Top Tips : Effective Revision
March 17, 2025
Mr Pearce, Deputy Head of UCAS, Politics Teacher and our Apply Plus programme lead, offers some top tips for the art of revising well.
As we approach Trinity Term and public examinations loom on the horizon, remember that lots of the keys to success are surprisingly simple and manageable. The top tips below come from a wide range of previous pupils who are now off doing brilliant things at university, the workplace, and beyond, but who were once nervously staring at fast-approaching exams just like you are now. Here are their pearls of wisdom on revision …
- Don’t wait until you feel like it: if you wait until you ‘feel like’ revising, it will likely never happen. Set yourself a start time, and then get cracking. As someone once said, “Just do it”. You’ll feel much more like it when you’ve made a start, and the sense of satisfaction and progress kick-starts an upwards progression. More often than not, positive emotions follow positive actions rather than the other way around.
- Make a plan: having all your topics planned out and assigned to particular revision slots on particular days is really useful. This is the only way you can be sure that you have enough time to get through everything, so make a plan and do your best to stick to it. Be kind to yourself too – “no plan ever survives first contact with the enemy”, and precious few pupils stick perfectly to their revision aims: but the very act of making a plan helps you take control and measure your progress as you go along.
- Revise actively! My old biology teacher at school always use to say his number one, most magical, most sophisticated and most earth-shattering revision tip was… “use a pen”. Underwhelmed? So was I. But it’s fundamental: simply ‘reading over’ information is not an effective way to get it to stick in your brain. So use a pen – or whatever other format you’ll use in the real exam – and revise actively! One of the most effective ways to do this is to make a great set of notes on each topic, then make notes on your notes, then condense them down until the whole topic is summarised on a single side of A4. Other great active revision tools include the highly recommended “write, learn, cover, test, check, repeat as required" method, as well as good old flash cards, mind maps, posters and mnemonics. Find what works for you, but always revise actively.
- Sit at a proper desk: I once tried ‘revising’ in the sunshine because it was a nice day. It didn’t work. The temptation to revise on your bed or on the sofa can be strong too, but the only place for really focused work is a proper table or desk. After all, it also replicates the real exam situation better, so it’s a win-win.
- Use a countdown clock: at the start of a work session, set a countdown timer for the amount you intend to do. Start the timer and start working, but STOP the timer whenever you do anything that is not actually revision… making drinks, organising your folder, going to the toilet, and so on. This will focus your work time on productive work more effectively, which, in turn, will also ensure you get better time off; work should be work, rest should be rest, play should be play. The more effectively and efficiently you work, the better your time off will feel too.
- Avoid distractions: we all know the dangers of procrastination, where we put off work until we’ve tidied our room or decorated our revision timetable. Outright distraction is even more dangerous, so you need to be ruthless: turn the music off (unless it truly helps you learn), leave your phone in another room entirely, and bring a supply of snacks and drinks to your desk so you don’t have to make that lengthy trip to the kitchen. And remember, if you find yourself getting distracted, stop the clock, because you’ve stopped working!
- Take short breaks: your brain can’t focus on difficult revision for any more than an hour in one go, possibly even less. Find out what works for you, but 30 minutes solid revision followed by a 5-minute break is often a good pattern.
- Practice papers / questions: this is crucial! You’re spending all this time gaining knowledge, but we all know the painful truth that your beautiful hard-earned knowledge isn’t worth very much if you can’t apply it to the exam questions. Like any great sportsperson, you don’t just need power: you need technique to enable you to get the most out of that power. In exams, knowledge is power, but we need to know exactly what the examiners want us to do with it in the exam. So: practise lots of timed exam questions, and use mark schemes to help you assess how well you did. Ask your teachers to mark them too – it’s the sort of thing we really like because it shows you’re doing all the right things!
