Words and Roses xo

GCSE Tips and Advice

2017-08-27T16:00:00.001+01:00

Hello everyone, so I was meant to post this the day before my results but I was really busy and really nervous so I didn’t get a chance to. I hope you all got the GCSE and A-Level results that you wanted (or any other exams you've done).

For GCSE I took: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths, English Language, English Literature, French, Philosophy and Ethics (RS), Drama and History.

I just wanted to write down some advice for people starting their GCSEs and just some general revision tips to help you guys. Most of them I've tried myself or my friends have done them so I hope these help you in some way. Here are 10 tips to help you during your GCSE's.

Tip #1 – Revise as you go

Okay so this is really important because I didn’t do this and I found I had to work really hard in the last few months leading up to my exams and I may have been able to do even better if I hadn’t crammed 3 years of work into 3 months. Start as you mean to go on, if you have an end of topic test, a vocab test, end of years or mocks (especially mocks): revise. I honestly can’t stress that enough because it will make those weeks leading up to your exams that little bit easier.

Tip #2 – Review your work

So, this is a good tip if, like me, you hate making notes and don’t want to spend all your time making them right before exams. When you come back from school in the evening or maybe at the end of the week, summarise the work you did in class and condense that work into mind maps or on your computer (or whatever way you prefer), so come exam time you know you have clear notes that you can revise from. Equally if you take a subject which requires you to learn formulas or definitions make flash cards as you learn them in class so you don’t waste valuable revision time before exams writing 2 years’ worth of physics definitions out and trying to learn them last minute (because I definitely didn’t do that).

I haven’t tried this personally, but I’m going to start doing this in September to try and keep on top of my work in sixth form, so it will be easier to remember the things I did at the beginning of Y12 when I’m taking my A levels in Y13.

Tip #3 – Complete homework on time

I would 100% recommend doing your homework the night it is set, or if you have too much the day after. I’m sure everyone has had those days when they can’t be bothered to do their homework so they leave it and leave it until it’s the night before it’s due in and you either rush it and don’t do very well or even worse copy a friend’s and you don’t learn anything from the task set rendering it pointless. Also doing it the night it’s set gives you more time to have free time and relax. Be proactive and if you are struggling with your homework then go and ask a teacher for help, don’t just turn up to the lesson without even attempting it because it makes you look lazy and makes more work for your teacher.

Tip #4 – Make a revision timetable

So this one kind of seems a bit obvious but managing my time is a skill I learnt during Y11. I took 10 subjects and had 24 exams, which is a lot to juggle so making a revision timetable is really helpful. I made one for my MOCK exams in January but never made one for my GCSE’s, which would have helped me balance my revision more equally. I recommend not only making one and putting ‘Biology’, but write down what topic you would be studying, for example: ‘Biology – The Heart’ so you’re clear on what you are doing when and don’t spend the first 20 minutes thinking about what you are going to revise. I would also recommend putting in any commitments you have and planning your revision around them so you don’t miss out on certain subjects because you are not actually revising. There’s no point making a timetable if you don’t stick to it so make sure you are ready to start revising at 10 if that’s what you planned.

Tip #5 – Go to clinics

In my school, they have subject clinics where you can go and see teachers of a certain subject to help you with your homework or help you understand a certain topic. In my experience teachers teach things differently so if you don’t understand the way your teaching has explained something go find another teacher as they will probably explain it differently. Another bonus of clinics is I found that not too many people actually went to them so some days you get full attention which means you get more done. For me, physics and chemistry clinics were my lifeline because I didn’t always listen in class so it was good to go over the things I didn’t understand slower and in more depth than it would have been explained in class.

Tip #6 – Listen in class

This leads nicely onto my next tip, listening in class. This may sound obvious but I now how easy it is to stop listening because you're bored or you don't understand. Listening is essential, especially during your GCSE's. I day-dreamed during Y9 and Y10 in some subjects because I found them boring but all that meant was that I had to work extremely hard in Y11 to learn the basic information that everything I was taught was being built upon. Keep yourself engaged and don’t be afraid to ask questions, it shows you are paying attention and are concentrating on your work.

Tip #7 – Use your revision guides

At the beginning of Y10 I was given a choice to purchase a CPG revision guide and honestly, they helped me a huge amount with my GCSE’s. I would completely recommend investing in one because they condense all the information you need and are set out clearly. There are also work books which go with the revision guides which give you questions you might be asked on all the different topics of your course.

