GCSE revision help!
hey! i’m meg, and i’m currently a year 12 student studying music (eduqas), english lit (aqa) and religious studies (ocr). if anyone has any interest in taking these studies from gcse to a level, or need any assistance in their gcses, feel free to ask any questions! i’ll do my best to help xx
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
Reply 2
Original post
by megan_mc20hey! i’m meg, and i’m currently a year 12 student studying music (eduqas), english lit (aqa) and religious studies (ocr). if anyone has any interest in taking these studies from gcse to a level, or need any assistance in their gcses, feel free to ask any questions! i’ll do my best to help xx
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
hey! do you have any suggestions for how to revise for english lang, french and geography? thank you! xx
Reply 3
8
Original post
by farrell.ehey! do you have any suggestions for how to revise for english lang, french and geography? thank you! xx
personally, i revised french pretty much only using the answers to my speaking test that i wrote in class. they’re the most reliable sources available if they’ve been checked over by a class teacher! i’d recommend immersing yourself in french media too, and reading news articles etc to familiarise yourself with topics relevant to what you’ll be writing about, ie technology, global/social issues, education. i knew a couple of people that even changed the language on their phone so they had to use proper french grammar! i also like music, so listening to french music was a great way to revise too (i recommend the band juniore!)
geography i found the most difficult. i recommend just doing past paper after past paper, so that you fully understand the structure and kind of questions you’ll get on the papers. i think i ended up just going over the case studies, and making sure i know them inside out, as well as the specific places they will be assessed. this is very important, as not choosing the right examples where they’re needed will cost marks. i remember a lot of people in a mock on the food topic wrote about the makeuni project when we were supposed to talk about the IBIS project, and they all got 0! also, dont worry about paper 3!!! we were advised just to read over the prerelease once every couple of nights, so we knew it so so well when the time came.
for english language, i dropped the most marks not thinking about what i was writing for the section Bs, especially in paper one. fiction is by far my weakest point, so from the beginning i always wrote descriptions over narratives. i’d advise choosing one and really honing the skill of that one, rather than both of them. for the section As, be very sure of HOW to answer the questions, and that’s the bulk of the revision. language seems difficult to revise, but do not overthink it. think of a fun mnemonic or acronym to remember linguistic devices, something that’ll stick in your head, ie SQUID (statement, quotation, inference, development) to help answer questions. finally, be very sure on how to answer the paper 2 section B, and the differences between the forms of writing — remember to understand the distinction between an essay and an article, as well as the way you set out a letter. you will be marked for this.
this might be really general advice, so if you have any specific questions do let me know!! hope this helps xx
Reply 4
Original post
by megan_mc20personally, i revised french pretty much only using the answers to my speaking test that i wrote in class. they’re the most reliable sources available if they’ve been checked over by a class teacher! i’d recommend immersing yourself in french media too, and reading news articles etc to familiarise yourself with topics relevant to what you’ll be writing about, ie technology, global/social issues, education. i knew a couple of people that even changed the language on their phone so they had to use proper french grammar! i also like music, so listening to french music was a great way to revise too (i recommend the band juniore!)
geography i found the most difficult. i recommend just doing past paper after past paper, so that you fully understand the structure and kind of questions you’ll get on the papers. i think i ended up just going over the case studies, and making sure i know them inside out, as well as the specific places they will be assessed. this is very important, as not choosing the right examples where they’re needed will cost marks. i remember a lot of people in a mock on the food topic wrote about the makeuni project when we were supposed to talk about the IBIS project, and they all got 0! also, dont worry about paper 3!!! we were advised just to read over the prerelease once every couple of nights, so we knew it so so well when the time came.
