Revision Advice

Revision Kit

Make yourself your own personalised revision kit. You need a special pen or pencils. I like a new pack of sharpened HB pencils and a pencil sharpener. Marker pens / highlighters – three colours. Yellow sticky back notelets – you will need very small ones and larger notelets. You can also have a portable audio recorder – or iPod - so that you can record quotes and other material you want to learn on the move.

Keep your revision kit next to the place where you will do your revising – it just needs to be a quiet room with a desk or table. Yes you can have music but choose it very carefully so as not to be a distraction - unless it is Plan B or a bit of grime!!!

Using the kit you are going to mark up the files you already have for the each sections of the exam. You should have a file /folderwith class notes, teacher’s handouts and your essays and other written material. Don't forget you also have your G325 blog with all your class notes and tasks on.

You can’t revise everything so select the most important things you need to know. Think about the topics for both Section A and Section B. What are the key points for each of the case studies for Section B? What theory do you need to know for this Section? What theory do you need to apply for Section A 1(b)?

Marking up and highlighting has two purposes:

1. As you are selecting and highlighting you are revising at the same time – what a good idea.
2. Making your selection of relevant material will make your revising a lot more focussed.

So what have you done? You have made a decision on what you need to revise, you have located it and you have marked it. Well done, you are on your way, it wasn’t very hard was it? And feel that sense of achievement. This process is a very good way into a topic and can be summed up as: Find - Select - Mark.

Memory Patches

This is an easy way to remember difficult ideas, concepts quotes or equations. Write them on a large yellow sticky back notelet and post them up on a wall, mirror or anywhere in your bedroom AT EYE LEVEL. As soon as you wake up you should see a yellow sticker with something useful on it such as Gramsci - Hememony.
When you go to the bathroom put up another yellow with process of constantly reinforcing the message and developing the argument.
You have learned two things this morning – backup these simple facts with more info on how this theory could be applied to your case studies. So your eye meets a new fact or idea each day.

Revise – Test Yourself – Rest

This sounds really hard until you break it down into:

1. Revise for a short period – just 25 mins
2. Test yourself for just 5 mins by saying: ‘What have I learned just now?’
3. Rest for at least 10 mins with a walk, some music, texting, videogame (only 10 mins) or by doing very little – go and talk to a friend, your sister or Mum.
4. This way you are working in 40 minute blocks which is what you are used to, because an average lesson time is about 40 mins. Stop after three 40 min sessions and have something to eat or drink. Brainpower uses calories.

Revise Difficult Work First

Nobody said life was easy. You have to revise those difficult equations or that subject you find hard when you are at your freshest. Put it another way, leave the easy stuff to the evening or when you are a bit tired.

Bite Size Is Best

It is much easier to learn small units of information than large ones, so break down topics into bite size chunks – break down all complex info into small chunks.

Organise Your Time

I have left this to the last because for many people it is the most difficult. For people who are naturally well organised they will have organised themselves already. If organisation is an anathema to you (look it up) then follow this advice:

• Don’t be afraid to ask someone to help you organise your time.
• Just do a simple sum – how many days have you got to the exam and how many hours in each day – you just cannot revise all day so decide on how much you feel you can do – say two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon, and you can have the evening off. If you want to get an A then you will have to make sure you do at least that amount and more.

Make Lists

It really is a good idea to make at least two lists. One list of all the revision you have to do – then a second listing the topics you need to learn for each subject. Highlight topics that you have completed, so that you can see what you have achieved.

More Help?

Sally will be conducting a revision session during the half term holidays and if you want one to one time to go through any topics then make an appointment on a Wednesday afternoon.