GCSE's coming up, any tips??

[killari]

The way i have always revised is by memorizing past paper answers word for word. It's definately the most efficient way to revise because a lot of the marks are got by using the exact wording and phrases that the examiners are looking for. Learn a couple of past papers by heart and you'll make upwards of a B easily. Examiners always have favorite questions that crop up year after year so you're just wasting your time if you try learning the whole syllabus.

This method may do well for you now, but its a very bad habit to be falling into. Rote learning only works for the early stages and leaves you in difficult positions regarding unseen questions.

I know some people who got through school using this, but totally crashed once they hit uni. Not only because uni exams can vary greatly from past papers, but also because it requires a solid understanding of things taught at school (which may or may not be revised in lectures).

Its easy to say "Oh I'll just learn the paper this time and study properly next time", but frankly its a habit that is hard to break and doesn't benefit you at all in the long run.

 

[D D Danneh]

What stories you even got to do anyway?

Mice and Men and Inspector Calls -- is what i got to. Think I'm all set on them really. Read 3 times each. Watched the film and tv film so should be set

We have to do Lord of the Flies, poems, and a media text for the exam, and we've done coursework on An Inspector Calls, Macbeth and Silas Marner. Our teacher had to pick the most boring stories but I can't fault her teaching ability, everyone in our class is doing pretty well, certainly better than the top set in the other half of the year.

 

[dowie]

Practice past papers...

I don't mean look at the sample answers and try to learn them but actually sit down, set yourself the proper time limit and do it as though it is the actual exam.

Get the past 4 or 5 years worth of papers for the subject and do each one under exam conditions at home. It is the best way to revise, you will find that the structure of the papers is more or less the same, you'll be able to plan your time better for the actual exam and you'll be able to highlight which areas perhaps need a bit more study.

You won't likely get the exact same questions so you really do have to do the past papers properly not just study them in some attempt at a revision shortcut * however you will find that there are only a finite number of questions that could really be set for a particular topic so you will find questions that are at least similar to ones you've already practiced and you'll be able to tackle them far more efficiently.


*having said that if you're really struggling and have left it to the last minute for a particular subject then going through the past papers and looking at where you could grab marks will probably save you - though this is not ideal...

 

[oli356]

We have to do Lord of the Flies, poems, and a media text for the exam, and we've done coursework on An Inspector Calls, Macbeth and Silas Marner. Our teacher had to pick the most boring stories but I can't fault her teaching ability, everyone in our class is doing pretty well, certainly better than the top set in the other half of the year.

Can't even remember all of my courseworks lol. Umm Sherlock Holmes (loved it), can't remember others haha.

I still think exams are dum - how much you can write in 'x minutes'.
I can't write quick so =/ But what i do write is generally good. Well top of my class at least

I hate the thought of sitting down outside of school hours revision and writing things.. i get distracted...

Totally Off topic but what has everyone been told for 'study leave'?
Apparently there hasn't been one legally for like 8 years. For our mocks they were like 'we wont register you so..' (cough cough, go home)
This time they are stricter and its like lessons will be on etc. But i still think a lot of people won't turn up

 

[icysniper]

Can't even remember all of my courseworks lol. Umm Sherlock Holmes (loved it), can't remember others haha.

I still think exams are dum - how much you can write in 'x minutes'.
I can't write quick so =/ But what i do write is generally good. Well top of my class at least

I hate the thought of sitting down outside of school hours revision and writing things.. i get distracted...

Totally Off topic but what has everyone been told for 'study leave'?
Apparently there hasn't been one legally for like 8 years. For our mocks they were like 'we wont register you so..' (cough cough, go home)
This time they are stricter and its like lessons will be on etc. But i still think a lot of people won't turn up

hahah cool, yeh can't remmeber wat coursework i had , and we are not getting study leave , we only go in for our exams after the first one, and the classes we would have been in are still on for anyone who needs help, which is quite useful

 

[D D Danneh]

For our lessons, we have to go in until all the exams for that subject are over, then we don't have to. I have thursdays pretty much free now, since my engineering course is completely finished and 4/5 lessons are engineering on that day

 

[icysniper]

For our lessons, we have to go in until all the exams for that subject are over, then we don't have to. I have thursdays pretty much free now, since my engineering course is completely finished and 4/5 lessons are engineering on that day

hmm that would kinda suck for me, as I have the easier exam's towards the end of the period, luckily I get 'leave' after the first exam

 

[MameFX]

I hardly revised at all,infact i have no GCSE's but i have my own business and turn over just under 50k a year
When i was 15/16 and most kids were doing there GCSE's i was out working trying to make money.

 

[Zom]

1. Find out which exam boards you have
2. Find out which specification you are doing (Maths A or Maths B etc)
3. Go to their website and download past papers.
4. Do the past papers
5. Realise they recycle exam questions every 4-5 years.
6. Kick ass

 

[2StepSteve]

Don't worry about it. GSCE's are nearly not worth the paper they are written on.

Go into exams high on a cocktail of at least class B drugs.

 

[digipeep]

Just thank god you aren't doing O levels. My gf who is a teacher tells me she has to give you the answers before you sit an exam nowadays, schools are scared ****less of getting poor results.

 

[FoxEye]

what did grades did everyone get for their GCSE's, and which are the most important to revise??

