How to Revise well… By 10W

Equipment Creating good notes to revise from is important when working, the following equipment can help create imaginative and detailed notes that are easy to revise from. Pens and Pencils Coloured Pens and Pencils Highlighters Revision Cards (If they help) Ruler Rubber

Timetable Revision Timetables can help you out a lot when revising. They allow you to plan what topics in what subjects need to be revise and when, helping you keep on top of all your revision. You can make these timetable on Excel or by downloading a chart from the internet. Colour coding your timetable can also help. It means you can read each subject you are revising easier and also helps you to remember each day.

Myths Failure would ruin your life: It does, of course, cause difficulties if you fail an exam, but do get things into perspective. Examiners are out to ‘trick’ you: They really aren’t! We just want you to be able to show what you’ve learned. Exams suit people who have a good memory That may be true in some subjects, but there is a lot of English work which really can’t be done by memory alone. Often it is skills (eg of analysis or argument) which are being tested primarily. You will need some facts/names or quotes to hand, but memory really isn’t the main thing for English exams. There are marks available for specific points made: That’s not how it works. The examiners are looking for evidence of the assessment objectives, not checking against a list of things to be mentioned/discussed. Stress is a big problem in exam situations: Of course, too much stress can be an issue, but you do need some stress to help you perform. You should revise till you drop before an exam! You shouldn’t even look at revising on the day of the exam: Neither of these are true. Get a good night’s sleep, don’t be up until 3 revising, but a quick scan of your summary notes on the day itself can help to reassure you you’ve done all you can, if nothing else. Planning exam answers is a waste of valuable time: This is the most destructive exam myth. Even when you don’t have much time per question, planning will help you to use that time better, not waste it. If you were to run out of time and not finish, the examiner can see where you were going from your plan, and you can be credited for points you clearly show in your plan.

Top Ten Tips Study in a quiet place away from the TV and computers etc that is both light and comfortable. Make a 'revision timetable' and always let your family know when you are revising. Create summary notes and anything simple that helps your memory – as short notes, drawings and sayings are much easier to remember. Get help. Ask friends and family to test you. Also attend any teacher revision classes – as teachers will know better than anyone what will be in tests and exams! Record yourself reading notes and occasionally listen to them instead of reading. Take a 5 or 10 minute break every hour and do some stretching exercises, go for a short walk or make yourself a drink. Allow yourself some fun-time each day to relax...and make sure you get a good 8 hours of sleep each night. Don't panic if you feel a bit nervy. A certain amount of nervousness actually helps you perform to the best of your ability, producing a rush of adrenaline that helps you to feel alert and focused. Think positive Don’t get distracted

Preparing for Exams Start revising early, stick to the revision timetable. Take short breaks, 10 minutes for every 30 minutes. Use revision guides. Sleep on your exam notes, revising by osmosis!?! Stick revision notes all around your house Get yourself drinks and snacks, so you don't make excuses to stop every 10 minutes... Sit at a proper desk, don’t revise in bed! Don't put it off, don’t procrastinate and get on with it! Don't just read your notes, WRITE them as well. Don't turn yourself into a revision zombie, keep active as well. Do lots of practice exam papers, this shows examples of the types of questions in your exam. Find the right environment to revise. Don't hang around with the nervous paranoid people on the morning of the exam, they'll just stress you out, which doesn't help at all!