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GCSE urgent need of help!

Hi. So I recently just finished mocks and then went on Christmas break. I tried to get some revision done over Christmas break but couldn't (got that seasonal depression yk). It's Jan now and I'm gen panicking bc I'm so screwed. For context, I haven't properly revised before in my life tbh. These were my yr10 mock grades vs yr11 mock grades

YR10: (No revision at all)
Business - 6
Music - 3
Geography - 3
English language - 5
English lit - 4
Maths- 4
Combined science - 66
Health and social - D2

Yr11: (Revised a tiny bit only for geo, maths, music & science)
Business - 6
Music - 5
Geography - 5
English language - 5
English lit - 6
Maths - 5
Combined science - 65
Health and social - D2*

These were my grades with little to no revision so pretty decent. However I'm aiming for all 7s (I'd be fine with a 6 in maths). I have no revision resources except my save my exam subscription (which runs out next month), textbooks and secondhand materials from websites. My main focused subjects are English, maths and science.

I want to do A level chem, bio + computer science (they told me I could without IT or comp sci and I'm willing to learn over summer tho if not might change to smth else)

I'm creating a revision timetable which I can hopefully stick to and am planning to finish most of my content by late feb/early March and then move on to exam practice. However I have a loud house and rlly bad procrastination. I'm also doing mocks next month so kinda screwed

How do I revise for each subject and what do I do? Thx
(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 1

Original post
by inexperienced-un
Hi. So I recently just finished mocks and then went on Christmas break. I tried to get some revision done over Christmas break but couldn't (got that seasonal depression yk). It's Jan now and I'm gen panicking bc I'm so screwed. For context, I haven't properly revised before in my life tbh. These were my yr10 mock grades vs yr11 mock grades
YR10: (No revision at all)
Business - 6
Music - 3
Geography - 3
English language - 5
English lit - 4
Maths- 4
Combined science - 66
Health and social - D2
Yr11: (Revised a tiny bit only for geo, maths, music & science)
Business - 6
Music - 5
Geography - 5
English language - 5
English lit - 6
Maths - 5
Combined science - 65
Health and social - D2*
These were my grades with little to no revision so pretty decent. However I'm aiming for all 7s (I'd be fine with a 6 in maths). I have no revision resources except my save my exam subscription (which runs out next month), textbooks and secondhand materials from websites. My main focused subjects are English, maths and science.
I want to do A level chem, bio + computer science (they told me I could without IT or comp sci and I'm willing to learn over summer tho if not might change to smth else)
I'm creating a revision timetable which I can hopefully stick to and am planning to finish most of my content by late feb/early March and then move on to exam practice. However I have a loud house and rlly bad procrastination
How do I revise for each subject and what do I do? Thx


Those are solid mock grades, especially with little revision, and you definitely have the potential to achieve high-end grades in your actual GCSEs. I’d recommend doing some exam practice every day ( past papers, topic-based questions on PMT or MME, or even asking ChatGPT to test you on subjects and questions and give you modal answers, this is a great way to make sure you fully understand the content and can apply your knowledge to exam style questions, which is especially important for the sciences)
For maths, use ExamQ to practise exam-style questions on specific topics. To build a strong foundation, YouTube channels like First Class Maths are really helpful, and you can then consolidate your learning with some easier questions on Maths Genie.
For English, focus on practising writing under exam conditions. I personally found markme.ai particularly helpful it helped me go from a grade 5 throughout the year to just three marks off a grade 9 in my GCSEs.
Overall, make sure you know the content, but more importantly, that you know exactly how to apply it to exam-style questions. If you’d like, I also have some detailed GCSE English Literature and Science revision notes that I’d be happy to share. Also most importantly make sure to refer to the spec to see exactly what you need to know

