Getting into a good study routine early on in the academic year creates a firm foundation for GCSE and A Level exam success.

So what does a “good study routine” entail?

Here are our top tips for Year 10-13 students and their parents:

Start early and study through the year

• Try to allocate some time during weekends and school holidays. Revisit information and complete notes to build and embed understanding throughout the year rather than just in the run-up to exams.
• School holiday revision courses early on in the year can be really effective for students struggling with independent study or just needing a little extra help. Whilst year 10 and 12 students may not have covered that much material in the first term, October half term,  Christmas or February courses can be extremely valuable to keep students on track, as it can be difficult to turn round performance once students start falling behind or losing confidence.
• Maximise memory recall by learning in short bursts, spaced out over a period of time, with regular self testing, e.g. by using online quizzes or past paper questions.

Get organised

• Use a planner to get into a good study routine and keep track of deadlines.
• Complete and organise notes as you go to make revision and homework easier.
• Draw up a realistic timetable for school holiday study. Historically, the Easter holidays have been the main time for revision. Now, teachers recommend that students allocate time every holiday to catch up and consolidate learning. This helps ensure they are well placed to move onto new topics in the next term.
• Review progress and milestones regularly to ensure you know what topics will need extra time to revise prior to mocks or the actual exams.  For Year 12s, there may be no external exams but its still important to achieve good exam results as they can impact A Level predictions and University choices.

Be proactive

• Don’t wait until just before the exams to get help, approach teachers to get feedback on essays, topic tests as well as mock exams.
• Allocate some time to consider feedback and learn from class tests/ mocks eg if you ran out of time, what could you do differently next time? How can you reduce the risk of mis-reading questions?
• Start trying out different learning/memory aids early on so you can discover what works best for you. Popular ones include spider diagrams, note cards and working with a study buddy. 

How can Justin Craig help?

At Justin Craig, we have courses throughout the year so that students can focus on different subjects at different points in the year rather than trying to cram everything into the Easter holidays.

Our October half term, Christmas and February and Easter holiday courses are a great opportunity to give all students a revision boost. Whatever their ability or needs, they can also be a really effective way of kick-starting a good study routine. In addition to addressing knowledge gaps and/or weaknesses in key subject skills, students really value the opportunity to share information and revision strategies with their peers. Access to expert tutors also provides students with invaluable insights and tips, as well as helping them sharpen up their approach to revising and tackling exam papers prior to any mocks.

As all our courses are structured around individual needs, students complete our courses feeling satisfied and feedback on their experience is excellent.

Our courses are proving more popular than ever this year so please do enquire early if you are interested, either by phone 01727 744340 or email our expert team.