Curriculum

Preparing for your exams

Revision Advice

There are many different opinions about how revision for exams should be undertaken.  All would agree that there is a period of learning work some months in advance of the exam coupled with practicing as many questions as possible.  In the days just before each exam “last minute revision” is then done in which all your work is quickly read through to remind you of what you have already spent time learning.

When revising, set a regular time to one side.  Make sure you are comfortable and have a good light to revise by.  Some people swear by revising to music, others in silence – you hopefully know what works for you by now.  Build regular rest breaks into your work – 50 minutes work, 10 minutes rest would be good.  Get up and walk about so that your eyes can focus on distant objects for a change – go and make a drink and keep your liquid intake up.  Don’t work continuously over weekends or when you are on study leave – have a day off if necessary and don’t work more than three three-hour shifts in any one day.

Revise using all the facilities at your disposal.  Your notes and a specification (syllabus) will give you a good idea of what you should be learning.  Past paper questions help further and give you an idea of the level of answer required.  Revision books will give you a good all-round knowledge of the very basics whilst textbooks will give you a greater understanding.  Use textbooks wisely as they contain background information that you do not need to learn and they may be covering the specifications of other examining boards too.

There are many sites devoted to particular subjects that may help you with revision.  Take care that you use them wisely as a part of a structured revision program.  Don’t use them simply because it’s an excuse to go on line.  When you visit a site – can you trust it?  Try to stick with reliable sites chosen by the staff or those that are widely recognised such as BBC Bitesize.

Books and Specifications

You should find that your notes, exam papers and the textbooks that you are issued with are sufficient.  However, if you are struggling to sort out the basic information from some of the in depth work and are losing confidence then try a good revision guide.  These often present the information in a very concise form for simple fact learning exercises.  Once you have re-built your confidence you may be able to leave these books behind.  These days revision books are quite closely linked in with particular specifications (syllabuses) so make sure you know which Exam Board your exam is with and which version you are following (often A or B).

The specification or syllabus for a subject provides a rough guide as to what material should be taught at a particular level.  A teacher has a huge amount of experience in interpreting these and therefore you must be careful that you do not read too much into any of the statements. Some subject teachers may already have supplied a specification to you; others regard it as not being useful or perhaps even a hindrance!  Copies can be obtained from Exam Boards either by ordering or by downloading from their sites.