GCSEs are the culmination of your time in secondary education; they’re designed to test you on everything you’ve learnt at school, and prepare you for the next chapter, whether it’s A levels, BTECs or the International Baccalaureate. But how soon should you start getting ready for your GCSEs? Do you really need to start preparing for them as early as Year 9?
In this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about preparing for your GCSEs, including when you should start revising, and how to revise for GCSEs without feeling overwhelmed.
Contents
- What are GCSEs?
- What year do you do your GCSEs?
- How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 9
- How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 10
- How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 11
- When should you start revising for GCSEs?
- Tips to stay focused during GCSE revision
- What to avoid when revising
- When do GCSEs start?
- GCSEs at Sidcot School
What are GCSEs?
GCSE stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education. GCSEs are qualifications that school students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland study for in Year 10 and 11, before sitting their GCSE exams at the end of Year 11, their last year of secondary school (also known as senior school). All students tend to study for at least 5 GCSEs; most will take somewhere between 8 and 10, but some choose to study towards even more.
GCSEs typically involve a combination of coursework and exams to assess students’ knowledge over the two-year period, awarding them a final grade from 9 to 1 (with grade 9 being the highest, and equivalent to what used to be known as A*). When it comes to grading, a grade 4 is equivalent to a standard pass, with a grade 5 being considered a strong pass. GCSE grades are important because they determine the subjects you can go on to study at Sixth Form and university in the future, and they can influence your future career path too.
What year do you do your GCSEs?
GCSE exams are taken in Year 11, when you’re 15 or 16 years old. However, you’ll start studying for your GCSEs from Year 10 onwards, preparing for your exams over the next two years. Exams typically take place in May and June, but you might sit some mock exams and need to submit pieces of coursework before that.
In special circumstances, some students may sit some of their GCSEs early, but this will be arranged on an individual basis with the student and their school.
How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 9
GCSE prep begins in Year 9 when you choose which subjects you’d like to study. Certain subjects are mandatory, such as English, Maths, and Science, and some schools will make it compulsory to study a foreign language or creative subject too. At Sidcot School, students can choose from a wide range of GCSE subjects, in traditional academic areas, as well as subjects like Photography, Computing, and Textiles.
When preparing to choose your GCSEs in Year 9, think about:
- The subjects you enjoy: if you genuinely enjoy a subject, studying it in more detail will keep you feeling motivated and more likely to do well.
- Your future career: if you’re not sure what kind of career you might like in the future, keep your options open. Choosing some arts-based and some science-based subjects means you won’t be closing any doors, and studying a language may open up international opportunities.
- Feedback from your teachers: listen to your teachers and what they think you’re good at - it’s their job to see your potential, suggest where your current skills and talents lie, and guide you to choosing the best subjects for your future.
- Balance and variety: make sure you’re choosing a variety of subjects that interest you and will keep you curious. Try to pick a mix of academic and creative subjects, and make sure you still have plenty of time for extracurricular activities.
How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 10
In Year 10, you’ll begin to study towards your GCSEs, and you’ll most likely sit mock exams that will give you a predicted grade for your final exam next year. Mocks are a key part of GCSE prep, and there are other good study habits you can start to get into from Year 10 onwards. These include:
- Attend all timetabled classes and listen carefully.
- Take detailed notes in lessons.
- Stay curious and ask questions to further your learning.
- Revise for your mocks - they’re a practice run for the real deal.
- Create flashcards detailing what you’ve learnt at the end of each module or term - these will be useful to revisit when you begin revising more seriously next year.
- Ask for feedback and support from your teachers on where they think you can improve your knowledge - they might recommend you focus on something you hadn’t considered, allowing you to stay on top of things before your final year. If you’re particularly concerned about any subject, some schools like Sidcot will offer extra support and revision to ensure you are fully prepared to achieve your best results.
How to prepare for GCSEs in Year 11
Year 11 is the big GCSE preparation year, as you’ll sit your exams in the summer at the end of the school year. A few months into the academic year, you’ll need to start thinking seriously about your GCSE revision. Follow the advice below to feel prepared, confident and calm as exam season starts.
