Preparing for exams with William Brookes
The revision section contains links and information linked to what you are studying in school. Various materials for each subject will be updated in February each year as will the links to different websites that you might find useful.
The first step will be to set up your revision timetable and get started, so what’s stopping you?
Subject specific (A-Z)
Art (OCR)
Web links
Log onto a range of search engines and Pinterest and The Student Art Guide with search phrases such as:
- A level ‘insert theme title’ preparatory work
- GCSE ‘insert theme title’ preparatory work
Biology (AQA)
AQA GCSE Trilogy (Biology as part of the Combined Course with Chemistry and Physics):
AQA GCSE Biology (Biology – Separate Course):
AQA A Level Biology (Year 12 and 13):
Business Studies (EDEXCEL)
All students have the opportunity in Year 10 to purchase an exam board revision guide. It is vital that they have one of these as it forms the basis of home learning tasks and background reading. Available on the school’s parent pay system at the start of Y10, or via…
Past Papers
Attempting past papers is the number one way to improve. It helps to fully assess students’ levels of understanding and enables students to improve their exam techniques. The following webpage will allow students to access past papers, mark schemes and examiner reports.
You will then have a selection of years to choose from.
Web Links
Some brilliant websites for further reading topics covered in the lesson.
Chemistry
Web Links
- Kerboodle: Online access to text book, summary questions, exam questions and interactive activity. Click AQA science 9-1.
- Specimen exam papers and mark scheme
- BBC Bite size (Chemistry not exam board specific)
- Doc Brown (chemistry not exam board specific) slow to load but has excellent content and very good quizzes
- Primrose Kitten (chemistry and physics exam board specific)
- Mrs Edge (chemistry exam board specific you tube channel). Under construction but 100% specific as created by WBS teacher
- Seneca AQA
- Educake
Computer Science (OCR)
Dance (AQA)
Component One
Web Links
Component Two
Web Links
Drama (OCR)
English (AQA)
Web Links
- AQA English Language GCSE Assessment Resources
- AQA English Literature GCSE Assessment Resources
- BBC Bitesize English Language GCSE
- BBC Bitesize English Literature GCSE
- Educake
- Much Ado Revision Course Hero
- BBC Teach (School Radio) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Oak Academy Lessons (first teaching) An Inspector Calls
- Oak Academy Lessons (revision) An Inspector Calls
- Oak Academy Lessons (first teaching) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Oak Academy Lessons (revision) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Oak Academy Lessons (revision) Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
- Oak Academy Lessons Poetry - Power and Conflict
- Mr Bruff worksheets (only some units apply)
- Mr Bruff YouTube
- Spark Notes Much Ado
- Spark Notes Jekyll and Hyde
- Spark Notes An Inspector Calls
Food prep and nutrition (AQA)
French (Edexcel)
Memrise – Vocabulary learning website
This is a really handy way to help students learn vocabulary for French.
Students need to register, for which they will need a username, an email address and a password. (An example username is PJones).
Once logged in, it is a good idea for students to set themselves a realistic vocab revision timetable and start learning the GCSE French (2016 – Edexcel) vocabulary list.
Each course is divided into levels which correspond to the different sections of the core vocabulary.
Students should click on the level/section they want to learn and then start planning. Memrise will create a vocab learning and testing programme for them which will quickly help them to commit the vocabulary to long-term memory.
Students can also create their own courses to help them to learn any French they find difficult.
Other web links.
Resources for Revision
Students can find a wealth of resources for listening, speaking, reading, writing and past papers in the Student Shared Area on the William Brookes School SharePoint.
Geography (AQA)
Health and Social Care (OCR CNAT)
KS5 Edexcel Level Health and Social care
Revision book: Pearson REVISE BTEC National Health and Social Care Revision Guide: (with free online Revision Guide) for home learning, 2021 assessments and 2022 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care).
Revision Workbook: BTEC National Health and Social Care Revision Workbook: Second edition (REVISE BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care).
Specification overview:
KS4 OCR Cambridge National Level 1/2 Health and Social Care:
Revision book: My Revision Notes: Cambridge National Level 1/2 Health and Social Care
Revision home learning booklet issued to all students.
Specification overview:
History (Edexcel)
CSE History:
- American West
- Anglo-Saxons and Normans
- Crime & Punishment
- Weimar & Nazi Germany
All our class and revision materials are located in the students’ KS4 area, accessible via Teams/OneDrive. There you will find the four GCSE units and their respective course and revision materials (including revision booklets, knowledge organisers, past papers, mark-schemes and examiner reports).
