Revising for the IGCSE examination is nothing short of an adventure, and this ultimate road map to IGCSE revision guide is the crux of every revision plan.
And why shouldn’t it be?
It is after all a very vital milestone in every student’s curriculum vitae.
The IGCSE examinations are recognized around the world and are a prerequisite to all tertiary-level education courses and programs.
The key to succeeding at the IGCSE is to master all the material and information acquired by the student over the period of two years of their study.
In order to do that, students must surely level up their IGCSE revision game and methods.
Tutopiya is one of the leading online tuition portals around the globe, that also provides expert IGCSE online tuition and IGCSE revision.
Hence, apart from providing the most effective and affordable online IGCSE tuition, it also provides the latest resources, assessment materials, to aid students in their IGCSE revision.
Therefore, this ultimate road map to IGCSE revision guide will give students key tips, ideas, and a sense of preparedness to align students and tackle their IGCSE revision struggles.
Amongst the many students sitting for IGCSE exams every year, there are students who have been homeschooled as well.
This IGCSE revision guide will also help them get started with preparing for the IGCSE.
1. Planning and Setting Goals for IGCSE Revision Guide
Now that the importance of the IGCSE examinations is understood, how does one go about preparing for this?
Planning and setting goals for yourself are the holy grail of any major endeavor.
The IGCSE examinations are no different.
Students are examined on all the knowledge they have acquired throughout a period of 2 years in these exams.
It is obvious then, that a certain amount of planning and goal setting needs to be laid out.
To start revising every student needs to know where they stand.
Students can write down which subjects or chapters require their attention first and which can be tackled last.
After that, a trajectory to move forward can be mapped out.
Planning and setting a goal on how much, when and what to revise will always prove beneficial.
It will provide the student with an idea of how much can be done in the time they have left.
Using these IGCSE planners by Tutopiya, students can prepare what they have to study every day.
The aim is to be realistic and complete the optimum amount of material.
2. Make a Schedule/Timetable and Stick to It!
It does sound strange and very primary for an IGCSE student to make a schedule.
On the contrary, it is this very schedule that eventually helps the student stay on track of the revision they have planned to do.
Students can be easily distracted and can also procrastinate depending on other commitments or appointments.
Therefore a routine or schedule will help them stick to their plan of revision and eventually help them attain their goals.
Furthermore, being ambitious is very important
Despite the fact that there is a whole village to support the student, it will all go to waste unless the student him/herself is not ready to give this revision period a full 100% commitment.
And so, ambition will help boost the general drive a student has to complete their IGCSE revision.
Make sure that the schedule allows adequate time for water and snack breaks.
Taking breaks is necessary to stay replenished and energized.
A healthy break can consist of meeting up with family and close friends.
That can lighten the pressure on the student’s shoulder.
Or, it could mean doing something rejuvenating like exercise or meditation.
Some choose to bake or paint to refresh their mind.
Anything that can renew your passion and motivation to get back to revision works!
3. Effective Study Tools for A Better IGCSE Revision Guide
Revising is a mix of using your brainpower and utilizing the tools around you.
Using effective tools that can speed up or aid in remembering all the material will be an added advantage.
There are various mechanisms that can make the revision process easier and sometimes even enjoyable.
Some of these tools are mentioned below:
Past Paper Books
The British Council provides a compilation of all the past papers of any IGCSE subject that you are revising.
These papers are of immense value as they are direct question papers of all the actual IGCSE examination papers in the recent past.
Students can use these papers to answer and time themselves so that they can find out their standard/level.
This in turn will allow them to understand their position in terms of their revision time plan.
It is like sitting for a mock exam while doing revision.
If answering the complete paper is too challenging, students can start by answering single questions from each paper to get a little bit of experience.
Above all, past papers give a sense of familiarity.
Being familiar with what the paper looks like, the kind of questions and language used will help ease the anxiety the students may have.
Short Notes
Students are given a period of two years for them to get ready for the exams.
Hence, it is natural that two years’ worth of material needs to be revised in order to excel at the exams.
That makes for a lot of notes, calculations, formulas, problems, essays, textbooks, and other material that a student needs to remember.
As daunting as it sounds there is however an easy way to assimilate all the long notes that a student makes.
The answer is Short Notes!
Short notes are an easy way to make concise versions of all the long notes, containing the important keywords, phrases, diagrams, and definitions that a student needs.
These make for quick revision guides and memory triggers when revising.
Mind Maps
Mind Maps are great tools for visual learners.
Students can use spider web diagrams or flow charts to divide, group, and organize chunks of notes or information.
This will help them remember material that has commands, definitions, and terms that need to be memorized.
