how much revision is sustainable for year 13?

9

i honestly have no idea how much i need to be studying in year 13, i had a rough year 12 so i need to be putting in a lot of effort in next year.
also im trying to go over year 12 content this summer but i know i wont finish it all so should i carry on revising year 12 content as well as year 13 content back in september.
i desperately need to get my grades up.
i'm thinking maybe aiming for 3/4 hours on school days and doing as much as i can on a weekend. i'm honestly not sure so if anyone thats just finished year 13 could tell me what their revision schedule looked like that would be great. i do bio, physics, maths so pretty heavy subjects

Reply 1

brainzistheword

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Study Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

22

Original post

by evsurfer

i honestly have no idea how much i need to be studying in year 13, i had a rough year 12 so i need to be putting in a lot of effort in next year.
also im trying to go over year 12 content this summer but i know i wont finish it all so should i carry on revising year 12 content as well as year 13 content back in september.
i desperately need to get my grades up.
i'm thinking maybe aiming for 3/4 hours on school days and doing as much as i can on a weekend. i'm honestly not sure so if anyone thats just finished year 13 could tell me what their revision schedule looked like that would be great. i do bio, physics, maths so pretty heavy subjects

In my opinion, the quality of the revision is more important than the hours. It's great to have an idea of what hours you can commit to it, but maybe take some time (if you haven't already!) to figure out what's worked and what hasn't in Year 12.

For example, did you set off with a plan of what you would study each time you set off revising or did you figure it out as you went along? Did you work methodically through a list of topics or did you prioritise your weaker areas first?

Things like that might help you plan your approach over summer so the time you do spend revising is more effective 🙂

Reply 2

EdgeHillStudent1

Official Rep

11

Original post

by evsurfer

i honestly have no idea how much i need to be studying in year 13, i had a rough year 12 so i need to be putting in a lot of effort in next year.
also im trying to go over year 12 content this summer but i know i wont finish it all so should i carry on revising year 12 content as well as year 13 content back in september.
i desperately need to get my grades up.
i'm thinking maybe aiming for 3/4 hours on school days and doing as much as i can on a weekend. i'm honestly not sure so if anyone thats just finished year 13 could tell me what their revision schedule looked like that would be great. i do bio, physics, maths so pretty heavy subjects

Hi @evsurfer ,

A levels can be very content heavy so it can seem like a lot of work!

It's important to make sure you review the content as you keep going. Focus on the topics you struggle with the most as you can improve a lot by figuring out the areas you are least confident in.

As you go into year 13, it's good practice to start going over exam technique. Use the past papers and practice questions as guide points to understand what might be on the exam papers.

I usually did about 2 hours of revision after sixth form when it got closer to the exams and a decent amount of time on Sunday. Although, it is important not to let yourself burn out - especially near the start of the year! Don't panic too much as you still have plenty of time to work on your content and exam technique. If you stay consistent throughout the year you can absolutely improve your grades and go into the exams confident.

Eloise
Second Year Psychology Student

Reply 3

UoNstudents

Official Rep

12

Original post

by evsurfer

i honestly have no idea how much i need to be studying in year 13, i had a rough year 12 so i need to be putting in a lot of effort in next year.
also im trying to go over year 12 content this summer but i know i wont finish it all so should i carry on revising year 12 content as well as year 13 content back in september.
i desperately need to get my grades up.
i'm thinking maybe aiming for 3/4 hours on school days and doing as much as i can on a weekend. i'm honestly not sure so if anyone thats just finished year 13 could tell me what their revision schedule looked like that would be great. i do bio, physics, maths so pretty heavy subjects

Hey @evsurfer
I totally get where you’re coming from—I had a rough Year 12 too, and going into Year 13 I knew I had to put in way more work to get the grades I wanted. I also did heavy subjects (biology, chemistry and physics) so I’ll share what actually worked for me.
1. Balancing Year 12 & Year 13 content I kept going over Year 12 stuff throughout Year 13 because the topics link so much. For example, when we did new physics topics, I’d go back and refresh the linked Year 12 ones. It stopped me forgetting the basics. Active recall (flashcards, blurting, loads of practice questions) was way more effective for me than just rereading notes.
2. How much I studied On school days I aimed for about 3–4 hours, but I split it into focused sessions—usually 1 hour per subject on rotation. Weekends were heavier: one day for catching up on that week’s lessons + Year 12 revision, the other for practice questions and past papers.
3. What made the biggest difference

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Starting exam-style questions early (even when I thought I “didn’t know enough” yet).

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Keeping a little list of topics I kept getting wrong and hitting them regularly.

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By Easter, I was doing mostly timed papers to get used to exam conditions.

Year 13 is a grind, but honestly, if you are consistent and don’t ignore Year 12 content, you can pull your grades up. I did, and I wish I’d started that system earlier.
And also dont forget to take break as you need (always quality > quantity) so that you dont burn out. Try to make the studying as enjoyable as you can and figure out what works for you 🙂

Good luck with studying!
Leena
-UoN rep

how much revision is sustainable for year 13?

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