Design and Technology
Resistant Materials GCSE Revision Tips
Revision
Use the www.technologystudent.com website to look at past papers and remind yourself of how
the exam will look.
Make sure you have and use the GCSE Total Revision book from the library.
Use the chapter headings in the GCSE Total Revision book to form the basis for your revision cue
cards.
Cue cards are a really positive way to revise. As you begin to remember the information it gives you
a boost in confidence. They also let you skip quickly through the topics you are confident on leaving
more time to focus on the ones that need further study.
Get a pack of postcards with lines on. They are just the right size to put the topic and the key
headings on the front and important details on the back.
Examination
Attend all the revision lessons. This is where your teacher will go through the questions they expect
to come up in the examination. We often guess over 50% of the questions on the paper. You’d have
to be stupid not to!!
Make sure you have coloured crayons that will lay down shades of colour.
Read the whole paper before you start to answer the easy questions. It is really important as it will
give the brain time to work in the background as you answer the easier questions.
When designing re-read the whole question as the second part of the question makes clear how the
examiner wants the design to be developed.
When drawing design ideas bad ideas are good as they make it easier to evaluate where
improvements can be made.
When developing a design you must make changes to the ideas and include more detail. Drawing it
bigger will get zero marks.
Attempt every question even if you think you do not know the answer.
Do not finish early. Use the time to add detail and check through your spelling, punctuation and
grammar.
Believe in yourself. If you have a good coursework mark you already have up to 60% of the marks.
Don’t throw away a top grade by poor revision planning.