GCSE Resources

GCSEs are a difficult period for students in years 10 and 11. Students must understand the value of the many GCSE resources available to them.

With the GCSE grading system changing from letter grades (A-U) to numbers (9-1), where 9 is the highest, 1 the lowest, and U ungraded, using the right support resources is crucial for students aiming to achieve top marks.  Below are just a few suggestions of some resources which may be helpful. 

Understanding GCSE resources

Teachers

First is perhaps the most obvious, but one which many students overlook and it is their course teachers. Students may overlook the importance of tapping into their teacher’s knowledge, due to their student-teacher relationship. We all understand that not everyone will have a positive relationship with those educators, however, they are often vital as a GCSE resource. Students should ask teachers for an assessment of their strengths and weaknesses. This helps guide subject-specific study plans. Knowing this will help them develop a study plan early on in their GCSE preparation, which we know is crucial to getting top marks at GCSE.

Exam boards

Students may also often overlook the importance of being clear on which exam board they will be sitting. Whether it is AQA, Edexcel, OCR etc, knowing which one they are sitting is paramount to their revision and learning of subject matter. Once students know which exam board they will be sitting, then they can access each board’s course requirements online. This is one of the key GCSE resources.  It is essential that they are absolutely clear about each subject’s requirements and that information can be accessed online from the board’s website. Students can then create a study plan based on these requirements.

Revision books

Revision books are a great form of GCSE resource. Find and buy revision books on your subject.  There are many revision books now available to buy, but students should try to read reviews of these before they purchase them, so they can make sure they are buying a revision book that will meet their needs. 

Online GCSE resources

BBC Bitesize provides a range of wide range of GCSE resources for all the exam boards and all GCSE subjects. The material which is available includes everything from sample questions to suggested revision, videos, and more. For subjects such as English, the site in some cases even gives you a brief explanation of the social and historical context in which the piece was written. It is a wonderful resource and what is best is that it is all available free of charge. The site simply requests that you register a free account, and you can then use all the material online at any time.

Tes is an online website that offers educational GCSE resources, created by teachers for teachers, with many materials designed specifically for GSCE revision. The website offers everything from exam question papers to revision material. Some material is free while others you will have to pay for, but all the GCSE resources are graded by those who have used them, so it’s possible to see what the rating for the resource material is before purchasing. Tes is a particularly good resource for English and Maths. Also the registration is free!

Video resources

For GCSE students, Mr Bruff’s online education guides on Youtube are invaluable.  Created by an English teacher, the videos are clear, concise and easy to understand. This is an essential GCSE resource for any student preparing for their upcoming exams. Mr Bruff’s videos look mainly AQA exam questions, but many of the suggestions made can apply to English exam questions across all the boards. There are also published revision books that complement the videos. These are a great GCSE resource for preparation for GCSE exams.

Past papers

GCSE past papers are also extremely useful and can be easily found online. They give students a clear sense of what examiners are looking for and help them focus on the areas they struggle with most. Students can also download the mark scheme for each paper, allowing them to see exactly how responses are graded. This allows students to have a good understanding of where they currently sit in terms of overall marks, and will also help highlight areas they need to improve on in order to achieve higher marks. The website Revision World offers a wide range of past papers and is an invaluable resource. The MME (MathsMadeEasy) website also overs a wide range of past papers, with new and old specifications, so students can also see how the marking system has now changed. 

Finally, practice papers are invaluable for exam preparation. Good ones include not only questions and answers but also explanations of how the answers are derived. They often provide exercises that students can use to prepare effectively. In many ways, practice papers can be an even more invaluable resource than past papers since they can supply students with the resources which will assert their GCSE preparation.  An example of a great publisher of practice papers would be CGP who are a particularly good resource.

Tutors as GCSE resources

For students that need a little extra help in understanding content or building their confidence, it is a great idea to invest in a GCSE tutor. A tutor can support students in many areas from revision to exam technique. The prolonged help of a tutor can improve a student’s final grade.  This is where Mentor will be able to help. We take the time to match students with subject experts.

So, although the reorganization of GCSE exams has perhaps made them far more rigorous, there are now more GCSE resources available than ever before. These GCSE resources support students, helping them achieve the mark they want in their forthcoming exams.

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