Revision Road Ahead

Just before the end of last term, Deputy Head Mr Chris Seeley spoke to our GCSE cohort, offering suggestions for effective final revision.

While we recognise that revision methods vary from learner to learner, the following general advice may be of help to those approaching public examinations in May and June this summer.

Mr Seeley wrote recently in a letter to parents of our GCSE candidates: 'The key message that needs to come across is that pupils now have more time outside school than at Bablake. When they return after Easter, they will have just 12 teaching days left. The Easter holiday is therefore an essential part of their revision period. However they have also just finished a long and tiring term. They need some days off but it is about getting the balance right.

They need to peak for their GCSEs. For many the GCSE exam period neatly divides into two. When they break for Study Leave in May (8th), they will rightly focus on those exams before Whitsun and use half-term to focus on the remaining exams that follow afterwards. Over Easter they would be advised to focus across the board to ensure they have stored as much as possible in their long-term memories.'

While encouraging pupils to find holes in their knowledge and consolidate notes, reducing them to a manageable size for final revision via mind maps and/ or skeleton notes, Mr Seeley added some final basic rules for all to consider:

• Get up on revision days! Don’t become 'jet-lagged'.
• Don’t revise aimlessly. Have targets to achieve.
• Follow a revision timetable, but one that is achievable.
• Following the school day is not a bad idea. If you do so, you will do a lot of work, but you will also finish early enough to have significant time off each day.
• Don’t avoid subjects you don’t enjoy. GCSE is about trying to achieve breadth of subjects as well as good grades in your favourite subjects.
• Build in treats. If you work hard, you deserve a (sensible) reward.
• You might want to do a revision day with friends. But if you do so, ensure you all want to work. Don’t distract each other. Set some rules about where you will work. Be disciplined. Remember why you are there. Don’t invite someone you know will only distract the group.
• When revising, turn off your mobile (or put it on silent), turn off Facebook (or any form of electronic messaging) and don’t have the TV on.
• We all revise differently; work out what is best for you. You may need to move around the house, depending on the level of concentration.
• If you find yourself losing concentration, take a break to regain it.
• No sleep-overs during the week or Sunday nights- more likely to be stay awake-overs!
• Try to avoid late (and very late) nights. You do need to sleep. You have 10-11 weeks after the exams to completely relax and do what you want (within reason).
• You will sleep better, if you’re not panicking about exams. You are less likely to panic, if you are working sensibly and consistently.
• Remember what you are doing this for: yourself. So act like this is something you need and want to do. Don’t 'fight' with parents who are very anxious too- it wastes time and energy. They are your greatest supporters, and want to do their very best for you. So don’t be afraid to ask for help from them, confide in them, and use their expertise and skills to help you.