HOW I SCORED TOP 2% in GCSE UK EXAMS - GRADE 9 IN EVERY SUBJECT (and how you can too!)

Smile With Sola
26 Oct 202222:08

Summary

TLDRCharlotte, a third-year Dental student in London, shares her top tips for acing GCSE exams, emphasizing the importance of mindset, effective revision, and practice with past papers. She debunks common study myths, offers a dynamic revision timetable strategy, and highlights the significance of active learning techniques like flashcards and spaced repetition. Her advice is grounded in personal experience and backed by the 2017 McKinsey study, which underscores the impact of mindset on academic success.

Takeaways

  • 🧠 Mindset Matters: A positive mindset is crucial for academic success, and it can be more impactful than socio-economic backgrounds.
  • πŸš€ Achieve Grade 9: Charlotte, a dental student, shares her strategies for achieving top grades in GCSEs and A-Levels.
  • πŸ“š Effective Revision: The 'Grade 9 Method' involves active revision techniques to strengthen neural networks activated during exams.
  • πŸ•’ Dynamic Timetable: A revision timetable should be adaptable, changing according to the student's needs, mock exams, and difficulty of topics.
  • πŸ“‰ Prioritize Weaknesses: Focus revision on subjects and topics that are more challenging to achieve a well-rounded understanding.
  • πŸ”„ Avoid Burnout: Balance study time with rest to maintain motivation and prevent exhaustion, especially in years 9 and 10.
  • πŸ“ˆ Incremental Revision Time: Gradually increase revision time as exams approach, but adjust based on individual focus duration and energy levels.
  • πŸ“ Active Learning Techniques: Use techniques like 'BLITZ' for essay-based subjects, flashcards for active recall, and past papers for exam practice.
  • πŸ“‘ Specification as a Guide: The exam specification is a vital resource that outlines everything needed to know for GCSEs.
  • ✍️ Practice with Exam Questions: Regularly engaging with past papers and exam questions is the most effective way to prepare for tests.
  • πŸ‘©β€πŸ« Engage with Teachers: Teachers are valuable resources for clarification and support, especially for understanding unclear marking schemes.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the video by Charlotte, the Dental student?

    -The main focus of the video is to provide tips and tricks on how to achieve top grades, specifically Grade 9, in GCSE exams by sharing her personal methods and experiences.

  • What is the significance of having a positive mindset according to the video?

    -A positive mindset is crucial as it affects one's motivation and academic achievement more than social economic backgrounds, as revealed by a 2017 study by McKinsey and Company.

  • Why is it important to manage time effectively during GCSE preparation?

    -Effective time management is important because it helps to prioritize topics and subjects, adapt to different challenges, and avoid burnout, ensuring a balanced approach to revision throughout the year.

  • What is the recommended approach to creating a revision timetable?

    -The revision timetable should be dynamic, changing based on the student's needs, difficulties, and the introduction of hard topics. It should not be a static copy of someone else's schedule.

  • How much time should a year 10 student ideally spend revising according to the video?

    -For year 10 students, it is recommended to revise for about one hour a day, increasing to 1 hour and 30 minutes before mock exams, depending on their focus span.

  • What is the purpose of the 'BLURT' technique mentioned in the video?

    -The 'BLURT' technique is used for active revision, especially beneficial for essay-based subjects. It involves writing down everything one can remember about a topic within a set time to reinforce memory and improve retention.

  • How should flashcards be used effectively for GCSE revision?

    -Flashcards should have a question on the front and the answer on the back, closely resembling exam questions. They should be reviewed until a high level of confidence is achieved, using digital platforms like Anki or Quizlet for convenience.

  • What is the importance of using exam questions and past papers for revision?

    -Exam questions and past papers are vital as they provide practical exposure to the types of questions that will be asked in the actual exams, helping students to understand and apply the knowledge they have learned.

  • What advice does Charlotte give regarding the relationship with teachers during GCSE preparation?

    -Charlotte advises students to be friendly with their teachers, do homework on time, and seek their help when struggling with understanding certain topics or exam questions.

  • What is the key takeaway from the video for achieving top grades in GCSE exams?

