Top Tips For Achieving Your Best Marks At School
With the back to school season fast approaching (sadly!!!) you might be wondering how you can step up your game this coming school year. Whether you are struggling with a certain subject at school, you fell behind last year and didn’t do as well as you think you could have, or this is your final year at school or college or university and are looking to really up your game, we can help!
Wondering how you can achieve better marks?
Aside from the obvious things such as spending lots of time on your work and making sure you do all of your work, there are a few changes you can make to the way that you study to really bump your marks up – here are some tips for you to follow.
1. Being organised is key
Being organised might not seem like that big of a deal, but in reality, organisation is the foundation for doing well at school. Organisation isn’t just labelling your folders and using colourful pens (although colour coding can be really helpful for some!), but it is also deciding what topics you might need to look at more closely, making revision timetables, and just generally being ahead of the game with your work. Taking some time every other month or so to evaluate the topics that you have covered at school but are struggling with and then setting aside some time to either go through it with a teacher or lecturer, or to research it some more can be a great way to make sure that you won’t struggle when it comes to revising later in the year – the worst thing is suddenly realising that you don’t understand half of the syllabus right before an exam. Equally, when it comes to the time to revise, being super organised and making a revision timetable will make a massive difference. Creating a structure and setting aside specific times of the day to revise specific subjects and topics will keep you accountable and ensure that you actually follow through with your plans to revise. And finally, make sure that you constantly remain on top of all of your work. It is easy as a student to become behind on work when you are juggling so many different things, however, getting behind is a dangerous game and can quickly escalate until before you know it, you can’t get back on top of things again. So, bottom line is, don’t get behind in the first place. Doing all of these things will help you to achieve your best when it comes to coursework and exams at school, college, university etc.
2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are struggling
It is very rare that people understand absolutely everything and every subject when it comes to school. For example, often those who are good at maths might not be so great at history, or those who are great at English might not be so good at science. We all have our weak points and no matter what yours is, you should never be afraid or embarrassed to reach out for some help – no matter what level of school you are at. Whether it be asking your teacher to explain something to you for a second time, asking a friend to sit with you at lunch and talk you through a topic you are unsure of, or asking your parents for help (perhaps a tutor might be a good idea?) with a particular subject. You should never keep it to yourself if you are struggling with something, as at the end of the day it is nothing to be ashamed of to ask for help, however it really might be embarrassing if you fail a subject completely because you didn’t ask for help earlier on. So, no matter what you do, never keep it to yourself if you are having a tough time – be honest and open with those around you and get help where you need it in order to achieve your best possible marks at school.
3. Figure out what methods work for you best
We all have very different ways of learning, of working most efficiently, and of revising. One of the best ways to ensure you are achieving your very best at school is to understand what methods work best for you when it comes to learning, producing work and completing exams. For example, you may find it easier to learn the periodic table by turning it into a fun quiz or a game, or you may find that you can better memorise it by simply writing it out over and over again. Or, when it comes to maths, you may find that you learn equations better by trying them over and over again in one go, or by doing the equation once a day for a long time. Alternatively, if you are a kinaesthetic learning, you may find that you work best using images and physical items. Whether it be learning something for the first time, or it be learning something as part of your revision ahead of an exam, it is crucial to figure out how best you retain information. Ultimately, there is no point in spending hours working away only for you to not actually remember any of the information, so it is key to figure out the best method for you and stick to it to be in with the best chance of doing well!
