How 'Active Revision' helped me

Before I went on the Active Revision course, all I knew was that it was an intense revision course. I wanted to come to improve my results but I wasn’t looking forward to it taking place during the Easter holidays. However, I ended up making loads of new friends and having a brilliant time. It was surprising how close we all got during that week.

I arrived just after lunch and the first day was spent settling in. I was greeted by my room-mate who showed me around the boarding house and introduced me to new people. Our Houseparent also met us and made sure we were all settled. The atmosphere was very welcoming.

The nature of the revision course was all explained to us at the start, and it was exactly as they said. We got up in the morning and did yoga or running. There were various running groups depending on your ability, then breakfast after. Then there was a lesson, then more brain boosting activities in between. Those definitely made a difference. In a normal school you are just on your phone during break because you are tired and then you lose focus. With this style of learning you are engaged and awake and wanting to learn. I felt more motivated although it was very full-on!

My favourite teacher was the English teacher, Mrs Medina. She taught me a completely different way of doing English which definitely helped me to go up a grade in my Higher English exam. My physics teacher was also really engaging and that also helped me in my final exam. I would describe all the staff as welcoming, lovely and supportive.

The food was healthy and really good. That also definitely made a difference. When you are that busy you need a good amount of food per day and it helped us to stay engaged in class, as well as giving us the energy we needed for the climbing wall, gym, sports and social events in the evenings.

When it came to my exams, I felt more confident and more relaxed. I knew I had better revision techniques as well as more knowledge. After half an hour of revision I had a ten-minute break where I did brain boosting activities; one of them was learning how to juggle!

I was really pleased with my exam results. In English, I got a C in my mock exams and got a high B in the final exam. In physics I got a D in my mocks and ended up with a B. This means I have better qualifications to help me in my chosen career in the RAF.

I would say that Active Revision was definitely worth the time. I met people who I wouldn’t have met otherwise, from all over the world. If you are struggling with exams, this course offers different ways of teaching and new routines which help you massively. That’s useful not just for exams but for any kind of assessment you take in later life.

For more information on Gordonstoun’s GCSE Active Revision Course, which runs from Monday 10th – Sunday 16th April 2023 (open to Year 11 students from any school), go to https://activerevision.org.uk/