    -The key takeaway is to manage time effectively, revise actively using various techniques like BLURT, flashcards, and exam questions, and seek guidance from teachers to clarify doubts and improve understanding.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ“š Achieving Top Grades with the Right Mindset

Charlotte, a third-year Dental student in London, introduces her channel's focus on academic success tips. She emphasizes the importance of mindset in achieving high grades, citing a 2017 McKinsey study that shows mindset's greater impact than socioeconomic backgrounds on success. Charlotte advises against negative self-talk and encourages viewers to adapt their lifestyles to prioritize education, suggesting strategies like revising in different locations if necessary. She shares her personal mantra of passing exams with flying colors to instill a positive mindset before exams.

05:01

πŸ“… Effective Time Management for GCSE Revision

The second paragraph delves into the importance of dynamic time management for GCSE revision. Charlotte stresses the need for a personalized and adaptable revision timetable that changes according to the student's needs, such as during mock exams or when tackling difficult topics. She provides a general guide for revision hours, recommending one hour daily for year 10 students, increasing to one and a half to two hours for year 11 students, especially before exams. Charlotte also discusses the importance of not burning out and suggests creating a timetable that includes school, hobbies, free time, and homework, with a focus on starting with weaker subjects and gradually moving to stronger ones.

10:03

πŸ”„ Customizing Your Revision Timetable for Success

In this paragraph, Charlotte explains how to create a personalized revision timetable. She advises dividing revision time among subjects based on difficulty and personal performance, using a method where subjects are weighted and hours are allocated accordingly. She also discusses the importance of not revising the same subject immediately after school to avoid fatigue and suggests alternating between subjects to stay motivated. Charlotte emphasizes the need to adjust the timetable based on performance and changing priorities, such as shifting focus from a subject where improvement is seen to one that needs more attention.

15:04

πŸ“ Active Revision Techniques for Exam Success

Charlotte introduces active revision techniques to strengthen neural networks activated during exams. She contrasts passive reading and highlighting with active retrieval practice, which involves recalling information from memory. She discusses the 'BLURT' method, which is beneficial for essay-based subjects, where students write down everything they remember about a topic within a set time. Charlotte also mentions the use of flashcards with questions on one side and answers on the other, and the importance of using the specification to create effective flashcards. She concludes by highlighting the discomfort that comes with active learning as a sign of its effectiveness.

20:05

βœ… The Power of Exam Questions and Past Papers

In the penultimate paragraph, Charlotte underscores the significance of practicing with exam questions and past papers as the most effective way to prepare for exams. She points out that familiarity with the types of questions asked by the exam board is crucial and that practice helps embed questions and answers in the student's memory. Charlotte recommends various resources for obtaining exam questions and advises against relying solely on flashcards and other aids without incorporating actual exam practice. She also emphasizes the importance of understanding the mark scheme and the role of teachers in clarifying doubts that arise during practice.

πŸ‘©β€πŸ« Leveraging Teacher Support for Academic Excellence

The final paragraph focuses on the importance of engaging with teachers during the GCSE period. Charlotte encourages students to be proactive in seeking help from teachers, especially when struggling with certain topics or when the mark scheme is unclear. She advises building a good relationship with teachers and utilizing their expertise to enhance understanding and performance. Charlotte also stresses the value of teachers' insights and the potential impact they can have on exam results, urging students to approach them for guidance and support.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘GCSEs

GCSEs, which stands for General Certificate of Secondary Education, are important qualifications in the UK that students typically take in a variety of subjects during secondary school. In the video, the speaker discusses strategies for achieving top grades in these exams, emphasizing the significance of effective revision and mindset.

πŸ’‘Mindset

Mindset refers to a person's perspective or attitude towards a particular situation. The video emphasizes the importance of having a positive mindset for academic success, suggesting that one's self-belief and motivation can be more influential than external factors like socio-economic background.

πŸ’‘Revision

Revision is the process of reviewing and practicing material to consolidate learning, especially in preparation for exams. The script discusses various revision techniques, including the importance of active revision and the use of past papers, to improve exam performance.

πŸ’‘Grade 9

Grade 9 is the highest possible grade in the GCSE grading system in the UK. The video aims to provide guidance on how to achieve this top grade, with the speaker sharing personal experiences and strategies that contributed to her success.