Tip #8 – Keep your work in folders

In Y11 not many of our teachers gave us exercise books because everyone began putting all their work in their folders. I recommend using plastic wallets and dividers to keep your folders organized and makes it easier to find work. I used the contents of the revision guide to arrange the topics in my folders so they were roughly in the same order.

Tip #9 – Use online resources

There are so many useful websites and apps which have resources for GCSE and A Level free for you to use. I know it gets really boring constantly revising from a text book or your own notes and it's good to use different types of media to revise from. I have listed my top favourites below.

Websites:
·         Get revising
·         BBC Bitesize
·         Word Reference
·         The Student Room
·         Memorize
Apps:
·         My Study Plan
·         Quizlet
·         BBC Bitesize
·         Duolingo
·         Chegg Flashcards

Tip #10 – Work hard play hard

My last tip is to have a balance of social life and school life. Don’t overwork yourself too hard and take some time for yourself. Go outside, go out with friends, anything to take your mind off work and refresh your brain before starting revision or homework again.

Hope some of these tips will help you with your GCSE’s or any other exams you have. Let me know in the comments below which tip helped you the most and if you want me to do anymore revision related posts.

B xo

July Favourites

2017-07-31T00:17:00.001+01:00

Hello again! I can’t believe it’s August tomorrow, July seems to have gone by so quickly. I thought I’d finish off July with a favourites post. I’m just going to write about a few of my favourites from this month and why I like them etc, I’ll link the products as well so you check them out. Please bear with me as I’ve never written beauty product reviews before so this is unfamiliar territory for me. Enjoy!

CINEEN Professional rose gold Makeup Brushes

- £6.35 (amazon)

So, I have only recently started wearing a full (ish) face of makeup, before June I was more of a mascara only (with the occasional eyeliner) type of girl. Firstly, can we just take a moment to appreciate how pretty these brushes are? I absolutely love the rose gold handles and the pink into white bristles. The brushes are soft and are really gentle on the skin and spread makeup extremely well and evenly distribute it without any streaks. If you are looking for new makeup brushes for a low price then I recommend these ones because although they aren’t from a high-end brand, they provide good coverage especially if, like me, you are just starting out with the basic makeup bag products.

Maybelline Fit Me! Foundation

-£6.99 (boots)

As I said earlier, I’ve only just started wearing foundation and I picked up Maybelline Fit me! Foundation from Superdrug at the beginning of the month and I’ve been loving it ever since. It provides full coverage and gives a natural looking finish. I got the shade warm ivory (100) and even though I’m quite pale, I do think next time I’ll go for the shade ivory (115) as it is slightly darker.

No 7 Stay Perfect Lipstick

-£10.00 (boots)

I’ve had this lipstick in the shade ‘classic rose’ for a while, but I found myself reaching for it recently. I love how it’s not a bold colour and is more of a subtle pink that adds a hint of colour to my lips. (They don't sell my version anymore as it is too old, so I linked the newer version of the lipstick instead)

KIKO Milano Nail Varnish and L’Oréal Nail Varnish

-£4.99 (kiko milano)
-£4.99 (boots)

Since I was younger, I’ve always bitten my nails, and I have always wanted to stop, but never have been able to (not for the lack of trying). I tried painting them and the disgusting nail biting deterrent, but I didn’t stop. At the beginning of June, I tried to stop because I wanted to be able to get them done for prom. Somehow it worked and I’ve loved being able to actually paint my nails this month. My top two colours which I have loved are the shade 823 Red Orange from KIKO Milano and the shade Rebel Blue from L’Oréal Paris. I found that the orange nail varnish from KIKO Milano needed quite a few coats to intensify the colour but apart from that it is excellent. I loved wearing the vibrant orange colour this month as it’s quite a Summery colour and something different to wear. The blue nail varnish from L’Oréal Paris was such a gorgeous rich colour. It has a built-in top coat so gave a glossy shine, although I did apply another top coat as I wanted it to last longer.

Tortoiseshell wayfarer Ray-Ban’s (fake)

-£125 (net-a-porter)

Last week, I went to Camden and purchased some “Ray-Bans” from the market. I put quotations marks around Ray-Bans because either I got a really good deal or they’re fake, and as they were only £5 (down from £15 due to some impressive haggling) I’m thinking it’s the latter. I always look for a different style of sunglasses but I always seem to get this style; I love them. I linked the real Ray-Bans in case anyone felt like splashing out on a real pair.