- Stay healthy – sleep well, eat well and exercise: it can be tempting to go ‘revision crazy’ around exam time… “I’ll sleep when exams are over!” But revision is a very brain-hungry activity, and your brain is an energy-hungry machine: it needs servicing and maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape. The reality is that the right balance of sleep, healthy eating, exercise, connecting with friends and having some fun become more rather than less important during exams. Did you know that doing exercise makes the knowledge you’ve revised stick in your brain better, even if the exercise comes after the revision session rather than before it? Make these good things happen. You’ll be infinitely more effective at revising if you’re keeping yourself well.
- Balance is key: here’s the equation: rest without work is less fulfilling, less rewarding and less fun. Work without rest is less productive, less effective, and more stressful. All performers, from Olympic athletes on the track to world-class musicians on the stage, know that no success comes without serious hard work, but also that appropriate rest is essential for growth and strength. If it’s good enough for them…
- Not all of these suggestions will suit everyone, but the most important thing for everyone to remember is that you need to be organised, balanced and disciplined when it comes to revision. After all, revision lasts just a little while – but the qualifications you stand to achieve last a lifetime. Make the most of revision time, and we look forward to seeing your smile on results day. And if you need us before then, reach out – to your tutor, your teachers, your Head of House, or the Wellbeing Team: we’re all here to help!
Friday 4 July, Independence Day in America, happened to be a memorable day of independence for some of our community, as it heralded the last day of school for our Upper Sixth pupils. And it wasn’t just the pupils sharing this special day – parents and guardians were welcomed to the Close to share in the celebrations. Some pupils had been through the entire Norwich School journey, reflecting on 11 years growing up in the Close, whilst others had experienced a packed and exciting two year Norwich School journey, having joined in Sixth Form. Whatever the ‘length of service’, however, the mixed emotions amongst leavers were shared – excitement for the future, sadness and trepidation as such an important chapter of their lives drew to a close, pride at having reached such a milestone and a touch of exhaustion at the end of such an important academic year. A beautiful sunny day dawned, with an early breakfast for the pupils and a special address from the President of the Horatio Society, Jacob Stevenson, who wished his peers well and encouraged them to embrace their new status as Old Norvicensians (ONs). Jacob also handed out awards as voted for by the pupils themselves including, to name but a few, Most Likely to Start A Charity, Best Bromance, Most Likely to Headline Glastonbury and Most Likely to End Up Back at Norwich School (an easy win for Joel Newman who returns next year as a Lower School Gap Student!). They then headed to tutor group where they were presented with their Valedictory Reports – as written by their Head of House and the Head. Parents and Guardians then joined the celebrations for a brunch on the Refectory lawn before filing into the Cathedral for a very special Farewell Assembly. It was hard to spot a dry eye as parents and pupils joined in singing I Vow To Thee My Country and Jerusalem, and the Head delivered a moving and inspirational address. The congregation were then upstanding and clapped continuously as the Upper Sixth filed out of the Cathedral for the very last time, exiting the West Doors, where they were greeted with a farewell and handshake from the Head. The Upper Close was buzzing as families reunited with one another, hugging and crying as they shared the emotion of such a significant day. Overall, however, despite the tears, it was a day for celebration – to toast a job well done to the Class of 2025 who gave it their all and embraced every opportunity on their Norwich School journey. Corks popped and there were photos a-plenty as families embraced a last chance to take pictures in the Norwich School uniform, before departing for perhaps a rest or a power nap, before dressing in their finest and heading for Norwich City Football Club for the Leavers Ball. Over 300 parents, staff and pupils attended a magnificent evening, with a sumptuous three course meal, entertainment and a live band which kept everyone on the dancefloor until 1am. There was an after party, but we will leave it at that…! Wishing the Class of 2025 every success for the future and stay in touch. Remember. You are all ONs for life!
