Revision and learning

Effective Procedure

REVISION FOR A LEVEL is plagued with problems. Each candidate will no doubt have stacks of notes, most of which were written in the previous year and are unrecognisable. Furthermore, each candidate should be aware that some A Level questions are quite specific in what they ask and therefore both a broad and deep knowledge of the subject is required. A further problem is that with two other A Levels also approaching, there are severe time restrictions on the amount of revision that can be done. The best way of tackling these multiple and overlapping problems is to rewrite one's notes in a very concise way, so as to cover all the ground but avoiding information which is irrelevant and wastes one's time.

The Importance of Argument
This essay, while it is applicable to all parts of an A Level History exam, is particularly directed to the Outlines/Aspects/Period Study section (the name varies according to the Examination Board). The A Level student must be able to argue a question cogently. To do this one must have a series of opinions or ideas which can be backed up by evidence. By far the hardest problem is having a valid opinion, which can be made to stand up. The facts and evidence which one uses to justify opinions and themes are relatively easy to obtain and employ.

The first thing one must do is decide which topics are likely to come up and which you plan to answer. Obviously in the space of two years one will cover many topics but on the exam paper you are required to answer only between two to four questions depending on your syllabus and Examination Board; in my case, two English History questions and two European questions. The number of topics it is best to revise is the number of questions to be answered together with a reserve of 50 per cent. If, therefore, the candidate is required to answer four questions on a paper, six topics should be revised. All of these topics must be likely A Level questions because the candidate simply cannot afford to enter an exam and then find out he/she can answer less than the stipulated number of questions. Once the candidate has picked the broad topics which he/she feels reason-ably confident with, and expects to have a question on, the examination preparation can begin.

One must have a valid and reasonable opinion on all aspects of a subject before one enters the examination. The candidate will have about one hour in which to write an essay and therefore there is simply not enough time to start formulating new opinions and ideas while in an exam. You must know your views and opinions and apply them to the question asked. A note of warning is required here. You must not go into the exam with an argument, even if it is valid, and apply it no matter what the question asks. You have to analyse the specific question asked. However, the candidate can put himself into a position whereby his arguments will be cogent if he knows his opinions on a subject, and knows that they are reasonable and not over-dogmatic.

One Side of A4
To obtain ideas and views on a subject you must look through your notes. If you can, you should try to get down all the points you will require on one side of a piece of A4. This might well sound too little and you might believe you are oversimplifying a subject, but my experience is that one side of notes is enough. The sort of views and ideas you are trying to obtain are as follows. If one is dealing with a monarch one must ask was he or she a success or a failure? In what respects did he or she succeed or fail: foreign policy, domestic policy, finance, in parliament, economy, law and order? Could he or she have expected to succeed, or were circumstances working against him/her? Obviously, to some extent the candidate can predict the question in relation to each minister/monarch, but it is nevertheless essential that the student has views on all aspects of a reign. It is also essential that the view or opinion is valid and will stand up to the critical eye of the examiner. Do not assume anything in an opinion that you can't back up with event and example and don't be too dogmatic in your argument. Perhaps the best place to search for your views, if you can't remember them, is in the essays which you have completed over the two year course. Hopefully, presuming you are tackling a subject that interests you, you will have your views on that subject readily available. Your essays are useful because it is here that you probably summed up your views on a subject when you actually tackled it. When looking back at past essays you may find your own opinions naive or over simple, so a degree of updating or a different emphasis is sometimes required. Your notes from books and from class taken over the two years should also include some useful opinions, so one shouldn't be short of sources. When you have looked at your essays, examined your notes and, most importantly, thought about your ideas and views, then get them down on one side of a piece of A4.

I have purposely heavily emphasised the need for good, valid and defensible views which lead to concise arguments because I believe this to be the key to A Level success. Anyone can learn a series of facts and turn them out in an exam. This could well show a lot of hard work on the part of the pupil, but it also shows a complete lack of independent thought and ability to use your knowledge in an argumentative way. Turning out facts may earn you a D grade at A Level. However, if you have valid views in a subject which can be employed to tackle any question then a top grade is possible. The joy of having a set of ideas and opinions on a subject is that all A Level questions, despite the fact many may be quite narrow in what they ask, are answerable. Having just a set of facts limits the A Level candidate's scope for improvisation and arguing. This is not to say that facts are irrelevant. Both opinions and facts are required for the high grades at A Level.

