How to get A*s in your IGCSEs/GCSEs

photo taken from https://myresults.cie.org.uk

Yes, those are my results up there so i hope that it is enough proof to show that i am the right person to give advice. If you are reading this then you are probably going into Year 10 or even Year 11 and want to be prepared for your exams. If you are reading this during your school year then i hope this helps you since exams will arrive faster than you think, especially if you're in Year 11. Trust me I've been there. To help you get through your IGCSEs with A* results, here are some tips.

1. BE ORGANISED. This is so important! Make sure you have folders and binders for each subject so you do not end up losing any important worksheets that you might need for your revision later on. It also prevents you from getting too stressed and demotivating you to study since you know everything is where it should be and not in a messy pile of worksheets at the bottoms of your bag. I would also reccomend getting a planner where you can write down everything you need to do for the day, any upcoming assignments and test dates.

2. STUDY AND STAY ON TOP OF THINGS. Even if it is a small quiz, you should still study so that when exam season comes around, you won't be learning new material; you will be reviewing what you learned, which makes things so much easier since you will probably remember most of it and it will feel like a short refresher. This will save you so much time and guarantee that you will quickly remember all the material in time for exams. Also, you should try your best to stay on top of your school work and get it done as fast as possible even if it is due in a week. For example, I usually got all my homework done the day it was given so I can spend more time revising instead. If it is possible, try to finish your homework before you even get home since this will give you more time to revise past topics, but it will also give you more time to rest as you have less to do at home.

3. REVISION TECHNIQUES. This is also very important. You could be revising for hours but not processing or learning anything because you are revising wrong. A lot of people read their textbook a couple of times in preparation, but I know from experience that this is not effective at all. Therefore, you need to find an active recall technique that suits your learning style. For me, it was flashcards, blurting, and sometimes I would use the Feynman technique if I didn't understand something. There are plenty of resources on study techniques, especially on YouTube, so I would check those out. I will be publishing an article soon about the different revision techniques, so keep an eye out for that.

4. PAST PAPERS. Out of everything I mentioned, I think this is the most important thing to do: past papers and past paper questions. The earlier and the more you do them, the better you will do. So if you are in year 10, start now. Every unit you finish, do topic past paper questions. You can find many on SaveMyExams and PhysicsAndMathsTutor. If you are in year 11 and haven't really done much past paper practice, don't worry because I hadn't done any in year 10 (since I didn't know you could find past paper questions by topic) and I still got all A*s. When you have covered most of the syllabi in year 11, then start doing whole past papers as these will get you used to exams, exam-style questions, prepare you for what to expect, and also test your active recall.

5. KNOW HOW TO REVISE FOR EACH SUBJECT. For the 3 sciences and for maths, the best way to revise is to do practice questions and past papers. I also strongly recommend doing flashcards for the 3 sciences to learn the theory. I would say the essay-based subjects like English literature and language and history are much harder to revise for. For English literature, I would suggest studying all the poems, novels, and plays as well as possible and trying your best to figure out a specific technique, structure, or way to write your essays. The same goes for English language. There's a specific way to write your essays and once you figure it out, you'll be fine. I would say the best way to figure it out would be to understand and study all the criteria and assessment objectives and watch a lot of videos on how to write each type of text for language and maybe read a couple of literary essays to see what the examiners want to see. For languages, I would say to learn as much vocabulary as you can, learning expressions to use in your writing and also making sure you know how to use every single tense you're supposed to know. Also, do many past papers for languages.

I hope this helped to show you what you're meant to be doing if you want all A*s in your IGCSEs. I promise you it's not that difficult to do if you have discipline and are committed to studying. You just need to put a bit of effort into studying and you will be fine. Remember to rest once in a while too!