πŸ’‘Active Revision

Active revision involves engaging with the material in a way that requires effort and concentration, rather than passively reading or highlighting. The script describes techniques such as 'BLURT' and using flashcards actively to reinforce memory and understanding.

πŸ’‘Timetable

A timetable is a schedule or plan outlining when specific activities are to occur. In the context of the video, creating a dynamic and personalized revision timetable is presented as a key strategy for managing study time effectively.

πŸ’‘Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool often used for memorization and review, typically consisting of a question on one side and an answer on the other. The video describes how to use flashcards actively and effectively as part of the revision process.

πŸ’‘Exam Questions

Exam questions are the actual questions that appear on tests or exams. The speaker stresses the importance of practicing with real exam questions and past papers to familiarize oneself with the format and style of questions that will be encountered.

πŸ’‘Practice

Practice refers to the act of repeatedly performing an activity or set of activities to improve or master it. The video highlights the necessity of continuous practice with exam questions to achieve high grades in GCSEs.

πŸ’‘Top One Percent

Being in the top one percent refers to performing at an exceptionally high level, in this case, scoring among the highest of all students taking the GCSEs. The video aims to equip viewers with the strategies needed to join this elite group of high achievers.

πŸ’‘Barriers

Barriers are obstacles or hindrances that prevent progress or achievement. The script acknowledges potential challenges students might face, such as lack of space or needing to care for siblings, and encourages finding ways to adapt and prioritize education despite these barriers.

Highlights

Charlotte, a third-year Dental student in London, shares her top tips for achieving high grades in GCSE and A-levels.

The importance of strengthening brain networks activated during exams through effective revision techniques.

Charlotte emphasizes that achieving top grades is not about endless studying but about effective revision strategies.

The significance of mindset in academic success, as supported by a 2017 McKinsey and Company study.

The necessity to adapt one's living situation to prioritize education and overcome potential barriers.

Charlotte's personal mantra for exams, emphasizing a positive mindset and confidence in passing with flying colors.

The need for a dynamic revision timetable that changes according to one's academic needs and progress.

How to prioritize topics and subjects based on difficulty and personal understanding for effective revision.

Recommendations on the amount of daily revision time for year 10 and 11 students, avoiding burnout.

The importance of taking breaks and not overloading weekends with revision to maintain motivation.

A step-by-step guide on creating a personalized and dynamic revision timetable.

Active revision techniques, such as blood sense, to improve retention and quick recall during exams.

The correct use of flashcards for active learning, with questions on the front and answers on the back.

The value of using exam questions and past papers for practice, as they provide the best preparation for the actual exam.

Recommendations for resources to find exam questions and practice papers for various subjects.

The crucial role of teachers in understanding exam questions and mark schemes, and the importance of seeking their help.

Charlotte's conclusion summarizing the key points for achieving top grades: effective time management, active revision, and consistent practice with exam questions.

Transcripts

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and one of the biggest mistakes that

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people make when doing their gcses you

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want to strengthen the networks in your

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brain which are activated when you do

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the exam this is what you've been

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waiting for for the entire video the

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most important part in getting a Grade 9

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in any subject and touring top one

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percent

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[Music]

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hey guys it's Charlotte and if you don't

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know me I'm a third year Dental student

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but in London and on my channel I

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basically give tips and tricks on how to

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get grade knives and a stars in your

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GCSE and a levels I'm going to be

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telling you how I scored in the top one

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percent of gcsc's scoring and a star in

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every single subject and how you can Ace

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your exams too so it's a score in the

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top one percent of the country wasn't

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easy most of you probably think that it

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did nothing but study I stayed in my

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room for the entire day I didn't go out

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this is not the case and it doesn't have

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to be the case you just need to revise

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effectively and also using the grade 9

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method that I'm going to tell you in

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this video in order to get similar

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grades so this video is very very very

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comprehensive it has almost everything

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that I did to get a grade nine it took a

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lot out of me to make this video so be

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sure to show your appreciation by giving

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a like comment and subscribe for more

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content like this let's jump straight

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into it as I always say be sure to grab

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a cup of tea get a notepad and get your

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pen and let me tell you how you can get

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great names and everything

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okay so the first point I'm gonna to

