a level step-by-step revision guide beechen cliff...

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A Level

Step-by-Step

Revision Guide

Beechen Cliff School Mentoring Session 2 - November 2013

Mrs Ingram: 9.11.13

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A Level Step-by-Step Revision Guide

Times are changing. Until this year, all AS Level examinations were taken in January (Unit 1) and July

(Unit 2). Now Year 12 students must take both Unit 1 and Unit 2 exams in the summer. The same is true

for A2 examinations. Year 13 students must now take Unit 3 and Unit 4 examinations in the summer.

Why is this different? Well, In the past, students who were not happy with their January results had a

chance to re-take in the summer. Similarly, poor results in the summer exams could mean a re-sit in the

following January.

Not anymore!. This is why Beechen Cliff will be holding January mock exams for both AS (Year 12 – Unit

1) and A2 (Year 13 – Unit 3). It is essential that students revise properly for these mocks and make

comprehensive revision notes. By doing so, half the work will be done for the summer exams and

students will maximise their chances of success and MINIMISE THE NEED TO RE-SIT!

Year 12 students will then have to sit all AS (Unit 1 & 2) exams in the summer. Similarly, Year 13 will have

to sit all A2 (Unit 3 & 4) exams in the summer. This means students have to prepare twice as much content

as in previous years. So, If you do not prepare for the January mocks as if they were the real thing, then

you will have twice as much revision to do before the actual summer exams.

What does this mean practically for you? The average student taking 4 AS Levels will have 120 hours of

revision for the January mocks. This may well come as a bit of a shock, but don’t panic! The good news is

that It is entirely achievable, and without too much stress. If you follow the steps in this guide, you will

achieve a healthy work/life balance and maximise your chances of exam success at the end of the year.

How does that sound?.

If you are in Year 12 and do not achieve your target grades in the summer of 2014 at AS, this will mean that

you may have to consider re-sitting AS exams alongside A2s in the summer of 2015. This will not be easy

and may impact on your overall grades. This is unfortunately already a reality for the current Year 13.

So, If you follow this guide and prepare well, as Tom does in the following case study, you will give yourself

the best chance of exam success in the summer.

The dates in this case study are real and reflect the time you have between now and January mocks.

Beechen Cliff School will have a week of mock AS and A2 exams starting on Friday 10th January 2014. You

will have 2 weeks off at Christmas and you will have 5 weeks of revision to plan during the School term if

you start revising on Monday November 18th.

To reflect how serious these mock exams are, you should be aware that we will be holding a formal Results

Day on Friday 7th February 2014.

It’s totally up to YOU!

THIS ADVICE COMES FROM YOUR PEERS…. THOSE WHO DID WELL AND THOSE WHO WISH THEY HAD

FOLLOWED THIS ADVICE…..

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Tom’s Story

Chemistry

32hrs

Biology

27hrs

Psychology 23hrs

Economics 36hrs Recap

Chemistry

Biology

Psychology

Economics

18th Nov Xmas Break 6th Jan 10th Jan

120 hours / 46 days

Reviewtime

A bit of time off!

Tom Hughes – Age 16 – Taking AS Levels in Chemistry, Biology, Psychology and Economics

Tom has Unit 1 mock exams in all 4 subjects in January 2014. He wants to have all his revision materials

prepared for January so that he can focus on the revision for the Unit 2 exam material after January.

By using this guide, Tom spent 2 weeks at the start of November planning his revision timetable. He did

this after having a Mentoring session in school explaining what to do. Tom decided to start his actual

revision on Monday 18th November to ensure that he had covered everything before the exams with

plenty of time for re-capping.

Tom also has other important stuff he needs to fit in. He has a part-time job in Sainsburys every Saturday.

He plays rugby every Sunday morning and trains for this on a Wednesday night. He also has a regular piano

lesson on a Monday night.

By using this revision guide he established that, based on his personal revision speed, he would need to set

aside 119 hours of revision to cover all the Unit 1 material for all 4 subjects, without compromising his

other commitments:

Chemistry – 32 hours

Biology – 27 ½ hours

Psychology – 23 ½ hours

Economics – 36 hours Tom also worked out that he can revise more pages of his textbook in an hour for Biology and Psychology (4 pages per hour) than for Chemistry and Economics (3 pages per hour). This is down to the complexity of the textbook content which varies greatly between these subjects. He wanted to ensure that he did not do any revision in his free periods during the school day. He has set these aside for keeping on top of homework.

