Year 13: build a steady routine between A level exam papers

In early May, Year 13 revision starts to become exam week planning. Your timetable may contain a morning paper followed by several free days, or two demanding subjects close together. Those gaps need different approaches.

The aim is not to squeeze work into every available hour. It is to arrive at each paper rested enough to think and prepared enough to use what you know. Before your first exam, agree a simple routine for finishing one paper and moving towards the next.

1. Map the gaps in your actual timetable

Use your confirmed school or college timetable rather than a general exam calendar. Record each paper, its start time, the arrival time your centre requires and your travel arrangements. Check subject and paper codes if anything looks unfamiliar.

Then look at the spaces between papers. Mark which afternoons allow useful study and which already contain travel, meals or another exam. A free afternoon on paper is not necessarily four productive hours.

Give each gap one main purpose. If chemistry follows history the next morning, that evening might be for chemistry retrieval and checking equipment, not a full practice paper. If you have three clear days, you can spread topic practice, timed questions and corrections across them.

2. Decide how you will leave a finished paper behind

It is tempting to compare every answer outside the exam room. A brief conversation may feel reassuring, but a long debate can leave you worrying about something you cannot now change.

Prepare a polite exit: “I am taking a break from that paper now. See you tomorrow.” You can also mute exam discussion chats until you feel ready to use them again.

Once home, eat, drink and take a proper break before deciding what comes next. If something important happened, such as illness or a disruption, tell your exams officer promptly rather than trying to judge the consequences yourself.

Otherwise, keep any useful note short. “Leave more checking time” is actionable. Reconstructing every answer usually is not.

3. Choose the next task from evidence

Start your next study block with a small check, not a huge topic list. Spend ten minutes answering a few questions from memory or attempting one relevant exam question.

For example, before a biology paper, explain how natural selection changes a population over generations. Compare your response with the specification and a suitable mark scheme. Did you explain inherited variation and differential reproductive success, or merely name them?

Use that gap to choose a focused task: practise two explanation questions, check them, then answer one again without support. This gives the session a clear finish.

Prioritise content assessed in the upcoming paper, using your exam board guidance. Do not assume that a topic cannot appear again simply because it featured in an earlier exam.

4. Protect the evening and morning essentials

Set a realistic stopping time for demanding work. Pack permitted equipment, check calculator requirements and confirm transport before bed. Keep your usual sleep routine as consistent as possible.

Parents can help by asking, “What practical job would make tomorrow easier?” rather than repeatedly checking revision hours. Breakfast, a lift or a quieter room may be the most useful support.

If a specific knowledge gap keeps blocking progress, focused one to one support can help. Try the free 2 minute quiz to explore GoodGrade Tutors support online across the UK, with in person tutoring in selected areas.