CGP and MyRevisionNotes are both widely used GCSE revision guide ranges, but they differ significantly in tone, structure and specification alignment. CGP guides are broad, colourful and popular across all subjects; MyRevisionNotes guides are more board-specific and examiner-focused. Most students benefit from one well-chosen guide used actively over buying both.
What are CGP revision guides?
CGP (Coordination Group Publications) is the UK's dominant revision guide publisher. Their GCSE range covers virtually every subject offered by AQA, Edexcel and OCR, and the guides are instantly recognisable for their bright yellow-and-white design, informal tone and inclusion of jokes and cartoons alongside the content.
CGP guides are structured topic by topic, with clear diagrams, bullet-pointed summaries and worked examples. Most CGP GCSE books also come in a matching Workbook edition, which contains practice questions for each topic section. The workbooks are particularly useful for retrieval practice.
Strengths of CGP:
- Very comprehensive coverage — rarely misses a topic
- Approachable language and visual design suit students who find textbooks intimidating
- Wide range of accompanying workbooks and practice materials
- Available for nearly all subjects and board variants
- Reasonably priced (typically £6–9 per guide, £6–9 per workbook)
Weaknesses of CGP:
- Some students find the humorous tone distracting rather than engaging
- Coverage can be broad but shallower than a dedicated board-specific guide on extended-writing skills
- The guide alone is a reading resource — it becomes most useful when combined with active retrieval (testing yourself, not just reading)
What are MyRevisionNotes guides?
MyRevisionNotes is published by Hodder Education and positioned explicitly as board-aligned revision support. Titles are named and organised to match specific exam board specifications: for example, AQA GCSE History or Edexcel GCSE Biology are separate products with content aligned to those exact specifications.
MyRevisionNotes guides are structured as a series of tightly focused spreads (usually two pages per topic), each ending with exam-style practice questions and exam tips from the authors — many of whom have experience as examiners or specification authors. The guides tend to use more formal language than CGP and focus heavily on what the examiner is looking for.
Strengths of MyRevisionNotes:
- Very tight specification alignment — unlikely to revise off-spec content
- Exam tip sections explicitly address mark-scheme thinking
- Practice questions at the end of each topic section support retrieval
- Particularly strong for humanities subjects (History, Geography, RS) where extended writing and source analysis are assessed
Weaknesses of MyRevisionNotes:
- Can feel dry for students who prefer more visual or humorous content
- Available for a narrower range of subjects than CGP
- Not all subjects and board combinations are covered
- Some editions lag behind specification updates more than CGP editions
CGP vs MyRevisionNotes compared
| Factor | CGP | MyRevisionNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher | Coordination Group Publications | Hodder Education |
| Tone | Informal, humorous, accessible | Formal, examiner-focused |
| Board alignment | Good — separate editions per board | Excellent — tightly spec-matched |
| Visual design | Colourful, high-diagram density | Cleaner, text-focused with some diagrams |
| Practice questions | Via matching workbook (separate purchase) | Built into each topic spread |
| Exam tips / mark-scheme insight | Moderate | High — explicit examiner guidance |
| Best subjects | Sciences, Maths, Computer Science | History, Geography, English, RS |
| Price range | £6–9 | £8–12 |
| Workbook available? | Yes — widely available | Sometimes — varies by title |
Which subjects suit which guide best?
For sciences and maths, CGP's comprehensive content coverage, clear diagrams and workbook availability make it the most popular choice among students and teachers. Scientific diagrams in CGP are generally well drawn and well labelled.
For history, geography, English and religious studies, MyRevisionNotes tends to score more highly. The examiner-tip sections are particularly valuable in essay-based subjects where technique matters as much as content, and the tight spec alignment means students can trust that what they are revising is what they will be assessed on.
For languages, neither range is particularly strong — most language students benefit more from practice papers and vocabulary resources than from a static guide.
What neither guide does well
Both CGP and MyRevisionNotes are passive reading resources in their base form. The Education Endowment Foundation consistently finds that re-reading content is one of the least effective revision strategies when used alone. A student who reads a CGP guide or a MyRevisionNotes guide cover to cover and considers the revision done is likely to be disappointed on exam day.
Both ranges work best as reference tools alongside active revision methods: using the guide to check a topic after attempting a past paper question, correcting misconceptions identified through retrieval practice, or reading a section before immediately closing the guide and writing down everything you can recall. The guide is the backup, not the main event.
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy both CGP and MyRevisionNotes?
Very rarely. For most students, one well-chosen guide used actively is more valuable than two guides used passively. The exception might be a subject like History or Geography, where a student finds CGP's content summary useful alongside MyRevisionNotes' examiner-tip sections — but this should be deliberate, not the default. Buying two guides does not double the revision benefit.
Are there free alternatives to both?
Yes. BBC Bitesize covers all major GCSE subjects and exam boards at no cost, and offers some interactive quizzes alongside written content. Seneca Learning, Quizlet and subject-specific YouTube channels (such as those covering GCSE Science or GCSE History) are also free. Paid guides like CGP and MyRevisionNotes add value primarily through comprehensive content summaries and structured practice questions — but free resources can fulfil a similar function if used actively.
When should a student buy a revision guide — Year 10 or Year 11?
A revision guide becomes most useful in Year 11, particularly in the final two terms before exams. In Year 10, a textbook (which explains content more deeply than a summary guide) is usually more appropriate. Some students find the CGP workbooks useful throughout the course for topic-by-topic practice, but the guide itself is best saved for consolidation rather than initial learning.
Does the edition matter — do I need the latest version?
Yes, it matters. Exam specifications can change, and an out-of-date guide may include content that is no longer assessed or miss content that has been added. Always check the publication year and ensure it matches the current specification for your exam board. CGP and Hodder both release updated editions when specifications change — check that the ISBN on the guide matches the current year range.
For active revision questions that go beyond what a guide can offer, visit aitutors.me for Socratic tutoring across all GCSE subjects.