The Place for Factual Information
Once candidates have made themselves a sheet of views, then they are in a position to formulate a similar sheet or, perhaps, two, which summarise the main facts and evidence the candidate plans to use. By far the best and most effective type of evidence is primary. In an exam there is not sufficient time to quote historians and put forward vague facts of questionable relevance to the question. Specific references to documents such as parliamentary acts, and the use of definite figures are far more potent weapons to employ in an argument. The best way to obtain one's facts and evidence is by searching through your wad of notes and picking out the relevant points. These are best put under headings such as finance, foreign policy, dynasty etc. Therefore, by the time you have got down five or six facts for each of the headings, you have the evidence which can be used to substantiate the opinions on the first sheet for that topic. If, therefore, you wanted to make the point that, for instance, the Pilgrimage of Grace of 1536 was motivated mainly by Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, then this opinion could be substantiated by reference to the specific demands of the rebel or the Chartist movement was unrealistic and doomed to defeat, then you must know the points of The Charter. Such a view is not too dogmatic and, with supporting evidence, would earn the candidate good marks, assuming it was directly related to the question. Primary evidence is potent because it is unquestionable and useful for a candidate because of the flexible way in which it can be used. It would furthermore be useful to put on your revision sheets general facts about the reign, because these often give a general understanding and coherence to the essay and may help you to answer the exact question set specifically. Such facts as the dates of the start of reigns and some general background to the period in question, and the consequences in the long run of the happenings of the period, are all useful. A knowledge of the periods preceding and succeeding the subject in question are invaluable in providing a wider, broader and more complete argument.

In conclusion, therefore, I can say that my aim is to produce only two to three sides of notes from which we can revise and obtain a high grade at A Level. The harder part of these notes will no doubt be establishing one's own opinions which can be used and made to impress the examiner. Any opinion must then be backed up by evidence to give substance to my point. The facts and figures should be primary and flexible. My final piece of advice is that you should not spend endless nights revising and learning boring dates so that you are tired when entering the exam. An A Level history question must be answered exactly and to the point: there is simply no room for narrative or irrelevance. An analytical argument is produced from a lively, wide-awake mind which knows its opinions and has some factual information to back it up, rather than a dead mind so full of dates and names that there is no room left for improvisation and argument. Just remember that in one hour you are not expected to cover all aspects of a subject. Stick only to what the question asks, and A Levels become far less daunting and instead become an intellectual challenge.

Dominic Haslam gained a Grade A at Advanced Level [Pre 2000 specifications]


The Importance of Attitude
THE METHODS OF STUDYING for exams are as diverse as the individuals who sit them. It is what the individual finds effective and feels happy with, which is of primary importance. After all, it is the student who takes the exam not the teacher and his/her parents. I outline here the method I used and found effective.

Trick or Treat?
After having failed my History 'mock', I started revising for the summer exams quite late, during the summer half-term. By then the exam loomed - an unassailable obstacle to my future happiness. It was probably this which sparked me into an exam frame of mind. It is necessary to see exams not as an adverse and threatening experience, forced upon the unwilling student, but an opportunity and challenge; a test to channel your thoughts, information and ideas to exact questions. The more the student can see the exam as benign and unthreatening the better.

Another lesson to learn is never to underestimate yourself. Sometimes teachers put the emphasis on the danger of thinking you are better than you are but this can be harmful to your confidence in yourself. Your motto should be 'you can do it if you want to' rather than to aim for an average standard.

Method
With regard to method, I make just three points:

To return to my first point, for success in exams one must have motivation - the yearn to learn. If you are not the average genius you need to be willing to sacrifice certain things which will still be there after the exam. Do not be intimidated by the paper, it is there to challenge you not to defeat you.

Howard Brown gained a Grade C at Advanced Level. [Pre 2000 specifications]