How to Get a 9 in Your GCSEs - Your Questions Answered
Need some revision top tips? Here are all the answers from your questions in the Q&A for our 2025 Feb Half-Term Seminar: How to Get 9s in Your GCSEs!
Click on the links here to access the slides and the recording.
Should I make my own flashcards?
One of the best ways to study is by making your own flashcards. You know what you are best and worst at, so working on flashcards will help you have a more targeted focus on specific topics.
Do you have any tips for Maths?
Maths is a very tricky subject to study for since it is not a subject based on memorising content. Maths papers tend to repeat their formatting in their papers, meaning question styles repeat all the time with different numbers, so the best approach would be doing as many practice questions as possible. Start with easy and straightforward questions, then work on harder questions that require multiple equations. The more you do them, the easier it will be for you to figure out what equation to use when.
When should I start doing past papers now?
Start after you know your content very well. This is so that when you do start doing past papers, you will be able to focus on exam technique more rather than memorising content. This usually would be around the end of March or beginning of April. All mark schemes and example answers usually are provided online with the exam board.
How do I score high marks in my essays?
This is a large question to unpack. To put it simply, it is about learning what each exam board wants through analysing example answers and grasping the exam technique to score high marks. To study exam technique, always refer back to your teacher and ask them what in your essay is scoring marks, then repeating what you've done in every paragraph.
What's the difference between ‘explain’ and ‘describe’ questions?
Treat ‘describe’ as talking about a certain situation in detail, providing factual information to see what it is like. For ‘explain’, it is more talking about a certain situation in a way which is understandable. So for ‘describe’, answer those questions with facts. For ‘explain’, answer those questions like you are telling someone, who knows nothing about this topic, what happens.
How to plan essays effectively?
Bullet point what you plan to write in each paragraph. This includes writing the main point, then quick explanations and examples to support your answers. It is alright to not write any introduction or conclusion as it is likely these don’t score marks in the exam.
My exam board doesn't have many past papers - should I just do exams from other specs?
When it comes to content, it is usually alright to do papers from other exam boards. Content hardly differs from each exam board and if you wish to study and memorise content, this won’t be a problem. However, the exam technique is different with each exam board. Do not rely on other exam boards on learning exam technique as these heavily differ across the boards.
How do I know what is the most efficient study style for me?
Every person has different learning styles and is often put into these 4 categories: visual, auditory, kinesthetic and reading/ writing. Once you find what works for you best, study accordingly to make it more efficient. If you are unsure what learning style you are, loads of free online tests are provided to answer that for you.
If you are in year 10, how can you prepare for your GCSEs?
Year 10 is still early, but if you wish to prepare for your GCSEs, start with organising your notes and making flashcards for what you have learnt so far. Once you’ve reached year 11, you then won’t have to spend time making revision resources from earlier topics. DON’T start with any past papers yet, you should only start once you’ve learnt and familiarised yourself with all the content.
Do you have any tips for art GCSE?
Art GCSE is a very coursework heavy subject. It differs from each exam board, but my best advice would be to have good time management. Make sure you have enough time to work through your course booklet as well as asking your teacher for advice.
What’s the best way to maintain a good grade if you don’t have any specific topics to study?
To maintain a good grade, you just have to make sure you know your content well. Reviewing your notes every now and then, going through your flashcards, doing practice papers to test your knowledge over a long period of time. This is so you don’t forget anything and still know your exam content and technique well, ensuring your grades stay up.
Should I plan my timetable with subjects evenly?
Usually, it would be even across each subject. However, if you find that you are struggling a lot in some subjects, it would be preferable to spend more time on those subjects and spend less time on a subject you are good at. But still ensure you work a good amount on each subject to keep up.
Is it better to write flashcards or use AI flashcards?
Written flashcards are more ideal since you can control what you write, meaning it would be more helpful for you. You can write according to which topic you want and which exam board. However, if you are running out of time to write them and struggling to catch up, AI or premade flashcards aren’t a bad idea.
How do I know all the topics that will appear in my exams?
The honest answer is that you don’t. It is almost impossible to know what won’t and will show up in the exam. However, in most papers, there are topics that show up in every exam every year. If you wish to know what they are, you can check all past papers to figure out what will definitely show up, but it may be better to just cover all topics to ensure you can answer anything that comes up.
What's the best way to revise poetry to be able to remember quotes and analysis and then be able to compare it to another poem?
