Stop Blind Revision: Use PLCs and Quick Quizzes to See Exactly What Students Need

Introduction: The Problem with Blanket Revision

It's three weeks before the exam. You've got 12 topics to cover, 30 students with 30 different gaps, and exactly 6 lessons left.

What do most teachers do? Reteach everything.

You speed through the syllabus, hope the key bits stick, and pray the exam questions land on the topics you emphasised. Meanwhile, students who already understood Topic 3 sit through it again, while students who never grasped Topic 7 get the same 15 minutes as everyone else.

This is blind revision—and it's exhausting for you and ineffective for them.

There's a better way: diagnose first, then target.

This post shows you how to use Personalised Learning Checklists (PLCs) and quick Revision Quizzes to see exactly where each student is—and focus your limited revision time where it actually matters.

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What Is a Revision PLC and Why It's a $\ce{Super-Powerful}$ Formative Tool

A PLC is simply a list of "I can…" statements that map to your specification or scheme of work. Students self-assess against each statement using a traffic-light system:

• 🔴 Red: I don't understand this yet.
• 🟠 Amber: I partly understand but need more practice.
• 🟢 Green: I'm confident I can do this.

Why PLCs Work for Revision

1. Student ownership. Instead of passively waiting for you to tell them what to revise, students identify their own gaps.
2. Instant class overview. When you collect PLC data, you can see at a glance which topics are mostly Red across the class—those become your revision priorities.
3. Evidence for differentiation. You can group students by need: "Red on Topic 5" students work with you; "Green on Topic 5" students do extension or peer-teach.
4. Progress tracking. Run the same PLC at the start and end of the revision period. Watching Reds turn to Ambers and Greens is motivating for students (and satisfying for you).

The Problem with Manual PLCs

Creating a PLC by hand means typing out every spec point, formatting it into a spreadsheet or document, and then figuring out how to collect and aggregate student responses. That's hours of work before you've even started teaching.

TeachAI's PLC Generator does this in minutes.

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Step 1: Build a Unit or Exam PLC from Your Spec or Textbook

How to Generate a PLC

1. Go to /plc-generator and sign in.
2. Upload your PDF—this could be:
   • The official specification document
   • A textbook chapter
   • Your own revision guide
3. Use the Page Selector to choose only the relevant pages. If you're revising Unit 3, select only the Unit 3 pages—no need to process the whole spec.
4. Choose your output mode:
   • Excel mode: Downloads a .xlsx file you can print or share via email/Google Drive.
   • Online mode: Creates an interactive web-based PLC that students complete in their browser, with responses saved automatically.
5. Click "Generate PLC".

What You Get

The AI reads your source material and produces a structured checklist with:

• Clear "I can…" statements derived from the content
• Grouped by topic or subtopic
• Ready for R/A/G self-assessment

Example output (Chemistry, Organic Reactions):

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Step 2: Turn PLCs into Quick Formative Checks

Once you've generated a PLC, you need to get it in front of students and collect their responses.

Option A: Online Mode (Recommended)

If you chose Online mode, students access the PLC via a link. They click through each statement and select R, A, or G. Their responses save automatically to your dashboard.

Benefits:

• No printing, no collecting papers
• $\ce{Real-time}$ aggregation: you see class-wide patterns instantly
• Students can update their PLC over time as they revise

Option B: Excel Mode

If your school has limited device access or you prefer paper-based, download the Excel file and either:

• Print it for students to complete by hand
• Share via Google Sheets for digital completion

You'll need to manually tally responses, but the PLC itself is still generated for you.

Scheduling PLC $\ce{Check-Ins}$

During the revision period, build in regular PLC updates:

Each update takes 10 minutes of lesson time but gives you invaluable data.

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Step 3: Generate $\ce{Micro-Quizzes}$ for the Weak Spots

Here's where the magic happens. Once you know which topics are mostly Red or Amber, you can generate targeted Revision Quizzes on just those areas.

How to Create a Targeted Quiz

1. Go to /revision-quiz-creator.
2. Input method: Paste the specific content for the weak topic, or upload the relevant pages from your textbook/spec.
3. Set question count: 5–10 questions is enough for a quick diagnostic.
4. Click "Generate Quiz" and save it.

Assigning to Specific Groups

From /revision-quizzes:

1. Click "Assign" on your new quiz.
2. Select the classroom (or create a temporary "Topic 5 Support" group if your platform allows).
3. Set a due date (optional).
4. Assign.

Example workflow:

• PLC data shows 18 out of 30 students are Red/Amber on "Electrophilic Addition."
• You generate a 10-question quiz on that topic.
• You assign it as homework to those 18 students.
• The other 12 students (Green) get an extension task or peer-tutor the Red group.

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Step 4: Closing the Loop—From Data to Action

The point of all this data is to change what you do in the classroom. Here's how to act on it.

Reading the PLC Pattern

After students complete their PLC, export or view the aggregated data. Look for:

• Rows that are mostly Red: These are class-wide gaps. Prioritise these in whole-class teaching.
• Rows that are mixed: Some students get it, some don't. Use peer teaching or small-group intervention.
• Rows that are mostly Green: Don't waste time reteaching these. Move on.

Reading the Quiz Results

After students complete a Revision Quiz, check:

• Overall score distribution: If most students scored below 60%, the topic needs more teaching time.
• $\ce{Question-level}$ breakdown: Which specific questions were most missed? That's your re-teach focus.

Example: "Moles & Stoichiometry" Over 3 Weeks

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Workload Lens: What You Stop Doing

Let's be explicit about the time trade-off.

Net result: You spend less time on admin and more time on the teaching that actually moves the needle.

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Addressing Common Concerns

"Students will just click Green on everything to look good."

Two safeguards:

1. Frame it correctly. Explain that the PLC is for them, not for you to judge them. Reds are useful—they show where to focus.
2. Validate with quizzes. If a student claims Green on a topic but scores 40% on the quiz, the data speaks for itself. Use that as a coaching conversation, not a gotcha.

"I don't have time to run PLCs every week."

You don't need to. Three touchpoints (start, middle, end of revision) are enough. Each takes 10 minutes of lesson time. That's 30 minutes total for a complete picture of student progress.

"My students don't have devices."

Use Excel mode and print the PLC. It's less automated, but the checklist itself is still generated for you. You can also do a quick "hands up" poll in class: "Who's Red on statement 3? Amber? Green?"

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Conclusion: Smarter, $\ce{Data-Driven}$ Revision with Less Manual Admin

Blind revision wastes time—yours and your students'. By using PLCs to diagnose gaps and Revision Quizzes to target them, you can:

• See exactly which topics need attention (and which don't)
• Differentiate without creating 30 different worksheets
• Track progress over the revision period with hard data
• Replace guesswork with evidence

Your students revise smarter. You plan smarter. Everyone wins.

Ready to try it?

• Generate a PLC
• Create a Revision Quiz
• View Your Saved Quizzes

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Related Articles

• Make Revision Feel Like a Game Show: Live Class Quizzes That Mark Themselves
• Build a $\ce{Self-Running}$ Revision Toolkit: Flashcards, Mindmaps and $\ce{Student-Led}$ Practice
• Using Personalized Learning Checklists to Track Student Progress