We are doing our Biology revision for our upcoming IGCSE exam. And to help us keep it a bit interesting we are using a few different resources (yes yes, before everyone jumps up and down we are doing LOTS of past papers and yes I have discovered the amazing stash of questions on the Physics and Maths Tutor website – but honestly all of that can get a bit monotonous). So I was thrilled when Oaka Books recently sent us a few of their IGCSE Science packs (we have already used 2 of their GCSE Biology packs – Osmosis and Cell Biology and we really enjoyed them so as soon as I saw their Cardiovascular and Respiratory System Pack I knew we would use it for some targeted revision).

Oaka’s GCSE Science packs follow their tried and tested format of their typical Topic Packs. There is a Topic booklet (your notes), a write your own Notes booklet (where the kids fill in key words) and some question cards (so instead of the board game which is included in the KS3 packs the GCSE packs come with question cards). And yes the format in the Topic Booklets and Write Your Own Booklets is exactly the same. If you liked the KS3 Science packs you will like their GCSE Science packs.

There are three reasons why we think these packs are perfect for IGCSE/GCSE revision. Firstly the notes are summarized. They are easy to read and the fact that they format them into small blocks with attractive diagrams makes it easy to remember the key information.

Second, having a go at the Write Your Own Notes (without using the key word sheet) is a great way to see if you remember all the key facts and it highlights any sections that you may need to focus on.

And lastly, the question cards which they include are perfect for testing yourself.

Really these topic packs are prefect for kids learning about the topic but also perfect as a revision tool. They are well written, and the format keeps it interesting but at the same time the pages are not in “your face overwhelming”. I really do think the people who write these are brilliant at summarizing the key points and they manage to write them in a short, sharp, concise manner. We have long been fans of the KS3 Science packs and now we are also fans of their GCSE Science packs.

Included in the Topic packs that Oaka sent us was this little gem – How to Become a Grade Rise. As soon as it arrived my daughter read it cover to cover and said it was interesting so I am going to write a proper post on it later this week, but I just wanted to mention it quickly and share a link in case any of you may want to have a look.

Oh and just quickly of you kiddo is doing IGCSE or GCSE Biology you may also want to look at their Kidney Pack.

Admin – As I mentioned above this pack was given to use by Oaka Books. My kids and I have long been fans of the Oaka Books topic packs and games so from time to time they do kindly send us some of their goodies to review. It is always up to us to decide if we like their resources and if we choose to write reviews on them. We are not paid for these posts.