Three groups undertook their practice expedition at the end of term. The weather kept to the predictions, being warm and sunny. On the hottest day the groups left camp early, with altered routes to ensure water could be topped up several times. They all coped very well, arriving in campsites and shade before the highest temperatures were reached. The fourth group arrived and the first groups returned to Norwich. The training was repeated with a short walk to refresh and learn navigational skill, followed by some first aid training. The next day the group walked to their next campsite, where they adopted an 8th member which you can see with the team below!
Congratulations to Norwich School pupil Anna Rechel, who was successfully shortlisted in the Oxford Scholastica Essay Competition 2025! Oxford Scholastica exists to inspire teenagers to seize the future. They do this by offering academic programmes which combine university-style teaching with academic challenges, Masterclasses and cultural adventures, including their summer school in Oxford as well as online courses and internships. You can find out more here about their Oxford Summer School. Anna Rechel wrote a brilliant essay answering the question "What do you think the greatest challenge currently facing Writing & Journalism is and how might you play a role in tackling it?". The panel of judges were very impressed with Anna’s essay, shortlisting it within a competitive field of over 650 entries. Anna’s prize was a free place at an Oxford Scholastica academic conference. Entering an Essay Competition is a great way to prepare for university applications, think deeply about a topic beyond the school curriculum, and widen your academic horizons. Oxford Scholastica warmly welcome entries from Norwich School for future Essay Competitions, and any students who are interested can find out more here ! Many congratulations again to Anna Rechel!
In August, we welcome Alison Dunhill to the Crypt for her exhibition ' Contemporary Landscapes'. An original exhibition of paintings of the natural world by renowned Norfolk artist Alison Dunhill. Vivid, bold and colourful paintings reflect the unique land and riverscapes of Norfolk, as in her response to the rewilding and regeneration of Walton Wood. These are contrasted with work inspired by the dramatic land of New Mexico and the Rockies, and some of the artist's earlier landscape work. Dunhill's dynamic explorations of colour, texture and perspective convey her close engagement with nature and the land, bringing an original, striking and provocative quality to her art. 19-30 August Open daily 11:00 - 5:00 Closed Sundays. Free admission.
In June, twenty Lower 6 chemists took part in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge, a gruelling competition in which participants had to apply their chemical knowledge beyond the specification and were encouraged to think about Chemistry in the way they would at university. This year's two mammoth questions saw competitors learning about alkene isomers and the use of nuclear magnetic resonance in determining structures, as well as a 'non-boring question about boron'. The Chemistry Department was delighted with the level of participation this year, as well as the high proportion of certificates awarded to Norwich School, including three gold awards. The following pupils obtained awards: Copper – Brandon Camderman, Harry Chant, Thomas Irvine, Ana Paduraru, Mei McAuley, and Ansh Thakur. Silver – Omar Alfiky, Isaac Chan, Sissi Chan, Katerina Di Maria, Isio Emore, Emmanuel Milne, Emile Verschoor and Aaron Zhang. Gold - Mari Lee, Freya Simmonds, and Adit Raje.
Thanks to the Refugee Support Group and financial support from FONS, over 30 bicycles have been repaired for local refugees.
