.

Overall, best to help with revision is past paper questions! Don’t be disheartened if it takes you 3 minutes or 3 hours (I for sure take over a day to even start answering some questions) and remember that it is okay to look at the mark scheme and apply knowledge from there, but then use a different pen so you know what you wrote yourself and what you applied from mark schemes!

Good luck with revision!

Reply 2

Ambiguous Super

16

Original post by eviees

year 13 has been quite tough for me due to some personal reasons, and i haven’t been on top of my revision since the beginning. i would like some advice/tips on what to do moving towards exams. i have been doing little bits of revision since the beginning of this month, but it hasn’t been enough at all. for reference, i do english literature, religious studies and sociology. i was predicted ABC, but would like to get AAB. could this be possible if i revised from now up until my exams?

It's never too late to start revising. I revised the month or so before my exams and was able to score 3 A*s. It is totally possible, you just need the mindset and dedication to do well.

My best advice to you as someone who did Eng Lit & RS, and got A*s in both, is to focus on your exam technique. I'm sure you'll be familiar with the content of both of these subjects so it's best to dedicate your time towards past paper questions and going over the areas you struggle with. I would time myself doing essays and would score these against the mark schemes from the exam board. Where possible, I'd ask my teachers to check through my essays and they would score these as well for me and offer some feedback.

I'd recommend asking your teachers for examiner reports as these offer guidance on what ppl who score well consistently do throughout the exam paper. I got my teacher to print all these and I highlighted/underlined all the things that I could do to improve when writing my own responses.

I'd also recommend printing out every mark scheme for the exam papers that you are due to sit. It's a good idea to see what examiners are looking for and what you are being scored on. The mark schemes usually contain bullet points or a list of points for a specific question. These can be good for general revision and be a guide should you be asked a similar question in your examination.

I did AQA English Lit B & Eduqas A-level RS so if I could be any help with either of these, just let me know. I'm a tutor and mentor :smile:

Reply 3

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

7

Original post by eviees

year 13 has been quite tough for me due to some personal reasons, and i haven’t been on top of my revision since the beginning. i would like some advice/tips on what to do moving towards exams. i have been doing little bits of revision since the beginning of this month, but it hasn’t been enough at all. for reference, i do english literature, religious studies and sociology. i was predicted ABC, but would like to get AAB. could this be possible if i revised from now up until my exams?

Hi there!

I did English Literature at A-Level. My top tip would be to ensure you can find the quotes in the books you are given in the exam, this is not something you need to memorize however knowing their location will help you find them quicker in the exam. It's good to look over analysis of these quotes from the lenses of different themes.
As these subjects are essay based, look over essay writing tips and ensuring you can make your essays flow and keep to time. Try and practice from previous past papers and ask your teachers to mark them. These past papers make take a while, but it is worth it and the best way to practice. If you don't have the time - depending on how your school teaches - consider writing essay plans instead. From what I remember, the exams are three hours long (english lit). I was taught to spend 45 minutes on writing and 15 minutes on planning for each of the 3 essay questions. So, spend 15 minutes planning an essay and ask your teacher to check it. Planning for essays it crucial. After planning, set aside 45 minutes to write the essay and ask your teachers to check. This allows you to practice time management and also means you are practicing at least one exam question, rather than 3 - which stops you from feeling overwhelmed.

I hope this helps!

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

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