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talk about is mindset and you don't

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click off this video and know it's not

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what you want to hear but mindset does

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really affect you and affect how much

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you can achieve I'm not gonna give that

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stereotypical teacher speech about

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growth mindset close mindset blah blah

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they're actually speaking truth when

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they say mindset affects your grades

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because it really does it's so important

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you can't expect yourself to get a Grade

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9 if you're constantly telling yourself

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you're gonna fail when you're talking

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down in yourself it's almost as if you

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want to fail you don't want to get a

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good grade you need to stop all of this

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negative stop all of this bad mindset

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where you think oh yeah I'm gonna fail

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I'm not good at this subject I'm not

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good at math you're never not good at

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anything you just need to practice more

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and that's the main thing do not speak

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bad things into existence please let me

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actually tell you how much mindset

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matters so in a 2017 study McKinsey and

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Company revealed that mindset matters

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even more than social economic

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backgrounds when it comes to achieving

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success let's actually break that down

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let's actually did that sentence to

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break it down for academic endemic

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achievement and success your motivation

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your mindset behind all of this is more

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important than your background than

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where you come from then how much money

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you have obviously I'm going to be

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realistic depending on your situation

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there will be barriers it's naive to

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think that there won't be if you're

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struggling in the house if there's not

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enough space for you if you have to look

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after your little siblings these are all

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things that will play Barriers to you

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achieving good grades but you are

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capable of achieving those good grades

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there are situations where you have to

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make adaptations you have to adapt to

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your living situation if there's not

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enough space for you to revise quietly

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in your house then go outside go to the

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cafe go to the library come to school

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early or stay at school for longer make

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these changes in your life so that you

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can prioritize your education because at

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the end of the day No One's Gonna force

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you to revise No One's Gonna force you

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to make these changes but if you really

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want it then you'll be able to make some

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adaptations to your life where you can

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achieve these good grades like if you

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just want to pass through a gccs that is

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fine I don't think I'm telling you to go

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out of your way to wake up at 6 I am

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good school revised but if you do want

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to achieve academic success you do want

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to make your family proud or you do want

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to get into a very competitive career

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path then please change your mindset

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don't let these barriers hold you down

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here are things to change in your

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mindset you are not bad at Maps you just

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need to practice more you aren't going

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to follow your exams you are gonna pass

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your flying colors if no one else tells

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you these stuff then make sure that you

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tell them to yourself you are your

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biggest motivator as I said before no

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one's going to force you to revise my

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Mantra before walking into any exam was

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I'm gonna pass this exam with flying

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colors I'm gonna get a Grade 9 and

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that's fact like I told myself that

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before every single exam I know it

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sounds full of myself but like even if I

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didn't get a great night at the end

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that's okay but telling yourself that is

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allowing yourself to go in with the best

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mindset that you can so that at least

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when you walk in you know that you

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worked your hardest and that was the

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best that you can do rather than walk

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into the example with a negative mindset

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from the get-go so that when the exam

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starts to get hard when the exam starts

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to challenge you you just give up you

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just need to walk in with a positive

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mindset even if it's unrealistic like

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just do it because I promise you it will

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make a difference so now let's move on

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to the next point which is how to manage

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your time this is very important because

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you shouldn't be managing your time the

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same way throughout the year and one of

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the biggest mistakes that people make

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when doing their gcfcs is making the

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standard revision timetable that doesn't

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change throughout the year they hardly

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ever look at it they don't even follow

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it this is just one of the most

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ineffective things that you can do when

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revising and I really recommend that you

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don't do this so your timetable should

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be dynamic you should never make a

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timetable with a mindset that you're

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going to keep it this way throughout the

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year timetable should change when you

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have mock when you don't have marks when

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you're introduced to hard Topics in

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certain subjects it should always be

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changing to fit you you shouldn't copy

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your timetable from someone else because

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that person is not you and you don't

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have the same difficulties and

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weaknesses that they do so the kids are

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getting amazing grades is to prioritize

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the topics you don't understand the

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subjects that you don't understand

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compared to those that you're really

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good at the aim of revising is to get

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good at every thing so you have to start

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off with what you're worse at and then

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gradually build up to what you're better

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at so that you can have good all-around

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knowledge of every topic before you come

