Revision

Overview

The following information focuses on what you need to do in the exam hall. Read through it all carefully as it highlights some of the common mistakes made by candidates.

Before the Exam:
Read through the instructions on the front of the exam paper carefully. Make sure that you know how many questions to answer, from which section and in how much time. Whilst waiting to start you should estimate when you should have each section completed for example if Section A is worth 50 marks you should give yourself 50 minutes to complete that section. You should work on the basis of a mark a minute. You will also have some extra time that is allocated for reading and checking over your work at the end.

During the Exam:
Choose your questions carefully. Go straight to the big mark question and see if you can answer it. If you can't then you are potentially sacrificing nearly half of your marks for that question.
Take your time to read each question carefully. You are better off investing time to read the question than get it wrong and write an incorrect answer. Remember you are better off getting 4 out of 6 marks than 0.
You don't have to answer the questions in order. Attempt the ones you feel more comfortable with first. Often answering the big mark question is a better way to spend your time than struggle with a medium mark question and losing time.
Remain calm. Remember if it seems like a difficult exam paper, it probably is for others as well so you may not need as many marks as you think to get your grade.
Command Words:
Understand what each command word means. Be sure to underline them before attempting to answer the question otherwise you may answer it incorrectly and fail to get your marks. The following list shows typical command words and what they mean:
 

At the End of The Exam:
When you finish, use the remaining time to check over your work. Specifically focus on big mark questions checking that you have actually answered the question. Then check over medium mark questions and finally small mark questions. Ensure labels are clearly marked, maps are clearly labelled and figures have been referenced.

The information shown here should give you some ideas for revising effectively for your KS4 Geography exams.

Organisation:
It is important to be well organised when revising. You will likely be revising for several subjects all at once so you should think about how you will allocate time to each subject. Here are a few pointers for where you should start.
          Make a timetable - plan your work well in advance
          Manage your time - develop a regular work schedule
          How to concentrate - avoid distractions and practise regularly
          Take short breaks - you can have fun too!
          Your best time - revise at a time which suits you
          Feeling tired? - don't push yourself to the limit
          Quick revision tips - even short periods can be useful
Once you have made these few small steps it is important to keep to your planned schedule. If you can do this effectively, you will be increasing your chances of retaining the information you need.

Techniques (ways to revise):
You can use many different techniques to revise for your exams. Some may work for you, others may not. It is important that you are aware which methods you need to adopt for your exams. Typical techniques are:

You can use the links to the left or click on them above to find out more about each technique. These are only a few suggestions, there are other methods available which may suit your revision style better.

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West

There are many different types of games you can use to help remember phrases or orders or words. You can look into these and develop some of your own to help with your revision. An example of this could be:

in there are many web sites to have a look at. These are often presented in a more enjoyable format and include games and quizzes to test your knowledge. These can provide a good way to use study breaks. Why not add these to your revision timetable.

Revision
Web Sites

YacaPaca

Quite often when you are revising your brain will quickly reach 'saturation' from reading and looking at work. Give it a rest by working different parts. Talk to a 'study buddy' and test them on their knowledge and have them do the same. This is a great way to apply the knowledge you have absorbed making it more likely to be remembered later on.

This is a great way to get all the important information/ ideas down in a quick-to-view way. Select words, processes you need to know and write them in the left hand column. Then write the definition next to it. You could also use these tables to help revise your case studies focussing on location; causes; effects; responses (short & long term).

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This method combines the previous few but predominantly focuses on using images, drawings and diagrams to summarise ideas. It is believed that the brain retains images better than it does text so this method should make remembering easier.

Mind maps or spider diagrams are a great way to look at a whole topic on one page. The trick is to add key branches that represent the key focus areas for your topic. From these branches, add definitions, processes and case studies. Try to make one A4 Mind Map for each Geography topic, stick them to a wall and use them.

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A useful way to find out information and offer ideas is to use the GCSE forum. This has been set up for you to help each other. You will find that you are not the only one with a particular question so why not try asking someone else to see what they think. This technique needs to be used well in advance as responses to your questions may take some time to be posted.

Why not start here, like many other do. There are many different revision guides available to buy but be careful. Make sure that it contains the correct information you need to revise ie they are for you GCSE Geography Syllabus. Your teacher will tell you nearer the time which guides are best for you so make sure you ask them!

Studies have revealed that a person only takes in about 20% of what they hear but amazingly 80% of what they say. This would suggest that you remember facts better if you repeat them to somebody else. Why not give this a go? Impress your parents, brothers, sisters, friends with your wealth of Geography knowledge.

To try this method you should start by choosing a topic. Within that topic write down a list of key words or phrases. Separately look at each phrase and write down what it means on another piece of paper. Repeat this process for all phrases. Revisit the list later and try to remember what each phrase means without the second piece of paper.

By reading over your books and making revision notes is a great way of revisiting themes and concepts. The act of reading over your notes and then rewriting them in summary helps your brain to convert the information into your long-term memory. Your notes should not be simply copied, rather try to shorten the information.

Index cards are a great way to summarise key notes or ideas for quick reference. Ideally these cards are approximately A6 in size. To make them more useful try highlighting sections or add drawings, diagrams to each card. You could summarise one topic on about three cards for the ultimate last minute reference.

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