Tutors and Exams: Avoiding Common Revision Mistakes
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By Zayna Dar, Founder, Shuhari Tuition
When it comes to your education, few periods are as stressful as the months and weeks leading up to GCSEs, A-levels, or other major exams. Many students work hard during exam season, yet don’t see the results they hoped for. As tutors, we’ve seen the same pattern get repeated time and again: revising without a plan, avoiding tricky topics, or spending hours reading notes without truly learning the material. The good news is that with the right strategies, students can make their revision time far less stressful and ultimately more productive.
In this blog, we’ll look at the revision mistakes that hold students back and share practical ways to resolve them.
Mistake 1: Revising Without a Plan
Without a plan, it’s all too easy to spend an hour on a favourite topic, skip over tricky areas, or jump between subjects without really making progress. One of the biggest traps that students fall into is sitting down to “do some revision” without a clear structure for exam preparation.
A good revision timetable gives a sense of direction and balance. It ensures that every subject and every topic within that subject gets the attention it needs. It also helps spread the workload, so your child’s not cramming everything into the last few days before an exam.
This is a big focus for us at Shuhari Tuition. We start with a baseline assessment for each student, which helps us map out what needs to be covered, then we divide it into manageable lessons with short breaks in between. This approach helps students see exactly what they’re aiming for each day and makes revision less overwhelming.
Quick tip: Encourage your child to build in time for reviewing old topics as well as new learning. Revisiting a topic two or three times over a few weeks is far more effective for exam success than trying to revise it all in one session.
Mistake 2: Relying Only on Passive Learning
Many students believe that reading through notes or highlighting textbooks counts as “good revision.” While these methods can feel productive, they’re actually passive forms of learning, and they don’t do much to help information stick.
Passive learning tends to lull students into a false sense of security. They recognise the material when they see it, but in an exam, they need to recall and apply that knowledge without prompts. That’s where active learning comes in.
Our tutors use techniques like:
Active recall:
Testing knowledge without looking at notes.
Past paper practice:
Applying skills in the same way they’ll be tested. We often integrate past papers into lessons.
Teaching the material back:
Explaining a topic in their own words as if they were the tutor.
These revision methods help with consolidation of knowledge, which strengthens memory and understanding.
Quick tip: Encourage your child to swap “just reading” for short, focused bursts of active recall. Even five minutes of quizzing themselves can be more effective than half an hour of passive reading.
Get help and study tips from our tutors. Contact us now.
Mistake 3: Ignoring the Mark Scheme
Too often, pupils lose marks simply because they haven’t practised using the mark scheme. They might write a strong answer but miss key phrases, steps, or details that earn points.
Mark schemes are like a roadmap. They reveal exactly how answers are assessed and what’s needed for full marks. They also help students identify common errors, such as providing too much irrelevant detail or failing to fully address the question.
Our tutors regularly work through past papers, showing students how to match their answers to the mark scheme. Over time, this builds familiarity with the exam format, so they naturally structure responses in a way that maximises marks.
Quick tip: After completing a past paper, review it with the mark scheme in hand. Don’t just check what was right or wrong, look for patterns in lost marks and adjust your approach next time.
Mistake 4: Leaving Weak Subjects Until the End
Students tend to gravitate towards the subjects they enjoy or find easiest. This is a common mistake. It might work wonders for their confidence, but when the more complex topics get pushed to the bottom of the priority list, they can end up being rushed (or skipped) in the final run-up to exams.
We all know that weaker areas usually need more time and attention. Leaving them until the last minute can cause unnecessary stress and limit the chance to make real progress.
Our tutors avoid this potential pitfall and are experts at helping students face these subjects early on. As part of their learning plan with each pupil, they break topics down into smaller chunks. This helps to build understanding and confidence in good time, without the added pressure of a looming exam date.
Quick tip: Start your revision session with one challenging topic before moving on to easier ones. This ensures steady progress and keeps weaker subjects from being forgotten.
Mistake 5: Cramming at the Last Minute
When the exam date is looming, it’s tempting for students to spend every spare minute revising in a panic. But that is a symptom of poor time management and one of the least effective ways to prepare.
Cramming floods the brain with information in a short space of time, but it doesn’t give enough opportunity for that knowledge to move into long-term memory. It can also leave students exhausted, stressed, and more likely to make mistakes in the exam itself.
Instead, steady, consistent revision over weeks or months gives the brain time to process and store information. Our tutors encourage students to see the final days before an exam as a time for spaced repetition, light review, consolidating knowledge, and boosting confidence rather than learning everything from scratch.
Quick tip: In the final 48 hours before an exam, focus on quick topic summaries, practice questions, and rest. This will help you go into the exam with a refreshed and rested brain.
Mistake 6: Ignoring Exam Technique
Some students know their subjects inside and out, yet underperform because they haven’t practised how to take the exam. Without good exam technique, students risk spending too long on one question, misreading what’s being asked, or leaving answers unfinished.
Our tutors build exam practice into every study session from early on, not just in the final weeks before an exam. This means working through past papers under timed conditions, learning to spot key command words, and planning answers before writing. Over time, students develop a rhythm that feels natural in the exam hall.
Quick tip: Encourage your child to treat some revision sessions as “mock exams”. Set a timer, remove notes, and mark the exam afterwards using the mark scheme to highlight both strengths and areas for improvement.
Key Takeaways: Avoiding Common Revision Mistakes
Students work very hard ahead of their GCSEs and A-levels. Yet, through the stress of exam season, it’s easy for them to overlook the basics in their revision technique. Here’s a list of common mistakes students make that our tutors have picked up from their work with dozens of students:
Revising without a plan: A structured revision timetable helps students balance all topics, focus on weaker areas, and avoid last-minute cramming.
Relying only on passive learning: Active recall, past paper practice, and teaching material aloud are far more effective revision techniques than just reading notes or highlighting textbooks.
Ignoring the mark scheme: Using past papers alongside mark schemes trains students to answer in the way examiners award marks, avoiding unnecessary loss of marks during the actual exam. An effective tutor will make sure that students are very familiar with the format of these mark schemes.
Leaving weak subjects or topics until the end: Tackle challenging subjects or topics early in the revision process to build understanding and confidence over time. An experienced tutor will focus on those trickier areas as part of exam readiness and preparation.
Cramming at the last minute: Consistent, spaced revision over weeks or months boosts long-term memory and reduces exam stress compared to last-minute cramming.
Ignoring exam technique: Regular timed practice, understanding question command words, and learning how to structure responses or incorporate key words in answers can significantly improve exam performance.
Get Tailored Support for Exam Success
Avoiding these mistakes can make a huge difference to your child’s confidence and results, but they don’t have to figure it all out alone. At Shuhari Tuition, our experienced tutors provide personalised revision plans, proven exam strategies, and one-to-one guidance for GCSEs, A-levels, and more.
We’ll match your child with the right tutor to get them ready for the big day. Contact us here.
