KS3 science Book recommendation to help with homework, revision of end-of-topic quizzes, end-of-term exams, or end-of-year exams

I am a science teacher and a tutor. Many parents ask me which book they should buy for their students to help their children to complete homework, so I thought I make a list of books that I like and explain why I like them. The books are aimed at students that are KS3 science students (Y7 and Y8) that will take the AQA curricula.

I should point out that I am not affiliated with any publisher. I don’t necessarily think you need to buy all or even any of the books if you don’t think you will not use them. I also don’t think you need to buy new books either. There are loads of books in the second-hand market. Buying second-hand books are both cheaper and better for the environment. Just make sure you don’t buy too old books that cover the old curriculum. The recommendations below are only recommendations of my personal choice.

Many schools will provide revision material and suggestions.

KS3 – Y7

Activate 1 is a good Y7 book and activate 2 is a good Y8 book. I personally really like these books because I like the layout of the information. Both books can be used as reference books if students need help at home with concepts, they did not understand the first time around in school. Alternatively, they can be used to help with homework. The books cover, chemistry, physics, and biology all in the same book. The books follow the KS3 curricula closely. I also like that the keywords are highlighted.

 At the end of each chapter, there are summary questions. The only drawback is that the answers are not included.

KS3 workbook

CGP KS3 workbook is a highly recommend workbook for both Y7 and Y8 students. They can be used for students that want to revise for tests, formal examinations or additional homework for those students that are extra keen. The answers can be found in the back. The questions are a mixture of short questions, fill in the gaps and cross-words, as well as more traditional questions you might find in an exam. At the end of Y8, students are required to know all the content of this book.

CGP revision cards

Below are revision cards from CGP. They are a nice supplement to the workbook above if you want to mix up the type of revision every now and then. I have used these cards to play games in the revision club. Students find them fun to use. The questions are short recall questions.