You’ve reached an exciting time in your education career, and that’s the milestone of studying for your Edexcel GCSE exams. These exams are important and come with responsibility because they determine the next step in your education journey. We’ve put together some helpful information about Edexcel GCSEs, how to prepare well and resources you can use to help you perform.
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While the GCSEs are pretty standardised between the different exam boards, there are some variations. Some believe that this makes one board easier than another, but in truth it’s more about knowing your coursework thoroughly and understanding how your strengths and weaknesses will influence your revision and exam practice. Edexcel exams, for example, contain more multiple choice questions than the AQAs and OCRs, for example.
A quick overview of Edexcel is that over a number of years, beginning in 1991, the University of London School Examinations Board merged with the London and East Anglian Group. A few more mergers down the line, Edexcel emerged in 2003. It’s the only exam board run by a profit-making company, Pearson.
Your Edexcel GCSE exams will consist of between five and 12 subjects that you’ve worked on over the last two years and includes mathematics, science, English language and literature as compulsory subjects. To pass your GCSEs and proceed to your IB Diploma or A-levels, you need to score a minimum of a C-grade on five subjects.
Planning and support are two important elements to Edexcel GCSE success. Take advantage of people in your life such as teachers, parents or guardians, peers and older siblings who can help you with motivation, support and balancing your responsibilities well.
Successful planning for Edexcel GCSEs means creating and sticking to a study plan that gives you enough time to cover all your required subjects without the need to rush or stay up too late cramming. For thorough learning, it’s recommended that you cover your coursework at least four times before writing your exam, so make allowance for this.
How much is enough study time? The answer depends on you, but ideally, it should be between three to four hours daily and a little more on weekends, while still enjoying other activities such as sports, socialising, family time and relaxing.
Don’t overwhelm your brain with too much information in one sitting. A good stretch of concentration usually starts to fizzle out after 40 minutes to 1 hour, after which information will stop being retained. Take breaks after each block of studying and use those 10 minutes to get some fresh air or have a healthy snack.
While on the topic of concentration – multitasking and studying do not go together. Don’t distract yourself with the Internet, social media, mobile devices or TV. A good motivational tactic is to use these things that you enjoy as rewards for completing your study goals for the day. Study in an environment that’s quiet, light and isn’t too warm as that will make you sleepy. Create affirmations and positive encouragement to help motivate you, too.
When studying, it’s important to keep your brain engaged, which may mean experimenting with different revision techniques. Don’t rely on simply reading – create notes, flashcards or mind maps while you revise for example.
Another great tip is to take advantage of quizzes and past papers so that you can assess your areas of strength and weakness so that each study session is focused. You’ll also be able to see your progress and this will motivate you to keep at it. You’ll also learn how to manage your time so that come exam day you’re not caught short or easily overwhelmed.
We at GCSE Guide are rooting for your success and we’ve got loads of materials such as quizzes, mind maps and past papers to help you achieve. Come on, let’s get started!
