How to revise in Geography! Learning Objective To develop the study skills required to excel in geography.

The Basics: Find a good place to study – remove anything that could become a distraction. Draw up a timetable – make sure you set reasonable study targets otherwise you will just give up.

DON’T JUST READ! Engage with the content make flash cards or notes that are coloured coded and interesting to the eye.

Recall and Summarise Regularly recap what you have studied in the last 10 minutes or so. Make a flash card or notes page. Turn it over and write down everything you can remember from that page of notes. Now compare – make a fresh flash card listing everything you had missed out. NOW TRY AGAIN!!!

Don’t forget the importance of diagrams – attempt to draw diagrams that will help you remember. Try drawing them from member at different points throughout the week.

Don’t work alone – find some to work with a peer or a member of your family. Try explaining to them what you have learnt it will improve your recall. Find support! Use everyone you can to support you this will be a stressful time.

Use Exam Papers – half the battle is understanding exam technique Use Exam Papers – half the battle is understanding exam technique. All exam boards have past papers and mark schemes – use them! Geography OCR B (from 2012) + support materials http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/gcse-geography-b-j385-from-2012/

Take Breaks regularly – you and your mind need rest, stick to your timetable but take breaks, 60 seconds or so, when and as you need them. If your breaks are too long you will demotivate yourself… you will have to accept that you will need to sacrifice some of your usual free time this year.

Let’s practice some of these techniques! Making flash cards or revision notes. Step 1: Read through your class notes and highlight important information – annotate if you need to. Step 2: Create a flash card or revision poster from these key points. Step 3: Re-read these key points –try to explain them to a friend for family member (teach to others). Step 4: Cover up your notes and write down everything you can remember. Step 5: Compare what you can remember to your flash card. Write down everything that you forgot and discuss this with someone else or trying teaching it to others. Step 6: Cover this and try again. Keep repeating this process until you are confident. FINAL STEP: Now try answering an exam question on this – this will apply the information and should help you learn in greater depth.

H. Study Fig 5, a map which shows information about food shortages in part of Africa in 2011. The food shortages were mainly caused by severe drought in the area. Describe variations in the level of food shortages in this part of Africa. (3)

H. Study Fig 6, a map which shows plate boundaries in the “Pacific Ring of Fire”. Describe the locations of the ocean trenches shown on the map. (3) What type of plate boundary is: Between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate? Between the Nazca Plate and the Pacific Plate? (2)