A frequent question I am asked by students and their parents is ‘how to revise for GCSE success?’ Many students are not taught the HOW they are often TOLD to revise but don’t know how to revise effectively.
What are the common mistakes when it comes to revising for GCSE’s?
When talking to students it all too often shows that they don’t know how to revise for GCSE success. Instead, they spend their time doing activities that don’t really aid their understanding or knowledge.
I have seen students who:
- Spend far too much time revising content and not enough time practising their exam technique
- Use revision techniques that don’t work very well for them
- They try to revise for too long in one sitting and lose focus
- They use passive revision techniques (like reading their text book) rather than active revision techniques. << This is often the biggest cop out>>> This is lazy revision, done to prove to yourself or parents that you have revised. But actually you’ve done very very little!
Better techniques for purposeful GCSE revision
- Start with a revision timetable; if your kids are used to a weekly schedule, then it won’t come across as much different, only that it’s when they need to be focussing on specific tasks or subjects. When making the plan, remember that a child’s attention span is short and usually ranges from ten to 50 minutes.
- Mind Map – using a large piece of paper A3 or A4 and start in the middle with the topic and then sub areas and so on. This means that you will have all the notes on one piece of paper. This is good for visual learners. For more brainstorming methods check out this post.
- Past papers – This is by far the best way to really understand a topic. Print off past questions. Read the question, spend twenty mins looking at your notes, finding your thoughts on it. Then put that aside and set a timer, spend twenty mins or so writing the answer. Then mark it using the mark scheme. Past questions are all readily available on the internet. Top tip print a batch off and have them ready to hand.
- Look, Cover, Tell. Much like you learnt times tables or spelling when younger this method still works at GCSE level. Read a page, cover it and retell it. Tell someone else, we always say if you can teach someone something then you really understand it. So if you can explain a theory or an event then you’ve got it mastered.
- Buy resources, many schools provide workbooks but there are also many you can buy on Amazon or from book shops that have made to support a specific subject. Do check you are buying the right exam board resources. CPG make flashcards for most subjects and these are great for getting a parent to ask questions. These methods involve active learning which is important in learning how to revise for GCSE success.
Further ways parents can help with GCSE revision
You should also be sure to mix it up a bit as they will concentrate better and work for longer if they have a mix of tasks to do rather than the same thing for an extended period of time, so short but regular revision sessions are the best. If you know your child is more responsive in the morning then make the most of that, try different timings to see which are works best for them and for you too.
Always make sure your child takes plenty of breaks too and don’t talk about their subjects and school during those times.
When it’s exam season, or even when it’s not, do remember to stay positive as much as you possibly can. If you don’t, then this can stress your child out, and they’ll forget that learning really can be fun. Research has shown that parental involvement in your child’s education and life at school has a significant positive effect which they will carry with them into adulthood, meaning that the way you act now is vital.
One of the best things you can do to help your kids is to just be on hand with the snacks, and while they might not think so, the healthier the snack, the better. Foods which are high in omega 3, such as oily fish, flax seeds and walnuts help with concentration and cognitive function, so are really good snacks to have while studying and foods which are high in antioxidants such as fruits – especially berries and tomatoes – and even some caffeine can help with their concentration. Green tea and dark chocolate have also been shown to support brain function, and ripe bananas or sunflower seeds naturally increase dopamine, which is the brain chemical involved in increasing motivation and concentration.
You don’t need to have a UK university teaching degree to help your kids with their education (although it would be useful), but just showing an interest, supporting them, getting involved and staying as positive as you can are critical to their success. Try not to stress, or they will sense that and don’t put too much pressure on them. Remember that if you get into good habits early enough, then you’ll thank yourself for it later on.
