This document provides tips and techniques for effective exam revision, including: 1. Using index cards, mind maps, notes, and visual materials to organize key concepts. Active study methods like teaching others and regular review are emphasized. 2. Developing a study schedule well in advance, balancing subjects, and leaving time for a review period before exams. 3. Using past exams and sample questions to practice constructing outlines and "perfect answers". 4. Maintaining health, rest, and breaks during the revision period to reduce stress and maximize focus. Regular review of topics is critical for long-term retention.

1. A Level PE
Learning and Revision guide
Name:
Learning Style:
Revision techniques:
Don’t
Panic!
And some other top tips…

2. Time Lord status:

3. Revision Techniques
For most of us, the thought of exams does not make us feel
happy; in fact they usually bring on a feeling of dread! I want
to show that most of us have the same feelings towards
exams and that there are things you can do to improve your
revision techniques in order to get on top of all that new
information and really improve your exam performance.
Just knowing these techniques will help to build your
confidence and help you feel more confident about your
exams, which should help you get even better exam results.
Index cards, mind maps and notes
• Use to record key points
• Incorporate pictures, colour, highlighting
Learning posters and visual material
• Use pattern, colour, symbols and drawings
• Cover key points and topics
• Develop diagrams for your course if relevant
• Pin them up where you’ll see them often
Key words, phrases, themes or concepts
• Use the course introductions, summaries, key questions to discover
what’s key in each block
• Use two or three sentences to define, add course example and diagram
if relevant

4. Summary tables or grids
• Compare or evaluate competing theories or key people
Teach someone
• Teach a topic to a fellow student or a friend
• Thinking it through is effective revision
• Fill in the gaps in your knowledge as you identify them
Reinforce your memory
• As you end a revision session, review key points
• Review again regularly

5. Index cards, mind maps and notes
Index cards
We use these as glossary cards from the beginning of the course. They are
simple to make and are very useful for new words, and concepts.
Front
Topic/Chapter
The new word or concept you want to remember
Back
A definition of the word or concept in your own words.
It is important that you do not simply copy the words from the
book. Choose the key words in the definition, write them in a
Front
Chapter 1: Health, Exercise and Fitness
Skill related components of fitness

6. When completed these glossary cards can be used as Flash Cards. You
can use these to test yourself and others. Use the “Question the
question” sheets to construct your personal perfect answers.
Back
Skill related components of fitness
How a performer can successfully complete a specific skill.
They are dependant on the efficient working of the

7. Mind Maps.
The computers in college have a programme called Mind Genius. It is
easy to use and can help you organise your thoughts on complicated
topics. If you want to know more about using this programme please ask.
We will be looking at it in Revision sessions.
You do not need a special programme for mind maps. You can use
coloured pens and paper to quickly get down your thoughts.
Notes
When taking notes it is important to make sure that they will be useful to
you later in the course. You should use colour to make key words stand out,
use pictures or diagrams to help you ‘see’ and understand concepts.
Most importantly you should avoid copying chunks out of the text book or
copy and pasting form websites. You will understand, and therefore be able
to use, information more completely if you use your own words.
The Power Reading technique will help you to do this.

8. Power Reading – makes reading more efficient and easier.
Scan the text for an overview and then summarise every step of the
way.
Stop at the end of each step and make a note in pictures or words.
Ask yourself: What did that tell me? What was that about?
Icons or key words
Step 1:
Titles
Step 2:
Subheadings
Step 3:
Diagrams or
charts
Step 4:
Detail: Para 1
Detail: Para 2

9. Detail: Para 3
Detail: Para 4
Do you need to read every word in every paragraph? The first and last
sentences in a paragraph give a flavour. Find out before detailed reading if
you really need that section.

10. Question the question
Question:
Active play is considered to be a valuable activity for young children. What
are the characteristics of play and how do children benefit from play?
(4 marks)
What are you being asked to do?
Keyword/s: and characteristics children benefits
4 marks
2 characteristics
2 benefits
How will you do it?
Use key phrases
2 characteristics of play are
2 benefits of play for children are

11. You should use this table to describe each type of question you find in the
question banks.
Use the information the front of your textbook to help you understand what
each of the key question words mean, e.g.
State: Present in a brief, clear form. Usually only worth 1pt, this is an A01
style question.
Explain: Give details about how and why something is so. Usually the
second part of a 4, 5 or 6 point question, this is an A02 style question.
In both types of questions you must use the key words you have learned to
be able to gain the available marks.

