Class of 2018

This guide is an overview of what you need in the lead up to your GCSE examinations. It has been designed to guide you through some of the ways you can organise and revise without overloading you early on. You should use it as the basis to start your revision and use it alongside your lessons, assemblies, revision sessions and tutor time to support your preparations for the exams.

The organisation and revision techniques in this guide have been cherry-picked from the best published guides, websites and articles. Most include hyperlinks to further content that will support your revision.

If what is in this guide does not suit your learning style, covers content you are already confident with or just generally does not work for you, you don’t have to use it.

Revision is about trial and error, finding what works for you. Now is the best time to start if you haven’t and this guide can help you to do that.

Page 4 – Organised environment: how to get your work space ready for revision.

Page 5 & 6 - Healthy body, healthy mind – how to stay in peak shape through this very important year.

Page 7 – Planning your revision – making sense of what feels like huge amounts of work.

Page 8 – Revision strategies – finding ways you revise best.

Pages 9 – Flash cards – an easy way to remember the things you need to.

Page 10 – Mind mapping - breaking down topics and revising what matters.

Page 11 – Revision timetabling – how to plan your revision through a busy week.

Pages 12– Target setting – remember why you are doing all of this!

Page 13 – Blank revision timetable – your turn, get busy.

Getting organisedA lot of revision time can be wasted by not organising what you are going to do before you do it. Sitting down to revise with a past paper or book is all well and good but it doesn’t really focus on the key areas of subjects you need to work on or take into account which subjects need prioritising.

Here are a few basic tips to help you organise your revision:

Keep what you needHave a good look through all your study STUFF and get rid of everything you know that you won’t need again.

Where to study – if you can’t work in a certain environment, don’t! There is no point in wasting your time trying to revise in a place that will not work for you. Find one at school, at a friend or relatives house, at a local library or café.

Making your study space work for you – a clean desk or table (uncluttered work space, uncluttered mind) and have with you everything you need before you start, don’t keep looking for excuses to get up and put your phone somewhere else!

Distracting yourself during revision is easy! Make sure you’re in an environment that will help you to focus, avoid phones, computers and televisions, THEY DO NOT HELP YOU CONCENTRATE!

Music – loud music through headphones has been scientifically proven to hinder revision as the brain struggles to take in varying sources of information. Work to ambient music at low volumes, it will help you relax and make your revision more productive. Here are some artists and albums that are worth trying (as recommended by The Guardian online):

Jenny Lewis – The Voyager Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works Vol 2Nightmares on Wax – Carboot Soul Portishead – DummyBurial – UntrueMiles Davis – King of BlueThe Internet – Feel GoodJamie XX – In colourBob Marley – ExodusRilo Kiley – More Adventurous

Getting what you need – as part of your revision planning, make sure you organise the resources you need before you start. This should include equipment, text books and exercises that make the time you have set aside to revise as productive as possible.

Healthy body, healthy mind – eat, drink and sleep. Without the right fuels to revise you won’t be able to. Eating fresh healthy foods, drinking plenty of water and sleeping well are key in allowing your body to function at its optimum level.

Certain foods repair and aid the function of receptors in your brain, they can also lift your mood and support healthy blood circulation. Try and incorporate some of these foods in your diet, not just to help your revision efforts, but because they taste good and support your body in being healthy.

Eggs - a versatile ingredient that contains protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron and antioxidants, they are low in fat and are around 100 kcal per egg.

Recipe links - https://www.eggrecipes.co.uk/

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/egg

Oily fish – tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel or herring. Not to everyone’s taste but we should all be eating at least a potion a week because of its high levels of lean protein and omega 3, which is essential for keeping your brain functioning well.

Recipe links -https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/apr/02/top-10-oily-fish-recipes

http://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/g13/cookbook-eggs-0407/?slide=1

Fresh fruit and vegetables – low in calories, high in vitamins and minerals, most importantly a good source of fibre and energy. 5 a day is a MUST!

Citrus fruits, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, chilli, asparagus and blueberries are all particularly good at supporting your immune system and fighting potentially nasty bacterial and viral infections.

Recipe links -http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/main-recipes

What to avoid – by now you should have an idea of what the difference between healthy and unhealthy food is, however the effects on your body and mind, particularly during exam season can be significant. A little treat is ok, however if these foods and drinks are abundant in your day to day diet, you might want to have a think about some suitable alternatives.