for english language, i dropped the most marks not thinking about what i was writing for the section Bs, especially in paper one. fiction is by far my weakest point, so from the beginning i always wrote descriptions over narratives. i’d advise choosing one and really honing the skill of that one, rather than both of them. for the section As, be very sure of HOW to answer the questions, and that’s the bulk of the revision. language seems difficult to revise, but do not overthink it. think of a fun mnemonic or acronym to remember linguistic devices, something that’ll stick in your head, ie SQUID (statement, quotation, inference, development) to help answer questions. finally, be very sure on how to answer the paper 2 section B, and the differences between the forms of writing — remember to understand the distinction between an essay and an article, as well as the way you set out a letter. you will be marked for this.
this might be really general advice, so if you have any specific questions do let me know!! hope this helps xx
geography i found the most difficult. i recommend just doing past paper after past paper, so that you fully understand the structure and kind of questions you’ll get on the papers. i think i ended up just going over the case studies, and making sure i know them inside out, as well as the specific places they will be assessed. this is very important, as not choosing the right examples where they’re needed will cost marks. i remember a lot of people in a mock on the food topic wrote about the makeuni project when we were supposed to talk about the IBIS project, and they all got 0! also, dont worry about paper 3!!! we were advised just to read over the prerelease once every couple of nights, so we knew it so so well when the time came.
for english language, i dropped the most marks not thinking about what i was writing for the section Bs, especially in paper one. fiction is by far my weakest point, so from the beginning i always wrote descriptions over narratives. i’d advise choosing one and really honing the skill of that one, rather than both of them. for the section As, be very sure of HOW to answer the questions, and that’s the bulk of the revision. language seems difficult to revise, but do not overthink it. think of a fun mnemonic or acronym to remember linguistic devices, something that’ll stick in your head, ie SQUID (statement, quotation, inference, development) to help answer questions. finally, be very sure on how to answer the paper 2 section B, and the differences between the forms of writing — remember to understand the distinction between an essay and an article, as well as the way you set out a letter. you will be marked for this.
this might be really general advice, so if you have any specific questions do let me know!! hope this helps xx
i honestly had no idea where to start for any of these subjects, thank you so much!! xx
Reply 5
5
How did you attempt the unseen poetry in paper 2 of the English Literature paper? Did you have a set structure on the question like PEEL or anything in particular? (I do an inspector calls and Love and relationships) xx
Reply 6
8
Original post
by IFLYHow did you attempt the unseen poetry in paper 2 of the English Literature paper? Did you have a set structure on the question like PEEL or anything in particular? (I do an inspector calls and Love and relationships) xx
i did both of those too! i never really followed a set structure consciously, but i suppose the answers began with a commentary on the structure, and then working chronologically through the poems. spotting whether it’s a formulaic or free poem, as well as the rhyme scheme always helped me. what’s cool about unseen poetry is that you can do as much work as you want on it independently, because there’s so many great poems out there to practice annotating. i did a couple of them, even just after reading a random poem thinking about how i could answer it. i’ve mainly forgotten the structure of the questions haha but from what i remember at least one is very similar to a language question (maybe a question 2 on paper 1?), so you should overcomplicate things. my teacher did the least amount of work on the unseen poetry because it’s the least significant element in the exam, and said really after both of those other essays anything you can analyse in the time you leave yourself at the end is worth marks. she said the exam board does appreciate that you’ll be tired and totally not arsed about on the spot analysing completely new poems, so they’re generous with the marking and honestly you don’t have to show off your upscaled vocab or try and be clever about it. unseen is the easiest to pick marks up on basically. if you’re a student aiming for the highest grades then unseen will be your best friend because many people don’t even get onto it, or decide it’s pointless trying if they can only get a few things down. always try!!!! a couple marks is better than none. i’d say mainly memorise the structure, as you would with a language paper, and don’t stress about that side of things. focus your revision on the other elements, and remember that if you’re able to analyse the anthology poems, you’ll be able to understand the unseen
this was a bit of a word vomit so i hope this makes sense haha
Reply 7
Original post
by DerDracologeOriginal post
by megan_mc20hey! i’m meg, and i’m currently a year 12 student studying music (eduqas), english lit (aqa) and religious studies (ocr). if anyone has any interest in taking these studies from gcse to a level, or need any assistance in their gcses, feel free to ask any questions! i’ll do my best to help xx
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
my gcse results —
maths - 8 (aqa)
english lit - 9 (aqa)
english lang - 8 (aqa) — spoken endorsement - D
combined higher science - 8-8 (edexcel)
religious studies - 9 (eduqas)
geography - 8 (aqa)
french - 9 (aqa)
music - 9 (eduqas)
how did you revise for rs and for french listening?
Reply 8
8
Original post
by daisy.ch2thanks for the tag!
how did you revise for rs and for french listening?
how did you revise for rs and for french listening?
hi! french listening is a tricky one, but as i’ve said in previous posts i mainly listened to as much french media as possible, and practiced my speaking with real people. i am lucky enough to be in a household wherein my mum took a level french and a retained a lot of it, so even now i regularly have full conversations with her in french to practice. this helped me not just with speaking but listening too, especially for the sections of the paper that are dialogue based. i loved the fact that i could explore french music in my spare time, and i’d recommend juniore as a band to listen to!! it helps acclimatise you to the speed and intonation of native french speakers. try and listen to french radio too. revising per say for listening is super tricky because there’s a lot of unknown about the paper, and a bit of a roulette as to what you’ll be answering on the day, but as long as you’re constantly switched on during the lessons where you do some listening practice you’ll get good revision in there. also, remember that when you learn vocab you must learn the pronunciation as well as the spelling, as this will come in handy for the test. overall, listening is the hardest part of french gcse so don’t worry if at first it’s not up to the standard you want it to be, or if the marks are lower compared to the other tests. it just takes strategic practice!
re was one of my favourite subjects, and now i do it for my a level. i think in the same respect for english literature, learning your quotes will be the best thing. there’s a great podcast called philosophy bites that my teacher recommended for gcse, which i often visited and took notes on lectures. for eduqas, my exam board, we had a, b, c and d questions, and it was always engrained in me having gone to a catholic school how to approach these questions — they were heavy on re, but it paid off! make sure you know you’re key words inside out, ie the difference between inspiration and revelation (tripped a lot of us up), and engage in your environment; join in debates or look them up online (like the jubilee middle ground videos, i’ve always loved them), and if you consider everything from a more deep and thoughtful perspective then you can construct really good quality essays. my class regularly debated more relevant topics on the spec such as abortion and euthanasia, and those experiences really helped me to remember key arguments. finally, get comfortable reading. chat gpt wasn’t that massive until this year, so i didn’t use it at all for my gcses. we got great big booklets for each topic, and were expected to know all of it. it seems overwhelming, but try and break it down into more manageable chunks. for example, do a topic a week. little bits in each topic even. don’t overwhelm yourself with all this info, and if that does happen then the media suggestions like the podcast and videos are a great way to keep engaged in revision without pushing you to burnout.
don’t overwork yourself. you’ll be fine! let me know if you have any more specific questions, especially with re and french. i loved both topics at gcse! x
Reply 9
Original post
by megan_mc20hi! french listening is a tricky one, but as i’ve said in previous posts i mainly listened to as much french media as possible, and practiced my speaking with real people. i am lucky enough to be in a household wherein my mum took a level french and a retained a lot of it, so even now i regularly have full conversations with her in french to practice. this helped me not just with speaking but listening too, especially for the sections of the paper that are dialogue based. i loved the fact that i could explore french music in my spare time, and i’d recommend juniore as a band to listen to!! it helps acclimatise you to the speed and intonation of native french speakers. try and listen to french radio too. revising per say for listening is super tricky because there’s a lot of unknown about the paper, and a bit of a roulette as to what you’ll be answering on the day, but as long as you’re constantly switched on during the lessons where you do some listening practice you’ll get good revision in there. also, remember that when you learn vocab you must learn the pronunciation as well as the spelling, as this will come in handy for the test. overall, listening is the hardest part of french gcse so don’t worry if at first it’s not up to the standard you want it to be, or if the marks are lower compared to the other tests. it just takes strategic practice!
