Worksheet

A15.8 A revision plan and mixed practice

Exam preparation · A level · OCR H446 2.2.1, AQA 7517 4.4.1.2, Eduqas A500QS 1.8 · about 40 min

What this lesson is about

Mapping the specification, retrieval, spacing and interleaving, and a spaced repetition scheduler for the whole course.

• Start from the specification
• Three methods that work
• Using past papers well
• A plan across the year
• Mixed practice across the course
• Spaced repetition with boxes

Questions 5 marks in all

1. [1 mark]Which revision method is retrieval practice?

   1. AWriting down everything you know about a topic from memory, then checking
   2. BRereading your notes on the topic
   3. CHighlighting the lesson
   4. DCopying out the mark scheme

2. [1 mark]What is interleaving?

   1. AMixing different topics within one revision session
   2. BRevising one topic until it is perfect before starting another
   3. CRevising late at night
   4. DReading two textbooks at once

3. [1 mark]In the Leitner system, what happens to a card you answer wrongly?

   1. AIt goes back to box 1, so you see it again soon
   2. BIt moves up a box
   3. CIt is removed
   4. DIt stays where it is

4. [1 mark]A card follows the Leitner rules with intervals 1, 2 and 4 days. What does this print?

   INTERVAL = {1: 1, 2: 2, 3: 4}
   box, day = 1, 1
   for correct in [True, True, True, False]:
       box = min(box + 1, 3) if correct else 1
       day = day + INTERVAL[box]
       print(box, day)

5. [1 mark]Put the steps for using a past paper question in order.

   Number the lines 1 to 4 to put them in the right order.

   1. Read the examiners' report for it
   2. Mark it strictly with the mark scheme
   3. Answer it under time, closed book
   4. Record the mistake and schedule the topic again

The task: the revision scheduler

Schedule revision with the Leitner system for eight days. - INTERVAL maps a box number (1, 2 or 3) to the number of days until a card in that box is next due. - cards is a list of topic names (strings), in the order they are reviewed on any day. - answers maps each card to a list of True (answered correctly) and False (answered wrongly), in the order the card is reviewed. Every card has enough answers for the eight days. Every card starts in box 1, due on day 1. For each day from 1 to DAYS, go through cards in order and review each card that is due that day: take its next answer from the front of its list with pop(0); if it is correct move the card up one box (to at most 3), otherwise put it in box 1; then set it due on the current day plus the INTERVAL of its new box. Print day <d>: <cards>, the cards reviewed that day separated by , , or day <d>: rest if none were due. After day DAYS, print a line for each box from 1 to 3: box <n>: <cards>, the cards in that box in the order of cards, separated by , , or box <n>: empty. The robot stays still.

# the two lines every program starts with: the commands, then the robot
from bugbot import *
connect()

INTERVAL = {1: 1, 2: 2, 3: 4}
DAYS = 8
cards = ["binary search", "two's complement", "RIPA 2000", "Dijkstra"]
answers = {
    "binary search": [True, True, True],
    "two's complement": [False, True, True, False],
    "RIPA 2000": [True, False, True, True],
    "Dijkstra": [False, False, True, True],
}

Plan your program here, then type it in and press Run.

Do it on the robot
www.bugbotlab.com/learn/a15-8-revision-plan/
The simulator checks it and tells you when it passes. Nothing to install, no account.

Challenges

1. Make your own specification checklist for one module, rate every point, and turn the red and amber points into cards for the scheduler.
2. Add a box 4 with an interval of 8 days. How does it change when binary search is next seen?
3. Answer two of the mixed practice questions under time, then mark them against the lessons they name.