5 benefits of keeping hydrated:

1. Combats fatigue 2. Reduces high blood pressure3. Flushes out unwanted bacteria4. Speed up joint and cartilage repair5. Can stop the gaining of unwanted weight

Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood. Having a diet high in saturated fat increases the risk of:

• Raised blood pressure• Low energy/mood• Weight gain• Type 2 Diabetes • Heart attacks• Stroke

Excessive intake of caffeine either in coffee, tea, energy drinks or tablet form can be damaging to health over extended periods of time. The risks include:

• Frequent headaches• Insomnia • Indigestion• Raised blood pressure• Increased irritability • Increased confusion/unusual thought

process• Nausea and diarrhoea • Muscle and joint pain

The occasional caffeine hit or sugary drink isn’t an issue but excessive intake over time can be detrimental to your health which during exam season can’t be good!

Planning your time – the most productive revision is the revision that is planned for a particular time on a particular day. Look ahead each week and plan realistic slots of time for focused revision. There are exercises further on in this booklet that will help you do this.

Prioritise your subjects – you can’t revise all your subject all at once. Make a plan of which subject you want to prioritise for which day of the week.

Choosing the right topic to revise – planning to revise Maths is a bad idea! Maths is a huge subject! Look at the topics highlighted in this booklet and again prioritise! It might be an idea to highlight which topics in each subject area need the most focus depending on how confident you are with them:

• Trigonometry• Circle theorem• Algebra• Quadratics • Simultaneous equations

Check topics off – when you finish revising a topic, tick it off your list! If the topic is tricky, make a note of it, ask for help in school and come back to it again when you’re ready, DON’T hide it, ignore it or pretend it doesn’t exist!

Manage your time – when it comes to the best and most enjoyable revision, time is of the essence. If you plan to revise, keep the revision short, frequent and to the point to avoid boredom and help you remember what you have done.

Take regular breaks - keep these short too and do something you know will last as long as you plan, such as:

“make a cup of tea, catch up on texts for 10 minutes, then 20 minutes more revision”

DON’T

“make a cup of tea, catch up on texts then go on Instagram and look at everything until I remember that thing I heard about on YouTube that I should snapchat to everyone whilst

having another cup of tea, waiting for replies and watching TV”

Start now – there is no reason that you should not be revising or at least trying to revise throughout Year 11.

Start small, organise your work, experiment with different strategies and techniques, the sooner you find what works for you the easier the rest of the year will be.

I’m confident with this topic.

I still need some work on this topic.

I need to prioritise this topic for revision.

Below are a few simple strategies that might help you revise. Not all of them will work for you and part of the process is finding which ones do work for you and for which subject.

Quality not quantity – revise for periods of no more than 30 minutes then rest your brain for 5. This is a more productive way of taking in information and it stops you from overloading yourself.

Vary the type of revision – use a range of different types of revision e.g. reading, writing, questions, short essays and note taking. This will avoid boredom and help you find the more effective ways to revise.

Student forum of ideas to vary the type of revision you can do –http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Revision_Methods_and_Tips

Practise skills - revision shouldn’t be one long memory test. Practise note taking, identifying key information in text, images or diagrams and make summaries of larger topics, units and modules.

Use other people – ask people you trust to help and test you. Especially friends studying for the same exams, it’s a good way to get feedback and progress.

The Open University guide to revising in groups –https://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/revising-with-others.php

Look, memorise, cover, try, check – it’s an old method of revising but a very effective one for practising things you know you need to work on.

Improving your memory - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nFkQ4cQhME

How to remember what you read - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0dKnzu8-D8

Mind maps, post-its, flash cards, highlighting and annotating – these are all really good ways to break down important information into bite-sized chunks. Try each as one might work better for you than another.

Mind mapping - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJJeT22UpZA

Chunking - it helps to break down subjects into manageable chunks that are easier and less time consuming to revise. Maths revision then becomes a focused 20 minutes revision on algebra and is much more meaningful and manageable.

Chunking - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVyl-S584EQ

Flash cards are another often used and very effective way to of breaking down topics in order to memorise key information more easily.Start by purchasing some small cards (A6 is best), it doesn’t matter if they’re colour, lined or white as long as they are smaller than A5 (it makes the information psychologically easier to digest).

Step 1: find a place to work, somewhere without distraction. Make sure you have everything you need, including the key information you intend to put on the flash cards.If you have a space on your wall in your room, this would be an ideal place to display your flash cards once you’ve made them.

Step 2: highlight the key information you want to put on the cards from your exercise books, text books, revision notes or anywhere else you will be getting them from.Distil this information down to its to only it’s key parts, do not include any information you do not need.

Step 3: write the key term or concept on one side of the flash card. Write it in large letters so it will be easy for you to read.

The point of flash cards is to see a basic concept and then be able to identify pertinent information about that topic. If your teachers have given you key questions to consider, you might just write out the question on this side. Keep this side of the card as simple as possible.

