... The revision books my school sells are CGP, so it made sense to buy them!
In this review i will be reviewing GCSE level Science, Maths and History CGP revision books. The Science books are at higher level, the Maths at intermediate and the History is Modern World History. The History ... Read review
Advantages: Covers pretty much everything you need to know Disadvantages: There is so much!
...level Science, Maths and History CGP revision books. The Science books are at higher level, the Maths at intermediate and the History is Modern World History. The History and Maths books are for no specified exam board, and the Science book is for AQA modular science.
SCIENCE
There are 2 books needed when revising modular science. One is the 'early modules' revision guide, which is needed throughout year 10, as separate ... ...revision for it. However, the CGP maths revision book is not as bad as some others.
Like science, it is split into separate sections:
Section one - Numbers mostly
Section two - Shapes
Section three - Bits and Bobs (basically everything that doesn't fall into the other catagories)
Section four - Statistics
Section five - Graphs
Section six - Algebra mostly
I am doing my GCSE's very soon, and so have been revising for the past few weeks. The revision books my school sells are CGP, so it made sense to buy them!
In this review i will be reviewing GCSE level Science, Maths and History CGP revision books. The Science books are at higher level, the Maths at intermediate and the History is Modern World History. The History and Maths books are for no specified exam board, and the Science book is for AQA modular science.
SCIENCE
There are 2 books needed when revising modular science. One is the 'early modules' revision guide, which is needed throughout year 10, as separate modular tests are taken at different stages. The other is the 'final exam' revision guide, which covers the modules you cover in year 11. The 'early modules' guide also has some information needed for the final exam, outlined in blue boxes.
---Early Modules book---
This covers module 1 (Humans as organisms), module 2 (Maintenance of life), module 5 (metals), module 6 (earth materials, module 9 (Energy) and module 10 (electricity). These are all the topics you will need for the year 10 modular tests.
Each module is in separate sections, which are colour coded, so when flicking through the book, you can find the one you need - Humans as organisms topics are written in the corner of the page in green, maintenance of life's in blue etc.
The modules are split in to separate parts, so they are managable to learn eg, on Humans as organisms, topics are separated into to topics; Human bodies, Digestive system, breathing system, transport, disease and dissolved substances. These are split again on the contents page in to more topics, for instance, the topic 'Breathing system' is split in to Lungs and Breathing, Alveoli, Cells and Diffusion, and Respiration. This is the same throughout the book and modules, so each part of a topic is easy to learn.
The contents page shows all the modules, and all the topics in them, with page numbers so you can find what you are looking for quickly, should you just want to look something up. I tend to just work through the book, but this is useful right before the exam, when you want to recap.
All the pages in the book have pictures, and different coloured writting, to make it eye catching, and suposedly look less daunting to start learning. I admit that i am more likely to look at a colourful page, with diagrams, than a page full of plain black and white writing! It is also usefull how their are many coloured sub headings with key facts, meaning that I remember the key points of information, and so it is easier to learn what follows.
The pages are half pictures, with useful diagrams, which does make it easier to learn the infomation. The diagrams are simple and straight forward, so they are easy to copy. They are also very colourful, making them eye-catching.
The different sized and different coloured writing makes it easy to remember the key facts, and to separate the information, so it is all easier to learn.
The book has 108 pages in total, including the index, but without the pictures, this would be halfed. There is alot of information, but it is all what you need to know, and the layout does make it easier to learn. I find that each module would take about a week to revise, if you do two pages a night. There is also some test questions at the end of each module which you need to keep practising untill they are easy. This book DOES imropove grades.
---Final exam book----
This book has a similar setout to the eary modules one, covrering the topics of Environment, Inheritance and Selection, Patterns of Chemical Change, Structures and Bonding, Forces and Waves and Radiation.
Again, there are lots of pictures, lots of information, and all the things you need to know. These modules are harder than the earlier ones, which means i find it takes longer to learn, however, it is well paced out.
Some sections (modules) are longer than others, with Environment only being 10 pages, whereas Inheritence and Selection is 19. There is alot to take in, and i don't find the method of revision recommended by this book helps. At the bottom of each page, there is a comment by the writer, usually saying not to panick and to cover the page and copy down what you remember. However, i don't find this works. Everyones method of revision is different, but if find simply covering and copying means you only remember for a short time, like in a memory game, so i do not follow that advice. However, the test questions at the end are very useful for testing what you know.
I do reccomend these books for anyone doing modular science.
MATHS
Maths is not my strong subject, so i always hate revision for it. However, the CGP maths revision book is not as bad as some others.
Like science, it is split into separate sections:
Section one - Numbers mostly Section two - Shapes Section three - Bits and Bobs (basically everything that doesn't fall into the other catagories) Section four - Statistics Section five - Graphs Section six - Algebra mostly
There is only one maths book needed for the final exam, and it contains all the information you need. Topics covered include; Standard form, square and cube routes, triganometry, ratios, percentages, mean median mode, cumulative frequency and all the other super things they make you learn in maths!
