GCSE maths: demystifying revision guides - Don’t be afraid to open them.
- Danielle Honeyands
- May 20, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 12
Introduction
Revision guides are so helpful and there are so many ways to use them. Storage under your bed or as a bookend are NOT what I mean. You have to open them…
Revision guides aren’t for two weeks before the exam, not even two months before. In fact, we advise you to get one at the beginning of your GCSE course.
If you need help with your homework, you can look at your revision guide for help. It also grows familiarity, so when it’s getting close to the exams, you will have got used to the style and contents.
Choices
There are a few types of revision books so we’re going to go through them. All of our recommendations are for CGP, it isn’t a sponsorship or an advert, we genuinely think they are the best. They are clearly laid out, crucial rules are boxed up and there are always questions to check your understanding.
All of these are for the EdExcel course so check your examination board. Most schools in England use EdExcel, but there are a few that use AQA or OCR. The contents aren’t very different - usually one or two pages in the books are different. If you aren’t sitting an EdExcel exam, feel free to reach out for advice on books for the other boards.
If you follow our links you pay Amazon's price, but we get a kickback. We really appreciate this. You can buy the books directly from CGP (cgpbooks.co.uk), but if you have Amazon Prime, it will be cheaper from Amazon.
Revision Guide
These are thin and cheap. It contains all the info and a few questions at the bottom of most pages. The answers are in the back. There are QR codes to video solutions and explanations.
Revision and practice
The revision pages are identical to the revision guide. The difference is, at the end of a section there are a couple of pages of exam type questions and at the end of a topic there is a list of practice questions. There are also some practice papers at the back. All answers are at the very back of the book.
Student Book
The student book is more like a textbook. It has a bit more detail than a revision guide, and more questions. This is a great companion to homework, end of topic tests and GCSE revision.
10 minute tests
Although this has no explanations, only questions, it’s great paired with a revision guide. In the 10 minute tests, the topic of the questions are random which is great practice. The answers are in the back. And each test lasts for 10 minutes…obvs.
Tips on how to use your revision guide
Once you’ve opened it… Yeah, I know!
If you’re at the beginning of your course, find the topic you’re doing at school and use it to help with your homework. If you’re nearing the exams, go through a couple of pages a day. Always answer the questions - reading someone else’s example and ‘getting it’ is very different to answering a question yourself.
If you find the topic super easy, mark the page (cross through the page number, or highlight the page number), then go to the contents page, and highlight that line of the topic. As you work through the book, the contents page will show the topics you find easy, and the ones you don’t. Then you can focus your study and revision on those areas.
Conclusion
These books are a great companion to the course, so don’t wait for the exam panic to get one. Answer all of the questions and make a note of the pages to go back through.
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