Step 4: display the cards somewhere you spend time such as a wall above a desk or table. The more frequently you see and read the cards the more you will find the information easier to recall.

Tips:• Colour code your cards and ink

in relation to subject or topic• Use small images on the cards

as visual clues• Write example questions on the

front of the cards and answers on the back so that you can test yourself

Mind mapping is a very effective way to break down large subjects or topics into key words, short sentences or paragraphs. The science behind it very much supports the brains ability to take in and remember pieces of information without overloading.

Taking time to produce mind maps also helps you remember and you also have an opportunity to be creative and take pride in your revision.

Step 1: Grab some coloured pens/pencils, a blank piece of paper and turn it sideways. In the centre of the page draw the first image that comes to mind on the topic you are mindmapping. Label the image.

Step 2: Branch off from your central image and create one of your main ideas (think of each branch as being like a chapter in a book). Label the branch. You can also draw a picture for it.

Step 3: From your main branches draw some sub-branches and from those sub-branches you can draw even more branches. What you are beginning to do is create associations between ideas.

Step 4: Draw pictures for each branch or for as many branches as possible. Make each picture as absurd, funny and/or exaggerated as possible. The reason for this is that we think in pictures and remember vivid, exaggerated images more easily.

Step 5: Draw another main branch but this time use a different colour. Colour helps to separate out different ideas and keeps your mind stimulated). Draw sub-branches and pictures. If you get bored at any stage, move on and create another branch.

Stage 6: Keep repeating the above process (different colours, main branch, sub-branches and absurd pictures). Make sure each branch is curved and not a straight line. The brain is more stimulated by curved lines.

Creating a timetable for your revision in an effective way is just as important as the

revision itself. Take time to organise your week before it begins, prepare what you need to

revise before you revise and use your time wisely. Use the tips and example timetable

below to create your own plan on the blank template.

Things to remember:

Prepare yourself for your revision; make sure you have everything you need.

Make sure your plan is realistic; after school there is no way that you’re going to

want to spend 3-4 hours revising.

Select and plan subjects and topics to cover. Make sure it is a topic you know you

need to work on, not a topic you are already comfortable with. You must challenge

yourself!

Be flexible, if your plans need to change then change them. Don’t feel guilty about

making time for yourself, family, friends and things that make you happy.

A weekly plan is an easy way to organise your revision and prioritise subject that will

benefit you in lessons. It might look something like this.

Revision Timetable EXAMPLE – Week 1 Strategies that

work.

Sat OFF Dance - 30 minutes –routine practise.

RES MAT–Finishannotations on Page 12.

Flash card for Spanish

Colour and highlight mind maps

Speak to Sir about FIB sheet in lesson

Sun OFF Plan revision and work for the week.

Prep at school Revision task 1 Revision task 2

Mon Take home Spanish exercise book.

Maths revision after school– 1 hour

20 minutes – Spanishvocab practise – family and friends (use exercise book)

Tue English revision –lunch time.

OFF OFF

Wed RE – print past paper question –Right to Life.

RE - 30 minutes – practise question – Right to Life.

English Lit – mind map key themes of characters –Macbeth, Lady Macbeth and The Witches.

Thurs Maths – collect FIB sheet.

Maths – 30 minutes –based on FIB sheet feedback.

English Lang –summarising key themes from a text – practise question.

Fri OFF

Target setting – it is a vital part of this year to set yourself realistic and workable targets. It will help motivate you and break down what you are trying to achieve into small manageable chunks to work towards.

Try and answer the following and set yourself some targets for the year to help motivate you as you why you are working hard, or indeed what you are working hard towards.

Where do you see yourself in a years’ time?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Why do you want this?……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Use the table below to set yourself challenging targets that will help you reach your that place you want to be next year.

Type of target Action Outcome

Short term target (this week)……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..

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Medium term target (this term)……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..

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Long term target (this year)……………………………………………..……………………………………………..……………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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Academic target for this term……………………………………………..……………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………….

Personal target for this term……………………………………………..……………………………………………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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How do you intend to meet this target? Think about WHAT you will do, HOW you will do it and WHO will help you if you need it.

What will you get out of achieving this target? It is important to aim towards something you really want and will be proud to achieve.

Have a go – why not try and put together a revision timetable! There will be more dedicated assemblies, CPSHE and tutor time dedicated to this before the prelims so don’t worry if it takes a few goes to produce something that works for you.

You should try designing your own!

Revision Timetable EXAMPLE – Week 1 Strategies that

work.

Sat

Sun

Prep at school Revision task 1 Revision task 2

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thurs

Fri