The only Guide you will ever need to ACE your Exams - GCSE Edition \\ Part 1

Not a GCSE Student? This guide could still help you but why don't you click here to see my general study guide to ace your exams (no matter what board you are studying!). 

.

Click here to see my personal study tips you probably haven't thought of!

1

The very first step is to be thorough with the textbook

GCSEs are all about concepts and applying knowledge. Your textbook is your foundation. In the beginning of your semester/academic year you should begin reading the textbook, highlighting in it (basically whatever works for you). At this point, you could start making notes, but I strongly recommend not to finalize these notes and study from them as in the beginning, you won't know all the points you have to know. Remember that the textbook contains foundation, not everything you need to know. In fact, most of the time the textbooks will miss one or two things if not more.

2

Initial Studying

Find techniques that work best for you! Flashcards, highlighting, underlining, making notes in the margin of your books, and the Pomodoro Technique (if you haven't already, click here to view my post on what the Pomodoro Technique is and click here to see the pros and cons of the technique) are just some of the ways you can choose to study. At the beginning of the year, experiment with different methods and see what works. Read your study resources all over again once you have read and understood everything once - I assure you, some concepts will become clearer.

3

Syllabus! Syllabus! Syllabus

My English teacher wasn't wrong when she told me class "Syllabus is God!". Yes, it sounds extreme and yes, it sounds funny. But you should base all your studying on the syllabus. A-levels could require a bit more research beyond but related to the syllabus, but GCSEs do not require any additional concepts to be known. Stick to the syllabus! The syllabus is key when you are making your own notes

4

Don't hold back

When you think you haven't understood something properly either go to your teacher or the internet (or both if one of the above doesn't help).

When a question pops in your noggin about something not mentioned anywhere but you know that understanding the answer to that question will help you understand the topic go to your teacher or the internet! Trust me, it's better to be safe than sorry. If your gut tells you that you should at least try to figure something out, then do it! Making yourself more knowledgeable can not hurt in any way!

To be continued in Part 2! Stay Tuned!