This section of the GeoResources web site is being used to provide some general information about revision. Over time, there will be additional information provided. This will include topic notes, keyword cards and diagram cards for G.C.S.E. Check back regularly to see what has been added.

It might be stating the obvious but no-one really likes doing revision!! However, like a lot of things in life, if you want to be successful, there has to be some pain. So, if you really do want to do well, read on…..

Revision is very much an individual thing and you have to read the advice, try it out and see what suits you best.

1. Be sure you know what you have to revise. Either ask your teacher for a course outline or log on to one of the exam board websites (see the links below) and download a syllabus (often called a specification these days). You may need to get the name of the exam board from your geography teacher or the teacher in charge of exams.
   The syllabus (specification) is usually set out as a table with a list of topics in one column and some additional information about each topic in the second column. Use the content list to check carefully through all your Year 10 and Year 11 notes to see if anything is missing. If it is, copy up the notes from a friend or find a relevant section in your textbook. You can use the syllabus (specification) to find out how long each exam paper is and how many questions you have to answer on each paper.
   
   
2. Make a simplified list of all the topics that you have to study. Use this as a quick checklist to see which topics need most attention and time. Tick each topic off as you revise them. Under each topic heading make a checklist of any case studies that you have been given. A lot of long answer questions with high marks depend on knowing your case studies - you have been warned!.
   
   
3. For each topic, use your notes and the relevant chapters of your textbook to make a master list of all the keywords that you need. The examiners will reward those students who use lots of geography words e.g. use 'erosion' instead of just saying 'wear away'.
   
   
4. You will obviously have lots of subjects to revise for - be realistic - it will take a lot of time to do properly and so a rough timetable will help you plan your time. You will need to find out when the exams are taking place - get this information from your teacher as soon as you can. Dates of external exams are given on the exam board websites (see links below). Give priority to the subjects that come first.
   
   
5. There is no magic formula for revising but there are some commonsense guidelines you can try out:
   
   
   • last minute revising does not work for most people so plan ahead and allow enough time.
     
     
   • long periods of revising will make you tired and it will not be very productive so revise in slots of about 20-30 minutes and then take a break - listen to the radio, phone your friend/boyfriend/girlfriend, play a (quick) game on the computer, etc. Rest periods should be about 10 minutes then get back to work. Reward yourself every couple of hours with a TV programme (record your favourites) or some food or some exercise. Self-discipline is not easy but it is important - you only get one chance to do well in your exams.
     
     
   • the latest research shows that revising whilst listening to music slows down your revision (although it may make it a more pleasant experience) so ideally, find somewhere quiet to allow your mind to concentrate. Listen to music in your rest periods. NEVER try to revise and watch television - it does not work!
     
     
   • it is possible to revise whilst lying on the floor or hanging off the edge of your bed upside down but this limits the kind of revision that you can do. So be brave - every so often you will need to be 'sensible' - and sit at a desk or table where you can lay out your books and write some notes. If you can't leave your revision notes and books out on a desk, be organised and pack it away carefully - a lot of time can be wasted getting everything sorted out each time you sit down to revise.
     
     
   • try to make most of your revision practical - this seems to work best for most people's brains - see the suggestions given below. Reading is necessary and sometimes useful but it doesn't make the information stay for very long in your brain. Practical ways of revising:
     
     
   • always read your class notes and the relevant chapters of your textbook at least once
     
     
   • try to summarise the information needed for each topic - write these at the back of your exercise book or make a folder of revision notes. Set the notes out neatly with plenty of spaces - use coloured gel pens to underline important words and phrases. Use lots of headings and sub-headings. Start each topic on a clean sheet so the information doesn't get muddled.
     
     
   • draw all your maps and diagrams in your revision notes but make them simple so you can learn them and repeat them quickly and easily in the exam. Make sure you put plenty of labels on them. Practice drawing maps and diagrams - copy the sketch, close your books and add the labels. Make a supply of drawings that you can test yourself with.
     
     
   • have a go at summarising a whole topic or a case study on one sheet. Use the mind map or spider diagram technique (click here for an example).
     
     
   • sometimes you need something in the exam to remind you of a list or a rule, so make a few of these up as well as using the more well-known ones. It can add some fun to your revision. These are old ones:
     'into the house and up the stairs' to remember giving the grid reference along the bottom of the map before the grid reference going up the side
     'Naughty Elephants Squirt Water' to remember the correct order of the four points of the compass 'source = start, estuary =end' to remember the correct words for a river
     
     
   • get someone (mum/dad/friend/ brother or sister (?)) to test you by asking questions from your notes - it only has to be for 5-10 minutes to be useful
     
     
   • if possible, it is useful to go through old exam questions so that you get used to seeing the types of questions asked, how much space you have to answer the question, etc. It is likely that you will do this in school towards the end of your course - take the opportunity seriously, it can make a real difference to your grades.
     
     
   • revision books and revision websites are useful but not essential tools - they make a change from all the usual materials - but if you have worked hard and have a good set of notes and a textbook, this is all you really need. It is better to make your own exam notes rather than using someone else's as you will remember them better. If your notes are poor or you have missed work, then a good revision guide can be useful.
   • and finally, good luck with your revision - if you have worked hard, you won't need very much of it.

Edexcel [London/BTEC]

OCR [Oxford/Cambridge/RSA]

AQA [AEB/SEG/NEAB]