Parents' Guide to GCSE Revision

Home help does make a difference

Parents can have a very active role in supporting their daughters, helping them organise their revision and knowing what to do when they say ‘I’m tired, I can’t do any more’.

Top Tips

Encourage your daughter to:

• Create a revision timetable by making a list of all the topics in all the subjects they need to revise, with a mix of subjects for each evening;
• Work in short bursts with rewards for maximum effectiveness;
• Revise ‘actively’ rather than sitting passively reading a book. Make lists and diagrams and cover the walls with Mind Maps;
• Use memory retrieval systems – mnemonics, memory pegging (associating items to memorise with, for example, items in their bedroom) image association;
• Turn a bedroom into an effective study environment without TV and internet access.

You can help if you:

• Work with your daughter at the planning stage. Reduce stress and anxiety by getting the revision planner right. Ensure your daughter is realistic in her expectations.
• Look with your daughter at the notes they have made and check that they understand what they have written
• Importantly, make sure your daughter gets enough sleep. Staying up ‘revising’ until 1am means something is wrong.

Praise your daughter when she is doing well and remind her of her overall goals.

Recommended websites:

www.gcse.com
www.coursework.info
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize
www.gcseforums.com/
www.projectgcse.co.uk
www.revisioncentre.co.uk
www.revision-notes.co.uk/GCSE
www.s-cool.co.uk

It is also worth looking at the exam syllabus. The following list covers most of the exam boards:

www.aqa.org.uk
www.edexcel.org.uk
www.ocr.org.uk
www.wjec.co.uk/exams.html

If you require any further information concerning helping your daughter revise for their GCSEs, please either call me or speak to your daughter’s subject teacher.