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He also did not want to be overworked during the evenings after school and so decided that starting revision early was the only way to ensure that he could do this. By starting his revision on Monday 18th November 2013, Tom has worked out that he has 5 school weeks before the holiday and has allocated 15 hours revision throughout the week taking account of his regular work, sport and musical commitments. All this revision will be done in the evening and he did not want to do any more than 2 hours on a school night and 5 hours in 2 x 2 ½ hour slots on a Sunday. He decided that he is not going to do any revision Saturdays due to his long shift at Sainsburys. He has decided to revise each subject in order so that he does not get confused. He decided to start with his Chemistry because this is his most challenging subject and he knows that he can ask his teachers for help if he gets stuck. He has decided to make flash cards to use before the exam at the end of each revision session. (Some students prefer to have more variety with the subject revision and this is entirely personal to you) Provided that Tom sticks to his plan, by the time he reaches the 2 week Christmas holidays, he will have completed all of his Chemistry and Biology revision and made relevant flash cards. He will also have completed 15 ½ hours of the 23 ½ hours Psychology revision by this time too. He’s over half way there with Christmas coming up. The Christmas holidays start on 23rd December 2013 and he goes back to school on 6th January for 1 week before the actual exam week starts on 13th January. With 75 hours of the total 119 hours completed, he decides how he will allocate the remaining time in the holidays to complete the remaining 44 hours of revision (7 ½ Psychology and 36 hours Economics). Tom knows that he has 4 days work at Sainsburys and definitely wants Christmas Day off. This leaves him 9 study days. He works out that he can achieve the remaining 44 hours revision by working for 5 hours on each of these days. 2 ½ hours in the morning and 2 ½ hours in the afternoon. Tom returns to school on 6th January and has 1 more week before the actual mock exams. He has decided to use his 5 free hour-long periods that week and his 15 hours of night-time revision study to go through his flash cards, make mind-maps and look at past exam papers. In total, he is planning to devote a total of 5 hours per subject in this last week. The exam week starts on Friday 10th January and the school have allowed all students to have a week’s study leave except when students have an exam. Tom decides that he will use any time before the exam to do final recap revision in the order that his exams appear on his exam timetable. Tom is prepared for the January exams with minimum stress to himself. He knows that he will have to repeat the exercise for the Unit 2 revision after the January exams are over. He knows that all his revision resources for the January exams will be there for him to use when the official summer exams for both Unit 1 and Unit 2 exams are before him.

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Step 1: Calculate your revision hours (Case Study Example – Tom Hughes)

Subject (1) What is your first AS Subject Chemistry

How many pages of your text book plus complimentary notes do you have to revise?

96 pages

Look carefully at the content on these pages. Be very honest with yourself. How many pages of your text book do you realistically think that you can read, digest and make a revision flash card with key points and questions on the back?

3 Pages per hour Content quite complex

Now calculate how many hours of revision you will need to cover this subject = Answer 1/ Answer 2

No of Pages/ No of Pages per hour: 96/3 = 32 hours Chemistry revision

Subject (2) What is your second AS Subject Biology


110 pages


4 Pages per hour


No of Pages/ No of Pages per hour: 110/4 = 27 ½ hours Biology revision

Subject (3) What is your third AS Subject Psychology


94 pages


4 Pages per hour


No of Pages/ No of Pages per hour: 94/4 = 23 ½ hours Psychology revision

Subject (4) What is your fourth AS Subject Economics


110 pages


3 Pages per hour Content more complex


No of Pages/ No of Pages per hour: 110/3 = 36 hours Economics revision

Total Hours Revision for all subjects = (1) 32 = (2) 27 ½ + (3) 23 ½ + (4) 36 = 119 Hours

Don’t panic! This is why we are looking at this early! It can be done!

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Step 2: Looking at your study time and regular commitments (Case Study)

Step 2(a) – School Week

Day Free Periods (hours)

Regular Commitments (hours)

How much time do you think you could revise in the day?

How much time do you think you could revise in the evening?

Monday 1 1 (Piano lesson) None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

1 hours

Tuesday 1 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Wednesday None 1 (Rugby Training)

None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

1 hour

Thursday 2 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Friday 1 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Saturday N/A All day – Job Sainsburys

N/A None

Sunday N/A 2 (Rugby) N/A 4 hours (2 x 2 hour sessions)

TOTAL HOURS OF REVISION DURING A SCHOOL WEEK = 12 Hours per week

Based on this decision:

Tom wants to keep all his free periods for his homework and just revise at night.

If he starts revising on w/c Monday 18th November 2013, he has 5 weeks before the holidays.

He has 119 hours of revision

He will revise for 12 hours x 5 weeks = 60 hours revision done by the Christmas holidays.

He would have covered all his Chemistry (32 hours) and his Biology (27 ½ hours)

He would then have to work out how to use his time during the holidays to cover the remaining 59 hours of revision for Psychology (23 hours) and Economics (36 hours)

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Step 2(b) – Christmas Holidays Revision Plan

Tom has 59 hours of revision left to complete in the holidays.

