- Re-read the set texts
For some this is the longest bit! Re-read them, peeferably in full study mode making notes and annotations as you go. if you need to use some of the audio books – you can find most of the set texts on youtube or the BBC (radio 4 on the iplayer can be helpful!) and have someone read to you. - Get your books in order
They’re the best revision guide you can have. Go through, make sure your notes are thorough and detailed, you’ve filled any blanks and know what you were doing! Try highlighting the page edges to colour-code for different exams, or using little post-it flags to find things quickly. - Quick-plan essays using practice questions
For each question you have, write a quick plan – introduction, three points with a couple of quotes for each and a conclusion. It gets the habit of practicing doing this and immediately flags the gaps where you can’t yet do it quickly. - Flashcards for quotations and terminology
Sites like Quizlet and Memrise are great- my sets are here – but do double check to make sure anything you get from someone else is accurate.
Alternatively use index cards you create yourself.
Use flashcards to learn key terms – put the term then a definition and example from a set text on the back – or to learn quotes – put the quote on the front, then what you might write about it on the back. You could also add images to help your memory - Self-assess your knowledge
Use assessments and your mini-essay plans to get an idea of what you need to focus on. If you’re doing GCSE Literature, download the file below which has a self-assessment tracker included as well as more revision tips. - Use blank extracts to annotate
You can get copies of all the poetry and Shakespeare for GCSE, and your teacher can get you blank copies of modern texts to annotate. It’s great practice t take five minutes and re-annotate, deciding what’s most important. How much can you do? Go back to how you used to learn spellings: look, cover. annotate, check!! - Record key quotes onto your phone
And listen to them! Like your favouite music, they’ll sink in. www.audiopi.co.uk has recorded versions of all the poems in the antholofgy as well as analysis of them
GCSE How to revise advice – click to download