12. Question
What are you being asked to do?
How will you do it?

14. When to start revising?
Last-minute 'cramming' for exams is the
worst of all worlds - it is very stressful, is
unlikely to lead to good marks and you
won't be able to remember much of it
within a few days of leaving the exam
room. So you will have to learn it all over
again when you go on to University or into
a job!
It makes much more sense to start exam revision in plenty of time – well,
now would be a good time!
All it takes is a little planning and self-discipline to avoid those late nights,
cold sweats and disappointing grades.
Remember you have set yourself target grades, now you must start to work
towards achieving them!
Here are nine tips on revising for exams:
a. Make use of your learning style when you revise
b. Plan in good time
c. Active revision
d. Old exam papers
e. Pace yourself
f. You’re not alone

15. g. Reward yourself
h. Trust
i. Look after yourself
Read on for more details.
a. Make use of your learning style when you revise
Take a test to see what kind of learner you are
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/
Quick Tips for Visual Learners
• Rewrite your notes as mind-maps
• Use colour to highlight important things
• Draw diagrams and sketches to help you remember points.
Quick Tips for Auditory Learners
• Read your notes aloud
• Record yourself on cassette reading key points of your notes aloud,
then listen to the tape afterwards
• Revise with other students if you can
• Sing the main points. Linking them with a tune may help you
remember them.

16. Quick Tips for learners who are readers and writers
• Copy out your notes.
• Read your notes silently.
• Rewrite the key points using different words.
• Write down key points from memory.
Quick Tips for Active Learners
• Move around the room
• Revise while you do kung-fu moves or other physical activity
• Mentally review what you’ve been revising while you’re swimming or
jogging.
You will probably find that you are not simply 1 style of learner but that you
have 2 main learning styles. So you might find it useful to mix and match
these strategies, e.g. an Auditory, Active learner could record their notes
and listen to them whilst jogging/training.
b. Plan in good time
Try this test, are you a Time Lord or a Time
Waster http://studytips.admsrv.ohio.edu/studytips/?
Function=TimeMgt&Type=pretest
Timetable
• How much time have you got?

17. • What do you need to do?
• Write up a timetable for your week and keep to it
Targets
Be realistic about:
• the targets you set yourself
• how much time you will need.
Balance
Aim for a balance between subjects you’re strong in and those which you’re
less confident about.
A month before
• Check your progress, have you done all you should have?
• Identify any topics you need to focus on
• How much time do they need?
A week before
Aim to have your revision completed by a week before your exams. This
gives you:
• flexibility in case of illness
• a chance to spend longer on something that proves difficult
• a break before you sit your exams.

18. c. Active revision
It’s not enough just to re-read notes, make your revision active! Use all of
the revision and note taking techniques you have practiced.
Use the techniques that best fit your learning style…. And revisit each topic
regularly or you will forget almost all you thought you had learned. As the
chart diagram shows, without revision, we forget 82% within 24 hours.
We remember better at about
10 minutes after the learning
finishes. The reason for this
strange memory phenomenon
is simple: at the moment
learning period finishes, the
brain has not had enough time
to organize and store the last items. It needs a few minutes to store,
organize, integrate the last items.
Regularly revisiting all topics is the only
way to keep all of that hard learned
information inside your brain. This is why

19. we, teachers, keep going on about regular revision timetables and
consolidating your learning.
So get to it, revisit your notes regularly, jog your memory!
d. Old exam papers
Look through the question banks – remember this year there are few past
exam papers that you could use all of, so I have collated the useable
questions for you in PowerPoints, one for each chapter of the textbook.
Make outline plans for the answers, use the “Question the question” sheets
to do this
Note carefully the slight differences in how questions are asked from year to
year. Could you possibly make a ‘power answer’ for any specific area?
e. Pace yourself
Use your time well.
Don’t try to do too much at once. Take a break from
time to time in each study period.

20. f. You’re not alone
Revise with other people sometimes;
if you don’t feel that you’ve entirely
grasped a topic, or don’t have any ‘new’
ideas on it, discussing it with other students
can be helpful. This is especially useful for
Auditory Learners.
g. Reward yourself
Recognise the targets you have achieved. Mark your progress
on your revision plan so that you can see what you are
achieving.
h. Trust
Trust your memory.
Once you know a subject thoroughly, move on to the next. Don’t keep
checking your memory to see if it’s doing its job.

21. It’s like a filing system, and it will produce what is required at the
appropriate time.
i. Look after yourself
Sorry to sound like your Mum, but...
Diet
Try and eat a healthy diet, not just chips and burgers! Take time out for
meals; don’t try to work while you’re eating dinner.
Caffeine
Too much tea and coffee can increase your anxiety levels and induce
insomnia. Caffeine tablets and Red Bull have the same effect.
Exercise
Get some exercise! You don’t have to go mad. 20 minutes exercise 2-3
times a week will give you more stamina, help reduce stress and help you
to sleep.
Rest
Don’t try to work through the night before an exam. You should have
finished your revision by now!
Go to bed in good time and get as much sleep as you can.

22. What else?
And that’s it. It really isn’t too difficult to do your best. It just takes
commitment and planning.
What’s stopping you from achieving your target grade?
Remember you can always ask Stef or Sarah for more help with any part of
the course. Your tutor is also available to help with any problem you might
experience whilst at Hartpury. All you have to do is ask!