Norwich School is proud to have hosted its 25th Norfolk Summer School this July, welcoming an incredible 111 pupils from schools across the county! Hosted by Norwich School and funded with the support of private benefactors, Norfolk Summer School aims to help the brightest pupils from all backgrounds who are considering Oxbridge, other academically demanding universities and medical school. Through a range of activities, including sessions on interview practice, in-depth subject seminars taught at university level and a chance to experience a university-style interview, pupils are given the chance to hone their subject knowledge and improve their skills in preparation for university application. This year teaching was delivered by Norwich School staff who were joined by industry experts from Cambridge University, UEA, London Universities and the University of Dundee. Pupils also enjoyed talks on personal statement writing, student finance and applying for Oxbridge. Organisers were delighted to see an increase in pupil numbers this year, confirming that there is a high demand for quality university application advice from young people. Pupils came from 23 schools across Norfolk and beyond, with pupils travelling from as far as Oxford and Leicester to attend the three days. During the week, 184 subject seminars were delivered covering 23 subjects including Maths, English, Science, Psychology, Engineering and Medicine. A real asset of the Summer School is its ability to cater for the more niche areas not commonly offered at A Level such as Law, Art History and Politics, meaning pupils have the opportunity to explore these new subjects at undergrad level before embarking on their university applications. The 32 staff were drawn from the school’s own teaching team, UEA and several undergraduate and graduate ONs. In total, teachers delivered 2,442 hours of information, advice and guidance over the three days. Pupils also had the opportunity to book a 1:1 appointment with Norwich School’s Oxbridge advisor, Mr Pearce. The Summer School will continue to offer UCAS support to all its Alumni for the next academic year and we look forward to supporting pupils through their applications! For more information about Norfolk Summer School click here . For requests for information please contact partnerships@norwich-school.org.uk
With the Trinity Term and 24/25 Academic Year coming to a close, on July 8 Norwich School Choristers set off on a Cathedral Choir tour of Paris and Normandy. 16 Pupils from both the Lower and Senior school made their way to France to sing in some of the most beautiful churches and Cathedrals in the country, all while enjoying the culture in their spare time! One highlight on this trip will be the choir's appearances at the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, where their performances of music will commemorate and remember the 22,442 servicemen and women who fell during the Battle of Normandy in 1944. You can find their itinerary below; Tuesday 8 July: 12.30pm Mass, Église de la Madeleine, Paris Tuesday 8 July: 6.30pm Concert, Cathédrale St Etiénne, Meaux Wednesday 9 July: 12.30pm Mass, Église de la Madeleine, Paris Wednesday 9 July: 7.30pm Concert, Église Notre-Dame d’Auteuil, Paris Friday 11 July: 12.00 noon Concert, Église St Maclou, Rouen Friday 11 July: 6.30pm Evensong, Église St Pierre, Caen Saturday 12 July: 12 noon and 1.15pm, Music for Remembrance, British Normandy Memorial Saturday 12 July: 5.30pm Concert, Sanctuaire Sainte Thérèse de Lisieux To find out more click here!
Victoria is raising funds for The Brain Tumour Charity and the Ali Ling Fund.
It is great for the school to get to this point, the final assembly of the 24/25 year and a joy to share it with the parents of our Upper Sixth cohort who leave today. It is a personal privilege to have the chance to offer some reflections at a time which is laced with resonance for so many. Such occasions bring experiences and memories into enhanced focus. This has been much on my mind since the announcement a few weeks ago that the world’s most powerful digital camera has started producing its first images as part of a 10 year project to survey space and time. Situated at the Vera C Rubin observatory in the Chilean Andes to minimise light pollution, the camera is 1.65m by 3m, weighs 2,800kg and has three mirrors which are between 3.4m and 8.4m in diameter. It is hard to relate to these dimensions, so try this: it has 3,200 megapixels, making it 67 times more powerful than the camera of an iPhone 16 Pro; its resolution allows it to capture a golf ball on the moon and its detail is such that one would need 400 Ultra HD TV screens to display a single image. More relevantly for the project, its first image shows gas and dust clouds swirling 9,000 light years from earth. We may not have this precision in our own phones, but our senses and memories have an uncanny ability of capturing moments of particular significance; people even report time seeming to slow down at important moments. There is much for the senses to feast on in this last Cathedral service of the year so take moments during the service to take in and savour your surroundings: the sun streaming in from the South-West to light up swirling dust motes and the colours of the stained-glass windows; the gorgeous sounds from the Choir and congregation; the distinctive smell of this ancient building; and the cool touch of its aged