Revision

You need to plan the free time that you have for revision. However, it is also important that you plan into this some breaks and other activities in order to relax and wind down.

Students who do not plan revision often end up spending time going over areas that they already know well. A proper revision plan will help focus you on the subject areas you really need to cover. Here is a link to a blank revision timetable. A really good website is www.getrevising.co.uk; this website creates a colourful revision timetable that is easy to read and only requires you to input when the exams are plus any other commitments that you may have. You need to give more revision time to the exams that you feel less confident about; doing this will have a big impact on your results.

Stick the timetable that you create somewhere that is obvious in your house and tell the rest of the family about it so that they can help you stick to your plan.

Creating the right place to revise in without distractions can be hard, particularly with mobile phones and social media. Wherever you work, it needs to be a quiet area. Make sure you have everything you need before you get started.

Trying to cram in last-minute revision the night before the exam is a bad idea. This can cause panic and might even affect your performance the following day. If you are completely stuck on a topic, remember to tell us at school. Your teacher will be able to offer extra help and advice.

The best reward for you is your best grades. You could use the revision timetable to plan out small rewards when a certain number of targets have been met. These might include watching a favourite TV programme, spending time with friends; your parents will value your efforts more than perfect results.

You need to see beyond the revision too. At the end of Year 11, you get to do something that you have always wanted, which could be staying on in Sixth Form or going to college for example. Good results will help you achieve all of these things and more.

How to revise

This is the most important bit! No one can do this but you and you need to find the best way that YOU revise. Hopefully, you already know how to revise from preparing for other exams and assessments, but if you don’t, here are some tried and tested ways of revising:

Repetition: It may be boring but when revising you are going to need to go over the same topics several times to make sure you have learnt them properly. Get someone to test you at regular intervals. Make a quiz and get your parents to test you when you have studied a unit.

Active Learning: Learning is stronger when you are actually doing something. Write notes and use diagrams and pictures to remember things. At the end of the topic summarise everything you have just learnt in the form of a list of bullet points or a spider diagram and then go back to your original notes and see what you missed out.

Word Games: Mnemonics often work well at remembering things. These turn the first letters of the words to be remembered into a name or word. For example, P.A.R.E.N.T.S could help you remember exam techniques:

Associations: It is sometimes easier to remember things if you can make associations with things you are interested in. For example, could you turn a part of an English text into a cartoon? Could you write a poem or song about a Biology unit?

Highlighting: A really simple way to revise. Highlight keywords in a text that will help you remember the topic. Write them on a separate piece of paper and then next to them try to remember everything you can about that word or topic.

Flash Cards: Write everything you can about a topic on a card (get them from stationery shops or the Post Office) and then cover the card or get someone to test you on it.

Sing: Change the words to your favourite song to fit in with your revision topic. Have a competition with a friend to see who can get the most facts into a verse.

Decorate your room: Get post-it notes and write revision notes on them around the room. When you know them, take them down. You can then put them back up again and make sure you could remember them.

Getting bored of a subject?: Change to another. Go back to the first subject when you are ready.

Revision Websites

The internet has lots of resources to help revision, but use it carefully as it is really easy to get distracted by other websites while you are on the computer.

Below are some good websites to use. Remember to ask your teacher for subject specific websites that they know of. Some of these websites can also teach you how to revise: