When a syllabus version changes, keep concepts that still match your content list, replace instructions about the exam, and verify case-study facts. That keeps your hard work without carrying forward advice that no longer applies.
This is the last lesson in assessment-version transitions. It builds on identifying your exam year.
Why sort notes into three groups?
Notes mix three kinds of content. Concepts explain how the world works.
Instructions tell you how to behave in an exam. Case-study facts give places, dates and figures.
Each kind ages differently. Concepts last longest.
Instructions are tied to a version. Facts need a date and a source, whatever the year.
How do you run the audit, step by step?
- Number each note item on a page.
- Label it C (concept), I (instruction) or F (case-study fact).
- For C items, find the topic in your year’s content list and keep it if it matches.
- For I items, mark unchecked and look in the syllabus assessment section. Replace what you can confirm.
- For F items, add the date and source, or mark unverified.
- Count each group to see where your effort should go.
Worked example
The counts below are invented. A student audits 40 note items: 28 concepts, 8 instructions and 4 case-study facts.
Shares: concepts 28 ÷ 40 = 0.70, so 70%.
Instructions 8 ÷ 40 = 0.20, so 20%. Facts 4 ÷ 40 = 0.10, so 10%. Check: 70% + 20% + 10% = 100%.
So most of the notes stay. The student replaces the 8 instruction lines after reading the assessment section, and adds a date and source to each of the 4 facts. Any fact without a source stays out of her answers.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to discard a whole guide because one section is out of date.
Mistaken decision: “This guide is for the old syllabus, so I will bin it.”
Most of its concept notes may still fit your content list.
The correction is to audit before deciding. Keep the concepts that match, replace the instruction lines and verify the facts.
Check yourself
The counts are invented.
1. An audit of 25 items finds 15 concepts, 6 instructions and 4 facts. What percentage are instructions?
Show answer
6 ÷ 25 = 0.24, so 24%. Check: 0.24 × 25 = 6. (Concepts are 60%, facts are 16%, and 60 + 24 + 16 = 100.)
2. A note says “Flood, River X, 2019” with no source. What should you do?
Show answer
Mark it unverified, look for a dated source, and add the source before using any figure from it.
3. Which of these is a concept: “meanders form by erosion and deposition”, or “answer all questions”?
Show answer
The meander note is a concept. “Answer all questions” is an exam instruction to verify for your year.
Where this leads next
Test the whole module with the assessment-version transitions practice set. Your mistake log and retest queue keeps track of what you verify.
To start from your own notes, see Geography tuition.