The Christmas holiday dates are 23rd

December 2013 – January 6th

2014 = 14 possible study days

Work and Social Commitments:

4 days work at Sainsburys

Christmas Day – no revision

Tom decides he can study for 9 days of the holidays

59 hours/ 9 days = 6 ½ hours each day.

Tom decides he will work for 3 hours in the morning and 3 ½ hours in the afternoon to complete all his revision.

Step 2(c) – Are you happy with this plan… time to reflect and change anything you are not

happy with.

BECAUSE TOM IS PLANNING THIS EARLY HE HAS A CHANCE TO ADJUST THIS PLAN. HE WOULD PREFER TO HAVE MORE

RELAXATION TIME OVER CHRISTMAS AND SO LOOKS BACK AT HIS SCHOOL WEEK REVISION HOURS. HE DECIDES THAT HE CAN

INCREASE HIS REVISION ON A MONDAY TO 2 HOURS INSTEAD OF 1 (AFTER THE PIANO LESSON) AND HE INCREASES TO 2 HOURS

ON WEDNESDAY AFTER RUGBY TRAINING TOO. HE ALSO ADDS ANOTHER HOUR TO HIS SUNDAY REVISION. THESE 3 EXTRA

HOURS MEAN HE WILL DO 15 HOURS INSTEAD OF 12 HOURS DURING THE 5 WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE HOLIDAY.

THIS MEANS THAT BY THE TIME HE REACHES THE HOLIDAY HE HAS COMPLETED 75 HOURS OF HIS 119 HOURS REVISION. HE

HAS DONE 15 ½ HOURS OF HIS PSYCHOLOGY REVISION TOO AND ONLY HAS 44 HOURS TO COMPLETE OVER THE HOLIDAYS

INSTEAD OF 59.

44 hours / 9 days = 5 hours revision each day of the holidays after work and social commitments.

Tom prefers this plan as he can enjoy more of the holiday and work for 2 x 2 ½ hour sessions on each of the 9 days and cover all

the work.

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Step 2(c) FINAL REVISION PLAN: Having reflected, Tom decides on the following plan to

complete his 119 hours revision:





Monday 1 1 (Piano lesson) None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Tuesday 1 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Wednesday None 1 (Rugby Training)

None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hour

Thursday 2 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Friday 1 None None – I want to use my free periods for homework only

2 hours

Saturday N/A All day – Job Sainsburys

N/A None

Sunday N/A 2 (Rugby) N/A 5 hours (2 x 2 ½ hour sessions)

TOTAL HOURS OF REVISION DURING A SCHOOL WEEK = 15 Hours per week

Based on this decision:

75 hours revision achieved in 5 weeks before the holidays starts Mon 18th November.

44 hours revision over 9 days of holidays

First week back after holidays – Tom uses his 5 hours free periods and 15 hours revision time to recap on his notes, make mind maps using flash cards and go through exam papers. He allocates 5 hours per subject.

Exam week starts January 13th 2014. This is a study leave week except for exams. Tom does final revision before each exam in order of subject.

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Step 3: Revision Timetable – CS Example – Tom Hughes

Day Date Subject No of hours Revision

Extra (hours) Commitments

Monday 18-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2 Piano lesson (1)

Tuesday 19-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2

Wednesday 20-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 21-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2

Friday 22-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2

Saturday 23-11-13 Work 0 Sainsburys (8)

Sunday 24-11-13 Chemistry- 15 Pgs 5 Rugby (2)


Tuesday 26-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2

Wednesday 27-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 28-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2

Friday 29-11-13 Chemistry- 6 Pgs 2


Sunday 01-12-13 Chemistry- 15 Pgs 5 Rugby (2)


Tuesday 03-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2

Wednesday 04-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 05-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2

Friday 06-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2


Sunday 08-12-13 Biology -20 Pgs 5 Rugby (2)

Monday 09-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2 Piano lesson (1)

Tuesday 10-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2

Wednesday 11-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 12-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2

Friday 13-12-13 Biology -8 Pgs 2


Sunday 15-12-13 Biology -20 Pgs/ Psychology ½ hour

5 Rugby (2)

Monday 16-12-13 Psychology – 8 Pgs 2 Piano lesson (1)

Tuesday 17-12-13 Psychology – 8 Pgs 2

Wednesday 18-12-13 Psychology – 8 Pgs 2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 19-12-13 Psychology – 8 Pgs 2

Friday 20-12-13 Psychology – 8 Pgs 2


Sunday 22-12-13 Psychology – 20 Pgs 5

Monday 23-12-13 Work 0 Sainsburys (8)

Tuesday 24-12-13 Work 0 Sainsburys (8)

Wednesday 25-12-13 Christmas Day 0

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Thursday 26-12-13 Psychology – 20 Pgs 5

Friday 27-12-13 Psychology – 12 Pgs/Economics 6pgs

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Sunday 29-12-13 Work 0 Sainsburys (8)