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to your exams so one of the questions

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people always ask me is how much should

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I be realizing I'm I'm not gonna lie to

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you I can't tell you how much you should

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be revising because I don't know how

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long you can focus for but here is my

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general guide you can obviously change

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this depending on you and depending on

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when you lose focus but if you're in

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year 10 I recommend that you should

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revise like one hour a day if you can

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maybe increase it to 1 hour 30 before

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mocks or depending on how long you can

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focus honestly but the main thing is do

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not burn yourself out in year 9 and 10

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because these are not the important

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years it's good to understand everything

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and you're not in your time because that

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makes year 11 much easier but you're not

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in your 10 is not the time that you

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should be going hard you're going to

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burn up before it comes to your 11 and

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year 11 is where you should conserve all

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of your energy for so I would recommend

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give or take one hour you can add more

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you can reduce it it depends on you when

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it comes to year 11 I would recommend

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one and a half hours two hours and you

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can obviously build this up when it

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comes to before exams so like two and a

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half hours three hours if you can

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obviously this is not for every single

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day you're not gonna have the motivation

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to revise that long every single day

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this is just like a general thing to go

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by and what I use personally so yeah

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don't come and kill me in the comments

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saying oh it's too much is too little

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because it just depends on you do not

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force yourself to revise for like five

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hours do this 10 hour study with me it's

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not gonna be sustainable you're not

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gonna learn that much and you're gonna

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be really tired at the end of it just

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because Sally is doing six hours and

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she's posting on her Instagram story

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doesn't mean you should also be doing

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the same to be honest at least probably

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not even advisor for majority of those

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six hours just focus on yourself

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honestly and let me show you how I would

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make my general timetable if I was in

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year 10 or 11. okay so the template that

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I'm going to be using in this video I'll

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link it in the description so let me

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show you how I would fill it up so the

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first thing you should do is block out

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any school time hobbys that you want to

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do clubs don't lose sight of real life

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just because you have exams gcses are

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important but you shouldn't let them

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take over everything in your life so be

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sure to block out the times that you're

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busy or that you want to do something in

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particular so now that you blocked out

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of your school times your clubs etc etc

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it's time to block out some free time so

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what I mean by this is I personally like

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to take a break once I come back from

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school I don't like to just jump into

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work I don't like to jump into revising

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because it just makes me very

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overwhelmed and I start to get headaches

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so I would personally recommend like a

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one hour 30 minute break once you get

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home just to relax what's your favorite

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show just do whatever you want in this

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free time just to give yourself a bit of

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a refresh before you go into revision

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mode in terms of homework I would say

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you should try to get this out of the

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way as quick as possible homework is

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important in a sense it does show your

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teacher if you're serious or not and

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also it can help you memorize content

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but most of the time homework is not as

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effective as exam questions and personal

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revision so you really don't want to

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spend too much time doing homework I

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really recommend evil doing it in the

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morning or doing it as the first thing

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once you get back home obviously if you

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don't have any homework on the day that

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is scheduled for just jump straight into

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revision let me tell you how you can

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customize your timetable to your weakest

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subject if you haven't already watched

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my semi-viral video on how to get all

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nines be sure to watch it because this

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is basically going to be a rehash of

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what I said then let me just summarize

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what you should do write down all of the

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subjects that you do in order of

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difficulty and then write down all the

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topics of the subject but also in order

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of difficulty you can use your

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specification to help you to do this so

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hypothetically let's say you want to do

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10 hours of revision during the school

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week and you want to do four hours of

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revision on the weekends this is how you

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would set your priorities in your

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different subjects so the first 30

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minutes of each day can be spent doing

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homework or can be spent on your weakest

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subject so just a really quick thing to

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do in the morning for me personally I

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would probably do maths because maths

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requires some most practice in my

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opinion I would do an activity that

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doesn't require much brain power so for

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example profit by the day so in total

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you would be doing 14 hours of revision

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per week and in terms of the weekends I

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wouldn't recommend that you do too much

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revision because you do want to feel

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refreshed for the new week ahead you

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will have to focus on lessons so you

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don't want to burn yourself out in the

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weekend I recommend you keep one day

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almost completely free as your rest day

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because if you go to gym you know that

