First Things First : How to Revise Effectively (1st Phase)

lets kick start with how to revise effectively for your A level exams. Phase 1 of your effective study/revision covers how to study the topic to be learned and includes condensing information from various sources , later to be used as your final revision notes.

1) Study the topic you need to learn very carefully. To that and to make sure that you know each and everything examiner wants you to know, grab a copy of a) Your A level Syllabus and b) Your Syllabus' Scheme of Work. While the Syllabus can be directly downloaded from your examination boards website ( in this case: http://www.cie.org.uk/ ), ask your teacher for a copy of schemes of work. It is designed for teachers to assist them in making their lesson plans but can be of huge benefits to the students themselves if they can get first hand information on what will they be taught. You can also get this from Freeexampapers. With your hands on these, scan through the contents of the topic you plan to study,to get a GIST on what you're supposed to learn. When done pick up atleast 3 different books by different authors to study that topic. Highlight important details and concepts you come across. Work through the examples to get an idea of what type of questions generally come.

2) Once done Studying, read through the highlighted material again and try to combine and condense all the information in a summary form orally.

3) Try to solve past papers questions relating to that topic from at least 10 previous exam papers. It is said that if you go through papers from at least 5 years , you will be well aware of what's going to come in your exam! What better?

4) Finally, its time to make your notes ( Don't worry if you skip this part, I'll be providing notes on nearly every topic with hints and tips that you won't regret :) ). Still if you want to make your notes, organize them in the following fashion:
a) Start with definitions, followed by the central idea of the topic.
b) Clearly mention all theorems, concepts and try to write them in your own words, and in a summarized form.
c) Always draw a margin line at one side ( probably the right) and leave ample space to jot down anything new you come across regarding that topic.
d) MAKE A MIND MAP AT THE END

....And Remember, always practice exam style and exam board questions , even from boards other than your own. Study hard and START WITH ALL THIS 6 MONTHS BEFORE YOUR EXAM!!!!