Designing a Timetable (Part 1) - Creating a Revision List
Exam Technique: Preparation & How to Revise
Yes it is only the
beginning of the year and most students are enjoying their final days before
school starts. So you are probably
wondering why I am talking about revision so early on in the school year. If you start your revision now at the
beginning of the year it will mean you are well prepared for your exams in the
summer and the mocks in the winter.
Feeling prepared will relieve exam nerves and stress (see my post on
coping with exam stress). You won't need
to have the late night cramming session or be exhausted before taking the exam.
Sometimes actually
creating a topic revision list can be more daunting than actually the process
of revision. It is important to have a
good grasp of what you need to revise as well as how to revise and sometimes this
is overlooked. This blog post is going
to concentrate on the what of revision!
 |
| Start Revising at the Beginning |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steps to Success
- Ask your teacher for a list
- Ask your tutor for a list
- Look at your textbooks
- Look at past papers
- Look at the syllabus
- Go on the web
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STEP 1: Asking your teacher
Such a simple step
yet sometimes overlooked. A teacher
should have a brilliant grasp of the subjects you need to know and they may
have even produced a list themselves when creating their lesson plans. Also the list of topics they could give you
may also help your classmates so the teacher may be more than happy to produce
a topic list if you ask.
A word of warning
though you cannot solely rely on this or saying the teacher didn't tell me it
was going to be on the exam so I never learnt it. You need to be a self-sufficient learner. Teachers can only teach so much in the time
allotted and will often focus on the class needs rather than one person's
individual needs.
I would also ask
your teacher for a list fairly early on.
This has some benefits. The first
is you will have plenty of time to build and put your revision timetable into
practise. Secondly you could even get
ahead of your class and thirdly this can encourage a deeper foundation of
learning so you will be more familiar with the topic areas.
STEP 2: Asking your tutor
Another person who
can help you is your tutor. A good tutor
should have a solid understanding of National Curriculums and exam topics. You could even show them the list the teacher
has given you and ask them to add to the list.
Often tutors are
more willing to support you on a one-to-one basis so they will be able to
identify where you need the practise.
For more information
on private on-line or home tutoring contact me (RK Tutors).
STEP 3: Hit the books
It goes without
saying that you should have the official text book for the exam you are
sitting. For example, if it is an
Edexcel GCSE I'd start by buying the official Edexcel textbooks. This is because these textbooks often go
through in-depth which topics could be on your exam. They also have lots of worked examples for
you to look at. It will also help you
identify areas that you get stuck on and you can even ask your tutor or teacher
for extra support in these areas.
Please note I wrote
textbooks (plural) not textbook. You
want to read around the subject.
Firstly, this can give you a deeper understanding and secondly some
textbooks may include topics that other textbooks do not.
STEP 4: Past papers
Looking at past
papers can often help you identify some of the areas you know and some of the
areas you don't know so you can find out where to brush up. It also provides you with worked examples so
you are applying your knowledge base to your revision. It also gives you an opportunity to practice
exam technique.
Practising under
timed conditions can also help you see the topics you are finding trickier
because you are having to think harder about these questions.
With papers,
particularly for GCSE and SATs, I would try to practice all the papers
available to you including with the exam board, general and past papers. Tutors and teachers can often supply an ample
amount of question material.
STEP 5: The syllabus
Another place to go
is back to the syllabus as often the topics are outlined here. The teachers and tutors use this material
when choosing an exam board and to help them create lessons for their students. Syllabi can be found usually on the internet
often for free.
STEP 6: The internet
Today there is a
wealth of information (also free) on the internet. Somebody somewhere probably has the same
question as you when it comes to what are the revision topics so why not use a
search engine such as Google to find a basic topic list. Be careful though as often these are not in
depth and I would rather use these as a starter guide and expand on the list.
Comments
Post a Comment