Coping with GCSE revision: Some practical suggestions

Thursday, 12 March 2009 22:10

Click here to access individual subject GCSE specifications.

What Sort of Learner Am I?

Visual / Auditory / Kinaesthetic

There are many ways to revise and learn, and you need to find out what works best for you.

Visual
Most people remember things visually - in other words, they remember a picture of what they saw when they read the page.
If you are one of these people, try writing notes or equations onto one piece of paper and then colouring them in, adding curly bits, trees, animals and anything else that makes it stick in your mind. Then look it over once a day, and notice the shapes on the paper, maybe colour in a bit more; in the exam you will find that you can "see" the paper and remember what was there. If this is you, you are likely to find "spider diagrams" a really helpful trick.
Auditory
Or maybe your mind works more on auditory recall - you remember sounds.
If this is you, and you like to have music playing when you work, try noticing what music is playing on the radio when you revise each bit, and this ought to help you remember the stuff you are revising. Say things out loud, perhaps record your voice and listen to it later. Or you could get make up songs or rhymes to help you remember.
Kinaesthetically
Other people remember "kinaesthetically" - they remember the muscle movements they made when they did something. So write things out on a sheet of paper, cut it out to make a jigsaw, then sort it out. Practice your jigsaw each evening - with practice it will only take a minute or so. In the exam, cast your mind back to that jigsaw, and the stuff should come flooding back. If this is you, then moving around as you work may help you to remember, as will any kind of cutting-and-sticking. If you play a musical instrument, you could combine the muscle movements and the sound recall ideas, just as you did when you learned to play the instrument.

Making It Stick

Now you have an idea about what works for you, here are some tricks to try!

Remind yourself over and over
If you revise something tonight, by this time tomorrow you'll have forgotten at least some of it.
So take another quick look at it tomorrow, to "top up" your memory.
Take another quick look next week, and keep "topping up" until the night before the exam.
This doesn't take long to do, and is usually quite comforting - you feel good because you find that the stuff looks familiar each time you look at it; because it's quick you can easily fit it in with all your other revision.
"Look, Cover, Write, Check"
This is probably the way that you learned spellings in Primary School.
1) read it, 2) hide it away, 3) write it out, 4) check to see if you got it right.
This technique is good for spellings, diagrams, equations, lists of facts and a whole lot more.
Remembering labelled diagrams
Draw a copy of the diagram - but without the labels. Then try to fill in the labels from memory.
Highlighting
Go through your books highlighting key words/key ideas. Not only does this make it easier to revise later but, additionally, the act of scanning through your books looking for the key words/ideas helps you to remember it.
Make summaries of the information
For example, try to get the whole topic onto one side of A4 paper. It is the act of making the sheet that fixes the information in your mind. You might like to use “Mind maps” (you might call them "spider diagrams") - they really help to show what is in a topic.
Make your own "Flash Cards"
These can help you to remember facts and equations. The idea is to carry them with you, and look at them when you have a spare moment. You could put headings on one side and details on the other.
Make "jigsaws"
List things on a sheet of paper, cut the paper up, jumble it, then sort it out.
Note: the important thing about this is not that you have it - it is the act of making and using it that does the job!
Work out "what could they ask me about this?"
For example, in a question about acids and alkalis, it's a safe bet that you'll be expected to know about the numbers on the pH scale, the colours that Universal Indicator goes, and what "neutralisation" means. In questions about the planets, expect to be asked about their names, the order that they're in (counting outwards from the Sun), which ones are hottest/coldest, which ones go round the Sun fastest and so on.
Practice on real exam questions
The more you can try, the better. You would not expect to do any other performance without a realistic rehearsal, and this is no different.
Be clear about what you're expected to know
Otherwise how do you know if you've revised it all? Check with your teachers if you are not sure. Go along to any revision sessions that you can. These can really boost your confidence, which is what many people need the most. You will probably also be able to ask a different teacher about any bits that confuse you, and have it explained in a different way.
Identify your strong and weak areas
Then you will know where to concentrate your efforts. Go through your books and put green blobs beside stuff that you are happy about, and red blobs beside the bits you find more difficult. Then you know what to ask your teachers about at those revision sessions.
Thinking of buying a CD-ROM to help you revise?
Do not get the first one that you come across - it may not suit your style of working.
Find out about the different ones on the market: some are more "dry" and academic, others are better at boosting your confidence. Ask staff or Mrs Jamieson in the LRC for advice.
Work with somebody else
There is an old saying: "the best way to learn is to teach". Try it! If you can explain stuff to somebody else, then you know that you have got it straight yourself.