How to make a GCSE revision timetable that fits your exams

A GCSE revision timetable works best when you build it backwards from your exam dates. The summer 2027 GCSEs run from Monday 10 May to Friday 18 June 2027, which gives you about six months from November. List your subjects and papers, rate each topic red, amber or green, and give the weakest topics the most time. Then revise in 30 to 45 minute blocks that keep coming back to older topics, and check your plan once a week. With a clear timetable, revision feels more manageable, because you always know what comes next.

How do you make a GCSE revision timetable?

Set aside an hour for this. Most of the work is in the first four steps.

1. List every subject, each of its papers and the date you sit it. Your exam board publishes the dates, and your school will usually give you a personal exam timetable nearer the summer.
2. Add your mock dates. If your mocks are in December or January, the first stretch of your timetable builds up to those.
3. List the topics for each paper, using the specification or a checklist from your teacher.
4. Rate each topic red (I couldn't answer a question on this), amber (I'd get some of the marks) or green (I'm confident).
5. Share out your revision slots, giving red and amber topics more of them.
6. Plan short blocks of 30 to 45 minutes, and leave a little time each week to go back over older topics.
7. Pick a time each week, such as Sunday evening, to check what you got done and plan the next week.

Keep the whole thing on one page. A timetable you can read at a glance is easier to stick to than a detailed spreadsheet you never open.

If your mocks are two weeks away or less, our two-week mock revision plan is a quicker place to start. You can also download that plan as a CSV file.

When do GCSE exams start in 2027?

The first GCSE exam on the common timetable is on Monday 10 May 2027, and the last is on Friday 18 June 2027. These dates come from the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) key dates for June 2027, which the main exam boards share.

Source: JCQ key dates for June 2027 and AQA GCSE English Language key dates. Last checked: 10 November 2026.

The exams run for nearly six weeks, with a break at May half term, so your timetable carries on after 10 May. You'll still be revising for later papers while you sit the early ones. Keep 23 June free as well, in case a paper has to move.

Some assessments come before the written exams. AQA's timetable puts its language speaking tests between 12 April and 21 May 2027, for example, so ask your school when yours is.

For the date of each of your papers, check your exam board's timetable or ask your school's exams officer. Use the final version your school gives you, because it will also show your start times.

How many hours a day should you revise for GCSEs?

There's no official number. Studying is personal, and everyone has their own methods, so the right amount depends on you, your subjects and how your week looks. As a general guide, a steady amount that builds over the year tends to work better than long sessions near the end.

A 2013 review of ten study techniques, led by John Dunlosky, rated practice testing and spreading revision out over time as the two most useful. A 2006 analysis of 317 experiments by Nicholas Cepeda and colleagues found that spaced study improved recall, and that the best gap between sessions grew the further away the test was. For GCSEs, that means returning to each topic several times across the months.

As a starting point:

• November to your mocks: 45 minutes to 1 hour on school nights, and 1 to 2 hours on one weekend day
• After your mocks to mid-February: 1 to 1.5 hours on school nights
• Mid-February to the Easter holidays: 1.5 to 2 hours on school nights, and about 3 hours on weekend days
• Easter holidays: 3 to 4 hours on weekdays, in blocks with breaks, and at least one day off a week
• Exam weeks: whichever paper comes next

Adjust these for your own week. Homework, clubs and a part-time job all take time, and sleep matters more than one extra hour of revision. The NHS says most teenagers need 8 to 10 hours' sleep a night.

How to prioritise your weakest GCSE topics

Your red, amber and green ratings decide where the time goes. After your mocks, rate your topics again using your marked papers, because they show where you lost marks. Our guide to whether Year 11 mocks matter explains how schools use those results.

A simple rule is to give each red topic three slots across the term, each amber topic two and each green topic one quick review. Space the slots for a topic a week or two apart, so you come back to it just as it starts to fade.

Then compare subjects. A subject with lots of red topics gets more slots each week, even if it isn't your favourite. Keep every subject on the timetable, though. One you leave alone for two months can slip.

Amber topics are often the quickest wins. You already know part of them, so a couple of focused sessions can turn them green.

GCSE revision timetable template you can copy

This example is for a school week after your mocks, with about 1.5 hours on five days and two free evenings. Before your mocks, do one block and the review on school nights, and the full plan on one weekend day. Swap in your own subjects, and put the subject with the most to gain in the first slot. Subjects in red text are working on a red topic, and subjects in amber text are working on an amber topic. Subjects in green text are having a quick review of a green topic.

You can download this template as a CSV file to edit in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers.

In each block, start by writing down what you remember with your book shut. Then spend most of the time answering exam questions and marking them. You'll find papers and mark schemes in our past papers directory. Marking longer answers yourself is hard, and Medly's free plan includes 5 marked questions, 20 AI tutor messages and 1 uploaded paper a day.

If you're starting 12 weeks out, on Monday 15 February 2027, split the time into three four-week stretches:

What should a revision timetable look like 4 weeks before exams?

From Monday 12 April 2027, four weeks before the first exam, most of your time should go on past papers under timed conditions. By now you know which topics you've covered, so this month is about practising the exam itself and fixing what goes wrong.

1. Order your subjects by exam date, and give the earliest papers more time.
2. Do one full timed paper a week for the three or four subjects with the most to gain, and timed sections for the rest.
3. After each paper, add every lost mark to a mistakes list, with a note on why you lost it.
4. Use your review slots to work through that list.
5. Keep one evening a week free.

Once your exams start, revise for whichever paper comes next. On the evening before an exam, keep it to a short review and get to bed at a sensible time.

How to stick to your revision timetable

A timetable only helps if it survives a busy week. These habits make that more likely:

• Leave at least one evening a week free, and use it to catch up if you need to.
• Start sessions at the same time on the same days, so revision becomes routine.
• Keep your phone in another room during each block.
• If you miss a session, move it to your free evening. Trying to fit two days into one usually means neither goes well.
• Use your weekly check-in to update your ratings. When a red topic turns green, give its slots to something else.
• Tell someone at home what your week looks like, so they know when you're revising.

Frequently asked questions

When should I start making a GCSE revision timetable?

Now is a good time if you're sitting GCSEs in summer 2027. Starting in November gives you about six months before 10 May and lets you plan around your mocks. If you start later, the same method works with fewer weeks.

Is 2 hours of revision a day enough for GCSE?

Yes, for most students, as long as the time goes on exam questions and spaced review. On school nights, start with 45 minutes to 1 hour until your mocks, move to 1 to 1.5 hours after them, and build to 1.5 to 2 hours from mid-February. You'll do more in the Easter holidays as the exams get closer.

How long should each revision session be?

Try 30 to 45 minutes, then take a 5 to 10 minute break. Shorter blocks make it easier to change subject and keep your focus.

Should I revise every subject every week?

No, not always. Aim to cover each subject at least once a fortnight, and give the subjects with the most to gain a slot every week.

What should I do if I fall behind my timetable?

Move missed sessions to your free evening, and if you're still behind, drop green topics first. At your next check-in, ask whether the plan was realistic, and trim the weekly hours if it wasn't.

Should my revision timetable change after mocks?

Yes. Re-rate your topics using your marked papers, and move slots towards the topics where you lost the most marks.

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