Making a plan is vital. Not only does it help give structure and organisation to the revision process but the very act of putting pen to paper makes a commitment. That plan will pull them back to revision more effectively than any nagging parent!
Another useful tip is to get a friend/teacher/parent to help mentor this plan. Once the plan has been drawn up it’s so much easier to hold pupils to a timetable already agreed upon.
Prioritise your subjects – find out the dates of your exams and plan your revision accordingly. Don’t forget that oral exams for French will be early on so the work for those needs to be covered NOW.
Identify the subjects that give you most trouble and give them priority. It’s always tempting to spend hours on the subjects you enjoy and avoid the tricky ones. Be honest about your abilities and spend time on those subjects and topics that need the work.
Revision can be broken into 3 main stages: learning the material, practising on past exam papers and lastly fine-tuning your exam techniques. Practising past papers will help with time management and working under pressure.
Revision sessions can either be time related or goal related. Most experts seem to favour goals such as learning 5 vocabulary topics or reading through 2 acts of a Shakespeare play.
Don’t forget to schedule in breaks too – they’re very important. Breaks help you absorb and process the information so plan in plenty of them. Lots of short revision sessions (30 mins) plus short breaks (10 mins) works best. This is especially true when you are trying to take in new information. Nearer the exams when you are going over topics you are familiar with you can extend your work sessions to about an hour, possibly 2.
Don’t forget to stay healthy – see my last blog Keep fit ! for tips on this too.
And lastly if you’re struggling with your revision plan why not book a lesson or two with a tutor to give you some guidance.
Sue Smith Private Tuition 