Other Online Resources and Materials
IGCSE exams have a variety of subjects, covering different disciplines, be it the Sciences, Arts, or Commerce.
However, their main subjects are Mathematics and English.
They offer other languages and arts subjects too.
Most subjects require the traditional learning process like reading and writing notes, memorizing important information, and making diagrams.
But depending on the course material and what socio-economic or geopolitical issues the curriculum focuses on students can use other innovative learning materials.
Tools such as documentaries and videos can also be used to learn and gather additional information.
Tutopiya’s enormous resource bank contains several IGCSE-related resources and supporting material.
This resource bank is available to all students who are prepping for IGCSE exams.
4. Understanding Yourself and Getting Help for IGCSE Revision
IGCSE 1 to 1 Revision Session
Some students prefer revising alone, with all their tools and materials.
It is like you are the king of your castle, with all that you want at your disposal.
How can we make this better?
Revision is more effective when a suitable expert IGCSE tutor or teacher who specializes in the IGCSE curriculum is by your side.
That is exactly what Tutopiya offers.
Tutopiya offers 1 to 1 specialized and targeted IGCSE revision.
It is like having your own personal tutor and being able to ask them anything regarding your revision.
Usually, students take up 1 to 1 IGCSE revision when they want to have a customized session in the comfort of their own home.
Where they can ask their tutor all their doubts and questions at their own pace, without worrying about others watching.
That is one of the amazing conveniences of Tutopiya’s 1 to 1 IGCSE revision guidance.
IGCSE Group Revision Sessions
For students who feel comfortable and motivated to revise in groups with friends, this program is for you!
If a student looks forward to revising with friends and group mates, then Tutopiya’s IGCSE revision session is a perfect opportunity for you and your mates.
For students who thrive on the motivation and support of their peers, group sessions are very effective.
The competition and common interests of students who are in similar academic positions help them perform better.
Group revision requires a very talented and vetted mentor.
The mentor needs to be an experienced guide to show the students the right path collectively.
Hence, Tutopiya has launched its most sought-after IGCSE intensive group revision sessions with their best tutors.
These sessions are a student group’s dream come true.
Students can join the session individually from the comfort of their own home but they will study in a group amongst their peers with an expert IGCSE tutor mentoring them.
5. Practice Past Papers
Every IGCSE student will testify to this phrase; Practice Practice Practice IGCSE Past Papers!
It is a known fact that at least a few questions from the Past Papers are repeated in the exam.
There are several benefits of practicing past papers for IGCSE exams.
Being able to answer the questions that the student has done in the past papers will not only boosts the student’s confidence but also motivate them.
Tutopiya’s expert IGCSE tutors provide comprehensive past paper practice that gets every student familiar with past paper questions and answering techniques.
Setting a past paper practice day or time in the Revision Plan or Schedule should allow them to test their own revision techniques.
Answering past papers in a timed manner will help students understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Altogether, practicing past papers will provide students with feedback on how they will receive and answer the actual exam paper in the exam hall.
6. Understanding the Model Answer/Marking Schemes.
A crucial component of IGCSE revision is the IGCSE Past Paper Marking Scheme.
As important it is to practice past papers, going through and understanding how the answers are written in the IGCSE Marks Schemes are as vital.
Not only do the Marking Schemes show if the answers are right or wrong, but also the technique to write the answers.
Every subject would have different requirements when it comes to answering IGCSE exam papers.
Certain subjects would call for quick definitions, diagrams, and keywords, and some would require long essays or descriptive/explanatory answers.
On the other hand, there are some subjects that would want students to write equations and calculations.
The job of this IGCSE revision guide is to explain to the student how the Marks Schemes can help the students recognize the type of answering techniques expected of them.
While a student may give the right answer, due to not being able to fine-tune their answering techniques they may miss out on the full marks allocated for a question.
The Marks Schemes teach the student how to write answers depending on the marks allocated and the number of points that need to be in the right answer.
This can only be achieved through practice and exposure to reading the IGCSE Marks Schemes after answering the Past Papers.
7. Developing a Passion for Reading
The ultimate road map to the IGCSE revision guide will not be complete without one last point.
Developing a passion for reading.
Read anything that interests you.
Whether it is the Sunday morning newspaper, blogs, books, or magazines, reading is key to general success in life.
While most of the exam papers will be testing students on the knowledge they have been taught, being well-read will help them understand the exam paper in general.
The English language and literature papers usually test students on unseen comprehension and poetry.
As a result, students are asked to read the text and answer questions based on the theme, idea, characters, and techniques.
Therefore, having a comprehensive reading ability will help them understand the text and score well on those sections of the paper.
Apart from that other subjects like Biology have sections in the paper that expect students to understand unseen material and answer questions accordingly.
