Finding the balance | Christmas holiday revision
It almost seems as sin putting the two words together! Christmas and revision could not seem any further apart, but as formal January exams no longer exist for most A levels many Sixth Forms and Colleges are now using the old January exam period to host a range of mock exams. So, for A level students the next two weeks will be a juggle between Christmas celebrations and completing essential revision.
If you’re a student thinking where do I start? Or parent wondering just how much revision should my child be doing in the holidays? We have put together a handy guide below looking at how to get the most out your revision during the festive period.
Where to start…..
Firstly, the key is balance. Even if you do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday no doubt you will still associate the festive period with winding down. Taking time to rest is just as important as taking the time to revise because from January the next 6 months of study will be extremely important and burning out at the start isn’t ideal!
Allocate days off
Start by looking at your plans for the two weeks and allocate set days off. Are you visiting family? Working a 12-hour shift during the boxing day sales? Going out for NYE? Everyone’s plans will look different but start by highlighting days when you know you will not be able to do any revision.
How much revision is enough?
Everyone will advise differently on this topic, however as a general rule we would recommend doing at least 4-6 hours of revision per week per exam subject during the Christmas holidays. Depending upon how much additional work you have been given for each subject this can be scaled up or down. It is then down to you how you split your revision up. You may want to spread your revision across the holiday doing little and often or focus on allocating full days to revision.
Set yourself short term realistic targets
Set targets for each subject that you wish to achieve by the end of the holidays. Try to use SMART principles when setting these targets to ensure that they are worthwhile. Do they support you in reaching your intermediate goal of achieving a good mock grade?
What to revise
Your targets will help to guide you in what subject content/topics are best to revise. If you have not yet had any guidance at this stage from your teachers and this is your first attempt at scheduling in revision for the mock or summer exams start from the beginning. Revisit the topics taught in the first term of year 1. If this is the first time you are revisiting the content, then your revision of each topic will take longer for each topic than if you have been keeping the subject matter alive throughout the year.
Utilise the resources around you
Spending time with friends or family? Utilise the people around you to help you revise. Get them to question you, explain a topic to them and see if they can recall the main details.
Structuring your revision time
You may have a preference on how you like to revise but a good start when looking at a topic would be:
Refreshing the subject matter, for example, read back through your notes/watch a YouTube tutorial or make notes from the textbook.
Reproducing the subject matter in a different form, for example creating a mind or model map, creating a summary table or list, re-writing content in your own words on flash cards or recording a series of voice notes.
Attempt past paper questions without the support of your notes. Self-mark the questions and highlight the marks you missed. Check you have these points in your notes.
Create your own questions and mark schemes. Put yourself in the examiners shoes this will take time but the process of creating the questions is just as valuable as answering them
Ask others to test your knowledge or test yourself under timed conditions.
Always remember, work through the topics you do know at a fast pace and spend more time on the topics you find challenging. Do not avoid them!
The thought of doing revision over Christmas can cause feelings of dread but by planning ahead to gain the right balance will ensure the holidays are stress free and enjoyable for all.