Easter revision timetable (Year 11 and Year 13)

This week, all year 11 and year 13 students will be given Easter revision timetables to plan and organise their revision over the forthcoming holiday. Evidence suggests that Easter is a crucial time for revision and putting in place effective study methods for reviewing work for external examinations. Please encourage your child to dedicate time over their holidays for this essential work. We have provided links to our revision suggestions and tips which students will be familiar with from school.

“The best GCSE and A-level results don’t go to the cleverest students – they go to those who revised in the Easter holidays.”
B Lenon

How to use your revision timetable

A solid revision planner is the key to making sure you cover everything you need to in time for the exam.
It also has the added benefit of breaking everything down into more manageable chunks – revision suddenly feels much less daunting!

A basic revision timetable is essentially a calendar. But instead of holidays and birthdays, it contains topics and subjects you need to revise on specific days. Try to follow these simple stages for completing your calendar

Divide however long you have until your exams by how many subjects you study.
Divide all the topics and areas you need to cover accordingly.
One way to structure a revision timetable is to allocate revision sessions and breaks within certain times, such as 45 minutes of revision followed by a 15 minute break, which is repeated.
How do I prioritise what I need to revise? Ask yourself what subjects or particular topics within those subjects do you need to spend more time on.
Regular refreshers. Don’t just cover an area once and move on. If you do this, the material you study first will be a distant memory by the time you come to exams. So fit in time to revisit material among your study timetable.
Include past papers as part of your revision calendar. Past papers are always a good idea. This is so you can test yourself to check what you are revising is sticking. It also gives you practice with the format of the questions you might be asked.
Approach subjects differently – Have a varied approach, as certain study methods will suit some subjects better than others. This might depend on how intense the material is, how it will be assessed or simply how you best retain everything.
Be realistic – Create a revision plan that is going to work for you. If you’re too ambitious with your plan it can be easy to lose heart. Studies show that people are more motivated by achievable goals. Think about what you can stick to and allow rest breaks. Include some relaxation time too – doing something completely different can help information sink in and stop you burning out.
Expect the unexpected – Timetable some free study blocks each week. Once you get stuck in you may find you need more time on a certain subject or you may have to deal with something outside of your studies. If there’s no flexibility in your plan it can be easy to get behind. Keep some free blocks each week to use as you need to help you stay on track.
Plan in your revision calendar something to look forward to and focus on once the exams are over.