Christmas Holiday Revision Timetable (Free Template)
A good Christmas holiday revision timetable gives you 2 to 4 focused hours on most weekdays of the break, takes Christmas Eve to Boxing Day fully off, and spaces each subject across the fortnight instead of doing one per day. Front-load the work in week one, keep week two lighter, and finish with a quick review of everything just before January mocks. Below is a free template you can copy, plus a sample week.
If your January mocks are close and you've got no idea which topics you've actually forgotten, FlashDeck turns your notes into cards and shows you only the ones slipping: Build my study plan.
Why Christmas revision matters before January mocks
For loads of Year 11 and Year 13 students in the UK, mocks start in the first week or two of January. That means Christmas revision isn't optional extra credit. It's the main prep window.
The good news: two weeks is a lot of time if you use it well. The bad news: two weeks also disappears fast between family, food, and that one cousin who wants to play FIFA for eight hours.
What Christmas GCSE revision is really for:
- Plugging gaps from topics you rushed in autumn term.
- Doing timed past papers so the mock format isn't a shock.
- Reviewing everything a little, so nothing has faded by January.
Not for: rewriting your entire exercise book in gel pen.
If you're in the US or Canada, this is basically a winter break study schedule. Our winter break study schedule covers January finals and second-semester catch-up.
How much to revise over Christmas
There's no official number, and the Christmas holiday revision timetable Reddit threads range from "1 hour" to "10 hours a day" (please don't). A realistic, sustainable target:
| Year group | Weekday hours (outside Christmas days) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Year 10 / Year 12 | 1–2 hours | Light review, no mocks pressure yet |
| Year 11 (GCSE mocks) | 2–4 hours | Mix of cards and past papers |
| Year 13 (A level mocks) | 3–5 hours | More papers, fewer subjects to juggle |
Sessions of 25 to 50 minutes with real breaks work better than one giant block. Stop when you're just staring at the page.
Free Christmas revision timetable template
Copy this into Google Sheets, Notion or a notebook. Fill each slot with a subject and a specific task ("Bio: past paper 1, mark it") not just "Biology."
| Day | Morning (9:30–12:00) | Afternoon (13:30–15:30) | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Subject A: past paper | Subject B: flashcards + topic Qs | 10-min review, then off |
| Tue | Subject C: topic Qs | Subject A: corrections | 10-min review, then off |
| Wed | Subject B: past paper | Subject D: flashcards + Qs | 10-min review, then off |
| Thu | Subject C: past paper | Subject A: weak topics | 10-min review, then off |
| Fri | Subject D: past paper | Subject B: corrections | Off |
| Sat | Light: one subject, 1 hour | Off | Off |
| Sun | Off | Plan next week (15 min) | 10-min review |
Rules that make the template work
- Every subject appears at least twice a week. Spacing beats blocking.
- Past papers in the morning, when your brain is freshest.
- Corrections are a session, not an afterthought. That's where marks come from.
- The 10-minute evening review is non-negotiable. It's what stops week-one topics from vanishing by mock day.
Sample Christmas GCSE revision week
Here's what a real Year 11 week might look like with English, Maths, Combined Science and History as the core:
- Mon: Maths non-calc paper (morning), Biology cards and required practicals (afternoon).
- Tue: History source questions (morning), maths corrections (afternoon).
- Wed: English Lit quotes and an essay plan (morning), Chemistry topic questions (afternoon).
- Thu: Physics paper (morning), English Language paper 1 timed (afternoon).
- Fri: Maths calculator paper (morning), then done for the week.
For maths specifically, our best way to revise for maths GCSE post has the method-card approach.
The part that falls apart by day four: keeping track of which facts from Monday you've already lost.
That's exactly what FlashDeck tracks. Paste your class notes, a revision guide page or slide text, and it writes one card per fact, definition or formula, using only what you pasted. Every day it shows only the cards you're about to forget, which takes about ten minutes. Knew it? It waits a day, then three, then longer. Missed it? Back tomorrow. Build my study plan
Keeping days off (seriously)
Christmas revision fails when it turns into guilt. You either feel bad all through Christmas dinner, or you burn out on 27 December and do nothing after.
Plan your days off in advance:
- Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day: fully off. No "just one quick session."
- New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: off or one light review.
- One afternoon per week: off, for friends, gaming, sleeping, whatever.
Days off aren't lazy. Rest helps you remember what you studied. And if you planned it, there's nothing to feel guilty about.
What about Christmas GCSE revision courses or A level revision courses?
Some schools and tutoring companies run Christmas revision courses. They can help if you need structure or a teacher's explanation of a topic you never got. But they're not required. A clear timetable plus past papers covers most of what a course would.
Review on the go
Not all revision has to happen at a desk. Car journeys to relatives, waiting for food, the gap between presents and lunch: that's ten minutes.
Good on-the-go revision:
- Flashcards on your phone.
- Saying a History essay plan out loud.
- Testing a sibling or friend (teaching it is great practice).
Once mocks are done, reuse this template structure for your Easter revision timetable, and for February break try the half term revision timetable.
Walk into January mocks already reviewed
Your Christmas holiday revision timetable only works if what you learned in week one is still there in week three. Paste your notes into FlashDeck, get a card for every fact, and spend ten minutes a day on only what's fading, even on your days off if you feel like it.
FAQ
How many hours should I revise over Christmas?
For Year 11 with January mocks, 2 to 4 focused hours on most weekdays is realistic. Year 13 students often do a bit more. Take the main Christmas days fully off.
Is it worth revising over the Christmas holidays?
Yes, especially if your mocks are in January. The break is often the biggest block of free time before mocks. Even a light timetable makes a real difference.
How do I make a Christmas revision timetable?
List your subjects and weak topics, block out days off first, then fill mornings with past papers and afternoons with flashcards and corrections. Make sure every subject shows up at least twice a week.
What should I revise first over Christmas?
Start with the subjects and topics that scored worst in your last test or that you understand least. Do one past paper per subject early so you know where your gaps are.
Can I use the same timetable for Easter revision?
Yes. An Easter revision timetable uses the same structure, just with more past papers because the real exams are closer. Keep the daily review and the planned days off.