What are GCSE’s?
GCSE’s are general certificates of Secondary education. They are usually studied in secondary school and the course material is usually taught from years 9/10 – 11, where final official exams are sat in the summer of year 11. Students usually study 8-9 subjects, always consisting of the core subjects: maths, English language and literature and science: these make up 4-6 GCSE’s. The remaining 3 are usually the choice of the student, with subject choices ranging from arts to modern foreign languages.
Create a timetable/schedule:
Are you finding you have so much work to do, but you don’t know where to start? This is usually a huge problem encountered by many students across the world, leading to feelings of hopelessness and frustration. It is important to realise you are stuck in this cycle and then even more imperative to the break the cycle. Our students have found that creating personalised study schedules works wonders for them. This puts you into a mental state of readiness as you know you have a goal typo achieve by the end of the day and then, by then o the week, you should have no feelings of regret, as you can simply flick back to all the work completed during the schedule!
You can create a schedule by first determining what time you are definitely occupied between, for example, school. Then, take into account rest periods such as lunch, dinner and regular breaks. Then decide, considering your homework load and revision load and subject count, which subjects you want to allocate across the week, remembering to give core subjects such as maths, English and science importance. Aim to do 1 subject topic a day and 1 piece of homework a day during a school week. On a holiday period, allocate the days you would like to have free and what days you would like to work on. This allows flexibility and then allows you to work around your external commitments.
Pomodoro Technique!
Struggling with time management? The pomodoro technique is a time-management technique developed in the 1980’s and has been since been used and classed as the most efficient way to revise. This technique aims to work around your schedule, rather than against it. Using this method, you break your workday into 25-minute chunks separated by 5 minute breaks. After completing approximately 4 pomodoros, you should extend your break to around 15 to 20 minutes, to avoid stressing your mental capacity.
Some people may find it hard to start implementing this technique as they are so used to cramming, but once you get the hang of it, you will never cram again. The forced breaks stop the frazzled feeling many get at the end of a stressful work-crammed day – the ticking reminder of a break upcoming helps you get a much needed break.
Some may instead find the intervals to be cumbersome – if this is the case, use your phone/tablet/computer to install/use an online version of a pomodoro timer. This sets a timer on your device and rings when your break is due. The technique has never gotten easier!
Stay tuned for part 3, where we discuss more techniques on how to revise for your GCSE’s!
At Tutors4Berkshire our tutors work effortlessly to ensure your child is learning and revising in the best way possible, from their years of tutoring experience and years of educational knowledge. Secure a place with one of our fantastic tutors today to ensure your child gets the best GCSE preparation.