Half Term Revision Timetable (October and February)
A half term revision timetable should cover about 2 to 3 hours a day on four or five of the days, leave the weekends mostly free, and rotate your subjects so each one comes up two or three times in the week. Use the October half term to fix gaps from the first half of term and the February half term to sharpen up for spring. Copy the free template below and you're set.
If you're staring at your notes wondering what you've already forgotten since September, FlashDeck turns them into cards and shows you only the ones about to slip: Build my study plan.
How much to revise over half term
Half term is one week (plus two weekends). It's a break, not a boot camp. But it's also the quietest week you'll get before mocks, so it's worth using.
Rough guide for half term GCSE revision and A level revision:
| Year | Hours per study day | Study days |
|---|---|---|
| Year 10 / Year 12 | 1–2 | 3–4 |
| Year 11 | 2–3 | 4–5 |
| Year 13 | 3–4 | 4–5 |
That leaves plenty of time to sleep in, see friends and actually rest. If your school's calendar calls it "reading week" or something else, same idea.
Free half term revision timetable
Copy this into a spreadsheet or your notes app. Swap the letters for your subjects.
| Day | Session 1 (60 min) | Session 2 (60 min) | Session 3 (optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat | Off | Off | Off |
| Sun | Plan the week (15 min) | Off | 10-min card review |
| Mon | Subject A: past paper | Subject B: flashcards + Qs | 10-min review |
| Tue | Subject C: topic Qs | Subject A: corrections | 10-min review |
| Wed | Subject B: past paper | Subject D: flashcards + Qs | 10-min review |
| Thu | Subject C: past paper | Subject D: corrections | 10-min review |
| Fri | Weakest topic of the week | Off | 10-min review |
| Sat | Off | Off | Off |
| Sun | Light review, pack school bag | Off | Off |
How to fill it in
- Write a specific task, not just a subject. "Chem: bonding questions from the revision guide, p. 42" beats "Chemistry."
- Hardest subject in Session 1. Your focus is best early.
- Corrections count. Going through what you got wrong is where the learning happens.
Sample week for Year 11 (October half term revision)
October half term is the first big chance to get ahead of GCSE mocks. Example for a student taking Maths, English, Combined Science, Geography and Spanish:
- Mon: Maths topic questions on your weakest unit; Spanish vocab cards.
- Tue: Biology required practicals; English Lit quote cards for your set text.
- Wed: Geography case study cards; maths corrections.
- Thu: Chemistry paper section, timed; Spanish speaking prompts out loud.
- Fri: One hour on whatever scored worst this week. Done.
For maths, our best way to revise for maths GCSE post shows how to make method cards.
Sample week for Year 13 (February half term)
By February half term, Year 13 students usually have mock results back. Use them.
- Mon: Subject 1 full paper, timed. Afternoon: mark it harshly.
- Tue: Subject 2 Year 12 content review with cards; essay plan practice.
- Wed: Subject 3 full paper. Afternoon: corrections.
- Thu: Subject 1 weakest topics from the mock.
- Fri: Subject 2 timed essay. Then off.
Not sure how much your mocks counted? Read do Year 13 mocks matter.
Spacing topics across the week
Here's the move most half term revision plans miss: don't do one subject per day. Do each subject on two or three different days.
Why? Coming back to something after a gap makes you work to remember it, and that effort is what makes it stick. Doing Biology all Monday and never touching it again until school feels productive, but by Thursday most of it has faded.
Half term revision tips for spacing
- Rotate subjects so none goes more than two days untouched.
- Start each session with 5 minutes of recall on what you did last time, before opening your notes.
- End each day with a short review of cards from earlier in the week.
The tricky bit: by Thursday you've done four subjects and can't remember which Monday topics need another look.
FlashDeck figures that out for you. Paste your notes, a revision guide page or text from your slides (up to 30,000 characters or 20 pages at a time) and it writes one card per fact, definition or formula. Each day it shows only the cards you're about to forget, about ten minutes' worth. Missed it means it's back tomorrow; Knew it means it waits a day, then three, then longer. Build my study plan
Getting back to school ready for mocks
The last weekend of half term matters more than you think. Don't spend it catching up on everything you didn't do. Instead:
- Do a 10-minute review of the week's cards.
- Update your topic checklist (red, amber, green).
- Write down the three topics you'll ask teachers about in week one.
- Sleep normally on Sunday so Monday doesn't wreck you.
What about half term GCSE revision courses?
Some schools and tutoring centres run half term revision courses, including February half term revision courses for Year 11. If you're searching "half term GCSE revision courses near me" (whether that's in Yorkshire, London or anywhere else in England), check what your school offers first, since many run free sessions. A course can help with a topic you never understood, but the timetable above covers most of what you need on your own.
For the longer break, use our Christmas holiday revision timetable, and if you want a general GCSE version you can reuse all year, there's the revision timetable template GCSE post.
Turn this half term into something that sticks
A half term revision timetable is only worth it if the work is still in your head after the break. Paste your notes into FlashDeck now, get a card for every fact, and keep it all fresh with about ten minutes a day, half term and after.
FAQ
How much should I revise over half term?
For Year 11, around 2 to 3 hours a day on four or five days is plenty. Year 13 might do a bit more. Keep weekends mostly free so you come back rested.
Is October half term too early to start revising for mocks?
No. October half term is a great time to fix gaps from September and October before they pile up. It doesn't need to be intense, just consistent.
Should I do a half term revision course?
Only if you need help understanding a specific topic or you struggle to work alone. Many schools run free half term revision sessions, so check those first. Otherwise, a solid timetable and past papers do the job.
What should I revise in February half term?
Use your mock results. Revise the topics where you dropped the most marks, do at least one timed paper per subject, and review earlier content with flashcards.
How do I make a half term GCSE revision timetable?
List your subjects, rate each topic red, amber or green, then rotate subjects across four or five days with your hardest one first each day. Add a 10-minute review each evening.