A Step-By-Step Guide to Revising for GCSEs

Matt Green, The Rapping Science Teacher on tiktok and the owner of JGM Science Tutors, speaks to Tassomai about his foolproof method for getting revision started (unfortunately, it’s not rapping).

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Prior to running my own company, I was a Head of Department in a school, so I know how hard the GCSE period can be for some students. Other than rapping and making educational videos, there is one foolproof method that has always worked for me when it comes to science revision, but I think it could be transferred to almost all other subjects.

My method

Revision isn’t all super duper fun, even though it might sometimes look like it on my tiktok! There are some clear cut steps that students can follow in order to get on top of their revision and aim for the top grades. Here is the tried and tested method I encourage all my students to use, which parents can help with at home:

• Checklist
  Make a checklist together of all the topics they need to cover - this can be from the contents page of their textbook or the exam board specification.
  

• Mindmap
  Get them to open their textbook or revision guide and read the section on the topic they have chosen to do that day, then close the book and draw a mindmap of what they have just learnt without looking back at the book. Spending all of their revision time reading will result in them only remembering about 1% of the material - they need to interact with it and test themselves too. Dedicate one hour to each topic.

Matt Green is a contributor to Tassomai’s GCSE Survival Guide, a free 28-page handbook, full of practical tips and expert advice to help families navigate their way through GCSEs. Download your copy of the GCSE Survival Guide here.

• Other resources
  Encourage them to head online to sites and resources like BBC bitesize, or to watch good quality videos on YouTube from teachers like Primrose Kitten, or complete a Tassomai quiz. These break up the routine and can often have better explanations for topics if the textbook just isn’t sinking in that day. 
  

• Test 
  The next step is to test this knowledge, either through a past paper, a Tassomai quiz or another resource. This will put into practice the revision they have just been working on and embed any new information they have learnt.
  

• Stay accountable 
  Return to their checklist and write the percentage score they got in the above test. This is much better than simply ticking it off as when they return to the topic again they will know whether they have improved or not. A tick just doesn’t tell you enough. This is also a great way to be able to identify the areas they find most challenging and could do with the most improvement.

This engagement process is much better than just staring at a book and waiting for the knowledge to sink in. I’m a parent myself and I know that creating a good, solid structure to learning is the best way to ensure knowledge retention. Testing their knowledge after studying is the most important bit, as this is how you truly know what information has stuck and keeping track of their progress keeps them accountable for their own learning. 

Click here to read more from Matt Green on the trickiest topics in GCSE science.