Making a Chemistry Revision Timetable
How to build a realistic IGCSE Chemistry 0620 revision timetable that fits around school and actually gets followed.
Published by IGCSEChemistry.com.my
Chemistry teaching team: K. S. Tan (15+ years teaching IGCSE Chemistry) and Ms Yash (10+ years teaching IGCSE Chemistry) and Ms Kartini (15+ years teaching IGCSE Chemistry).
Mapped to Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry 0620 (2026–2028). Last updated 2026-08-19.
A revision timetable that gets followed beats a perfect timetable that gets abandoned after three days. The goal is not to fill every hour with colour-coded blocks. The goal is to create a schedule that is realistic, flexible, and structured around the activities that actually improve your exam performance.
Step 1: decide how much time you have
Count the weeks between today and your first exam. Subtract one week (the final week is for light review and rest, not intensive revision).
Example: If your exam is in 10 weeks, you have 9 productive weeks.
Step 2: audit your available time
Write out a typical week. Block out:
- School hours (including commute).
- Other subjects’ revision time.
- Fixed commitments (sports, music, religious activities).
- Sleep (8-9 hours per night for teenagers).
- Meals and personal time.
What remains is your available revision time. For most students alongside school, this is 10-15 hours per week across all subjects.
Allocate chemistry a realistic share: 6-8 hours per week if it is a priority, 4-5 hours if your other subjects need more attention.
Step 3: divide into session types
Not all revision is equal. Your timetable should include four types of session:
Type 1: topic study (45-60 minutes)
Active recall on a specific topic: cover your notes, produce the key facts, equations and methods from memory, then check. Use this for weak topics.
Type 2: past-paper practice (60-75 minutes)
A full timed paper or a substantial section of one. Always followed by marking and error logging.
Type 3: flashcard review (10-15 minutes)
Short, daily sessions using spaced repetition for memory-based content: ion tests, gas tests, organic reactions, reactivity series.
Type 4: error re-dos (30-45 minutes)
Return to questions you got wrong on past papers and re-do them without looking at the mark scheme. This is the session that converts marking into learning.
Step 4: build the timetable
Here is a template for an 8-week revision period, assuming 6 hours per week of chemistry:
Weeks 1-3: topic focus
| Day | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Flashcards + topic study (weak topic 1) | 15 + 45 min |
| Wednesday | Flashcards + topic study (weak topic 2) | 15 + 45 min |
| Friday | Flashcards + topic study (weak topic 3) | 15 + 45 min |
| Saturday | Timed past paper (one full paper) | 75 min |
| Sunday | Mark paper + error log + error re-dos | 60 min |
Other days: flashcard review only (10 minutes).
Weeks 4-6: transition to past papers
| Day | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Flashcards + error re-dos from last week | 15 + 30 min |
| Wednesday | Timed past paper section | 60 min |
| Friday | Mark + error log + topic drill on weakest area | 60 min |
| Saturday | Full timed past paper | 75 min |
| Sunday | Mark + error re-dos | 60 min |
Weeks 7-8: peak intensity
| Day | Session | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Timed Paper 2 (MCQ) + marking | 60 min |
| Tuesday | Error re-dos + flashcards | 45 min |
| Wednesday | Timed Paper 4 + marking | 90 min |
| Thursday | Error re-dos + weak topic drill | 45 min |
| Friday | Paper 6 practice | 60 min |
| Saturday | Full paper + marking | 90 min |
| Sunday | Error log review + light flashcards + rest | 30 min |
Final week: consolidation
- No new past papers after Wednesday.
- Flashcard review daily (15 minutes).
- Read error log once.
- Prepare equipment.
- Early nights.
The rules that keep a timetable alive
Rule 1: plan rest days
At least one full day off chemistry per week. A schedule with no rest collapses under fatigue.
Rule 2: build in catch-up slots
Designate one slot per week as “flexible.” If you miss a session during the week, use this slot to catch up. If you did not miss anything, use it for extra past-paper questions.
Rule 3: start each session with a clear task
“Revise chemistry” is not a task. “Complete 10 stoichiometry practice questions and mark them” is a task. Clarity eliminates wasted time deciding what to do.
Rule 4: adapt every two weeks
After two weeks, check: Are my weak topics improving? Is my error log showing new patterns? Adjust the timetable to focus on whatever is currently costing the most marks.
Rule 5: do not make it too beautiful
Spending an hour colour-coding and decorating your timetable is time not spent revising. A simple table on paper or a spreadsheet is enough.
What to do when the timetable fails
It will fail. A school event, illness, family commitment or simple exhaustion will knock out a session. When it happens:
- Do not try to make up every missed session. This creates a backlog that makes the next week feel impossible.
- Prioritise: if you missed a past-paper session, do that next. If you missed a topic session, fold it into the next available slot.
- Flashcard review can happen anywhere: on the bus, in a queue, before bed. It is the easiest session to recover.
The detailed 8-week plan is in revision plan. If your revision timetable keeps stalling on the same topic, a trial lesson can break through the sticking point faster than another week of solo study.