We’re putting the vision in revision

"Don't be afraid to attempt something in case you get it wrong, making mistakes helps us learn."

"Exam questions and mark schemes are your best friend! After reviewing a topic, test yourself by doing a exam-style question and use the mark scheme to see where you're confident and what to revise further."

"When you're choosing quotations to learn from your set texts, choose ones that you have the most to say about. If you choose carefully, just one quotation could cover a character as well as a variety of themes!"

"Enjoy writing and never be frightened of putting your ideas down on paper."

When you come across a new word, look it up in a dictionary (or ask Alexa what it means!). Then draw a picture on a post-it to help you remember the meaning of the word. Stick the post-it with the word and picture up somewhere to help you remember it. Our brain is better at remembering pictures than words.

Don't be scared to get analysis 'wrong' in English. Use your instinct because you are the reader and your analysis is as important as that of the professional critic. Go on and write down that wacky idea: you might be onto something, there!

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and it's also true in mathematics. Draw a diagram to help you with more complex questions. If it's a geometry question, a picture can help you work out what steps to take. Algebra questions can often be illustrated with a bar model.

Go slow to go fast! Take your time to read the introduction and teacher explanations carefully...these will help you to master a new skill and accelerate your learning.

Read each question carefully, and at least twice. Make sure you gain a good understanding of what the question is asking. Start with what you know. Believe that you can do it and give it a shot. All you can do is your best and that is good enough. If you don't succeed always try again, as the more you practise the better you will become.

When revising, try to break a subject down in to little chunks and don’t overwhelm yourself trying to revise it all in one go.

The best answers on the English paper talk a lot about a little. Spend time unpicking a quote before you move on to the next one.

Reading is not revising! PLEASE take this bit of advice. Read the book, then use the information in a creative fun way. Make a story, make a poster, DO EXAM QUESTIONS. Just use the information you read!

Science is great because you can use the ideas you learn in so many situations. That's also what can make it hard to learn- you can't just repeat some buzzwords. Make sure you know the key principles- EdPlace will help you with that a lot. But also, be curious about the world around you. Think- why is that plant, or that machine, the way it is? Chances are that biology, chemistry and physics will have a lot to do with it!

Revise using mark schemes. There’s only a certain amount of ways you can ask a question in Maths. If you learn what the examiner is asking and how they expect to see an answer, you’ll smash the exams!

Many students believe they are not good at maths. If you think like this you'll probably be right. You must believe in yourself and your own ability. Success in maths is as much about confidence as ability. Believe you are good at maths and you will be!

Revise a little Maths every day. Frequent practise of previously studied skills makes them easier to remember.

Take lots of mini breaks to break up your revision. Short, focussed bursts are so much more productive than long, tiring sessions that get boring. So every 20-30 minutes, make sure you take some time out to dance to your favourite song, have a snack, run around outside for 5 minutes, play with your pet - whatever will make you feel happy and refresh you between your revision sessions!

My top tip to study smart is to know your 'why'. Why am I learning this? How will learning this be useful? What will it help me to achieve? Knowing the answers to these questions and reminding yourself of this when the studying feels a bit tough is the best motivation to keep you going.

Make your revision as colourful as possible using stickers, highlighters and felt-tip pens.  Not only will this make the revision more fun to do but it will also make it more fun to look at later on, meaning that you’ll be much more likely to read and reread it.

Choose small, manageable goals and work towards them a little every day until you get there. Never stop striving to be the best you can be!

Paraphrasing concepts and terms into your own words can help you understand difficult topics much faster, and helps amazingly when you come back to notes months later for revision and need to pick up and understand old information quickly!