1. Try out different revision techniques
There are lots of different ways to approach revision, and we recommend trying a few to find which ones work best for you. Some revision techniques we recommend, often used best in conjunction with one another are:
- Flash cards
- Colour-coded notes
- Mind mapping
- Past papers
- Study groups
- Keyword tests
- Quizzing
- Knowledge organisers
2. Learn from your mocks
Mock exams provide an opportunity to see how much you’ve learnt so far. After your mocks, ask yourself:
- How prepared did you feel?
- Did you find the tests harder than you expected?
- Were you happy with the exam questions?
- Did you feel as though there were gaps in your knowledge?
- How did you feel when you received your results? If you felt happy, this probably means you revised well and put in maximum effort, but if you felt a little disappointed, there may be room to work harder ahead of your exams.
If you haven’t done as well as you might have wanted to, don’t panic, and instead ask for extra support and draw up a revision plan with the support of your teachers.
3. Create a revision timetable
A revision timetable keeps you focused, breaks your revision down into manageable chunks, and helps to make sure you’re injecting variety and allowing plenty of breaks. Here are our top tips for drawing up a revision timetable:
- Note your exam dates, and work backwards from there. Think about what you need to achieve before each one, then break each subject down into topics, and individual goals. These are the tasks that then need to be plotted in your timetable.
- Don’t give yourself too much to do in one go. Schedule plenty of breaks and time away from studying - it’s hard to focus if you’re trying to learn lots in one day. Set time slots for each study session, mixing subjects up to keep your brain engaged, and allow yourself to take plenty of rest breaks - it’s fine if you overrun a little bit, but don’t sit there all night trying to make something go in if you’re struggling; instead, take a break, reset, and revisit the topic another day.
- Stay flexible; amend your timetable to move around sessions or fit in extra topics if you need to. You might grasp a topic quicker than you expected to, so you’ll be able to swap those sessions for something else.
- Tick off or strike through sessions that you’ve successfully completed so you can see how much you’re achieving along the way.
4. Join a study group
Joining a study group at your school or setting up your own with friends is a good way to hold each other accountable for revision, and it means you can support and test each other as your exams draw nearer. In a study group, you’ll have the chance to discuss tricky topics, mix up your revision, and learn tips from your peers. Encourage your friends to be kind to themselves while revising, take plenty of breaks and focus when it matters, and they'll do the same for you.
5. Make use of revision resources
There are lots of really useful revision resources available to help you prepare for your GCSEs, so make use of them. Helpful resources include:
- Past papers that you can use for practice
- Teachers and tutors, who want you to do your best, so will answer any questions you have
- Podcasts and videos are perfect for making the most of your time during car journeys, walks to school, or other everyday activities
There are also plenty of revision websites that you can use, including:
6. Look after yourself
Preparing for your GCSEs can feel worrying or stressful, so it’s important to take care of yourself to make sure you’re in the best headspace to give your exams your all. Be mindful of your mental health and make time for self-care, including:
- Eat a balanced diet
- Get plenty of sleep (7 to 8 hours a night)
- Take regular screen breaks
- Don’t neglect the things you enjoy; spend time with loved ones, get outdoors, and continue to pursue your hobbies
- Know the signs of burnout; these can include fatigue, anxiety, exhaustion, and loss of motivation. If you notice any of these, talk to someone and ask for help
- Don’t be hard on yourself; every topic will click eventually, and your teachers are there to provide extra support if you need it
When should you start revising for GCSEs?
Give yourself plenty of time to revise for your GCSEs; last-minute cramming will only leave you feeling stressed and overwhelmed, which means you’re less likely to perform at your best on exam day, and you might not get the grades you deserve.
The January or February before your exams begin is a good time to start revising for your GCSEs. This means you’ll have a few months to go over everything, ask any questions you need to, and you’ll be able to spread out your revision with gaps in your schedule for other fun and relaxing activities to prevent burnout.
At this point in the school year, you’ll have covered the majority of the syllabus for your courses, and most lessons will now focus on revision, so it makes sense to revise in your own time alongside this. If you feel you’ve conquered a particular topic, ask someone else to test you in case there’s something you’ve missed; if you get the majority of the questions right, move onto the next topic, or think about where there are gaps in your knowledge that you need to improve on.
