Revision That Works: Active Recall & Spaced Practice
⚡ GCSE • Exam Technique⏱️ 8 min read📅 January 2026
🎯 What You'll Learn: What active recall and spaced practice actually mean in real life — and how parents can help students stick to these proven revision methods.
Why Most Revision Doesn't Work
Your child spends hours with their notes open, highlighter in hand, feeling productive. But when exam day arrives, they can't remember half of it.
Why? Because re-reading and highlighting create the illusion of learning. The information feels familiar, so they assume they've learned it. But familiarity ≠ knowledge.
❌ Ineffective Revision Methods (But Students Love Them):
Re-reading notes over and over
Highlighting entire pages
Copying notes out neatly
Watching videos passively
Making beautiful mind maps (but never testing themselves)
The problem: These feel easy and comfortable. No struggle = no deep learning.
What Actually Works: The Science-Backed Methods
1. Active Recall
Definition: Forcing your brain to retrieve information without looking at notes.
Why it works: The effort of retrieving information strengthens memory pathways. The harder you have to think, the better it sticks.
✅ Active Recall in Practice:
Flashcards: Question on one side, answer on other. Test yourself repeatedly.
Practice questions: Do exam-style questions without notes first.
Brain dumps: Close the book. Write everything you remember about Topic X on a blank page.
Self-quizzing: Cover notes. Ask yourself: "What are the 3 causes of [X]?" Then check.
Teach someone: Explain the topic to you, a sibling, or even a teddy bear.
2. Spaced Practice (The Opposite of Cramming)
Definition: Reviewing the same topic multiple times over days/weeks, with gaps in between.
Why it works: Your brain forgets information naturally. By revisiting it just as you're about to forget, you force deeper encoding. Each retrieval makes the memory stronger.
✅ Spaced Practice in Practice:
Instead of: Studying Topic A for 3 hours straight
Do this:
Day 1: Learn Topic A (30 mins)
Day 2: Quick review of Topic A (10 mins) + start Topic B
Day 4: Test yourself on Topic A (15 mins)
Day 7: Another test on Topic A (10 mins)
Day 14: Final review of Topic A (10 mins)
Total time: Same as 3-hour block, but way more effective.
Passive vs Active Revision: Side-by-Side
❌ Passive Revision (Feels Easy, Forgets Fast)
✅ Active Revision (Feels Hard, Sticks Long-Term)
Re-reading notes
Closing notes and testing yourself
Highlighting paragraphs
Writing questions from those paragraphs
Watching videos
Pausing videos and trying to explain it yourself
Copying notes neatly
Creating flashcards and quizzing yourself
Cramming 5 hours the night before
Studying 30 mins daily for 2 weeks
How Parents Can Support Active Recall
Strategy 1: The Flashcard Check-In
If they're using flashcards (physical or digital like Anki/Quizlet), help them stick to a daily routine.
Your Role:
Set a timer: 15-20 mins of flashcard practice daily
Test them: Read out the question, they answer (no peeking!)
Sort into piles: "Know it well" vs "Still struggling" — focus on the struggle pile
Celebrate progress: "You knew 8 out of 10 today — up from 5 last week!"
Strategy 2: The "Teach Me" Session
Once a week, ask them to teach you a topic they revised recently.
How It Works:
They have 5-10 mins to prepare (closed-book)
They explain the topic to you as if you know nothing
You ask simple questions: "Why does that happen?" "Can you give an example?"
If they get stuck, that's a gap — note it down
Bonus: This works even if you don't understand the subject. Your job is to listen and ask, not teach.
Strategy 3: The Brain Dump Challenge
Give them a blank sheet of paper and a topic. Set a timer for 10 mins.
The Task:
Write down everything they remember about that topic
No notes, no help
After 10 mins, they open their notes and check what they missed
They add the missing info in a different color
Why it works: They immediately see their weak spots. Next review, they focus on the gaps.
How Parents Can Support Spaced Practice
The Challenge: Students Hate Revisiting Old Topics
It feels boring. They want to move on to new material. But revision without spacing = wasted time.
Solution: The Spaced Revision Tracker
📅 Sample 2-Week Spaced Revision Plan
Day
New Learning (30 mins)
Spaced Review (15 mins)
Mon
Topic A (Cell Biology)
—
Tue
Topic B (Algebra)
Quick quiz on Topic A
Wed
Topic C (Chemistry Bonding)
Flashcards: Topic B
Thu
Topic D (Shakespeare)
Brain dump: Topic A
Fri
—
Review Topics A, B, C
Sat
Past paper (mixed topics)
—
Sun
REST
—
Your Role: Help them fill this in each week. Keep it visible (stick it on their wall).
The "3 Reviews Rule"
For any topic to stick long-term, they need to review it at least 3 times after first learning it:
Review 1: Next day (quick check: 10 mins)
Review 2: 3-5 days later (test with questions: 15 mins)
Review 3: 1-2 weeks later (final check: 10 mins)
Parent tip: Keep a simple tracker (sticky notes on the wall, spreadsheet, app) showing which topics they've reviewed and when the next review is due.
Overcoming Resistance: "But This Feels Harder!"
Active recall and spaced practice do feel harder than passive reading. That's the point. Difficulty = learning.
💡 What to Say When They Complain:
"It's supposed to feel hard. That's your brain building stronger memories."
"Re-reading feels easy because it's not working. Let's try a method that actually sticks."
"I know it's frustrating now, but in 2 weeks you'll remember way more. Trust the process."
Show them this guide. Let them see the why behind the methods. When they understand the science, they're more likely to stick with it.
Tools & Apps to Make It Easier
📱 Recommended Apps (Free or Cheap):
Anki — Flashcard app with built-in spaced repetition algorithm
Quizlet — Create flashcards, share with classmates, test modes