Revision and Exam Support
Revision is a vital part of success when you take exams. This is true for any assessment that takes place in lessons, Pupil Learning Record assessments or official exams like GCSE or A-Level. We have drawn into the key principles of Cognitive Science applied to education to teach you what the best ways to revise are. In this section, you will find a variety of resources and guidance to support you in making sure you are fully prepared for your examinations.
Please use the links below to access our KS4 and KS5 Guides:
KS4 Guide to Exams and Revision
KS5 Guide to Exams and Revision
Student Guide
One of the key values at Kingsmead is Nurture, and through the guide you will find in this section, and a wide variety of strategies that we have put in place in school, we are determined to make sure we support you as best as we can during this period of time. This guide has been put together using the work and recommendations of subject specialists, education experts and mental health campaigners to try to break down what you need to know about the next few months. In this guide, you will find everything from relaxation strategies to revision techniques in the hope that we can support you in making this journey as easy as possible and one that leads to your success.
Recommended Revision Sites
Please see below a list of some useful revision & education websites and advice.
Useful Websites- S-cool revision website http://www.s-cool.co.uk
- BBC Bitesize http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bitesize
- Revision notes and course notes http://www.revision-notes.co.uk
- GCSEpod for GCSE revision podcasts to download http://www.gcsepod.co.uk
- Exams: How to deal with exam stress https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zsvcqhv
PRACTICE PAPERS FOR EXAM BOARDS
- OCR http://www.ocr.org.uk
- Edexcel http://www.edexcel.com
GUIDES AND WEBSITES BY SUBJECT
A word of caution on revision guides:
- First check what course your child is completing - what examination board? What course code? The revision guides mentioned below may not be appropriate for your child's specifications.
- Revision guides should not be a substitute for revising from course notes, relevant textbooks and for completing past papers.
- Revision guides are not advisable for all subjects - for subjects such as History, Music and Drama where there is a lot of choice on the specification you may find that only a small amount of the revision guide may actually be relevant.
COMPUTING
Isaac Computer Science - https://isaaccomputerscience.org/ This will cover the full qualification for both GCSE and A-Level. Please ensure you switch it to OCR Exam board.
SmartRevise - https://smartrevise.online/ This is a powerful online platform, allowing you to check your understanding, recall and retrieve information and practice exam questions.
CraigNDave - https://www.youtube.com/@craigndave - A wide variety of different videos to help you with your understanding. This covers both A-level and GCSE. For A-Level you will need the H446 playlist and GCSE J277.
DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
There are some good quiz type websites for D&T on Materials Blockbuster Game featuring D&T Material questions on Materials, Wood, Metal and Plastic http://www.teachers-direct.co.uk/resources/quiz-busters
- Course book for AQA - AQA D&T Resistant Materials Technology
- Good revision guides from CGP eg CGP GCSE D&T Resistant Materials (AQA Spec)
ENGLISH
- GCSE Literature - York Notes on set books are one of the best of the available series at this level. Check which exam board and which text your child is using.
- GCSE Language - student books are available eg AQA student book, but again, check which exam board and specification.
- A-Level - The York Notes especially written for A-Level will offer something useful on pretty much any mainstream set text. The Phillip Allan AS and A2 Guides on a number of set books are also good.
- For a good guide to writing well, try Elements of Style by Strunk and White.
- A useful website is Novel Guide http://www.novelguide.com
GEOGRAPHY
Alongside bespoke Kingsmead Geography Revision guides there are some useful websites and resources.
GCSE
GCSE Geography - OCR - BBC Bitesize
Geographical skills - GCSE Geography Revision - OCR - BBC Bitesize
OCR GCSE Geography Past Papers - Revision World
Seneca - Learn 2x Faster (senecalearning.com)
GCSE Learning and Revision | GCSEPod
A-LEVEL
REVISE Pearson Edexcel AS/A Level Geography Revision Guide & Workbook
https://geographyrevisionalevel.weebly.com/
physicsandmathstutor.com
HISTORY
- Two useful websites are School History http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk and Active History http://www.activehistory.co.uk
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
- Two useful websites are Teach ICT (for GCSE and A-Level) http://www.teach-ict.com and BBC Bitesize http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ict
- CGP Exam Revision Guide and Workbook is very useful for providing a summary of theory and questions.
MATHEMATICS
- With any Maths revision book, look out for a work book (pages of notes and formulae are all well and good, but in Maths effective revision is all about working through lots of practice questions.) The CGP revision books are a perennial favourite and good for Maths revision at any stage.
- Encourage your child to log on to MyMaths.com http://www.mymaths.co.uk and to use it! It is useful for revision specific topics or broader areas of the Maths curriculum. You can search it by topic or by level. The booster packs are great for revision and your child's teacher will be able to tell you which one he/she should be using.
MODERN LANGUAGES
The following web-based resources are very useful for all age groups:
Languages Gym - https://uk.language-gym.com/login (Join in with code provided by teacher)
Seneca Learning - https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/ (Join in with code provided by teacher)
Languages Online http://www.languagesonline.org.uk
BBC Bitesize http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bitesize
A Level vocabulary revision - Wort fuer Wort, Mot a mot, Parola per Parola, Palabra por Palabra.
A Level grammar workbooks - Zeitgeist 1, Elan 1 and Animo.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/z4yyjhv (Spanish)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z8j2tfr (German)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/z9dqxnb (French)
http://oye.languageskills.co.uk/index.html (Spanish)
http://gut.languageskills.co.uk/index.html (German)
POLITICS
- For AS Politics try AS UK Government and Politics Exam Revision Notes by Patrick Walsh-Atkins, particularly if your child has not managed to take adequate or clearly structured notes throughout the year.
- For A2 Politics (USA) try the Unit 3 and Unit 4 Workbooks published by Phillip Allan. They can be worked through by the student themselves and are excellent for cementing the basics.
- Also for A2 Politics Political Ideologies Exam Revision Notes, 2nd Edition, Hodder by Daniel Woodley.
SCIENCE
- A useful site is School Science http://www.schoolscience.co.uk
- GCSE Combined Science - Edexcel - BBC Bitesize
- For GCSE try CPG Revision Guides for each subject
We follow the Edexcel Exam board for all GCSE Sciences and A level Biology
We follow AQA Exam board for A level Chemistry and Physics
Free Homework & Revision for A Level, GCSE, KS3 & KS2 (senecalearning.com)
GCSEPod
GCSEPod.com service provides high quality, focused learning in a unique ‘Pod’ format across 20 popular GCSE subjects, and filtered by exam boards.
Nearly 700 subscribing Schools already use GCSEPod for homework, flipped learning, revision on the go, and even in the classroom.
It's convenient and effective!
In 2012, GCSEPod subscribing schools achieved an average rise in attainment of 2.6% (percentage of students with at least 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths). that's 3% higher than the national average. Many subscribing schools achieve a rise of more than 10% year on year.
GCSEPod podcasts are designed for mobile devices so it's like your child is carrying a huge pile of textbooks and revision guides around with them everywhere. Filters also ensure that your child can only view the podcasts relevant to the exam boards the school uses.
Click below for some useful guides.