Additionally, the CGP GCSE topic guides can be ordered through the school in the autumn term, or they are available here (be sure to pick the four books that correlate to the units above):
A Level History:
- The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865-1975 (1K)
- The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 (2S)
All our class and revision materials are located in the students’ KS5 area, accessible via Teams/OneDrive. There you will find the two taught units and the NEA (non-examined assessment) materials, including past papers, mark-schemes and examiner reports.
Imedia (OCR)
My revision notes:
OCR Cambridge Nationals in creative Imedia.
Maths (Edexcel)
Web links
This site contains video clips, examples, exam revision questions with worked solutions. Use your mock exam results to work through the topics you need to improve on first, before moving on to more general practise.
KS5 (Sixth Form)
Students are reminded that they have access to revision resources on the Maths Genie website.
All students have access to Pearson Active Learn. If they have forgotten the login details, please ask one of the sixth form maths teachers.
Students may also find other useful sites such as Dr Frost Maths that are a good revision resource.
Physics (AQA)
Web links
- Kerboodle: Online access to text book, summary questions, exam questions and interactive activity. Click AQA science 9-1.
- AQA exam board assessment resources.
- BBC Bitesize: has good resources for AQA exams.
- Physics and Maths Tutor (AQA GCSE Physics or AQA GCE A level Physics).
- Free videos of explanations for A level Physics
- Kay science: free GCSE videos and quizzes for each topic in the GCSE course.
- Educake
Politics (Edexcel)
A Level Politics: Edexcel Specification
- Component 1: British Politics
- Component 2: British Government
- Component 3(b): Global Politics
All our class and revision materials are located in the students’ KS5 area, accessible via Teams/OneDrive. There you will find the three components and their respective course and revision materials, as well as past papers, mark-schemes and examiner reports.
In addition, tutor2u is an excellent online resource we would recommend for quizzes and other revision resources; it is regularly updated to take in the current political picture.
Product design (AQA)
The following websites will be useful to you:
- The AQA wesbsite for past papers and markschemes.
- Technology Student is a large general DT resource that also has a Product Design specific page.
- DT Online is another good general resource.
- Ergonomics4Schools will help for ergonomic and anthropometric information.
Attend any extra revision sessions that are organised in the build-up to the exam.
Psychology (OCR for GCSE and AQA for A level)
GCSE resources can be obtained from Miss Dickinson.
A Level:
RS (AQA)
Web links
- Seneca Learning: sign up for a free account for great activities. Start the ‘religion’ sections for AQA, and complete the Christianity and Islam sections (the ‘Themes’ sections have other religions that we don’t study, so they’re not ideal). Ask your teacher for a class code.
- GCSE Bitesize: has some areas that are useful, but it is very general and brief (only use the Christianity and Islam sections!).
- Request.org : fantastic information about Christian beliefs, practices and responses to ethical issues.
- 30 Facts About Islam provides some basic overviews of Islam and some key beliefs
- AQA website with specimen papers, mark schemes and the specification
- The app ‘RE definitions’ can be downloaded onto any device which can be used to check the meaning of any key word.
Physical Resources
- Notes in your exercise book can be used to make revision mind maps or flash cards.
- There are student revision booklets for most units. Use these to revise core knowledge.
- Optionally, you can purchase a revision guide, like this one on Amazon.
Exam Papers
Exam 1 will consist of two booklets – Booklet one is Christian beliefs (question 1-5) and practices (question 6-10); Booklet two is Islamic beliefs (question 1-5) and practices (question 6-10). 1 hour 45 minutes needs to be split evenly between both booklets.
Exam 2 will consist of ALL 6 themes A-F with a question 1-5 to answer. You are to answer only four of the themes. The themes you will study and answer are:
- Theme A – Relationships and Families
- Theme B – Religion and Life
- Theme E – Religion, Crime and Punishment
- Theme F – Religion, Human Rights and Social Justice
You will write your answers on a separate answer booklet. It is also a 1 hour 45 minute exam.
Spanish (Edexcel)
Memrise – Vocabulary learning website
This is a really handy way to help students learn vocabulary for Spanish.
Students need to register for which they will need a username, an email address and a password. (An example username is PJones).
Once logged in, it is a good idea for students to set themselves a realistic vocab revision timetable and start learning the GCSE Spanish vocabulary as follows:
Other web links :
Sport Science (OCR CNAT)
My revision notes: Cambridge National in Sport Science Art learning the GCSE Spanish vocabulary as follows:
