Top Tips: How to Revise for Exams

Revising for your GCSE, A Level or IB exams in May and June? 

Here are here are some top tips from school leaders in the UK to help you stay on track with your revision, so that you enter that exam hall at your most confident.

Darrel Ross, Assistant Principal (Academic) at St Clares, Oxford

Mr Ross' top tips for revision include:

• Make a plan – timetable your week and allocate free time each day to one or two subjects. Keep to your plan!
• Study in blocks of time that suit you best – e.g. 20 minutes study, 10 minutes break, five minutes review and consolidate – then repeat.
• Eating, sleeping, exercise and down-time with friends are important to continue and balance.
• Use a variety of resources such as websites, online quizzes, flash-cards and exam questions; avoid just reading, highlighting text or re-writing your notes.

Victoria Hearn, Principal at Impington International College

Ms Hearn recommends that parents help their children effectively prepare for examinations by doing the following:

• Create a dedicated space for revision, ideally outside of the bedroom, which is kept clean and organised
• Focus efforts using a revision plan, which clearly outlines topics and activities, and provides visual reassurance when items are marked as complete
• Keep revision active by completing past examination papers, instead of passively reading notes or revision guides, to help retain information
• Remember that mental and physical preparation is as important as academic preparation; encourage extra-curricular activities, keeping fit and eating well during the revision period especially when your child(ren) get closer to their examinations