A revision plan for History is a one-page schedule that lists the topics and skills of your own route and gives each a number of review sessions before the exam. It is the difference between “I read everything once” and “I have tested every topic twice”.
It comes after checking the school’s selected core option and depth study, because a plan built on the wrong route is neatly organised and still wrong.
What goes into the plan?
Three lists.
- Content blocks: the topics in your confirmed core option and depth study, broken into units small enough to finish in one sitting.
- Skill blocks: source work from evidence and source interpretation, explanations from causation and supported explanation, and written answers from writing and answer development.
- Fixed dates: your school tests, mock exams if any, and the exam dates your centre confirms.
How do you build it step by step?
- Count the weeks from today to your first exam date.
- Subtract any weeks already taken by school tests or trips.
- List your content blocks and count them.
- Decide on a minimum of two visits per block: the first to relearn, the second to test from memory.
- Add a weekly skills session so source and writing practice never disappears.
- Place the blocks on the calendar, leaving one catch-up slot per week.
Worked example
An invented student has 8 usable weeks and 16 content blocks.
Visits needed: 16 blocks × 2 visits = 32 visits.
Capacity at 4 sessions a week: 8 weeks × 4 = 32 sessions. That exactly fits, leaving no room for slips.
Adjustment: the student drops to 3 content sessions plus 1 catch-up slot per week. That gives 8 × 3 = 24 content sessions. Now 32 visits do not fit.
Decision: keep two visits for the 8 blocks that feel weakest (16 visits) and one visit for the 8 stronger blocks (8 visits), total 24. The numbers now match the capacity: 16 + 8 = 24.
| Week | Content sessions | Skills session | Catch-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 3 per week, first visits | 1 source task | 1 slot |
| 5 to 8 | 3 per week, second visits on weak blocks | 1 written answer | 1 slot |
The plan is honest because it shows the student where the time actually goes.
What is a plausible mistake?
Mistaken plan: “Week 1 to 6: read every topic. Week 7 to 8: practise questions.”
This looks tidy, but it leaves skills to the last two weeks, and a single read-through is easily forgotten. By the time practice starts, the early topics have faded.
Correction: interleave. Add a short skills task every week from the start, and revisit early topics from memory in later weeks.
Check yourself
1. You have 6 weeks and 12 content blocks, each needing 2 visits. What is the minimum number of content sessions per week?
Show answer
12 × 2 = 24 visits. 24 ÷ 6 = 4 sessions per week, with zero time left for catch-up. It is wiser to cut to one visit for some strong blocks.
2. Why include a catch-up slot?
Show answer
Because weeks rarely go to plan. A built-in slot absorbs a missed session without breaking the whole schedule.
3. Name one thing besides topic content that belongs in a History plan.
Show answer
Skills practice, such as reading a source, building an explanation or writing a full answer.
Where does this lead next?
Next, learn how to review source-answer practice without claiming official marks so your weekly skills session gives useful feedback. The integrated practice set tests this whole module.
If you want someone to pressure-test your plan against your real timetable, online one-to-one History tuition can begin with exactly that.