Holding up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
-£5.99 (Waterstones)

Before I read this book at the beginning of the month, I read ‘All the Bright Places’ also by Jennifer Niven. I fell in love with the characters she created and read it in a day because I was so engrossed with the plot. So, when my school library got ‘Holding up the Universe’ I read it almost straight away.

“Dear friend, You are not a freak. You are wanted. You are necessary. You are the only you there is. Don’t be afraid to leave the castle. It’s a great big world out there. Love, a fellow reader.”

This small review on a wonderful book doesn’t do it justice, but I had to put it on my July favourites because it was my first book of the summer and such an excellent read. I would definitely recommend it.
http://www.jenniferniven.com/books/holdinguptheuniverse/

Thank you for reading my July favourites, have a great August!

Beth xo

Letters to the Lost book review

2017-07-23T17:52:00.003+01:00

Do you believe in fate? Sometimes I want to. I want to believe that we all walk some path towards... something, and our paths intertwine for a reason. Like this, the way we've found each other. The way you told me the right story when I so desperately needed to hear it.

The reason I fell in love with reading is because it allowed me to be in someone else’s shoes with a completely different life for a few hours a day until I finished the book.

Yesterday I finished 'Letters to the Lost' by Brigid Kemmerer. When I picked it up from WHSmith I was drawn to it and just had to buy it; I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover but in this case, I’m glad I did. Once I started reading it, I didn’t want to put it down, but parallel to that feeling of wanting to find out what happens, the feeling that you don't want it to end is equally as strong.

I won't spoil anything but it is an incredibly moving and well-crafted book. I love the way the Kemmerer writes from two different perspectives and in different forms. The two protagonists, Juliet and Declan appear to be complete polar opposites but as the book progresses, more and more about them is revealed and it shows that there is more to people than what meets the eye.

Here's the blurb:

‘Juliet Young has always written letters to her mother. Even after her mother’s death, she leaves letters at her grave. It’s the only thing that helps Juliet cope.

Declan Murphy is the kind of tough guy you wouldn’t want to cross. But while on community service doing landscaping at the local cemetery, he is haunted by ghosts of his own past.

When Declan finds a letter left beside a grave, he can’t resist writing back. Soon, he is sharing his pain with a perfect stranger… Except they’re not strangers, and when real life interferes with their secret life of letters, Juliet and Declan discover truths that might tear them apart.’

One of my favourite moments from the book is when Declan is given the poem 'Invictus' by his English teacher to read. He is drawn to the poem and 'can't stop reading it'.

"Under the bludgeonings of chance, my head is bloody but unbowed." In other words, life has a solid right hook, but it's not going to take me down.

I would definitely recommend ‘Letters to the Lost’. It is such a captivating read with a moving story line, which captures the essence of life after you lose someone and the emotions that come that.

The last sentence of the book was perfect, but I still wanted to know more (as with every good book you read). I looked on the authors website and found out that the sequel 'More than we can tell' is released in March 2018 and tells (Declan's best friend) Rev's story. So there's two recommendations. Enjoy!

Bloglovin'

2017-07-12T22:05:00.002+01:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Bloglovin' is an app where you can follow all your favourite blogs and keep up to date with when they post. I've discovered so many new and interesting blogs on it, so go check it out. You can also add your own blog too.

Love Beth x

Hello Internet, it's Beth x

2017-07-12T00:39:00.001+01:00

Hello internet!
It's Beth here. I've been thinking about how to write this first blog post for a while now, but I've been unsure how. I have always wanted a blog, but I've never had the guts to make one and put it out there for anyone to see. But I finally thought I should just go for it because at the end of the day the only person stopping me is myself. It's going to take me a while for me to get used to the novelty of starting a blog, but that will be exciting and something for me to focus on this summer.

I can already predict that my first few posts are going to be awkward and it may take me a while to get into writing a blog, so I apologise in advance if my posts are a bit all over the place in the first few months.

So, let me introduce myself. My name is Beth and I'm a sixteen year old girl (as of a couple of days ago) from the UK and I've recently just finished my GCSEs. I am an aspiring writer and plan to write about whatever nonsense springs to mind, whether that be my experiences, an article on a series issue young people face, random deep thoughts or even a poem; a little bit of me.

If you're still reading, thank you. I hope to see you again soon.

Enjoy my lovelies!

Love Beth x