It does make learning easier, and alot of the things i haven't learnt in class, i have been able to teach myself with this book. It allows you to work at you own pace, and find your own ways of remembering things.
Again, there are alot of pictures and diagram in this book (mostly relevent to what you are learning!) and this makes the pages brighter and so makes wanting to revise that little bit easier! There is also and 'acid test' at the bottom of each page, allowing you to test what you have learnt from that page, so you can see how you are doing. At the end of each section there is a revision summary test like in the science book. This all makes revision easier, as you can check your progress, and everything is broken up in to small chunks.
I reccomend the CGP maths revision book to anyone doing GCSE maths.
HISTORY
Once again, there is a similar set up to the other exam books. Lots of pictures, colourful pages and all the information you need. CGP books are definatly the most colourful books i have used!
This book is split into the sections; Exam skills The Road to War (1900-1914) The First World War (1914 - 1918) The Peace Settlement (1919 - 1929) The Collapse of International order (1929 - 1939) Germany between the Wars (19 19 - 1939) The Russian Revolution (1917 - 1941) The Second World War (1939 - 1945) The Birth of Superpowers and Cold War The Cold War and International Relations (1963 - 1991)
I find this book a bit harder to revise from because it has inforamtion in it that you don't need. In GCSE history, you do not cover all the topics, but do case studies on certain ones, and then chose the relevant question to answer in to exam (for example, we did not do the Weimar republic or the Russian revolution). Even the things that everybody has to learn seem to be mixed into other sections, making it hard to pick out what you have to learn, and ignore what you don't. It is also best to ask your teacher to highlight what you have to do, but this is difficult because there is so much information irrelevant to different people learning different things. When CGP put the book together, i think they put in all the information that EVERYONE would need, so picking out what you need is difficult
Although this book has all the useful features of a CGP book (such as revision summary tests, good layout, colourful pages etc) I do not recomend it as main revision book, because of all the information in it that you don't need. However, for a book to look up factual information in before the exam, or to test yourself, it is a usefull book.
This book covers subjects such as Leauge of Nations, Depression, Wall street crash, Cuban missile crisis and the Treaty of Versailles. It has the information you need, but in muddeled up places. It is best to look for another main history revision book , in my opinion.
OTHER INFORMATION
What do the books look like? - The books are quite plain on the outside, and different dull colours, which is suprising, seeing as what they are like inside! The title is clear, and the CGP logo is on all books. On the back, there is either a cartoon advertising the book (on eary modules science it is one about mashed potato being 'just right' like a CGP book!) or a straight forward advert. There is also a bar code with a weird comment over it such as 'Keep refrigerated'. I think this is all meant to add to the 'funny' factor of the books.
How much are they? - £3.50 in book shops, but you can get them cheaper (for £2) through some schools.
Where can you get them from? - Many book shops, including Smiths, Some schools, the Internet (www.cgpbooks.co.uk) and from the catalouge you can request.
Do they improve grades? - Yes, if you revise everything and regularly do the tests.
Are they fun to revise from? - CGP is all about making revsion fun and making there books different from the 'dull' ones other people have. However, no matter what you revise from, it is never going to be fun! I suppose it makes revision as fun as it can be!
What is CGP? - CGP stands for Coordination Group Publications. Inside the book, under the heading of 'What CGP is all about' it says - "Our sole aim here at CGP is to produce the highest quality books - carfully written, immaculately presented, and dangerously close to being funny. Then we work our socks off to get them out to you - and at the cheapest possible prices." I think they do this.
Do they have any other features? - In the Science books, there is a formula section with things like Speed = Distance divided by Time, and in the history book, there is a time line.
What other books do they do, other than the ones mentioned? - There are many GCSE books at different levels (Higher, Intermediate, Foundation) and also SATS revsion books. They also offer homework books, that many schools use to set homework from. All the books they do are listed on the website www.cgpbooks.co.uk.
Advantages: Detailed, yet to the point, high-quality, professional appearance, illustrative, comical Disadvantages: Some jokes aren't funny - just stupid, underlining-heavy and repetition (see review)
...well indeed.
WHY PICK CGP REVISION GUIDES?
CGP is known for its succinct, entertaining and professional technique in delivering knowledge to its readers. When compared with other revision guides, I have found CGP to be far more entertaining to read, with pictures and illustrations here and there, and plenty of colour. It also includes some jokes at the end of the page. These jokes aren't exactly going to knock Peter Kay out of the limelight, but ... ...IS THE AGE RANGE?
CGP provide revision guides for the following age groups:
> Ages 4 - 7 (Key Stage 1 and Reception)
> Ages 7 - 11 (Key Stage 2)
> Ages 11 - 14 (Key Stage 3)
> Ages 14 - 16 (Key Stage 4 / GCSE Level)
> Ages 16 - 18 (A-Level)
CGP also provide revision guides for further education (CLAIT courses) as well as Standard Grade papers. Age range isn't stated for these, and so I presume you can take these exams regardless of age.
