The key idea: you will not cover every topic again, and you do not need to. Most students lose the majority of their marks on a handful of topics per subject. Find them, fix them, then practise full papers.

Week 1: triage

  • Write down every paper and its date. Count the days to each one.
  • Do one mixed set of questions per subject, no notes, and mark it.
  • For each subject, pick the five topics that cost you the most marks. Those are your list for the next three weeks.

Weeks 2 to 4: the big five, per subject

  • One topic per session: a quick read, then straight into questions.
  • Mark every answer against a mark scheme and copy the wording examiners reward.
  • Keep a mistakes list and re-test it every Sunday.
  • Learn the facts and formulas that come up every year: definitions, equations, units, key processes.

Week 5: full papers

  • Sit at least one full timed paper per subject, closed book.
  • Mark strictly, then spend as long fixing the mistakes as you spent sitting the paper.
  • Check your timing: if you ran out of time, practise moving on from questions that stall you.

Week 6: final week

  • Short timed sets and your mistakes list only. No new topics.
  • Sleep, eat and keep a normal routine. See the final-week plan for the details.

How to spend a revision session

  1. 5 minutes: look over your summary or notes for the topic.
  2. 25 minutes: answer questions on it without looking.
  3. 10 minutes: mark them and write down what you got wrong and why.
  4. 5 minutes: break, away from your screen.

Fitting six weeks around several subjects

If your exams are spread over a few weeks, your subjects will not all have six weeks. Put every subject and exam date into the revision planner: it gives weaker subjects more sessions, stops each subject after its exam, and focuses the last three days before each paper on that subject.

Finding your weak topics quickly

Each subject guide lists every topic area in the syllabus with a red, amber, green checklist. Rate yourself honestly, then take your five reds into weeks 2 to 4.

Got more time? The 12-week plan covers every topic properly.