CGP: Clearly Great People make these books! (Co-ordination Group Publications)

Member Name: bluejules

Product:	Co-ordination Group Publications
Date:	02/06/07 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to follow, clear diagrams

Disadvantages: Sometimes too much underlining or too simplisitc

Revision can often be boring, dull and tedious. Having to sort through endless notes and boring revision guides just adds to the problem. Let's face it, revision is boring. Right?
Well I agree 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 in Science (although they are available in other KS3 subjects) 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 the books funnier and more enjoyable to use. I will write a little bit about each of the AS and A2 level CGP books I have.

~ Chemistry ~
AS
This book is suitable for four different exam boards. There are notes at the top of the page, which tell you if there's something, which is not relevant to a certain exam board. The pages are quite colourful and there are lots of words in bold or underlined to emphasise the key points. There are practice questions to test your knowledge and exam questions to give practice on what is required for the exam. I find this book very useful both in and out of lessons. The inside cover has a copy of the periodic table and some other useful information that's needed for the exam (but relevant in more than one topic.)

A2
This is very similar to the AS one in terms of layout and questions, but obviously the information is of a higher level. The mechanisms needed in A2 level chemistry are drawn out clearly and are easy to use. This makes revision for my exam much easier, as this was an area of chemistry I just couldn’t seem to grasp. Luckily I am much better at it now!


~ Geography ~
This is the guide that I've used least out of the three that I have as it isn't in as much detail as required for the exam. It is still useful, as there are plenty colourful diagrams which make the information so much easier to learn. I'd much rather sit and learn a diagram than a list of bullet points etc. This guide is also suitable for 5 specifications.

I don’t have an A2 geography book as some of the topics covered in the AS book are the units we do at A2. Therefore I have used this book both for AS and A2 although it is a bit too simplistic.

~ Biology ~
AS
This guide is exam board specific (AQA B) there is a guide that covers all the major specifications like the geography and chemistry. Again the front of this book is quite dull but it does have a hint of blue. Because it is specification specific the book is split into the three modules that are covered at AS-level which make it extremely easy to find the pages required. The colourful pages and diagrams make it easy to learn the information. This is my main biology book and most of homework is done using this guide. I do find however, that it is not as detailed as required and I do sometimes need to look at other books for reference. (I don't believe one book is ever sufficient for a subject)

The back of this book reads "Serving suggestion: delicious with fresh chives" This make me chuckle!
A2
The copy I have of this book is also AQA B specific. It is really useful. With this exam board specification there is an option module (the school gets a choice of three) alongside the two compulsory exams. This book covers the option content too. I think this is really good as apart from the specific textbook the school provides the option content is not in any of my A2 biology books. The information in the book is easily accessible although I do need to use it alongside my text book for optimum revision.

~ General ~
The logo is present on the front of all CGP books, whatever the age range. This is a man wearing 'cool' shades reading his very own CGP book. The AS-level guides are dull on the outside and to tell you the truth if I didn't already know how good they were from previous years, if I walked past them in a book shop I probably wouldn't give them a second look. As I have already said though, they are extremely colourful on the inside. Sometimes, I do find there is too much colour or underlining, which can make it a little harder to focus on the most important points. There is a contents page and index in all the books, which make easy access to the pages needed. The inside of the back cover has information about ordering more guides. I find these books are really good and they have actually made a pretty good attempt at making revision fun!

You can order a free catalogue of the books they sell. You can find out more by visiting the website www.cgpbooks.co.uk or visiting any good bookstore.

Thanks for reading. bluejules x

Summary: Great books to incorporate into your revision