How to Revise for History GCSE

History is one of the most challenging GCSE subjects to revise for. It requires both huge amounts of subject knowledge and first-rate essay-writing and exam technique skills in order to achieve high marks.

Many students don’t know where to start when thinking about History revision, but don’t worry: this comprehensive guide will explain how to revise for History GCSE, from planning your timetable to memorising the content and mastering exam technique.

Memorising the Content

Start early

History is one of the subjects at GCSE which requires most memorisation. There’s a lot of content to cover, and getting a grade 8 or 9 in your exams requires you to retrieve plenty of information and structure it into thoughtful responses.

Successful revision starts earlier than you might think. While you’re covering the different topics in the specification in class throughout Years 10 and 11, make sure you are taking thorough and well organised notes. If you need to tidy your notes up after your lessons, then do take the time to do so – I promise it’s worth it! Review them after your lesson and make sure to ask your teacher if there’s anything that you don’t fully understand.

Not only will this save you so much time organising your work when you get close to your exams, but the act of reviewing your notes will help move the content into your long-term memory. It won’t be enough on its own, but it’s a good first step!

Review your exam specification

Once you come to begin your GCSE History revision in earnest – whether it’s for mocks or in the months before your final exams – you should start by looking over the specification for the specific exam board you are studying. History exam specifications are long and contain lots of topics – you will only be following a few of these, so find your topics and review the syllabus content for them.

This content will be a comprehensive checklist for what you need to revise, so make sure you cover it all off during your revision. You might want to create a separate copy of it for yourself. It can also be used to structure your revision timetable – ensure you’ve allocated enough time in your schedule to GCSE History revision to achieve this.  You may already notice that some topics seem less familiar or harder than others. This is really useful information, as it will allow you to focus more of your time on this material.

Creating timelines

Now you’re ready to begin the actual work of revision! As you might expect, History exams require you to remember a lot of key dates and facts.

Many students who are thinking about how to revise History GCSE find that creating a timeline for each of their topics is a really useful exercise. This will give you an at-a-glance overview of the most important events of the period you are studying, and may also help you remember the connections between and causes of these events.

Remember, to score highly in History GCSE, memorising the key dates is necessary, but not sufficient: you also need to think critically and analytically about the causes and meanings of historical events.

Notes vs flashcards

A lot of students think that GCSE History revision consists of writing out copious notes, but in itself, this will not get you anywhere! Simply having the notes does not guarantee that you will have understood them or remembered them.

For most, creating flashcards is a more effective revision technique. On one side, you should write a question or key theme, and on the other, a longer answer. E.g. ‘What were the causes of the Peasants’ Revolt?’  / ‘1) Richard II’s introduction of the poll tax meant rich and poor had to pay the same in taxes. 2) The Statute of Labourers (1351) was keeping wages low. 3) Priests such as John Ball were preaching that the peasants and the nobility ought to be equal.’

Testing yourself, getting someone to test you, teaching someone else

You might want to test yourself on your flashcards using The Leitner Box Technique. You can read a fuller summary of the technique on the University of York website, but in essence, this is a spaced repetition system in which you use 3-5 boxes to organise the frequency with which you revise your content.

Initially, all cards are in the first box and reviewed frequently. When you answer a card correctly, move it to the next box down, which is reviewed less often. If you answer incorrectly, you return the card to the first box for more frequent practice. This method ensures that you review most often the material you find most challenging, and is therefore a simple and efficient way to revise.

If you have a willing revision partner, tutor, or parent, you can also enlist them in your revision. You could simply ask them to test you (to make sure you don’t cheat at your flashcards by peeking at the other side!), or even try to teach them the content yourself. If you fully understand it, you will be able to explain it clearly to someone else, making this a very effective way of telling whether you have mastered the topic.

Mastering Exam Technique

Unfortunately, memorising and understanding the content is only half the battle.  If you’re wondering how to revise for History GCSE, then you also need to make sure you are exam-ready.

Past paper practice

Past papers are an incredible resource: all exam boards will have them for free on their sites going back years.

Incorporating past paper practice has a number of benefits:

• It will provide a thorough test of your knowledge
• It will familiarise you with the exam structure and types of questions you may get asked
• It will improve your time management and exam stamina (think of how your hand gets tired if you’re not used to handwriting essays fast!)
• It will help you understand how answers are marked and how to improve your marks

You might wish to start by writing untimed, open-book answers as you are getting used to the format. Then, in the final weeks before the exam, transition to timed, closed-book answers to simulate the real experience of taking your GCSE.

Mark schemes and examiners’ reports

We recommend asking your teacher or GCSE History tutor to mark your practice answers, but it is also well worth looking at the mark schemes published by the exam boards. They will explain which points get rewarded and which don’t, allowing you to improve your marks in time for the real exam.

Examiners’ reports are just as useful but often overlooked. Here, the GCSE examiners provide a more general overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates taking the exam in a particular year. They include lots of general exam technique tips and often give you a clear idea of what types of answers examiners like to see, and which will lose you marks!

GCSE History exam technique tips

A few exam technique tips are timeless when it comes to GCSE History. Keep these in mind and you will avoid many common mark-losing pitfalls:

• Read the question – seriously, read it two or three times at least before beginning to plan your answer. It’s very common to misread, misunderstand, or to read what you are expecting to see rather than what it actually written!
• Answer the question – make sure your answer is directly relevant to the question and nothing else. If you’re writing a longer essay with an introduction and conclusion, repeat the words of the question here and state clearly how you are going to / have answered it. And remember to come down on one side and don’t just hedge your bets – a good answer will usually weigh both sides of the argument but will conclude by favouring one and explaining why you have done so.
• Plan your answers – particularly for longer essays. Five minutes spent planning will save you a lot of time in the long run, as it will save you from panicking and having to work out what to write next midway through your answer.

Get Extra Help Revising for History GCSE

If you would like extra, personal support with your GCSE History revision, working with an expert tutor can be a massive help. A good GCSE History tutor will help you structure your revision, understand the content, mark your practice essays, and provide you with invaluable advice on exam technique. Because all our tutoring is 1-1, the support you receive will be personalised to your unique strengths and weaknesses, so it is as effective as possible.

Many students can improve by 1-3 grades over just a couple of months of intensive revision tuition. All our tutors are highly experienced, with proven track records of GCSE success, and are graduates from top universities. Book a free consultation with us today to get matched with the ideal History GCSE tutor for you.