stones. Just don’t lick anything please – 4th Form, that is the one sense we are not going to be trying out. We could not have this sensitivity to the world around us all the time; we would never get anything done. However, it pays to zoom in from time to time and the Cathedral provides just such a chance. As I reflect on recent weeks, my internal camera can pick out many images which have stuck with me: Bandfest, with 14 electric guitars all playing at once; The extraordinary detail in the jewellery films from the Fashion Show or the exquisite sketchbooks of our U6 in the Art and Design Exhibition; Redmayne packed with junior and intermediate cricketers or Lower Close packed with athletes in a vivid kaleidoscope of house colours; My favourite moment, not for the first time, came at the end of June from Discover Your Ability Day which the school hosts for the charity, Able2B. Frankly, if you were there and had spent time building your athlete partnership, you will know why this often wins my round-up and may well have your own special memory. For me, it was not the moment when the athlete pairs cross the line, heart-melting though that is, it was the hug that a girl with impaired physical mobility shared with her Norwich School pupil partner away from the finish line when the spectators’ gaze had moved on. A simple treasure. Yet a service like this allows us to do something else in common with the Vera C Rubin camera. That telescope deals with such vast distances that the light is from a different era. Our time-travel is rather different but no less potent. Today represents for all of us a significant punctuation mark, the end of the academic year. It is particularly so for our Upper Sixth because it is the end of their time at Norwich School. It will not be long before they process out of the West Doors to our applause as they leave to take up their places in the wider world. There should be some looking back, hopefully with enjoyment, certainly some pride, perhaps a dose of embarrassment at a dodgy 5th Form haircut or questionable dance moves at someone’s 18th. Yet I should also like you to try to consider what still lies ahead. In her talk to the Norfolk Cambridge Society this term Professor Gillian Tett, the Provost of King’s College Cambridge, referred to Steve Jobs’ famous 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech where he said that you cannot join dots forwards, only backwards. His advice to the students was to keep making dots and I advocate the same now. By way of example, I should like to return to someone I mentioned to the school at this morning’s assembly, our retiring Vice-Chair of governors, Stephen Bamber. He shared something of his life-journey when he gave out the prizes to the Lower School this term. A classicist by training, he secured a place as a Civil Servant at the Foreign Office but was told to gain some life experience before taking up his place. He decided to join the army and became a Platoon Commander, taking in tours of duty in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. By the time he finished his military commission, he returned not to the Foreign Office but was drawn to medicine, so back to learning he went before becoming a GP for some 30 years. His route to Norwich School governorship came through his own children’s time here as pupils. Looking backwards, one can see exactly how the range of experience has made Stephen such a wise and valuable governor, but if our Head of Careers, Mrs James, were to predict such a career for any of our current U6th I suspect there would be bewilderment; Stephen’s life can hardly be described as following a plan. You can only join the dots up looking backwards, so as you make your way through life, particularly while you are of school age or an 18 year-old about to leave, just keep making dots. And what dots should one make? Again, as a classicist who retrained in medicine, I think Stephen’s life story is instructive: he has always been curious to learn more and has not been afraid of putting his mind to different areas of study. This brings to mind the delightful story of the cellist, Pablo Casals. He practised every day, even after retirement. When asked why, he replied “because I think I’m making progress”. His age at the time? He was 90. Upper Sixth, take a moment to look backwards and join the dots of your school career, the moments which have moulded you into the fine young men and women I see in front of me: your A Level subject choices, your role in that play, your part in that school team, the time you first met your best friend. But remember how many dots there still are to make. Keep doing so, even if you are not sure how they will join up. That will be for another moment of focus. As you get ready to leave, please know that we have loved your presence in our community. You have been a strong sporting year-group and you have given us countless creative triumphs. You have also helped the wider community and been a close-knit support group for each other. If we have got it right, we have not been a hothouse for you but we have been a greenhouse, nurturing you as sensitive plants to develop healthily through setting the right overall conditions for your overall growth. Go out in the world with a lifelong love of learning to be forces for good in the wider community. And do stay in touch from time to time to let us know what you find. You leave with best wishes from us all.