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you wouldn't go to gym for 14 days

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straight you would take a rest day and

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it's the same with studying if you don't

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take a rest day with studying you're

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going to do this motivation and you're

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going to burn out so always take a break

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especially in the weekends so now you

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should divide the total amount of hours

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you want to revise for by the total

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amount of gcses that you're doing so I

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did nine gcses so I will divide 14 by

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nine and now you assign each subject a

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number depending on the difficulty so

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for someone like RS I really love RS and

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I find it the easiest subject for me so

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I would give it a one so you times this

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one by the 1.6 and you get 1.6 you do

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similar things for the other subjects

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for example physics let's say I was

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getting a five but I wanted to get an

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eight and I was really struggling with

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it I would assign it a higher number I

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would give it a three you know times a

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three by 1.6 and I'll get whatever

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number let's say biology I like it but

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I'm a bit behind on the content I will

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do two times 1.6 etc etc and you would

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just do this until you get back up to

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the number of gcses that you do so you

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will get up to nine lots of 1.6 I hope

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this makes some kind of sense it's just

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to make sure that you have an accurate

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distribution of your hours spent

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revising just make it realistic and

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doable and a major tip for doing your

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timetable I would not recommend that you

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revise something that you had for last

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period because you're just gonna get

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really tired of that subject so you're

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not gonna like it so definitely do

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something new do something fresh so that

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it's more motivating for you to do once

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you get home obviously you don't need to

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follow this timetable all the time

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change it depending on how you're doing

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your grades any hard topics and just

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keep changing it throughout the year

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don't feel like you have to keep the

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same thing and also be smart like when

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you have mocs and you have like biology

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paper tooth on next day you shouldn't be

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revising physics paper one it's just

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going to get you confused and you're

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just not going to be prepared for the

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biology so just be smart with the way

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you schedule things refer back to the

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timetable that I just taught you how to

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make and see if there needs to be any

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adjustments for example if you're

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starting to get good at physics but

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you're now struggling in chemistry you

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need to change your priorities in order

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to reflect that when you're making a

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timetable in exam period you should try

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to make these times as long as an exam

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in that subject will take you for

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example if your math paper is 1 hour 45

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minutes you should try and make each

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session of mass be one hour 45 minutes

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it just gets you used to the timing and

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also gives you time to go for a past

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paper if you want to do that in that

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period you can step up from 1.5 hours to

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2 hours or 2.5 hours and obviously you

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might need more rest days because of

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that now the main thing when making your

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timetable is try to be accountable and

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try to actually follow it there's no

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point of you spending 40 minutes one

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hour making a good timetable and then

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not even using it obviously I'm gonna be

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realistic there's going to be days where

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you don't want to do anything and that's

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okay try to follow it as best as you can

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you will follow some initial discomfort

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you'll feel tired you won't want to do

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it but once you complete it you'll be

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very glad and very happy to yourself

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that you did because the exam is just

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going to be much easier for you on the

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other side of that know your limits

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don't push yourself too hard now I'm

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going to telling you what you came here

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for and this is how to revise to get

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grade 9. I feel like once you get into

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gcses no one actually tells you how to

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revise like you just get thrown into the

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deep end and you get all of these kind

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of things like mind maps flash cards

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blurton you just wonder what can I

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actually do to get a Grade 9 with

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minimal effort in the most effective

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method and here is what you need to do

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the whole point of revision is for it to

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be active there's no point of you

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reading your textbook reading your notes

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over and over again highlighting it

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that's what I used to do in year 9 year

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10 and when I tell you it didn't get me

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anywhere like sometimes I thought oh my

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gosh I know this topic I'm gonna get

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four months when I tell you I almost

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failed that paper just because all I did

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was highlight them please don't make the

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same mistakes as I did and learn from

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this think about it who do you think

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will get better results someone who is

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watching someone run a marathon or

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someone who is actually running a

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marathon let's actually think about it

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because it's not that hard the person

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who's practicing to run a marathon will

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always get better than the person who's

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just watching someone do it so if you're

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reading it's over and over again and

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that's your only source of revision and

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you're expecting to get grade nine sorry

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to say it but the likelihood of that

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happening is so so low and there are

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things that you could be doing which

