Top Tips for Easter revision

Looking ahead to GCSEs, A Levels or IB exams? Take a look at our top 5 tips for effective revision this Easter holiday.

1. Create a manageable and sustainable plan

It’s important to find the right balance between revision and relaxation – you don’t want to do too little but you also don’t want to burn out. Create a revision plan with set study hours, so you can more effectively plan ahead while also visually seeing when your breaks will be.

2. Break down revision into smaller chunks

Be specific about what you want to revise when you sit down to study. Don’t just say you’ll revise ‘French’, say you’ll revise ‘passé composé’. This will make it a lot easier to avoid panicking and focus on revising bit by bit.

3. Try different ways of studying

Everyone learns differently, and finding the techniques that help you revise effectively will help you to supercharge everything you do.

Think about what kind of learner you are – are you very visual and think colour coding or pictoral reminders might help? Or do you prefer reading the textbook out loud or presenting what you’ve learnt back to friends or a family member? If you’re not sure how to get started, try different techniques and discover what works well for you.

4. Test test test!

Once you’ve learnt or revised the content, it’s important to test how well you’ve retained that knowledge. Ask your tutor, friends or family to test you on key concepts and revise anything you’d forgotten or weren’t sure about.

A day or two after you’ve revised a topic, try testing your ‘active recall’. Test how well you truly understand the topic by explaining it to your tutor, a friend or family member or sitting down to do practice exam questions.

5. Make use of past papers

While knowing scientific concepts or history facts is important, the most important skill is applying this knowledge effectively in an exam context. Start using past papers to practice this early – not only will it help you engage with what you’re studying in a more interesting way, but it will also help you build exam skills ahead of time.