Revision terms, explained
Plain-English definitions of the study and exam terms worth knowing, each linked to the guide or tool that puts it to use.
How memory works
Active recall
Active recall means closing the book and making your brain produce the answer, rather than looking at it again. The effort of retrieval is what strengthens the memory, which is why testing yourself beats rereading. It is the single most effective revision technique.
Spaced repetition
Spaced repetition schedules your reviews so each one lands just as a memory is about to fade. Each successful recall lets the next review wait longer. It costs far less total time than cramming and leaves the knowledge in place for the exam, not just the next day.
The forgetting curve
The forgetting curve describes how quickly you lose new information: most of it within days, unless you meet it again. Each review flattens the curve, so the memory decays more slowly next time. Spaced repetition is built around it.
Interleaving
Interleaving means practising several topics together rather than one at a time in a block. It feels harder, and that difficulty is the point: it forces you to work out which method a question needs, which is exactly the skill an exam tests.
Retrieval practice
Retrieval practice is the deliberate act of pulling information out of memory to strengthen it, through flashcards, past questions or explaining a topic out loud. It is the mechanism behind active recall.
Assessment and marking
Rubric
A rubric (or mark scheme) sets out exactly what earns each mark: the points, skills or qualities a response must show. Marking against the rubric, rather than a general impression, is what makes a grade fair and repeatable.
Mark scheme
A mark scheme lists the acceptable answers and how many marks each is worth, often with the specific points a marker looks for. Studying the mark scheme alongside a past paper shows you what examiners actually reward.
Command words
Command words tell you what a question is really asking for. 'Describe' wants what happened; 'explain' wants why; 'evaluate' wants a judgement with evidence on both sides. Answering the wrong command word is one of the most common ways to lose marks you knew.
Model answer
A model answer shows what a top response looks like for a specific question, so you can compare it against your own and see the gap. It is most useful when you have attempted the question first.
Formative vs summative assessment
Formative assessment happens during learning to guide it: low-stakes quizzes, practice essays, self-marking. Summative assessment measures learning at the end: the real exam. Good revision uses plenty of formative assessment to find gaps while there is still time to fix them.
Past paper
Past papers are the closest practice to the real thing: the same style, difficulty and timing. Sitting them under timed conditions, then marking against the mark scheme, is one of the highest-value revision activities there is.
Study techniques and tools
Flashcard
A flashcard tests one idea: you see the question, try to recall the answer, then flip to check. Because it forces retrieval, it is active recall by design, and it pairs naturally with spaced repetition.
Leitner system
In the Leitner system, cards move between boxes based on how well you know them: a correct card moves to a box you review less often, a wrong one goes back to the frequent box. It is spaced repetition done by hand, and it is what software automates for you.
Mnemonic
A mnemonic turns hard-to-remember information into something the brain holds onto more easily, such as an acronym, a rhyme or a vivid mental image. Useful for lists and sequences, though it is no substitute for understanding.
Mind map
A mind map puts a central topic in the middle and branches out into themes and sub-points, so the shape of a subject becomes visible at a glance. Making the structure explicit gives your memory something to hang the details on.
Study habits and methods
Cramming
Cramming loads everything into one long session close to the deadline. It works for about a day, which is why it feels effective, then most of it fades. Spacing the same material over several shorter sessions costs less total time and lasts far longer.
Cornell notes
The Cornell method splits the page: notes on the right, a narrow cue column on the left for questions and keywords, and a summary at the bottom. Covering the notes and answering from the cue column turns your notes into a ready-made active-recall test.
Pomodoro technique
The Pomodoro technique breaks study into focused intervals separated by short breaks, with a longer break every few rounds. It helps with starting and with sustaining attention, though the length of the block matters less than actually doing focused, active work inside it.
Elaboration
Elaboration means going beyond the bare fact: asking how and why it works, and connecting it to things you already understand. The extra connections give memory more routes back to the information, which makes it easier to recall.
Dual coding
Dual coding combines verbal information with a diagram, timeline or sketch, so an idea is encoded both as words and as an image. The two representations reinforce each other, which is part of why mind maps and labelled diagrams are effective.
Put the theory to work
Every term here is one tap from the tool or guide that uses it. Orpheus is free to start.