picture of ditsy floral pukka pads stationary

Why the most efficient revision you’ll ever do, is when you’re having fun

Exams are back!

Why the most efficient revision you’ll ever do, is when you’re having fun

It’s confirmed, GCSE and A-Level exams will take place this summer for the first time since 2019. The pandemic and its impact on education means that some A-Level students may not have sat a formal exam since SATs in year six.

Leading British stationery brand, Pukka Pads, has over 20 years’ experience in designing and producing stationery and revision aids. With students about to undertake daunting exams, and for many for the first time in their lives, the Pukka Pads’ design team has revealed why having fun while studying is a sure-fire way to make revision as effective as possible.

Youcef Bendraou, senior graphic designer at Pukka Pads, said: “Aside from the fact that fun revision techniques encourage students to study more, there is substantial research to suggest that making revision as exciting as possible, and less of a chore, can also help information retention too.

“Various research carried out over the years has claimed that introducing colour can reduce carelessness and improve memory retention. Given this, we increasingly produce vibrant products with our student market in mind. Since colour can be so helpful for information recall, we recommend using highlighter pens to help retain key facts when studying. Additionally, using different coloured paper to help differentiate between the various topics of your notes or subjects, can act as visual prompts and aids during exam season.

“While A4 notebooks are great for classroom notes, we encourage students to opt for a smaller notebook, or maybe even use a reporter’s pad or study cards when revising. This technique forces you to write and note information in smaller, more memorable chunks. Moving away from prolonged hours of studying and breaking up this time regularly with other tasks and hobbies, naturally makes revision more fun.”

As exam season returns for the first time in years, the team at Pukka Pads has shared their top revision tips, for students hoping to sail through their assessments.

Plan your time: creating a work schedule and sticking to it can be one of the best ways to improve the quality of your revision. A dedicated routine and managing a plan for your working hours and breaks will reduce the pressure, particularly during exam season. A weekly planner pad can help visualise your plan of action clearly and easily, or for planning over several months, a personal planner has plenty of room for making the plan your own.
Pocket-sized revision notes: make a collection of small note cards displaying key facts so that you can take them out and about to recap your studies on the go. Little and often is the way to go, and revision cards aid doing this, whether it’s on the bus or in the library.
Get organised: keep all your subject notes organised so you can easily refer to them when revising. Use sets of box files or folder dividers for different subjects and make sure nothing gets lost.
Past papers: as dull as they may seem, working through as many past papers as possible is so helpful for exam preparation as it trains and tests your memory recall. Get yourself a jotta pad specifically for past paper answers so you can work through as many as possible, and don’t forget to highlight key answers to remember when marking!
Wall decoration: covering every wall in your house with colourful revision notes allows you to revise essential facts at a glance ahead of exams. We challenge you to see how many surfaces you can cover in sticky notes! Above the kettle or on the back of the toilet door are two of our favourites.
Flashcards: testing yourself and others is one of the best ways to revise and is proven to help information retention. Cover a set of revision cards in typical exam or knowledge test questions so that you and your friends can make a game of testing each other’s knowledge.

Pukka Pads was founded in 1999 and remains the brand of choice for students across the country. Although the company is famed for its classic metallic A4 jotta, the leading stationery brand has released new, vibrant designs in recent years.