Flashcards would usually be best for memorising quotes. When it comes to analysis and comparisons, look through example answers online and the mark scheme to grasp the exam technique and what the exam board wants. SnapRevise also provides a lot of materials for analysing poetry.
What is the best way to revise English Language?
For reading, look through example answers online and the mark scheme to grasp the exam technique and what the exam board wants, same with literature. For writing, be creative and descriptive. If you can use complex vocabulary, that would be ideal. However, if you can’t, be as detailed and descriptive as you can. Examiners tend to enjoy really vivid essays.
Do you have any tips for remembering equations in maths and science?
Start memorising as soon as you can, make sure it’s in your head as soon as possible. If you’re struggling to memorise everything, rely on short term memory. Memorise the equation quickly you struggle with before the exam, and as soon as it starts, write all of it on the front page. You can then look back at the front page for reference.
Do you have any tips for physics?
Physics has 2 parts - maths and application. Half of the paper is maths, so if you struggle with that, work on just the maths questions. If it’s the content and application, do practice questions and flash cards to get the content down. Physics is one of the more straightforward scenes, so use as many online resources as you can to grasp all the concepts.
How do you get through science content quickly because there is so much content to catch up on?
If you are struggling to catch up, use summary sheets (shop.snaprevise.co.uk) to memorise things. Everything you need to know crunched up in a page will help you understand each concept very quickly.
Do I still have enough time to make resources or should I use online resources now?
Online resources can be extremely useful, but your own resources are likely even better because they’re tailored for what you need. If you have only a few topics to study for, make your own notes. If you have too much content and too little time, online resources are the way to go.
What % should you be scoring/aiming for when completing past papers?
This depends on the paper you’re doing. If you’re doing content based papers and practice, you should be aiming for 80-90% since it’s only content. If you’re doing past papers, aim to get 8-9 before the exam. This is so when you do your actual exam, you will be around 7-9 even with silly mistakes.
What is your advice for the nerves from the speaking exam?
Speaking exams can be very terrifying, especially if you're not fluent. To prepare for them, using flashcards for vocabulary and exposing yourself to the language (videos, books, etc.) is most useful If you are struggling from the nerves, learn phrases like ‘that’s a hard question’ and ‘let me think’ to stall time, giving you time to have a breather.
Are revision clocks okay to use?
Yes, it helps to make sure you’re not distracted by any electronics and work through your revision materials effectively, just avoid setting the clock for too long so you won’t burn out.
When should you start revising for your gcses properly?
Ideally you would start studying for mocks in October / November. Once mocks are over and you get the results, you can consolidate and reflect on your work and start revising. Anything between January to February would be a good time to start.
From your time as a student what do you think you could have done differently to get all 9s?
The difference from getting 9 instead of an 8 is just detail and careless mistakes. Make sure you go through the paper over and over to check for mistakes. Answer every question with detail as well, missing details could be the one mark you lose to a 9.
If I have a weakness in a certain paper should I spend more time on it or work evenly between papers?
Work on one more than the other, but not by a lot (60% on the weaker paper, 40% on the other). It is worth looking at the weaker paper to make sure you can answer questions better, but you don’t want to fall behind on the other paper.
Should you be using chat gpt for revision?
ChatGPT is a surprisingly effective way to revise. If you find yourself confused with anything or running out of resources, ChatGPT provides a good explanation for certain topics and is great with providing example questions for practice too. However, you need to be careful and make sure the content is accurate.
Could I go to a good uni if you don't get all 7,8, or 9s?
Absolutely, GCSEs are not the only thing that determine whether you get into a good university and not scoring top marks won’t be the reason you can’t get in.
Should you memorise an answer for creative writing?
It is best to avoid that. Not only is this time consuming, but creative writing may give you different motifs. Writing on the spot is more likely going to score you higher marks than memorising a whole essay on a niche topic.
Do you have any tips for keeping up with coursework?
Time management and starting as soon as you can. Coursework isn’t a lot of work if you don’t cram it all in the last 3 weeks. Do an hour a week from the very beginning and ask for advice from your teacher on what to improve one every 2 weeks or so. This ensures you have time to produce a high quality result.
Sally absolutely aced her GCSEs, achieving an outstanding seven 9s across her subjects! So not only is she an incredibly smart and hard-working student, but she’s also a master at balancing her time and attention across an array of subjects to earn fantastic scores in all of them. Having refined her expert study techniques in high school, Sally has since earned a place at UCL Med where she is now living her best life as a first year Neuroscience student.