Preparing and Revising For Your GCSE Exams

Preparing and
Revising
for your
GCSE Exams
Preparing and Revising for GCSEs Page 2
Contents
Introduction 3
Effective Learning and Revision 4
What you need to Revise 5
Revision Notes and Practice 6
Getting the Timing Right 7
Planning your Revision Time 8
Examination Questions 10
Answering Long Questions and Essay Titles 11
Planning Essay Answers 12
Long Questions: Conclusion 13
A Typical GCSE Revision Schedule 14
Your Personal planning Chart 15
Glossary of Exam Words 17
Final Thoughts 18
Introduction
Most of you are involved in coursework and project

assignments for your GCSE subjects and are beginning to feel
the pressure of this final step in your school career.
During the winter term, you will be sitting your Year 11 mock
exams in most subjects and now is the time to get to grips with
the best ways of achieving good results with careful and
planned revision.
Proper revision cannot be done in just the few nights directly

before the exams! It is something that you should constantly
be doing in some way. As you approach your exams make sure
that you
 Plan carefully well in advance

 Talk about your work to your teachers and tutor
 Work through essays, notes and past papers
 Keep to a schedule
This will work much better than any last minute panic!
Effective Learning and Revision
Do you have good study habits?
Do you organise yourself well?
Do you make sure that you have the right books, notes and
equipment?
Do you study at reasonable times of the day?
Do you study in a quiet place, away from distractions?
Do you make clear notes which you properly understand?
Do you re-organise your work, underlining key words and ideas?
Do you break large pieces of work into smaller units?
Do you summarise the main points from long pieces of writing?
The following shows you how you might improve your learning
and revision techniques:
 Plan your work carefully and stick to your plans

 Set yourself challenging yet realistic targets and check
on your progress
 Use a variety of study methods to help you concentrate
 Try to become interested in your subjects
 Always fully understand your work before trying to
memorise it
 Use active methods of learning
 Use your knowledge as often as you can
What you need to revise
Check through your various subjects, listing the various major

topics and their parts. Refer to past papers so that you know
how questions will be asked on each section and topic; Do the
examiners want:
 Essays?
 Shorts answers?
 One-word answers?
List those topics or parts which you feel unhappy about – which
need more attention than others. Don’t give all topics equal
importance. By mixing subjects and topics which give you
difficulty with those which are easier and/or interest you
more, you will be able to plan a varied programme of revision so
that you don’t get bored by doing too much of one subject, or
depressed by doing things which you find very difficult.
Where to revise?
Everybody needs to work out where and how they work best.
Don’t fool yourself that you can work in front of the TV!!! You
can’t!!!!
Some people find it useful to work in the same place all the time,
every time. Others find it useful to have a change of scenery,
working somewhere else each time.
For how long?
Remember that your concentration span is limited!

Have a timed break – but make sure that you start again!
Don’t get caught up in some terrible TV show!
Revision Notes and Practice
Whatever the present state of your notes, it is important that

you make revision notes.
Though they can sometimes be bought, it is much better to

make your own notes – just making the notes is a great way of
revising. You have to actually read through your work!!
You can make sure that your notes help you revise. You can use
colours, symbols and abbreviations that are meaningful to you.
People differ about how they can remember things and how to
write notes, BUT, however you make your notes, make sure you
include questions from past papers amongst all the information.
That way your revision is always heading in the right direction.
Make a collection of revision cards with key information.

It will take a long time to do for all your subjects, so
don’t leave it until the last week or two before an exam!
You can use the cards to quickly check up on a definition

or key ideas, not just facts.
Remember to include vital diagrams or formulae.
You are not a machine!
When you read your notes you need to have a focus. Don’t just go through
every word without taking any of it in! Be aware of past papers, and the
type of questions you might be asked.
Have copies of past questions on the topic that you are revising at hand, so
you have a specific question in your head before you start reading notes
Getting the Timing Right!
Most teachers will give you some practice answering past

papers against the clock. You need to try this as much as
possible so that you can feel comfortable in the real exam!
This practice should help you
 Plan your use of time – REMEMBER: You need to be able

to complete all of the questions that you are asked to in
the real exam.
 Plan each answer – five minutes’ thought without writing

anything or jotting brief notes is worth thirty minutes’
waffle!
 Use your memory of revision cards and notes to remind

you of key ideas and facts
Planning Your Revision Time
Do you have trouble settling to your work?