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will take you less time and be more

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effective in the long run so all parts

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of revision should be active you will

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feel discomfort and you will feel a

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mental pain when you do it but it does

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work out in the long run and it does get

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easier so that's enough talking how do

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you actually actively revise you want to

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strengthen the networks in your brain

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which are activated when you do the exam

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and this is by retrieving this

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information from your brain and

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repeating this so much that when it

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comes to the exam the answers fly out of

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your head there are three ways of doing

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this so let's talk about blood sense so

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blatant is a term that was popularized

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by study two boy on JDJ and she

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basically gave this whole revision

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technique a new name this revision

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technique is basically how you can

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upgrade your revision method so Brighton

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is particularly good for essay-based

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subjects such as history English because

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it's just really fast and it's really

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effective the long run so what you want

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to do is write the topic that you're

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bloating in the middle of the paper set

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yourself timer maybe 10 minutes 15

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minutes depending on how much content is

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in the topic and then you want to write

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down everything that you can remember

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about that topic go into as much detail

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as you can put quotes put dates put

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names put everything that you can

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remember onto that sheet initially when

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you're first doing it I'm not gonna lie

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to you the paper is probably gonna be

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blank it's probably gonna have a few

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words on it but I promise you if you

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keep at it even though there's some

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discomfort eventually that whole page is

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going to be full once you finish the

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timeout or you can't write anymore then

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it's time to use another pen maybe right

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in the things that you missed and if you

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keep repeating this over a long period

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of time or a short period of time you

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will see an improvement in your

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retention and also in your exam

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questions and it should come to a point

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that when that subterm it comes up in

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the exam you can almost see and

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visualize this blur at the back of your

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head and it's just really cool and it

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really helps you to answer the questions

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really quickly okay now second method is

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flashcards and I know probably

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everyone's used flash cards in their

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life but are you using them correctly me

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I've seen way too many instances where

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people are making the most ineffective

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flashlights like it's just them

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rewriting their notes into flashcard if

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you want to read your notes that's okay

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read your notes but there's no point of

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converting it from one paper to another

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flash cards are supposed to be active

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and what that means is the front of the

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flashcard should be a question and the

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back should be the answer you should try

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and make the question as close to the

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exam as it can be this is just to

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prepare you for the exam and just to

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reinforce questions that always come up

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you should go over these until you're

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like 80 confident there probably won't

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be a time where you're 100 confident in

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every single flashcard over every

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subject and that's okay but the AMS to

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get as confident as you can I recommend

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doing these online I did most of mine

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physically when I was in GCSE and this

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just meant that I lost some of them over

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the course of the two years and this is

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just really annoying especially when you

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put effort into it so I really recommend

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using Anki or Quizlet paper flashcards

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are really good because you're able to

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use them during lessons and I assume

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most scores will allow you to use your

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phone or your your iPad during class and

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to form the question make sure you use

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the specification the specification is

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basically your best friend in getting a

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Grade 9 and a subject I repeat this in

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every video so badly because so many

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people don't even view the specification

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in their two years of gcses and that's

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just really shocking because this PDF

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literally tells you every single thing

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that you need to know if you don't view

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it in the process of doing your GCS then

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I actually don't know for you because

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it's just a really simple PDF that you

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can go through in your own time so just

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go for it so let's go through how our

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makeup flashcards so I picked this

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random point in the specification it's

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from a query biology and it's on viral

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diseases so this point in the

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specification basically tells us

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everything we need to know just about

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measles what it is the symptoms and how

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it spread and also how it's treated I

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would make one flash card for this but

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it would have a few questions on it so

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it would be what is malaria how is it

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spread and how is it treated and then

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obviously get my answers from the

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textbook or my notes if you can answer

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basic questions like this and when it

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comes to the exam and you have to apply

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yourself it will be much easier here is

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also a major tip that really helped me

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in the run-up to my exam is a lazy

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version of flashcards so what I used to

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do was make a list of questions on words

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this will just go over every

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specification point but I wouldn't put

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the answers at the back and the reason I

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did this was because sometimes you don't

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have time to make flash cards especially

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when it comes to exam season you just

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want to memorize those last topics

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really really quickly the way you find

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the answer for these is that you have to