re was one of my favourite subjects, and now i do it for my a level. i think in the same respect for english literature, learning your quotes will be the best thing. there’s a great podcast called philosophy bites that my teacher recommended for gcse, which i often visited and took notes on lectures. for eduqas, my exam board, we had a, b, c and d questions, and it was always engrained in me having gone to a catholic school how to approach these questions — they were heavy on re, but it paid off! make sure you know you’re key words inside out, ie the difference between inspiration and revelation (tripped a lot of us up), and engage in your environment; join in debates or look them up online (like the jubilee middle ground videos, i’ve always loved them), and if you consider everything from a more deep and thoughtful perspective then you can construct really good quality essays. my class regularly debated more relevant topics on the spec such as abortion and euthanasia, and those experiences really helped me to remember key arguments. finally, get comfortable reading. chat gpt wasn’t that massive until this year, so i didn’t use it at all for my gcses. we got great big booklets for each topic, and were expected to know all of it. it seems overwhelming, but try and break it down into more manageable chunks. for example, do a topic a week. little bits in each topic even. don’t overwhelm yourself with all this info, and if that does happen then the media suggestions like the podcast and videos are a great way to keep engaged in revision without pushing you to burnout.
don’t overwork yourself. you’ll be fine! let me know if you have any more specific questions, especially with re and french. i loved both topics at gcse! x
re was one of my favourite subjects, and now i do it for my a level. i think in the same respect for english literature, learning your quotes will be the best thing. there’s a great podcast called philosophy bites that my teacher recommended for gcse, which i often visited and took notes on lectures. for eduqas, my exam board, we had a, b, c and d questions, and it was always engrained in me having gone to a catholic school how to approach these questions — they were heavy on re, but it paid off! make sure you know you’re key words inside out, ie the difference between inspiration and revelation (tripped a lot of us up), and engage in your environment; join in debates or look them up online (like the jubilee middle ground videos, i’ve always loved them), and if you consider everything from a more deep and thoughtful perspective then you can construct really good quality essays. my class regularly debated more relevant topics on the spec such as abortion and euthanasia, and those experiences really helped me to remember key arguments. finally, get comfortable reading. chat gpt wasn’t that massive until this year, so i didn’t use it at all for my gcses. we got great big booklets for each topic, and were expected to know all of it. it seems overwhelming, but try and break it down into more manageable chunks. for example, do a topic a week. little bits in each topic even. don’t overwhelm yourself with all this info, and if that does happen then the media suggestions like the podcast and videos are a great way to keep engaged in revision without pushing you to burnout.
don’t overwork yourself. you’ll be fine! let me know if you have any more specific questions, especially with re and french. i loved both topics at gcse! x
juniore sounds great i will check them out tysm!
jubilee videos are so good omg
also for the reading stuff what would you recommend, are there any specific books or is it just general articles?
thank you so much for all the help tho!
Reply 10
8
Original post
by daisy.ch2juniore sounds great i will check them out tysm!
jubilee videos are so good omg
also for the reading stuff what would you recommend, are there any specific books or is it just general articles?
thank you so much for all the help tho!
jubilee videos are so good omg
also for the reading stuff what would you recommend, are there any specific books or is it just general articles?
thank you so much for all the help tho!
i just pushed myself to find french news articles in general, but i also read le petit prince and harry potter in french!! they’re both great and if you’ve read either of them in english it’s a cool comparison xx
Reply 11
Original post
by megan_mc20i just pushed myself to find french news articles in general, but i also read le petit prince and harry potter in french!! they’re both great and if you’ve read either of them in english it’s a cool comparison xx
oh fair enough, thanks for the recs!
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