How to Effectively Revise for Your GCSE

Revise in short bursts., Go through each subject you are doing for GCSE and discover what you don't understand., Buy revision guides for all of your subjects., Try to find somewhere where you won't be disturbed., Discover what type of learner you...

21 Steps 3 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Revise in short bursts.

    You can never revise enough might be true, but don't sit for hours on end working at the same subject—your revision will be most effective in the first hour.
  2. Step 2: Go through each subject you are doing for GCSE and discover what you don't understand.

    Write out a list of topics you find difficult, look through your notes and try to break them down and understand. , CGP and Collins are all good brands, but try to get the revision guides from your exam board like AQA, OCR, CCEA, WJEC and Edexcel. , If you can work with music on, this can help you relax.

    It can also drown out noises around you.

    Make sure you have an empty desk to work at, with everything you need at hand for the session ahead.

    Have plenty of scrap paper handy.

    If you're using the Internet to revise, make sure you know what you want to improve on before you start. , There are three basic types of learning styles.

    The three most common are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

    To learn, we depend on our senses to process the information around us.

    Most people tend to use one of their senses more than the others.

    Try different methods of revision to find out what your learner type is. , When memorizing a phone number, an auditory learner will say it out loud and then remember how it sounded to recall it.

    Does any of this sound like you? Visual learners are those who learn things best through seeing them.

    Visual learning students like to keep an eye on the teacher by sitting in the front of the class and watching the lecture closely.

    Often, visual learners will find that information "clicks" when it is explained with the aid of a chart or picture.

    Tactile or kinesthetic learners are those who learn through experiencing/doing things.

    For this reason, tactile learners may become bored more quickly than other students while listening to a class lecture.

    Tactile learners like to experience the world and act out events.

    To remember a phone number, tactile learners may remember the pattern of their fingers as they press the numbers. , There's no point revising for 3 hours non stop without taking any breaks.

    You brain will simply become overloaded with information and will not take anything in. ,, Past exams are one of the most popular ways to revise. ,, , Too many of our visitors leave it all until the last minute—our usage statistics go through the roof the night before exam days.
  3. Step 3: Buy revision guides for all of your subjects.

  4. Step 4: Try to find somewhere where you won't be disturbed.

  5. Step 5: Discover what type of learner you are.

  6. Step 6: The three types of learner: Auditory learners may have a knack for ascertaining the true meaning of someone's words by listening to audible signals like changes in tone.

  7. Step 7: Take breaks every 45 minutes when you revise.

  8. Step 8: If you don't understand something

  9. Step 9: ask your teachers

  10. Step 10: parents

  11. Step 11: older brothers and sisters for help.

  12. Step 12: Get past exams from teachers or off the Internet.

  13. Step 13: If you don't understand something

  14. Step 14: write it out again

  15. Step 15: and again

  16. Step 16: and again until you fully understand it!

  17. Step 17: Drink plenty

  18. Step 18: rest plenty

  19. Step 19: and play often (but less as the exams approach - there'll be time for social lives afterwards!)

  20. Step 20: Once you know the date of your exam

  21. Step 21: aim to start revising at least a month before.

Detailed Guide

You can never revise enough might be true, but don't sit for hours on end working at the same subject—your revision will be most effective in the first hour.

Write out a list of topics you find difficult, look through your notes and try to break them down and understand. , CGP and Collins are all good brands, but try to get the revision guides from your exam board like AQA, OCR, CCEA, WJEC and Edexcel. , If you can work with music on, this can help you relax.

It can also drown out noises around you.

Make sure you have an empty desk to work at, with everything you need at hand for the session ahead.

Have plenty of scrap paper handy.

If you're using the Internet to revise, make sure you know what you want to improve on before you start. , There are three basic types of learning styles.

The three most common are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

To learn, we depend on our senses to process the information around us.

Most people tend to use one of their senses more than the others.

Try different methods of revision to find out what your learner type is. , When memorizing a phone number, an auditory learner will say it out loud and then remember how it sounded to recall it.

Does any of this sound like you? Visual learners are those who learn things best through seeing them.

Visual learning students like to keep an eye on the teacher by sitting in the front of the class and watching the lecture closely.

Often, visual learners will find that information "clicks" when it is explained with the aid of a chart or picture.

Tactile or kinesthetic learners are those who learn through experiencing/doing things.

For this reason, tactile learners may become bored more quickly than other students while listening to a class lecture.

Tactile learners like to experience the world and act out events.

To remember a phone number, tactile learners may remember the pattern of their fingers as they press the numbers. , There's no point revising for 3 hours non stop without taking any breaks.

You brain will simply become overloaded with information and will not take anything in. ,, Past exams are one of the most popular ways to revise. ,, , Too many of our visitors leave it all until the last minute—our usage statistics go through the roof the night before exam days.

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Patrick Bishop

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