Revision ...
wbafcben 13.03.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of CGP Revision Guides
Advantages: colourful, brokendown info, helpful diagrams, humour Disadvantages: not enough info
When revising a subject or topic it is never easy. The best way to do this is by making it as easy as possible. The C.G.P revision books understand and have made their revision books both easy and practical to use.
The C.G.P Company are situated at Newcastle upon Tyne. C.G.P stands for Coordination Group Publication Ltd. The company are widely used in most schools across the UK. This is because the revision guides are so good and have helped many ... ...They have excellently made long-winded passages of heavy material into straightforward and readable paragraphs. The company have divided the topics into more easy to digest sections. This makes revision a little easier to cope with. Also helping students divide there revision time up into these sections. The revision guides deliver vital information as well as adding some humour into the text.
The books have been designed perfectly for the certain ...
emi_angel 17.02.2006 (04.06.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of CGP Revision Guides
Advantages: Easy, all in one place, affordable, trys to make revising fun. Disadvantages: Can be a bit boring to look at a page for ages.
CGP revision guides, in my opinion aswell as notes from teachers are one of the best tools for revising. It has everything you need to know in the very concisley and in language you can easily understand. GCSE's are very boring, with all the revisions, but the revision guides are availiable in every subject you can imagine. All you need to know in each subject is right there infront of you. Learn it all, and you will ace the exams.
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... ...methods of teaching.
The cgp book have worked examples, questions short bullet points with the key things you need to know and also pictures, people who revise in many different ways can use the books in many different ways.
The books have all the information needed for AQA, Edexcel and OCR exam boards.
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LEVELS OF EDUCATION & WHICH SUBJECTS
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hdavis248 19.04.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of CGP Revision Guides
Advantages: Fun, easy to follow, clear diagrams Disadvantages: Sometimes there is too much underlining
...to a certain extent but CGP guides make revision a little easier and less dull.
~ So, what are CGP guides? ~
CGP stands for Coordination Group Publications. They are a company which produce revision guides from KS1 (aged 5-7) to A-level (aged 16-18.) They also have a range of practice papers for Scottish and Adult education. They also have Welsh revision guides.
I first started using CGP books when I was in year 9. At this time we only used them ... ...I relied on my CGP books to get me through my GCSE's. I had them for almost every subject. And being in year 12 is no different. I have CGP books in three of the four subjects I am studying. I got offered two of these at school. The AS guides are normally £9.99 but the school can get them for £6 when placing a large order (so it's worth asking the school to get them for you)
All of the books include little phases or pictures, which try and make ...
bluejules 03.02.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of CGP Revision Guides
Advantages: Easy to understand, pictures, humour Disadvantages: Colour scheme & layout often complicates the text, the humour's not always suited
The CGP Revision Guide range offers supportive guides for students of all ages, ranging from aged 4 nursery children, to students of 18 studying A level. The subjects vary depending on the age of study, but most books for each age band contain the relevant, vital subjects such as Maths, English and Science.
The books I have come in to contact with in the past were supplied by the school for KS3 SATS and GCSE. I found both books to be of a similar ... ...methods of writing. One thing that stands prominent about this book series is the humour- often slipped in to the text is a joke, a play on words, or a jokey cartoon to break up the text and retain the interest of the young reader. Although this is obviously a good method of encouraging children to revise, I have found some of the jokes in the GCSE books to be too juvenile and somewhat patronising, and more suited to the books lower down in the school.
...
eibee 05.06.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of CGP Revision Guides
Quality of Text
Interesting/Absorbing?
Logical Layout?
Relevance of Questions
Helpful?
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Advantages: Able to see your progress Disadvantages: not advanced
At the moment i am taking my GCSE exams, I am taking 9 exams and for my revision leave I felt I needed as much help as possible buying two sets of GCSE revisionguides for each subject. One being 'Letts GCSE in a week' and the other being the CGPrevisionguides.
The two guides are completely different, the Letts tests you and gives you the answers but does not properly explain how to do everything sometimes (this is mainly for maths) leaving you wondering and not actually fully learning the way in answering correctly, where as the CPG teaches you in an easy manner with a small test at the end of every section. With Letts eventhough you do not get given the most detail in the world, you do still learn and it is always good to test your knowledge so you are able to see which areas need working on.
With these Letts guides you learn ...
Advantages: Good value for money, easy to understand Disadvantages: Pages quite cramped, jokes annoying after a while
trying to achieve the impossible and make revision fun. Revision? Fun? Surely not! Well, no. Revision will never be fun. But the CGPguides do at least try to stop it from being any more dull than it has to be. The constant jokes on every page may not always be funny but they do, I think, make some of the information more memorable. Try not to be tempted by the constant references to and advertisements for the Millom area in Cumbria.. it's really not worth a visit!
The books are colourful, with lots of pictures, many of which really are pretty funny. I find that this makes them easier to read and revise from. The pages are quite cramped and busy, but I guess this keeps the price of the guides down.
The books not only give the information about the subject, but also give advice about how to revise each page (usually by writing mini ...
