Christmas Revision: Striking The Right Balance For GCSE Success

After a long autumn term, you’re probably craving a complete break from all forms of study over the festive season. Some of you might have just received your mock results and are contemplating your next steps, while others are gearing up for mocks in January, knowing the next two weeks will involve lots of revision. Whatever your circumstances, revising over Christmas can be tricky, it’s crucial to strike the right balance between study and relaxation to avoid burnout.

Here are our top tips for finding the right balance to help you make the most of your holiday revision while still enjoying the festive fun that Christmas brings.

It’s really important to give yourself plenty of time to relax and recharge for your return to school in January. The spring term will be packed with lots of work, covering the last topics of the curriculum. There will be a strong focus on developing and honing your exam techniques for the next set of mocks and the final GCSE exams in May.

Take a few days off to relax and recharge before you start revising. This way, you won’t find it too difficult to get back into the swing of things, and the pull of Christmas movies and hanging out with friends can be managed.

Your mock results provide valuable insights into what your real GCSE exams will be like. Whatever your results, it’s important to reflect on how you did, identifying what went well, what didn’t, and what you need to focus on in the coming weeks and months. Consider the following:

• Essential Knowledge: Did you lack knowledge and understanding of core concepts?
• Application of Knowledge: Did you struggle to apply your knowledge to the questions asked?
• Misreading and Misinterpreting Questions: Did you misread or misinterpret the questions, leading to incorrect responses?
• Careless Mistakes: Did you make careless errors?
• Not Showing Calculations: Remember, you can gain extra marks for showing your workings out.
• Not Providing Evidence: Did you include accurate dates, names, and places in your answers?
• Time Management: Did you run out of time?

Use your answers to these questions to help focus your revision strategies. Think about which new strategies you’ll try over the holidays, which subjects you need to prioritise, and how you’ll manage distractions.

Since the Christmas holidays are usually only two weeks long, it’s a good idea to create a mini-timetable. This way, you can keep track of your time and focus on the important stuff.

Take some time to plan how you will revise over the Christmas holidays. You might want to do one day on, one day off, only work on weekdays, or do a couple of hours each day—whatever works best for you. Once you’ve worked out your revision routine, split your study time between each subject, allocating more time to the subjects you’re less confident in or have more topics to cover.

Make sure to include time with family and friends and Christmas activities first. This way, you can figure out what spare time you have for revision. By the time you’ve added these in, you’ll be surprised at how little time is left for revising.  For suggestions on how to create the Ultimate GCSE Revision timetable visit our post on Mastering your GCSE Revision. 

Little and Often

Peace and Quiet

Don’t forget that you still need a calm and relaxed place to do your revision. During Christmas, most people tend to have some time off, so make sure to consider this when planning your timetable. Ensure you have a quiet space where you can focus without interruptions.

Balancing revision with relaxation is key to making the most of your Christmas holidays. By following these tips, you can prepare for your mocks effectively. Remember, the goal is to study smart, not just hard. Good luck, and have a wonderful holiday!