GCSE / AS / A2 GEOGRAPHY REVISION HELP

You can usually get full details of the course you are doing by visiting the EXAM BOARD SITES. Find out which exam board and specification (syllabus) you are doing from your teacher (WE DO OCR 'A' and PILOT GCSE). You'll need the code to get the right course information as there are lots of GCSE permutations still, although there are fewer than there were. The best resource of course is the exercise books you have produced yourself during the course, assuming that you did all the work that was set, organised all the supplementary material and did all the home-works in adequate detail....so in that case, you'll need some extra help.

GEOGRAPHY REVISION SITES

• One of the most mentioned sites is the BBC's BITESIZE site. This features Geography of course, and there are notes and sample tests. Not all of the sections are relevant to the syllabus that we use, and other areas are not covered, but there are some useful quizzes, tests and diagrams. The programs are usually repeated in April or May in the run up to the exam season. An updated revision book featuring activities from the 3 Revision programmes has been published, and it is still going strong. Apparently this is the most visited of all the BBC's websites.  Also for Geography is Bitesize in Video. Recommended.
• Similar content can be found at the LEARN site, which has been heavily advertised recently, and is produced in partnership with The Guardian. It offers personalised revision timetables and online questions. I recommend that you go along to this site for a browse. You have to register to begin with, which of course means putting A in all the boxes with an asterisk, and you can then obtain an online revision planner which you can start to block off the various times with the subjects that you are going to revise. This worked for me at the time, although this was in the days before the Internet, so I used an old fashioned invention called pen and paper. You may also find that your school has subscribed to LEARN PREMIUM which will give you access to an even bigger range of materials.
• There are online tests and past questions at the SCALLOWAY site of Danny McNeill. The Scalloway site, based in Shetland, is designed around the Scottish exam system with its Highers, but much of the material is relevant to the UK GCSE syllabuses. There is plenty of material here for all GCSE students. Recommended.
• The GEOGRAPHY HIGH site: some rather good links and content. Worth a quick look.
• S-COOL has been much improved over the last few years, and is now one of my favourite sites. It has about as much material as the BBC's Bitesize and the Guardian's Learn sites and is better laid out in some respects. Features some nice animations and key notes to print off. There are notes for GCSE and also 'AS' Geography. Recommended.

• The BBC have a service called SOS TEACHER. This apparently runs from Key Stage 2 to 'AS' level and has an archive of answers to thousands of questions. Logged on several times over the year and found a growing range of questions, with some useful and relevant answers. Register, and you can e-mail a question to a teacher, who'll reply within 24 hours. At present there are very few AS level answers, but a lot lower down the age groups. Recommended

• 

Some useful clips, some of which would be suitable for revision.

• Some excellent advice available at STUDY ZONES. Lots of stuff for various subjects as well as Geography. Recommended.
• Revising for 'AS' exams ? There's some excellent REVISION ADVICE FOR 'AS' at Kay's Geography Pages, which includes a look at Command Words. There is a need to write more extended answers, moving towards essays at A2 level. Many students have not had to do this before, and this site offers help in how to do this. Recommended for 'AS'/A2 students in particular.
• Try also the site called GET THAT GRADE.
• NEALE WADE Revision - Andrew Field's very useful ideas and resources. Recommended.
• 

A relatively new site is REVISION WORLD which has a range of materials for lots of subjects.

TIPS FOR REVISION

1. Find somewhere to work - undisturbed, quiet, comfortable, well-lit, with the proper equipment (hunt out all your exercise books and text books from the last 2 years)

2. Practise techniques for remembering facts

3. Active Learning

Remember that everyone learns differently. Bullet point key facts. Practise drawing diagrams and sketch maps that you think you may need to use in the exam. For Geography there are some diagrams which you may feel are quite likely to be useful in an exam. Try reading work out loud or taping it. Learn a subject, then test yourself. Try a test essay in timed conditions.

4. Make notes

5. Give yourself a treat!

Give yourself a target of work to do, and if you complete it you can have a chocolate biscuit - or something that you want to do.

Leave time for yourself (but don't forget to leave time for revision too...)

More tips: this time based on an article with a student who gained 'A's in her 'A' levels:

1. Get a copy of the specification and use that as a checklist - break it down into topics and tackle revision one topic at a time.

2. Produce a realistic exam timetable: start early - this gives you time to realise that you have problems and get help before it's too late

3. Schedule breaks and rewards - start early in the day - if you leave it until the afternoon to start you'll get to the evening without having done much, and then be tempted to go out....

4. Cut down on the part time jobs

5. Ask teachers to mark your work, or give you mark schemes - can often get these from websites.

6. Start by making notes, then read round the subject.

EXAM TIPS by Tony Cassidy

• Think like a Geographer, how would a Geographer answer this?
• Look at the key words, they tell you how you need to answer the question.
• Look at the number of marks, it gives you an idea of the number of points you will have to make and how much depth you may need to go into.
• If you can draw a diagram to explain a process, do! Us Geographers like graphical representations, and processes are much easier to explain using diagrams than writing loads.  Remember though to annotate your diagrams with linked labels!
• But remember, if it states, draw a diagram, you must!
• Don’t be scared of big spaces, but don’t jump into writing an answer without first spending some time planning.
• Always check your answers for silly mistakes.
• Never leave gaps! Try playing football without a football.

RETURN TO INDEX PAGE