#gcses2018

hey! although i haven't yet received my results, let alone finished my gcses, i have some advice and some things that i wish that i had done earlier on in year 11 to make my gcse process go smoother- i will also do this sort of post for year 9s going into year 10! ---------------------------------------------------- - start early: make all of your resources, as early back as you can, so it's easier for you further down the line - however, don't do what i did and attempt to memorise things in february: there's simply zero point- how are you going to remember all of that info over the next few months? - REVISE FOR YOUR MOCKS PLEASE - i didn't take my mocks seriously, i revised for some of them, but not enough, and i didn't even revise for most of them- for biology i only revised b3 whoops - my mock results weren't great, obviously, but it was still interesting to see that i managed to get a 7 in bio for only doing b3, and yet a 3 in RE for revising only one religion briefly - mocks are a great way to get used to being in the exam hall, which is what all your teachers will tell you; however, i think the main underlying purpose of mocks is to force students to prepare, that way, when it comes to around Feb when you start revising properly, you have some resources already - i honestly wish i revised for my mocks so much, it's probably one of my biggest regrets tbh- if i took them seriously i would at least know where my weakness are - keep alllll papers that your school gives you: they're perfect for seeing where your problem areas are, and it saves you from printing more than you have to - easter half term is a literal blessing- please please please use it wisely - take a break day once in a while- the first day of easter half term, i spent the entire day watching netflix and ... chilling (shouldn't have put those two words together but oh well) i then spent an hour in the evening watching planning videos on youtube to help me plan my half term, which i did shortly after - this leads me onto the next thing- plan every day! i find that when i plan an entire week at once, i just never seem to follow it- i just make to do lists every morning, or the evening before, and tick each thing off as i do it- i make them very specific and occasionally include times- for example, i may have said i wanted to do 17 preplanned flashcards within 45 minutes - use your teachers: get anything you can off of them, and don't be afraid to ask questions and give them work to mark! - don't worry if "you're not stressed enough", it's normal, it happens, and it's a good thing - let your motivation be the hilarious memes on twitter after each exam ;)

after my results, expect wayyy more advice and helpful tips :) be sure to leave me any questions in my ask box too!

(also i'm not back permanently lol i was just bored during one of my breaks)

ly all

...for your gcses!

1. Know your spec!

First of all, you should know which exam board you are taking the GCSE with. This advice mostly applies to the sciences, but use it where you see fit.

You can read any textbook x times, or watch a YouTube video y times, or read over your notes z times, but the only way to guarantee that you know everything for your exams is if you read your spec. The exams aren’t based on your textbook - they’re based on the spec. So if you know the spec, you know the exam.

Here’s what I did:

Print out the ‘subject content’ area of the spec

Read through it and mark information that I wouldn’t be able to recall otherwise

Add notes where something vague is written, for example ‘students should be able to explain the motor effect’. Write down the explanation!

Revise occasionally

After lessons, go over which part of the spec you covered. (It helps when your teacher can’t really teach)

N.B The spec also cannot be your only source for information. It is your textbooks, notes and revision guides that will (or should) explain the topic in more detail. So when you read over the spec, you should be able to recall mentally the topic in more depth.

2. Know what coursework you have + what % it counts to your overall grade

And strive to do your very best in coursework. Honestly, it’s gonna help a shit ton during your exams. If you score high, you don’t have to worry so much about the written part (if you have one).

Become best buds with your teachers if you have to! Your coursework is usually internally marked by your subject teacher. I gave my music teacher chocolate for Christmas even though he was biased and cocky. I still dislike him, but his help got me a grade 9, and 100% in my Music coursework.

3. Know your resources

During Year 10 + 11: Know if you have support clinics for your subjects. Know where they are, when they are, and if you feel yourself slipping in a subject, have questions ready to ask the teacher!

Even if you don’t have a clinic that day, it’s okay to ask for help! Hopefully by now you’ll know which teachers belong to which departments. If you feel comfortable with them, ask for help!

Spring/Summer of Year 11: Revision sessions should start to pop up. Attend them, even if your friends aren’t going. It’s okay to be solitary for a while if it means that you get some valuable information. (You can catch up with your friends later, but you only take most of your GCSEs once. Make it count, hun.)

+ Don’t worry if you can’t make it, or if you just don’t want to go a couple of times. I did the same because I’m not a machine and neither are you. Have fun sometimes <3

TLDR:

Know what’s in the spec, but make sure you can go into depth on topics as well. Use it with your textbooks and revision guides. (Don’t stress about reading over every spec! Use it when you’re stuck on what you need to know)

Coursework: Dedicate a lot of your effort on it - trust me, it helps you so much for the written exams (if you have them). Develop a good relationship with your teacher.

Step 1: Know that there is an end, and it will come waaay quicker than you think. Once you’ve done them, you get that feeling of wanting to do it all over again, so just push yourself as much as you can (healthily) during this time so you have no ragrets!! (not even a letter, lol)

Step 2: Eat well and drink water – sounds dumb & boring but we swear to you it makes the world of difference to your body, brain, skin and mood!

Step 3: Break it down, yo. Seriously though, don’t even bother revising for 12 hours straight, you’ll kill your brain cells and most likely not keep over half the info you need to remember. Break it down into chunks ie do an hour, break for half an hour and continue with another hour. Then finish with a practice exam!

Step 4: Practice exams should be your best friend if they’re available to you. Exam boards tend to recycle questions alllll the time, so use that to your advantage and do as many as poss! It also means you won’t be freaked out in the real thing which is an obvious bonus

Step 5: Use your friends and family to test you – that’s what they’re there for! When I did my A Levels I made hundreds of flashcards and my mum sat with me for ages working through them in sections with me until I knew them all, and that was so helpful!

Step 6: treat. Yo. Self. Book a hol or day out with a bff as soon as your exams finish and work towards that, there’s loads of countdown apps which are sooo motivational!

 Best of luck, guys. Please do try to relax, in reality they’re just exams to get you to the next step. You’re doing better than you think!