Surviving year 11 by a year 11 GCSE Pod
 

GCSE pod asked a previous year 11 about their experience through GCSE and what top tips and advice would they give to a current year 11. Here is what they said:

Revision Organisation 

"Organisation is key to your success at GCSE. It will make revision much easier if you have a set time for revising each subject. This way you can make sure you’re spending time on subjects when you aren’t timetabled for them during the school day, so even if you haven’t had a Spanish lesson for a couple of days, for example, all of your Spanish work will be fresh in your mind.  
 

Personalise your revision 

One of the most crucial parts of revision is finding what works for you. For me, I used different techniques for different subjects. For science, I created personal revision guides using the full exam board specification, whereas for English Literature I found watching pods helped me remember the love and relationships poems for my exam. The point is, you should try as many different active revision strategies as you can find and see what works best for you, whether that’s creating flashcards, doing exam questions or creating revision clocks.

It's never too late to start 

Even if you’re late off the mark to start revising, any amount of revision is better than none. After being disappointed with a mock grade in English literature, I was quite worried I wouldn’t do as well as I’d hoped; however, with just a half-term’s worth of daily pods, I managed to push myself up by a whole grade!  

Ask your teachers 

All of your teachers are there to help you during this stressful year so don’t be afraid to ask for help. Teachers want you to get the best possible grade so they will be more than happy to look over work you’ve done in your own time. Don’t feel silly asking questions about anything – it’s better to approach a teacher than be unsure! 

Mental health

It is really important that while you’re revising you still make time for yourself. You can do this by taking regular breaks and making sure to leave time to unwind between revising and going to bed. After all, if you overwork yourself and are constantly tired, your revision might not be as effective!  It is also important to balance your hobbies and your revision. You can still enjoy your hobbies, no matter what they are, as long as they don’t get in the way of revision (and revision doesn’t get in the way of your hobbies)! "

Subject Specific Revision Materials and Links