How to stop stressing about surprise tests
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Sometimes, young people will be set ‘surprise’ tests, only being given 24 or 48 hours notice that they’re going to happen. For the most conscientious students this can be a really stressful experience, and that stress will often be transferred onto their parents. In this article, I’m going to help you to feel less stressed […]
Continue reading
5 Common Mistakes Students Make When Studying A-Level Biology
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Is studying for your A-Level biology getting you down? There is so much content to learn, and even if you know your stuff it can often be tricky to get the marks in practice exam questions because the language the examiner is looking for is so specific. In this article, you’ll find a summary of […]
Continue reading
Help with achieving your goals this Christmas holiday
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
While it’s the Christmas holiday and your priorities should rightly be pulling crackers, opening presents and eating turkey you or your child might also have some important academic goals to achieve in these two weeks. I’m going to run through some of the academic priorities you might have right now and explain how I can […]
Continue reading
How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays?
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
“How much should you revise…?” is one of the most frequent questions I get asked. Today, I’m going to talk about how much you should revise in the Christmas holidays because no-one wants mock exams in January ruining the Christmas holidays. How much should you revise in the Christmas holidays? The number of hours per […]
Continue reading
How to balance the competing demands of homework and revision
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Through the autumn and spring term every year, many students and parents ask me how to balance homework and revision. Students in years 11 and 13 find the competing demands of homework and revision particularly difficult to cope with in the build-up to mock exams. In this blog post, I’m going to explain how you […]
Continue reading
Why everyone should blag their exams and how to do it effectively
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
The word ‘blag’ has lots of negative connotations. It brings up images of people getting something they don’t deserve through deception or guile. However, the best students are the ones who are confident in blagging their exams. This is probably a huge surprise to all the perfectionists out there, and maybe even more of a […]
Continue reading
7 things GCSE and A Level students get wrong about revision
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Most GCSE and A-Level students are really bad at revising. They get multiple things wrong about how to revise successfully which leads them to get bored and frustrated, either giving up or getting marks that they’re not proud of. In this post, I’m going to talk about seven things GCSE and A-Level students get wrong […]
Continue reading
Why you shouldn’t use highlighting as a revision technique (and how you can use highlighters instead)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Highlighters are one of those stereotypical revision tools that always get added to the shopping basket when people are buying their revision stationery. However, highlighting is one of the very worst revision techniques you can use. In this blog post and podcast episode, I’m going to explain why highlighters shouldn’t be used as a revision […]
Continue reading
Why mock exams are more important than ever in 2020-1
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Last week the Scottish government announced that they were cancelling the country’s National 5 exams, the Scottish equivalent of GCSEs, for students sitting them in the summer of 2021. They have also pushed the dates of their Higher and Advanced Higher exams back and are developing contingency plans for the cancellation of these exams, with […]
Continue reading
How to revise for A Level English Literature: 5 Common Myths and Misconceptions
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Are you confused about how to revise for A Level English Literature? After all, it’s not like other subjects where you can memorise your knowledge and tick it off a list as you go. I interviewed Helen Chaplain, an incredible English teacher and tutor with ten years experience, an Oxford English graduate and my lead […]
Continue reading