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read pre-owners the process of you

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looking for the answer and finding it is

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going to reinforce that information in

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your brain even more it's just a really

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quick way to make sure that you cram the

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topic okay finally let's move on to the

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last point which is the most important

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part in getting a Grade 9 in any subject

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this is what you've been waiting for for

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the entire video the most important part

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in getting a Grade 9 in any subject and

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scoring top one percent is exam

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questions and past papers I know you

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guys want to hear it but you've heard it

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every single video and I always say it

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but it's the truth there's no way that

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you're going to get a good grade if you

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don't practice using these papers these

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papers are free and you can access them

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so easily that if you don't do it you're

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actually just playing yourself there's

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no first secret potion and getting good

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grades apart from practicing if you

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think about it it makes sense like what

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better way is there to get better at an

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exam than doing exams at the same exam

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board made like it there's no better way

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flashcards blurt and they help but

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nothing will beat the Roxanne at the end

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of the day the specification is always

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the same it's just like the questions

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therefore slightly but if you actually

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sit down and you go through all the math

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papers from like 2011 you will see that

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they do ask the same questions it's just

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different units different numbers it's

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just the same thing essentially the more

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questions you do the more exposure you

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get to these exam questions and the more

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likely you are to get it right in the

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actual exam here are the best places to

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get exam questions and practice papers

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from so no all of this town for maps I

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would recommend Mass Made Easy Corbett

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maths math Genie and your official exam

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Board website for me it would have been

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at Excel for English I would recommend

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going to Mr bra Mr Sally's Stacey Ray

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and they have really good things on

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their YouTube channel you can just copy

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the question that they use as an example

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and write your own question on it but

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when you're doing this be sure not to

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read the answers first because you're

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just playing yourself and cheating and

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it's not really going to be effective in

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the long run and also don't forget the

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official exam board for example for me

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it would be AQA because they have their

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own past papers for science I would

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recommend My GCSE Science and visit some

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math tutor they literally have almost

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every possible question that could come

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up it's just that it will be slightly

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different in your actual exam so

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definitely be sure to utilize that

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website for other subjects I would

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really recommend just going to the

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official exam board or get on a workbook

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or past paper set from the exam board

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the workbooks by cgpr actually really

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helpful as well the most important thing

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about exam questions is that you should

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be doing them all the time like

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constantly I know it sounds repetitive

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it sounds boring but it's the thing

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that's going to stay in your brain the

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most once you get a question wrong I

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feel like it gets embedded in your mind

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and it's less likely that you'll get it

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wrong again match colors and bloodskin

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are sweet and they do help you but exam

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questions are the best way to go and

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that brings me to the importance of

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teachers please please please don't have

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be with your teachers especially during

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GCSE time like sort out everything let's

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be friendly to our teachers let's do our

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homework on time because teachers are

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the people that you should go to when

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you're struggling when you need help

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because you can do exam questions but

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sometimes the mark scheme is not clear

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at all and you just don't understand it

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the best person to go to is your teacher

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or someone else in that department so

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please try to be friendly to your

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teachers they really do appreciate it

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and most of them do want the best for

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you obviously after when they're free or

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UPS after a lesson don't interrupt a

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whole lesson just ask a question about

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something you did in your own time it's

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a bit rude as you can probably tell

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there was some times where I had to stay

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after school with my teacher and just go

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through questions like on the lines and

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don't understand and honestly when it

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came to the exam I was so grateful that

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I did this because it's better to not

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understand it during the year than to

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not understand it until the exam you're

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just leaving yourself a vulnerability

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and there'll be no way that you'll be

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able to answer the question it will be

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blank and that's such a waste of Mark so

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yeah definitely don't underestimate the

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power of your teachers it only takes

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them like five or ten minutes out of

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their day to help you and it could

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possibly change your grade by like one

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to two levels so it's really important

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swallow your pride and do it to conclude

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in order to score in the top one percent

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manage your time effectively revise

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actively and follow up everything with

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exam questions and practice in order to

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get grade eights and grade lines in all

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of your subjects I really hope this

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video helped you and if you got to the

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end this is your sign to like comment

play21:44

and subscribe it really helps me out

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I'll see you guys next time bye

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foreign

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[Music]

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