Effective Revision for A Level Geography – a simple guide
Geography Teacher and Author David Alcock with his top tips on how you can optimise your A Level Geography revision.
Start as you mean to go on, with these effective methods:
Make legible and accessible notes to revise from
Cognitive science research suggests that effective notes include writing questions or pointers in your margins (try the ‘Cornell Method’), using bullet points and spider diagrams, and incorporating visual elements such as sketches.
Undertake retrieval practice
Revisit your notes within a few hours of first making them, and then several times thereafter, with increasingly long return intervals. This follows the principle of the ‘Ebbinghaus forgetting curve’. This revisiting should involve first re-reading your notes, and then actively reformulating them by chunking the information into flashcards. Give each flashcard a subtitle (like ‘Reasons for water insecurity’) or a question (such as ‘what is the role of local government in regeneration?’).
Pay attention to case study detail
When revising for Geography, pay particular attention to case study detail, connections between topics (draw concept maps to link themes), and weighing up arguments and impacts (for example, using cost-benefit matrices).
Use your Edexcel A Level Geography Revision Guide or AQA A Level Geography Revision Guide to help you fill the gaps in your notes or to help you make flash cards!
Practice with self-quizzing and peer-quizzing
Now it’s time to get active! Passive revision, such as merely reading and highlighting your notes, has been shown to be ineffective. Instead, try using the flash cards you made earlier, or online quiz-creation websites. Quiz yourself or a classmate. Retest yourself later.
Stuck for questions? See the Retrieval page at the end of every three subsections of the your A Level Geography Revision Guide!
Attempt past paper or exam-style questions
Test your exam-readiness with plenty of past paper or exam-style questions, then apply mark schemes (use them yourself, swap with a friend, or ask a teacher).
Your Edexcel/AQA A Level Geography Revision Guide contains dozens of exam-style questions and mark schemes!
Good luck! You’ve got this.
Useful links
Revision books
AQA A Level Geography
This revision guides gives you all the key information you need to revise and prepare for your AQA A Level Geography exams. You will cover everything you need to know including water and carbon cycles, changing places and geographical skills.
Edexcel A Level Geography
This revision guides gives you all the key information you need to revise and prepare for your Edexcel A Level Geography exams. You will cover everything you need to know including water and carbon cycles, globalisation and geographical skills.