Get started
📅 Start by grabbing a calendar that suits you - either digital (like Google Calendar, Notion) or paper-based
🖊️ Then, plan your study schedule based on your productivity levels and commitments:
Block out essential daily activities (e.g., lunch, extracurriculars, work)
Decide on study-free days (e.g., Saturdays)
Allocate study slots based on your energy levels:
Night owl? Study in the evening
Early bird? Try morning sessions
⌛ Now, assess your available study time and adjust as needed:
If on study leave: Aim for ~40 hours per week total study time.
If exams are still a while away: 8-15 hours per week is a good target.
Set a study commitment
⏲️ Now, divide your study hours across all your subjects, giving slightly more time to the ones you find challenging
Mix subjects in your schedule instead of cramming one subject at a time. This technique, called interleaving, improves learning.
Choose study blocks that work for you e.g.,
30 min: Study for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break
1 hour: Study for 50 minutes, take a 10-minute break
The Pomodoro technique is great for maintaining focus - breaks are just as important as study time!
PRO TIP! Scheduling the same subject at the same time each week builds habits and helps you stick to your plan.
Schedule in Up Learn
You can simply add ‘Up Learn’ study slots to your schedule, or get more specific:
💪 Prioritise hard topics:
Identify the ~20% of topics you struggle with most
Focus on completing the detailed video lessons and quizzes for those topics
Then schedule in the rest of your topics
✍️ When you’re more confident, schedule in:
Exam questions by topic: targeted exam-style questions, arranged by topic, accessed at the top of the course overview page
Exam questions: exam-style questions focused across a range of topics, mark your answers and watch video walkthroughs
As soon as you feel you’re ready (or when you hit 40-50% Up Score), it’s time for exam practice papers:
Ensure you make time to complete and mark the papers in one session
Do each paper under timed conditions to simulate the real thing
Each exam paper might highlight weaker areas, so use your scores to identify where you need more revision
📝 As exam day approaches, focus on:
Section quizzes: practice entire topics really quickly
Summaries: a great recap just before exams or use to quickly identify whether you need to more spend time on a topic
Review and refresh
As exams approach, it’s important to check your progress and make sure you're on track. Your goal is to fill your green bars or close your rings and maximise your Up Score.
🔄 Use the ‘Refresh Knowledge’ button to test yourself with a mix of questions from across the course
🎯 Identify weak areas in your Up Learn course:
Find sections that aren’t fully green or haven’t been started
Use the ‘Strengthen’ button to focus on these areas
PRO TIP! Don’t repeatedly strengthen the same topic on the same day - once you hit 7/8 bars, move on and revisit later.
🤔 Stuck at 40-60% Up Score?
It’s time for exam practice papers! Complete and redo them, aiming for a higher score each time
If your Up Score drops after completing a paper, don’t panic - re-attempting it replaces your previous mark. Your average exam score is based on the last score from each paper you've attempted.
Maths A Level exam dates 2025 📐
Your Edexcel, OCR, and AQA A Level Maths exams dates:
Paper 1: Wednesday 4th June
Paper 2: Thursday 12th June
Paper 3: Thursday 19th June
Remember! These guidelines are intended as hints and tips. Everyone has slightly different study habits and it’s really important to figure out what works best for you.
Happy learning 😎