Sociology is an A-level course with a large volume of content to learn and remember, and therefore it is particularly important that you develop a range of revision strategies for your exams. This article offers some practical and popular suggestions, but remember that only you know how you learn and revise content best, so a really important step is to be honest with yourself about what is effective and what is not. It is crucial to realise that the strategies you used for GCSE revision may not be as effective at A-level, since the nature of A-level is so different. Remember: you are not expected to be able to remember everything that you learn.
Each A-level subject comes with its particular ideas about what makes good revision. For example, some subjects may require you to remember a precise definition of a concept that all students must memorise. In sociology, it is important that you are able to explain a concept in your own words, and possibly to be able to provide context for that concept — for instance, if it is linked to a theory, or a specific piece of research, perhaps even how relevant that concept is today. So, avoid the temptation to simply rote learn definitions. Make sure that you are completely comfortable with explaining them in your own words, in a concise and clear way. What the examiner wants to see is a student who really ‘gets’ sociological ideas and arguments as well as concepts and studies.
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