Argh... I didn't revise any of my GCSE's much, and turned up fashionably late for most of the exams This isn't a good thing btw; I was just a bit of an ass as a teenager (even more so than I am now ).

Sadly, I passed them with ease. Which made me a bit arrogant, only to think A-levels would be as easy, and end up with a B, C & D thanks to not working very hard at college. Sadly, I still got into university, and my attitude was still horrid - I flunked uni badly. Tres badly.

GCSE are easy, but it's good practise to take them seriously. It's just hard to do when you're 16 and there are so many distractions

 

[digipeep]

"I passed them with ease"

Yes because they have be dumbed down so that even the class retard can pass them.

 

[sjcf1]

what did grades did everyone get for their GCSE's, and which are the most important to revise??

I got 10 A*s and 1 A (in spanish) With a C in as maths that I took a year early.

Revise the subjects that your unsure about. If you can remember what you need to know for one subject, don't bother revising that much. Revise the things that your weakest on.

 

[Davies_M]

Tips? Cherish every moment. A levels next year and their just like the GCSE's you really don't care about x 1000 but you have to do them to do the thing you like in Uni...

Yeah.


*edit*

Don't forget, RE is useless and always will be! NO sweat

Keep your mind on Science, English and Maths. Music is just horrid and narrated by an Asian woman who cannot pronounce the English language very well (atleast that's what it was like when I was there!)

My GCSE's? abysmal, I didn't even revise the night before. It did make me feel bad though, in my arrogance I let down quite a few teachers who were rooting for me to get top marks. That was the worst bit imo.

 

[mitch212k]

I did my GCSEs year before last. My advice :

- Keep cool throughout, don't panic
- Stop playing games completely/browsing net as much as normal during them, just be revising and doing papers throughout, its only for a few weeks at most then you can do w/e you like all summer
- Read every question very carefully
- Do all past papers you can get your hands on before you go in, once you've done them look up anything problematic and read through the mark schemes, get to know what they want from you (this is very much the way with A levels)
- Arrive to every exam with the correct kit and in plenty of time
- Know where you're sitting
- Make sure you're comfortable (food/toilet ) before exams, much easier that way

Sorry is some of those were obvious ... my GCSEs were my first proper exam situations is all, now I'm nearing the end of A levels I'm getting quite good if I may say so myself

 

[Dave****]

1. Find out which exam boards you have
2. Find out which specification you are doing (Maths A or Maths B etc)
3. Go to their website and download past papers.
4. Do the past papers
5. Realise they recycle exam questions every 4-5 years.
6. Kick ass

Um, no At least AQA doesn't, they employ teachers to write the exams and then they have a lot of meetings to make sure they are standardized and marked fairly. I work for AQA, I should know.

(In my office right now are the exam papers for this summers GCSE and A-levels. Very very secure obviously so don't any of you get any ideas!!)

 

[icysniper]

Tips? Cherish every moment. A levels next year and their just like the GCSE's you really don't care about x 1000 but you have to do them to do the thing you like in Uni...

Yeah.


*edit*

Don't forget, RE is useless and always will be! NO sweat

Keep your mind on Science, English and Maths. Music is just horrid and narrated by an Asian woman who cannot pronounce the English language very well (atleast that's what it was like when I was there!)

My GCSE's? abysmal, I didn't even revise the night before. It did make me feel bad though, in my arrogance I let down quite a few teachers who were rooting for me to get top marks. That was the worst bit imo.

will cherish it all and yep RS = WASTE of time, and omg music that woman is so annoying!!

I did my GCSEs year before last. My advice :

- Keep cool throughout, don't panic
- Stop playing games completely/browsing net as much as normal during them, just be revising and doing papers throughout, its only for a few weeks at most then you can do w/e you like all summer
- Read every question very carefully
- Do all past papers you can get your hands on before you go in, once you've done them look up anything problematic and read through the mark schemes, get to know what they want from you (this is very much the way with A levels)
- Arrive to every exam with the correct kit and in plenty of time
- Know where you're sitting
- Make sure you're comfortable (food/toilet ) before exams, much easier that way

Sorry is some of those were obvious ... my GCSEs were my first proper exam situations is all, now I'm nearing the end of A levels I'm getting quite good if I may say so myself

thanks , will go see where i'm sitting as I won't get stressed out looking where I'm meant to sit

Um, no At least AQA doesn't, they employ teachers to write the exams and then they have a lot of meetings to make sure they are standardized and marked fairly. I work for AQA, I should know.

(In my office right now are the exam papers for this summers GCSE and A-levels. Very very secure obviously so don't any of you get any ideas!!)

damn!!! Most of mine are AQA lol

Just remembered that the invigilators are so annoying, they are a complete distraction, I don't see why they don't just put up CCTV cameras and then look through afterwards surely that would be less stressful for everyone

 

[Gangster]

Focus 101% on Maths, English and Science. IMHO its useless to get 10 grade Cs, when you could get 3 grade A* in the most important subjects.

Revise, Revise, Revise. Get off the forum and revise. It'll pay off. Keep the feeling of when you open an exam paper and don't know what to do as your motivator.

No time to waste, structure yourself and get revising!

 

[sniffy]

I disagree with some of the tips in here and agree with others. How you revise best is a personal thing. General pointers are to revise sufficiently and stay calm; everything else is down to you.