When pupils revise, one of the biggest challenges is knowing where to start.

Often pupils don’t have a clear sense of what they’re expected to know, which makes everything feel equally important - or equally confusing.

Revision Mode begins by helping pupils map the territory: what the topic includes, what success looks like, and where their own understanding feels secure or shaky.

At each point, Willow guides pupils to choose how they want to work on that area, prompting them to decide whether they want to build understanding, check what they know or focus on remembering key ideas. This is where revision becomes active rather than passive.

Understanding better.

If a pupil wants to build or secure understanding, Willow starts high-level and only goes deeper once foundations are in place. Ideas are explained in different ways — using analogies, real-life examples, comparisons, or short stories — until something clicks. This flexibility is one of AI’s real strengths: it can reframe the same idea repeatedly, without judgement or fatigue.

Checking understanding.

If a pupil wants to test themselves, they can choose short questions, mini-quizzes, or exam-style prompts. Feedback is immediate and supportive, with misconceptions repaired before pupils move on, rather than being left to practise mistakes.

Helping ideas stick.

When understanding is secure but recall is the challenge, pupils can focus on memory. Willow supports this with mnemonics, memory hooks, chunking, and other memorable devices that help facts stick.

What matters most is that pupils are making these choices deliberately. Throughout the session, they are planning what to work on, monitoring whether it’s working, and adjusting their approach when needed. This is metacognition in practice — not as a theory, but as a habit built through doing.

Pupils finish the session with clear next steps — knowing what to revisit and how to do it. At the same time, Willow Insights give teachers a clear picture of what pupils understand, where they struggled, and which areas need further attention, making it much easier to plan further revision and targeted support.

The result is revision that feels calmer, more focused, and far more purposeful.