Friday 13 March 2015

Revision - Subjects, Advice & Exams

Hello everyone,

I have a extra blog post for you this week which is talking all about revision again! I know, but this week I have had mock exams all day and thought of sharing my techniques, organisation and subject advice through revision. We are currently revising towards out GCSEs which start in the middle of May up until June.

Organisation -

My top tip for organisation when it comes to revision is definitely is to organise your time efficiently, I do this in a revision timetable which I simply made online and by hand. You can get free templates and ideas off google by typing in 'revision timetable' a lot will come up! This is a perfect way of organising your time for studying as well as your free time to relax. On my timetable I have also included a time scale for how many hours I am revising each subject and how long each day for, but I have also included a priority section to label my subjects from 1 being my main focus and 5 being my least focused on subject. If your wondering I done this by how I am progressing grade wise, if I am below my target grade it's a 1 and above my target grade it's a 5.

Once you have organised your life with revision, next is organising your work etc. My favourite way of doing this is a revision binder, I have made a tab for each subject, and in each section I put completed past papers in their, as well as any revision mind maps/poster. I also print off a lot of revision help sheets which include formulas, advice for the exam etc. This is a very clean and efficient way of organising your work, also you know what all your work and subjects are all together. Lastly if you have a lot of work for each subject you may want to consider having a separate folder for each subject. 

Subjects -

I revise differently for all my subjects because some require more practise than other, here I am going to talk about options for different subjects (bearing in mind I haven't done every subject in the world).

Maths - For maths the only way I can revise is through practise! Doing exams or working from a text book with maths practise does make perfect! If you struggle with Pythagoras then do 50 questions till you get around 95% plus. If you struggle with formulas then have a look on youtube for a circle formula song etc, and listen to it 50 times over!

English - I do english language, and for this again it's practise every spare 30 minutes squeeze in a question to practise, and get someone to peer assess your work or sit down with a teacher.

Science - For science I do test papers on BBC Bitesize, as well as testing myself with revision cards or get your friends and family to test you. Also one of my friends does a look, cover, write, check activity to remember definitions etc.

Geography/History/RE - For these based subjects revision cards helps a lot! My friend Nicole done History last year and used revision cards and I tester her every morning, also I do Geography and revision cards helps a lot, especially remembering dates, facts and definitions.

Health and Social - With Health and Social revision cards and test papers are amazing when it comes to revising! Especially remembering  a lot of things testing yourself on revision cards helps a lot! Also with health and social their are a lot of 7/8/9 mark questions and you need practise answering them, so past paper questions is great!

Language - Doing Spanish was hard I am not going to lie, and this is a hard one to revise apart from speaking it as often as you can, instead of saying something to a friend say it in your chosen language then translate it to english! Also doing a lot of writing/spelling in that language is essential in writing and reading exams, you get to understand the words and phrases quicker and better.

Advice and revision techniques -

Highlighters - I used to think highlighting words was a waste of time especially during a maths exam but they work! If you tend to make silly mistakes by not reading the question properly then using a highlighter to mark the important information in a question is brilliant!

PMA - My mum always says this to me and it means 'positive mental attitude'. You need to be positive about your exams and that your are going to pass with the right revision and work being put in place.

Revision classes - To be honest I don't know what I would do without some of the revision classes I attend, I can clearly see a difference in my grades. Also you can get help from your teachers their and then. Also accept your teachers help, they are their for you to pass and succeed! Take all the help you can get even if you don't like the subject because you will see a difference in your work and grades.

Revision books and apps - I have a few lot of revision books because they are useful! I have nearly one revision book for ever subject, they are clear and precise and they're the best revision recourse ever! Lastly some revision apps cost a few pounds by they are worth it, when I am walking/on the bus on my own I always go onto my science/maths revision apps to test myself. BBC Bitesize and CGP are great and worth every penny!

Practise does make perfect - This saying may be overused a lot but it's so true, the more you practise your weakness and stick by it your work proves the hard work and dedication. I can honestly say that my revision for maths everyday has taken over my life, but it's paying off I am seeing a massive improvement, which makes your more confident and motivated to do well next time!

I hope this helped, also if you want more revision helps then go and check out my friend Nicole's blog (click here), she has a lot of useful tips for exams! Good luck for any exam, assessment or mock you have coming up, your do well if you put in the time and effort!


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