Reply 2

Original post
by L4m1sa
Those are solid mock grades, especially with little revision, and you definitely have the potential to achieve high-end grades in your actual GCSEs. I’d recommend doing some exam practice every day ( past papers, topic-based questions on PMT or MME, or even asking ChatGPT to test you on subjects and questions and give you modal answers, this is a great way to make sure you fully understand the content and can apply your knowledge to exam style questions, which is especially important for the sciences)
For maths, use ExamQ to practise exam-style questions on specific topics. To build a strong foundation, YouTube channels like First Class Maths are really helpful, and you can then consolidate your learning with some easier questions on Maths Genie.
For English, focus on practising writing under exam conditions. I personally found markme.ai particularly helpful it helped me go from a grade 5 throughout the year to just three marks off a grade 9 in my GCSEs.
Overall, make sure you know the content, but more importantly, that you know exactly how to apply it to exam-style questions. If you’d like, I also have some detailed GCSE English Literature and Science revision notes that I’d be happy to share. Also most importantly make sure to refer to the spec to see exactly what you need to know
Thank you so much I’m trying to aim for 2 hrs every day maybe more if I can. With the time I have, would you prioritise content or exam practice more bc I feel like you can’t really do exam practice w/o content?

Reply 3

Original post
by inexperienced-un
Thank you so much I’m trying to aim for 2 hrs every day maybe more if I can. With the time I have, would you prioritise content or exam practice more bc I feel like you can’t really do exam practice w/o content?


I would start with exam practice for example a mock, or going over your previous mocks in order to identify areas that you are less confident in. Then do content revision, flashcards for example, and then specific questions in that area to check your progress. That’ll mean you are using your time most effectively!

Reply 4

I did my GCSEs years ago now but resources I used included Seneca Learning and the freesciencelessons youtube channel. I also used the GCP revision guides which are paid but you can get cheap second hand copies from world of books, vinted and even amazon, or my school and local library had a few copies.

Reply 5

Original post
by inexperienced-un
Thank you so much I’m trying to aim for 2 hrs every day maybe more if I can. With the time I have, would you prioritise content or exam practice more bc I feel like you can’t really do exam practice w/o content?


I would definitely prioritise exam questions but you have to make sure you know the content too, I’d advise you to do all the topic based questions for maths+ sciences and learn the mark scheme. All the best!

Reply 6

Original post
by grace2023
I did my GCSEs years ago now but resources I used included Seneca Learning and the freesciencelessons youtube channel. I also used the GCP revision guides which are paid but you can get cheap second hand copies from world of books, vinted and even amazon, or my school and local library had a few copies.
How did you use your cgp books? Because I’ve got all the ones I need for all my subjects I just don’t really know how to use them properly. Thx 🙏

Reply 7

Original post
by inexperienced-un
How did you use your cgp books? Because I’ve got all the ones I need for all my subjects I just don’t really know how to use them properly. Thx 🙏


I used them to make mind maps and flashcards, which I would then try and recreate from memory, as well as using the practice questions at the end of each topic. I probably used Seneca most though, especially for Science
Original post
by inexperienced-un
Hi. So I recently just finished mocks and then went on Christmas break. I tried to get some revision done over Christmas break but couldn't (got that seasonal depression yk). It's Jan now and I'm gen panicking bc I'm so screwed. For context, I haven't properly revised before in my life tbh. These were my yr10 mock grades vs yr11 mock grades

YR10: (No revision at all)
Business - 6
Music - 3
Geography - 3
English language - 5
English lit - 4
Maths- 4
Combined science - 66
Health and social - D2

Yr11: (Revised a tiny bit only for geo, maths, music & science)
Business - 6
Music - 5
Geography - 5
English language - 5
English lit - 6
Maths - 5
Combined science - 65
Health and social - D2*

These were my grades with little to no revision so pretty decent. However I'm aiming for all 7s (I'd be fine with a 6 in maths). I have no revision resources except my save my exam subscription (which runs out next month), textbooks and secondhand materials from websites. My main focused subjects are English, maths and science.

I want to do A level chem, bio + computer science (they told me I could without IT or comp sci and I'm willing to learn over summer tho if not might change to smth else)

I'm creating a revision timetable which I can hopefully stick to and am planning to finish most of my content by late feb/early March and then move on to exam practice. However I have a loud house and rlly bad procrastination. I'm also doing mocks next month so kinda screwed

How do I revise for each subject and what do I do? Thx


How are you getting on? Do you still need any help with your revision timetable? :smile:

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