It may be tempting to relax and enjoy time off over the holiday season – it’s time away from the daily grind of study in the classroom. However, for students, this time is an excellent opportunity to engage in revision; taking time to work on tough subjects and reinforce what has been learnt through the year to date. The benefits of holiday revision are numerous and can significantly enhance academic performance and prepare students for final exams.
One of the primary advantages to revision during the holidays is the opportunity to consolidate knowledge; taking a break from learning can cause students to forget a considerable portion of what they’ve worked hard to grasp during the school year. Revision allows them to reinforce their understanding, making it easier to recall and reapply this knowledge when they return to their studies.
A-level students will massively benefit from reduced stress and anxiety by revising over the holidays. Instead of cramming at the last minute, students who engage in regular revision spread their workload more evenly, making it more manageable and less anxiety-inducing.
Students often rush through topics during the busy school year, trying to keep up with the curriculum; holiday revision can provide students with a chance to review subjects at a manageable tempo. A slower approach can lead to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the material.
At a time where university offers are at the forefront of student’s thoughts, holiday revision is equally as important because it can help students gain a competitive edge for their upcoming summer exams. It’s great to gain a spot at university but, you still need to meet the grades!
Our dedicated subject teachers have provided their top tips for revision:
Try the transcoding technique; we only really learn by processing information in our brains. If you take a diagram in your notes and summarise it in sentences, then you process the information. Similarly, if you take a paragraph of written notes and draw a series of diagrams or a flow chart to explain, you are forced to process and learn the material. This is called transcoding and it’s much more effective than copying notes and diagrams.
Try not to learn content in isolation; practise exam questions linked to each topic revised and use mark schemes to check your answers.
Check out examiners’ reports; these give insight into exactly what examiners are looking for in answers and common mistakes made by students
Sleep well: burning the midnight oil is not as effective as people think it is
Word tricks are a helpful way to remember key words and phrases. For example, INsulin causes glucose to be stored IN the liver. Glucagon breaks down glygocen to release glucose from the liver. GlucaGON causes GLUcose to be GONE from the liver!
Adopt a growth mindset: see your intelligence as malleable rather than fixed
Lastly, start early! Little and often is better than cramming at the end.
