Learning & Curriculum
GCSE Revision & Exam Prep

GCSE Revision & Exam Prep

This page will be essential to help support you during your journey through to Year 11. It is important that you maintain high expectations throughout the year so that you can achieve to the best of your ability.

Always remember our expectations:

Constant engagement in lessons
High standard of attendance and punctuality
Frequent and deliberate revision
Make the most of every lesson and every intervention

You can refer to the Subjects page to see a list of exam boards and specifications.

Letters Home

Examination and Intervention Timetables

Preparing for Exams

You might find the following links useful when planning for your exams.

Coping with exam pressure From the official .gov website
A checklist from the Exams Officer From the official .gov website
Beating exam stress from ChildLine
GCSE.com Revision resources for English, Maths, Physics, IT and German.
Get Revising.co.uk Revision resources, past papers and a revision planner.
Oak National Academy Free video lessons, resources and activities.
40 free learning websites for 11-16 year olds

Term Breaks and Saturday Intervention

The Academy runs intervention (revision or booster sessions) during term breaks and on Saturdays. Specific subjects are run each day. Students will be made aware of the timetable for subjects in the week(s) leading up to the sessions. Students should arrive before 09:00 for morning sessions. The Academy gates are locked shortly after 09:00 for Safeguarding. Please arrive promptly.

Harris Learning Hub

The Harris Learning Hub has resources for several subjects at different Key Stages.

https://www.harrislearninghub.org.uk/lessons

Raising Achievements Evening

Annually we host a Raising Achievement Evening for Year 11 pupils and parents. In the evening we discuss the outline of GCSE courses and how you can support with revision at home.

The slides from this years evening can be viewed here:

Raising-Achievement-Evening-October-2026.pdf

Revision at Key Stage 4

At Harris Academy Purley, we explicitly teach pupils how to revise effectively through a structured approach that combines knowledge consolidation, self quizzing and exam practice. We want pupils to understand that successful revision is not about repeatedly reading notes, but about actively retrieving information from memory and applying their knowledge to exam-style tasks.

Pupils regularly use self-quizzing strategies, knowledge organisers and retrieval activities to strengthen long-term memory and identify gaps in their understanding. Once knowledge is secure, they apply it through carefully planned exam practice, developing their ability to interpret questions, use subject-specific vocabulary and produce high-quality responses under examination conditions.

To support pupils and families, we have developed a KS4 Revision Practice Booklet, which provides guidance on effective revision techniques, structured self-quizzing activities and opportunities for exam practice. The booklet can be viewed and downloaded as a PDF and serves as a practical guide to the revision approaches used across the academy.

By combining regular retrieval practice with deliberate exam preparation, we help pupils become confident, independent learners who are well prepared for GCSE success.

Practice-Book-KS4.pdf

Recommended resources

Our Subject Leaders have recommended the revision websites and resources below. They have also produced subject-specific revision packs, which are available at the bottom of this page.

We have provided links to websites that sell our recommended revision/text guides, but you are encouraged to search for alternative retailers that may sell them cheaper. Use the product's SKU or ISBN codes if you want to ensure you are buying the same item.