Is Dd going into too much detail? GCSE revision

[reallynearlytheres]

Dd is working through the specifications for each subject, starting at the beginning. This is great but in the sciences she has only just finished the topics in paper 1 so has all paper 2 topics to go through and hasn’t done past papers yet. Should she be taking a different approach? She’s doing a combination of watching YouTube videos then the topic in cgp workbooks. She’s not got the best memory so will definitely need to recap after with past papers. Im worried she’s not going to get it all done in time.

This is the least efficient way to learn. She is just recognising material, not remembering it. For more efficient learning, look at how to use retrieval techniques I.e trying to remember stuff before looking it up. Look at www.innerdrive.co.uk/what-are-the-best-ways-to-revise/ for a start. It won t feel secure but there’s so much false security in just looking at material as it feels safe therefore it’s not doing much. A good analogy is exercise. A nice amble is better than nothing but not as good for you as making it more a cardio challenge.

Oh God I’m panicking now. I find when she makes flash cards or mind maps she hasn’t got a clue when i test her on them. Just not sure the best way to help her.

What your dd is doing is was ds did, I think it's difficult when there are so many subjects to know where to start so it's great that she's being methodical. How long has she been doing regular revision? Is she doing all subjects at the same time or do you mean so far she has only revised paper 1 for sciences and no other subjects? Hopefully not!

If she is revising all subjects but is only half way through them then I'd suggest she aims to get through all topics completely by the Easter hols, even if some revision is less in depth (either do less for subjects she finds easier or do less for topics she finds easier within a subject). Then spend the Easter hols doing past papers and looking as the marking schemes (really helpful to see what examiners are looking for) and then after Easter she can concentrate on areas that she finds most difficult and revising more for each exam she has before half term. Maybe also get a few of the CPG practice books so she has questions to work on rather than just reading, that's what I did with ds.

Thank you. Yes she’s doing all subjects but taking it in turn to do a topic in one subject then the next in sciences, and other subjects at the same time iyswim. I agree she needs to be done by Easter so she can do past papers etc., she needs to speed up a bit.

She’s been revising since Christmas holidays but she’s not the sort of dc that can read something and remember it, it takes a while for it to sink in.

We all learn differently, can she see how she’ll get through the content and review and practice? That’s all quite high level organization as well! I learnt the same way as her - I ended up with top scores at GCSE and AL so it depends what works for each person……

The CGP flashcards are really good. As are the revision books where you have to answer questions. It also means you can see how well they're doing and can see where the holes are