Should I revise over the Easter Holidays? If so, how much work should I be doing? These are two questions that our students at both year 10 and year 11 have been asking us frequently at the moment.
Heather Holmes, one of our fantastic GCSE English tutors, weighs in on the question of revision over the Easter holidays for both year 11 and year 10. Heather has been a teacher of English for almost 11 years. She is a Director of English and works for a multi-academy trust in the north of England. Heather is also an examiner for GCSE English Literature and so is aware of the key message students need to succeed in their studies.
I’m in year 11: Should I revise over the Easter holidays?
Heather says:
“This year, it is unlikely that your school will have set large amounts of revision over the Easter holidays unless they plan to have you sit formal tests on your return in order to ascertain your teacher assessed grade. For most schools, that work will already be well underway and your teacher assessed grade will be determined by more than simply a battery of tests on your return to school.”
Essentially, this year is very different to any other BUT don’t waste this time!
” If you are returning to formal assessments, then you need to make sure you complete any revision packs or material you were sent home with. If you have already identified that you have any topics or areas of knowledge that you feel unsure of, then now is the time to brush up on that knowledge, using your exercise books, past papers and your textbooks to help you.”
Certainly, the Easter holidays are a great opportunity to get a break from your studies in. However, don’t forget to take a look at topics that you know you find challenging. Doing this kind of revision when you don’t have the time pressures of all your other school work will certainly be beneficial to you when it comes to teacher assessments or any exams.
How much work should I be doing over the Easter break if I am in year 10?
Heather’s view: “Enjoy year 10 because it is the calm before the storm! At this point in your academic career, there will be little revision to do over Easter.”
Happy days! This means rest, relaxation and no work, right? Well, yes and no. Heather also advises that:
“This is the year when you make sure you complete any work you have been sent home with at all times throughout the year, and that you try to be absent as infrequently as possible. Year 10 is the year when you learn the basic skills for your GCSE English Language and the content of all your GCSE English Literature texts, so being absent in Year 10 could mean you have gaps in your learning. These gaps will cause problems in Year 11 when the focus will be on answering exam-style questions rather than teaching a play from scratch.”
So, you might not have as much formal revision as Year 11’s do this Easter. However, now is a really great time to get on top of your school work and put in the foundations to help you succeed when it comes to your exams next year. Perhaps you missed one or two lessons? Or there’s a topic you find particularly tricky? Utilise this time to go over these topics and feel confident in your studies. Now is a great time for you to be building on the foundations of your knowledge, this will help you to score highly when it comes to formal assessments.
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