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It's that time of year again - the dreaded exams are fast approaching and several of my students have come to their tutoring sessions asking for help and advice on revision technique. The trouble with English is that it has a reputation for being a tricky subject to revise - how do you begin to revise for an exam that is based on an entire book, or several plays or poems? Unlike science or maths, where there are facts to learn and formulae to memorise, English revision can seem daunting. But it needn't be a headache: relax, sit back, and follow these top tips to revision success.
Top Tip 1: Break it down
Any topic is easier to revise once you break it down into manageable chunks. So instead of approaching an entire book with dread, take several different sheets of paper and split it up into sections. Label one 'characters', one 'themes', one 'language', one 'structure' and one 'quotes'. Then fill in each page with the different themes or characters and important details about them, or with memorable quotes you may need in the exam. Once you split your work up into chunks like this it will seem much more achievable to revise whole books or plays.
Top Tip 2: Dealing with poetry
If you are revising poetry, you can usually divide your work on any poem into these important sections: 'meaning', 'language', 'structure', 'tone', 'rhythm and rhyme', and 'linguistic devices'. This last section includes all those important features to look out for in a poem, like similies, metaphors, alliteration, onomatopoeia, imagery, personification and so on.
Top Tip 3: Get exam ready
The best way to prepare for an exam and boost your confidence about tackling the paper is to be as familiar as you can with the format you will face on the day. All the major exam boards have past papers available to download for free on their websites, so pop on and have a look at the paper from last year. This will help you to plan your time and even to see what you should be focusing on in your revision. Look for patterns - if there is a question every single year about a character, then make sure you revise characters. If the first section is only worth 5 marks but the second section is worth 20 then plan to split your time accordingly on the day. Above all know in advance the format of the paper and how many questions you have to answer from each section - this will save you valuable minutes in the exam room and make you feel more confident and in control when you start the paper.
Top Tip 4: Plan your time
Make a revision timetable to plan out your time. If you have a two week study leave to revise three subjects then break them down into topic chunks and plan out which topics you will learn each day. It often helps to alternate between one subject in the morning and a different one in the afternoon, to keep you concentrating and not too bored with the same old thing. One of the easiest ways to become disillusioned and give up on revision is to try to do too much in too little time. Be realistic about what you will really be able to get to grips with in a morning or an afternoon and make a revision plan that doesn't expect impossible goals.
Top Tip 5: Reward yourself!
Don't forget that going through exam revision is tough and you deserve some special treats! You will find it much easier to keep working if you motivate yourself with rewards and positive thinking, rather than getting frustrated or worried about what you haven't done yet. So set yourself goals - a topic a day or a subject finished by the end of the week, and make sure you really reward yourself when you achieve them. Whether it's an ice cream or an episode of your favourite TV show, knowing what you're going to have when you get through your revision will help motivate you to keep going and not to give up.
Good luck!