Many students begin to revise as soon as they receive their mock exam results. If you haven’t done quite as well as you’d hoped, or you’re just a few marks off the next grade, this can be the motivation you need to draw up your revision schedule and start preparing seriously for your summer exams.
Tips to stay focused during GCSE revision
Avoid procrastination and stay focused while revising for your GCSEs with these top tips:
- Find a quiet spot: revise in a quiet place that’s free from distractions. You might find it helpful to revise with music on in the background, but turn the TV off, put your phone away, and turn off any notifications on your laptop.
- Set up a dedicated workspace: if you can, set up a specific areas in your home just for work. This will help to establish a mental boundary between work and personal life.
- Break your goals down: break your study goals down into more manageable, bite-sized chunks so they don’t feel too overwhelming. Think about what you’d like to achieve in each study session, and don’t worry about your other subjects or modules while you’re focusing on that goal - you’ll go over everything in time.
- Vary your subjects: mix up different topics throughout the day instead of focusing on one subject. This is a revision method known as interleaving, and has been shown to improve memory retention.
- Eat a balanced diet: eat a healthy, balanced diet to benefit both your body and your brain when you’re preparing for your GCSEs. Try to incorporate omega-3 for brain health (tuna, sardines, chia seeds), vitamin C for immune system support (oranges, blueberries), zinc to support your memory (eggs, pumpkin seeds), and fibre and slow-release carbohydrates (brown rice, sweet potatoes) to keep you feeling fuller for longer and better able to concentrate. Make sure you stay hydrated too.
- Get enough rest: when your body and brain are properly rested, you’ll be better able to retain information, so make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to get into a good routine ahead of your GCSEs.
- Try the Pomodoro technique: the Pomodoro method is a technique people use to focus. It’s called this because its inventor used a tomato-shaped timer, and ‘Pomodoro’ is Italian for ‘tomato’. Set a timer for 25 minutes to focus on your revision, then you’ll get a five-minute break to take a walk, make a snack, or simply empty your brain; then, set the timer again. It can help to focus for short bursts of time, knowing there’s always a break ahead. Studies show that this is the most effective way to revise. After completing four sessions in a day, take a 30-minute break to recharge.
- Make plans for the summer: make plans with friends for when your exams are finished, such as a short trip away or a concert. Having something to look forward to will help to keep you feeling motivated while revising.
What to avoid when revising
- Avoid passive revision: Simply reading your notes or textbooks isn’t active revision, and it’s not an effective way to learn. Engage with the material through practice or self-testing for better retention.
- Don’t multitask whilst you revise: Multitasking can divide your focus, meaning you're not giving your revision the attention it needs. Switch off the TV, and let yourself focus.
- Don’t cram late at night before an exam: Your brain needs time to process & store information while you sleep. Plus, proper rest will improve your focus during the exam.
- Don’t overdo it with your flashcards: While flashcards can be helpful, they don’t need to be overly elaborate or detailed. Their value lies in their ability to test your knowledge.
When do GCSEs start?
In 2025, GCSE exams start on Monday 5 May, with the final exam scheduled on Friday 20 June. You won’t have an exam on every single one of these days; different schools and exam boards schedule their exams at different times, and you’ll be provided with a timetable in advance. Some days, you might have an exam in the morning and another in the afternoon; other times, there might be a whole week in between exams.
Once exams are over, the summer break begins; for many students, this starts around a month earlier than the usual end of term in July - a well-deserved extra break! GCSE results day 2025 falls on Thursday 21 August.
GCSEs at Sidcot School
At Sidcot School, we know that GCSEs can be an exciting yet challenging time for students. Our Fifth Form (Year 10 and 11) students receive lots of support from our teachers and pastoral staff while preparing for their GCSEs, and we encourage them to pursue enriching activities outside of their studies too.
We’re committed to preparing our students to be well-rounded individuals, and we offer the opportunity to pursue the Duke of Edinburgh Award, equestrian activities, and other interests outside of the classroom. While GCSE preparation will need to take priority in Year 11, we encourage students to continue spending time pursuing their passions too.
Find out more about GCSEs at Sidcot School; contact us today or register for one of our upcoming open mornings or private tours.