Monday 30-12-13 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Tuesday 31-12-13 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Wednesday 01-01-14 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Thursday 02-01-14 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Friday 03-01-14 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Saturday 04-01-14 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Sunday 05-01-14 Economics -15 Pgs 5

Monday 06-01-14 I hr study time & 2 hrs after school Chemistry Recap

2 Piano lesson (1)

Tuesday 07-01-14 I hr study time & 1 hr after school Chemistry Recap/ 1 hr Biology Recap

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Wednesday 08-01-14 1 hours study time & 2 hours after school Biology Recap

2 Rugby (1)

Thursday 09-01-14 1 hours study time Biology Recap/ & 2 hours after school Psychology Recap

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Friday 10-01-14 1 hours study time & 2 hours after school Psychology Recap

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Sunday 12-01-14 5 hours Economics Recap

Rugby (2)

Monday 13-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Tuesday 14-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Wednesday 15-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Thursday 16-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Friday 17-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN…….. NAME: ……………………………………………………………….

Step 1: Calculate your revision hours

Subject (1) What is your first AS Subject Subject 1: …………………………….. E.g.: Chemistry


No of pages: …………………….E.g.: 96 pages


No of Pages per hour: …………………. E.g. :3 Pages per hour (Be very careful about complexity of content)


Number of Pages/No of Pages per hour ……………….. E.g.: 96/3 = 32 hours Chemistry revision

Subject (2) What is your second AS Subject Subject 2: …………………………….. E.g.: Biology






Number of Pages/No of Pages per hour ……………….. E.g.: 110/4 = 27 ½ hours Biology revision

Subject (3) What is your third AS Subject Subject: …………………………….. E.g.: Psychology






Number of Pages/No of Pages per hour ……………….. E.g.: 94/4 = 23 ½ hours Psychology revision

Subject (4) What is your fourth AS Subject Economics


No of pages:…………………E.g.:110 pages


No of Pages per hour:………………E.g.:3 Pages per hour (Be very careful about complexity of content)


Number of Pages/No of Pages per hour …………………… 110/3 = 36 hours Economics revision

Total Revision - all subjects = (1) ….hrs = (2) ….hrs + (3) ….hrs + (4) ……hrs = …… Hours

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Step 2: Now look at how much time you have available. Look at how you want to use

your free periods and home study time. Take account of regular commitments and ensure

you allow plenty of rest time too. Refer back to Case Study to help you complete this.





Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

TOTAL HOURS OF REVISION DURING A SCHOOL WEEK = ……… Hours per week

Look at how many hours revision you will have achieved by the Christmas holidays and decide if you can

alter this weekly plan to give yourself less pressure during the holidays. Make any final changes.

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Revision Timetable: Name: ………………………………………………

Step 3: Using the Case Study example – complete your own timetable.

Day Date Subject No of hours Revision

Extra (hours) Commitments

Monday 18-11-13

Tuesday 19-11-13

Wednesday 20-11-13

Thursday 21-11-13

Friday 22-11-13

Saturday 23-11-13

Sunday 24-11-13

Monday 25-11-13

Tuesday 26-11-13

Wednesday 27-11-13

Thursday 28-11-13

Friday 29-11-13

Saturday 30-11-13

Sunday 01-12-13

Monday 02-12-13

Tuesday 03-12-13

Wednesday 04-12-13

Thursday 05-12-13

Friday 06-12-13

Saturday 07-12-13

Sunday 08-12-13

Monday 09-12-13

Tuesday 10-12-13

Wednesday 11-12-13

Thursday 12-12-13

Friday 13-12-13

Saturday 14-12-13

Sunday 15-12-13

Monday 16-12-13

Tuesday 17-12-13

Wednesday 18-12-13

Thursday 19-12-13

Friday 20-12-13

Saturday 21-12-13

Sunday 22-12-13

Monday 23-12-13

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Tuesday 24-12-13

Wednesday 25-12-13

Thursday 26-12-13

Friday 27-12-13

Saturday 28-12-13

Sunday 29-12-13

Monday 30-12-13

Tuesday 31-12-13

Wednesday 01-01-14

Thursday 02-01-14

Friday 03-01-14

Saturday 04-01-14

Sunday 05-01-14

Monday 06-01-14

Tuesday 07-01-14

Wednesday 08-01-14

Thursday 09-01-14

Friday 10-01-14

Saturday 11-01-14

Sunday 12-01-14

Monday 13-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Tuesday 14-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Wednesday 15-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Thursday 16-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Friday 17-01-14 Study Leave/ Exam Week- Final Revision for next exam in order

Saturday 18-01-14 January Exams Finished

Sunday 19-01-14 January Exams Finished

a level step-by-step revision guide beechen cliff...

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