Do you rush your work to meet deadlines?
Do you seem to run out of time?
Are your study/revision sessions as well planned and effective
as you would like?
Sound Familiar? Then try this:
First you need to look at how you spend you time now. Leave out
your lessons, but fill in;
 Homework/Revision
 Activities/Commitments (sports, clubs, household jobs,
etc.)
 Free Time
Complete this study week planer as honestly as you can;

LESSONS
7:00 – 8:30 AM 4:00 – 5:00 PM 5:00 – 7:00 PM 7:00 – 9:00PM

Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
What about the weekend?
You could do the same sort of exercise for a typical weekend. So how do
you spend your time on Saturday and Sunday?
7:00 – 9:00 – 11:00 – 1:00 – 3:00 – 5:00 – 7:00 –

9:00 AM 11:00 AM 1:00 PM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 7:00 PM 9:00 PM
Saturday
Sunday
Now ask yourself the question:
“Am I making the best use of my time?”
Most people have difficulty in saying where the time went. You don’t need
to become a complete slave to revision – in fact having time to relax and
to socialise can be a very helpful diversion that will give your mind time to
refresh itself. You probably waste a lot of your time at present, where
you could use that half hour before tea or between lessons doing a little
revision or writing up notes. Half an hour may not seem like a long time,
but, over the course of the week it can soon add up to two or three hours
– which could leave you with an extra evening to go out with.
Perhaps you should plan your week differently to allow for more effective
study and revision!
A well thought out study timetable will
 Give you a target to aim for.

 Spread your study throughout the week
 Save time in decision making, and lets you get down to things
 Help you to establish a routine for study
 Encourage you to keep up with your work
Examination Questions
Will all the examination questions require the same type of

answer?
Do you find some questions more difficult than others?
You will have to answer many different types of exam

questions in your various GCSE subjects. To answer these
successfully you will need to make sure you apply the right
techniques to the appropriate question.
The following guidelines should help you to think more carefully

about the different types of questions and help you to improve
your skills in being able to tackle them all.
1) Produce a list of all the different types of exam

paper and question you will come across in each
subject paper.
2) Discuss your strengths and weaknesses in relation

to each type of question with your subject teacher
3) Plan and follow a programme to improve on your

areas of weakness, including plenty of practice
questions.
Answering Long Questions and Essay Titles
Do you sometimes find it difficult to fully understand what you

have to write about?
Do some of the words in the questions or essays confuse you?
Do you plan your answers and essays?
Knowing what the question means
Look at your past papers. Examiners choose their words

carefully. For example, if you are asked to name a piece of
equipment, then you really have to name it!! You will get no
marks for simply describing it – no matter how correct you are.
If you are asked to show you working, then show it!
The number of marks to each question can be used as a guide

to how much detail is required. These are normally shown on
the paper.
 It is essential that you understand exactly what the

examiner is looking for, and you can only do this by
studying the wording of the question carefully.
 Read the question three or four times

 Underline key words in the text that indicate how the
question should be answered, for example:
After reading all the sources do you accept Scott’s claim in source B that
“The causes of the disaster are not to faulty organisation, but bad luck”?
Answer this question as fully as you can.
 Make sure you understand the key words

Planning essay answers
Unplanned answers are not good answers. They are often

unclear, muddled, repetitious and full of irrelevant comments.
So, quite rightly, they get low marks!
You must spend a few minutes planning your answer.
 Make a few notes on the examination paper of the

main points / useful facts / relevant examples.
 Do not forget to cross out the notes when you have

answered the question
Structuring your answer
All good answers are well structured.
1) They have an introduction that tries to explain the terms

of the question. This may include a statement of your own
views or opinions
2) They are written in paragraphs which

a. Keep to one main point of the question
b. Contain supporting facts, details, figures, examples,
evidence, etc.
c. Link at the end to the next paragraph
3) They reach a conclusion in the final paragraph, related to

the original question and tying up the main points.
Long Questions: Conclusion
Start with questions you can do easily to give you confidence.

Mark your answer clearly with the correct question number
Then:
Interpret
the
question
Plan your
time and
your answer
Structure
your answer
Read through
and check your
answer
A typical GCSE revision schedule
January/February
Review your performance in the winter mock exams and
identify your weaker areas.
Respond to points made by your teachers in your
report and on parent’s evening. Discuss all of these with
your teachers and plan some action to make sure of
improvements.
Time is catching up!

March
Check details of the time, date, content and organisation of your final
GCSE exams. Enter times and dates on your planning chart.
Discuss problem areas with your teacher.
List areas needing attention and make time to attend to them.
Fill in your study week planner.
Review all of your work and rewrite poor sections. Read as much as you
can about all topics and add extra information to your notes.
March/April
Make notes and lists of key facts and points for each section of work in
each subject.
Plan and begin a comprehensive learning/revision programme and enter
this on your planning chart.
April
Revise! Revise! Revise!
April/May
Test yourself on different types of questions in exam conditions. Practice
your timing. Continue to talk to your teachers!
May/June
Get plenty of sleep. Know what to expect in each paper. Be properly
equipped. Get to school in good time.
Examinations!
Your Personal Planning Chart

