insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 14 - April 2016 | Page 79

EDUCATION

TOP TIPS ON HOW TO
REVISE EFFECTIVELY FOR EXAMS
The Easter holidays are here, and for parents with children taking important exams this summer,
now's the time to offer all the support you can to your very anxious teenagers. Whether it’s for
GCSEs or A-levels, according to Matt Croft, head of teaching and learning at Hazelwick School
in Crawley, revision works best when it's a joint venture between parents and children.

The run up to exams can be a tense time, but family members, whether
they know the subjects or not, can be a great support. The first thing to
do is to ask your teen how you can help, and you’ll get clearer direction
about how you can be of assistance if you start the conversation by
asking things like: “Have you planned your revision; do you need any help
with your plan? How can I support you?”

Parents should always have high expectations of their children, but they
should also be aware of their anxieties and their need for regular breaks.
It’s also very important for parents to understand that their children are
thinking about their next steps: GCSE to A-level, and A-level to university.
Between Easter and summer fall some crucial months and big changes in
their lives are about to happen; sometimes it can feel as though the earth
is shifting right under their feet.

It’s important to remember teenagers need routine, at home as well as
in school, especially during A-levels, where a lot of independent study
is required. They need the right environment to work in at home, such
as a quiet space and a tidy desk. There's a lot of pressure on them, so
comforting advice and support is much appreciated, as well as being
confidence boosting.

It’s helpful for all parents to recognise where their children’s motivation
lies. It can come from factors such as being the first person in the family
to go to university, but it’s vital to remember that all most children really
want is to make their family proud.

TOP REVISION TIPS FOR STUDENTS:
“The most ineffective way to revise is to read
notes,” says Matt. “Not much goes in; minds
wander, and too much time is spent ‘working’
for very little learning. Effective revision should
be active and involve doing things, so:
• make fact cards
• draw mind maps
• highlight notes
• make lists
• write essay plans
• answer past questions
“Don’t work for hours without a break; memory
and recall become less and less effective over

time, so plan your revision in sessions of up
to one hour and take a short break between
sessions. Change topics each session too – this
is really hard to begin with, but it’s a really effective
strategy. It focuses your mind to get a certain
amount, or a particular task done in a set time,
and makes the time spent revising really count.”
“For revision sessions to be useful and
worthwhile you need to make a few sacrifices.
Find a quiet place to work; leave the TV
switched off; and tell all of your contacts on
things like Facebook and WhatsApp that
you are exiting the social media world for
one hour. It will make it easier to put your

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phone on silent and move it out of sight. Your
reward at the end of the session can be a
quick communication frenzy, hopefully telling
everyone how brilliantly you have just worked!”
“Make sure you include lots of essay plans,
past questions and past papers; application
of knowledge carries more marks than recall
in some subjects. Look at mark schemes and
examiners’ reports too, that’s how you will learn
how examiners expect you to answer questions,
what gains marks and, equally and importantly,
what does not gain marks. Around half of your
revision time should be spent on past questions.”