There is always a link between the information on both sides of the card (e.g. key term and definition, question and answer, etc) as you can only see one side of the card at any one time. GCSE Flash cards are an effective tool for revising keywords, vocabulary, and other subject-specific material. Let’s delve into the suggestions of our GCSE tutors and grade 9 students on how to actually use flashcards, specifically for GCSEs.
Making your own flashcards ensures it’s in a format that you understand best and in your own words. If you are stuck for time, online flashcards such as those on Quizlet or flashcard packs you can buy online can also be very helpful. You can also make your own online flashcards on both Quizlet and Anki. Also, you can add anecdotes to your flashcards, use acronyms, draw diagrams or whatever you find helpful and that will assist your memory. It can be useful to have a question on one side of your flashcard and then the answer on the other; this way you can test yourself. So how do you approach using your flashcards once you have them? Well that is entirely up to you.
Flashcards are relatively simple to use:
As you progress through your flashcards, you can categorise them into different piles:
This method allows more effective revision because you can prioritise the cards that you can’t remember and revisit these the more often.
It’s important to revise every card, even the ones you are confident with, in order to keep the information fresh.
Spaced repetition is the key to revising with flashcards.
Read below for more information on it!
It has been proven to be one of the most effective ways of learning and memorising content. First you take your time to go through all your flashcards, making sure you understand the concepts (this part is not about memorising). Whilst going through them, you can split your cards into 3 piles which you can categorise in whatever way suits you e.g I completely understand, I understand to some extent, I do not understand. Then you need to set an interval at which you will come back to each set. It would be most appropriate to come back to the content you find hardest or don’t remember more often such as every 3 days, then those you can remember sometimes every 5 days and those you can remember quite well every 7 days. It is up to you how you structure this.
Every time you go through your flashcards, you can move cards between each pile according to how you found the question/card this time or whether you remembered it.
Flashcards are a great way of revising but make sure they are not your only source of revision, use practice questions, watch videos and make sure to ask questions. It is important to remember that spaced repetition isn’t magic, you have to be patient and put in the work but as an evidence based method it will serve your long term memory and be worth it.
Achieving GCSE grades 7 to 9 is hard but only because the valuable tips and tricks are missed by school teachers! Sign up for this free guide (approved by our GCSE Maths tutors, GCSE Science tutors and GCSE English tutors) full of information that will give you that advantage over your classmates!