You really need to plan how to spend the months leading up to your exams.
A last minute rush will leave you panicky and tired. You need to fit in
relaxation time as well as revision.
You may not have many months left, or your schedule may have gone
wrong. Don’t worry! The main idea - of planning the use of the time that
does remain – is still a good one.
Don’t panic
Don’t give up
On the planning chart, enter your examinations and other key dates such
as coursework deadlines. Then work back towards the present with a
realistic revision schedule for each subject. Tick off what you manage to
achieve – it’ll make you feel good! If you do not achieve something then
re-schedule a bit and ask yourself why you couldn’t keep to the schedule;
unrealistic target? Laziness? Unexpected visitors? etc.
I haven’t got enough time!!
When you realise just how near the exams are, you may feel that you just
have not got enough time. If you do feel that way, now is the time to be
very honest with yourself. Where does your time go
Where does your time go now …
…or this?
Doing this…
Personal Planning Chart
March April May June

1 1
2 2
3 3
4 4
5 5
6 6
7 7
8 8
9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12
13 13
14 14
15 15
16 16
17 17
18 18
19 19
20 20
21 21
22 22
23 23
24 24
25 25
26 26
27 27
28 28
29 29
30 30
31 31
Shaded days represent weekends and school holiday time. Remember you can fit much
more revision into these days!
Glossary of exam words
Word Meaning
Compare Are the things alike or are there important differences? Which do
you think is best? Why?
Contrast Look for differences
Criticise Use the evidence to support your opinion on the value of merit of
ideas, facts or views of others
Define Give the meaning
Describe Write in detail
Differentiate Explain the difference
Discuss Write about important aspects of the topic, are there two sides to
the question? Consider the arguments for and against
Distinguish Explain the difference
Evaluate Judge the importance of success/failure
Evaluate (Maths) Find the numerical answer to a problem
Explain Make clear
Illustrate Give examples which make the point clear
Interpret Explain the meaning in your own words, for example you may have to
interpret a graph
Justify Give reasons to support and argument of action
Outline Choose the most important aspects of a topic. Ignore the minor
details
Relate Show the connection between things
State Write briefly the main point
Summarise Bring together the main points

Final Thoughts
You are not on your own

There are many people around you who are just as keen for you
to do well as you are, so don’t be afraid to ask
teachers/tutors/parents for help. Your friends may well
be taking the same exams – why not work together on
the topics that bore you; share your thoughts
about revision cards. Remember too that if you
can explain something to someone else before the
exam, the chances are that you can explain it in an
exam as well.
Beware of other people who tell you either that they are doing
very little or a great deal. The first lot may be lying to look
cool; the second lot panic you into overworking! Think for
yourself, don’t let other people ruin your revision schedule.
Exams are not designed to catch you out, they are

simply to find out what you know, what you
understand and what you can do.
And remember, it’s only a short time to

sacrifice for something that you can be proud
of forever. Once the exams are over, take some
time to relax and celebrate your own
achievements!
Goo
d
Luck

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Preparing and

Effective Learning and Revision 4

What you need to Revise 5

Revision Notes and Practice 6

Getting the Timing Right 7

Planning your Revision Time 8

Answering Long Questions and Essay Titles 11

Planning Essay Answers 12

Long Questions: Conclusion 13

A Typical GCSE Revision Schedule 14

Your Personal planning Chart 15

Glossary of Exam Words 17

Most of you are involved in coursework and project

Proper revision cannot be done in just the few nights directly

 Plan carefully well in advance

Effective Learning and Revision

Do you have good study habits?

Do you organise yourself well?

Do you study at reasonable times of the day?

Do you study in a quiet place, away from distractions?

Do you make clear notes which you properly understand?

Do you re-organise your work, underlining key words and ideas?

Do you break large pieces of work into smaller units?

Do you summarise the main points from long pieces of writing?

 Plan your work carefully and stick to your plans

What you need to revise

Check through your various subjects, listing the various major

For how long?

Remember that your concentration span is limited!

Revision Notes and Practice

Whatever the present state of your notes, it is important that

Though they can sometimes be bought, it is much better to

Make a collection of revision cards with key information.

You can use the cards to quickly check up on a definition

Remember to include vital diagrams or formulae.

You are not a machine!

Getting the Timing Right!

Most teachers will give you some practice answering past

This practice should help you

 Plan your use of time – REMEMBER: You need to be able

 Plan each answer – five minutes’ thought without writing

 Use your memory of revision cards and notes to remind

Planning Your Revision Time

Do you have trouble settling to your work?

Sound Familiar? Then try this:

Complete this study week planer as honestly as you can;

7:00 – 8:30 AM 4:00 – 5:00 PM 5:00 – 7:00 PM 7:00 – 9:00PM

What about the weekend?

7:00 – 9:00 – 11:00 – 1:00 – 3:00 – 5:00 – 7:00 –

Now ask yourself the question:

“Am I making the best use of my time?”

A well thought out study timetable will

 Give you a target to aim for.

Will all the examination questions require the same type of

You will have to answer many different types of exam

The following guidelines should help you to think more carefully

1) Produce a list of all the different types of exam

2) Discuss your strengths and weaknesses in relation

3) Plan and follow a programme to improve on your