How to revise for GCSE exams effectively by the Type IT! Team

Lockdown has meant that children about to take their GCSE’s and A levels are not as prepared as they might have been in the past. Some adjustments have been made but when I invigilated during recent mock GCSE exams, I was told to expect heightened anxiety from the students and to greet them with a warm smile and a greeting of “good luck”.

So how can we prepare children for up-and-coming exams?

I was talking to a fellow mum recently about her daughter’s preparation for GCSE’s. She mentioned that an exam coach had suggested the following method:

The Box Method

Get a pack of prompt cards and 3 boxes. Write out your exam notes on the prompt cards.
Box 1 – this is for the cards you don’t know.
Box 2 – this is for cards where it is starting to “go in” but you need to practice them more.
Box 3 – this is for cards where you have nailed it and you just need to have a quick glance over them.

What do you think of this method?

For children – How can you help yourself?

Make a plan – A little timetable of what you are going to revise and when. Break it up into manageable chunks i.e., you could concentrate on particular subjects and topics.
One thing that I really wish I had when I was a child, was a copy of the syllabus for each subject. While that may not be possible, I have read that current GCSE students will be given an idea of the areas their exam questions may be based on, in light of lockdown. Some schools have spaced out papers so that there is a 10-day gap between subject papers so that you can at least sit 1 paper of an exam if you catch covid.
See if you can find any videos online to enhance your learning (and to take a break from reading). There are websites such as revisionworld.com, BBC Bitesize, studywise.co.uk and thestudentroom.co.uk if you have any questions.
Get hold of some past exam papers and test yourself. You can find past papers from different exam boards at https://revisionworld.com/
Build in some breaks and rewards in your revision. Breaks will help you focus.