The Methodology

The Velvet Method

Six steps that show you what to do next when you revise. It began as a way to revise with the AI you already have; the site now provides each step itself, for every subject, level and exam board, and we add to it every week.

VViewEEvaluateLLearnVVerifyEExploreTTransform
Get the free Prompt Library →
Free · works with free ChatGPT, Claude & Gemini
Designed by teachers James Martin and Clare Saunders. Who made this
Why It Exists

Most students study hard.
Few study effectively.

The problem is rarely effort. It is not knowing what the exam asks, where your gaps are, or what to do next.

The Velvet Method gives you that order, with the diagnosing, questioning and marking done for you. Studying effectively is more enjoyable than studying blind, and it puts you in control: you always know your next step.

The method on the site

Started as six prompts.
Now a map of the whole site.

The Velvet Method began as six steps for revising with an AI assistant. Since then the site has grown around it: we're constantly enriching what it offers, so that more and more of each step is here, ready-made and specific to your exam board. This is where each step lives today.

VView — see your whole courseSpecification maps for every course, topic by topic, in your board's order219 courses EEvaluate — find your gapsConfidence quizzes that rank your topics from weakest to strongest1,700 topics LLearn — fix themInteractive mini-lessons, one per topic, each built around a question you can't yet answer1,960 lessons VVerify — prove it stuckThe Revision Arcade: 22 games for every topic, plus Verify quizzes marked against the spec22 games EExplore — go beyond the specSimulations, edge cases and historical context for your topic. The step we're building out next.In progress TTransform — reflect and planThe Prompt Library and the free prompt books: 100 Velvet prompts for each subject91 prompt books
Recently added
The Six Steps

V · E · L · V · E · T

Each step builds on the last. Pick your course and every prompt below rewrites for it.

Level
Subject
Board
Topic: cell structure Topics taken from the AQA GCSE Biology (8461) specification.
V
Step 1
Schema Theory & Learning Objectives

View the Bigger Picture

Use AI to map the whole specification on one page: every topic, how they connect, and where the marks sit.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Turn Spec Points into Exam Questions
"Take these specification statements for cell structure and, for each one, write the kinds of exam questions an examiner could realistically ask from it, including the likely command words and mark allocations."
E
Step 2
Formative Assessment & Pretesting

Evaluate Your Starting Point

Get AI to quiz you across every topic first, so you have a ranked list of gaps instead of vague dread.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Self-Explanation Check
"I'm going to explain cell structure to you in my own words. Listen, then identify every gap, error, vague statement, or missing link in my explanation, in order of importance."
L
Step 3
Multimodal Learning & the Generation Effect

Learn Creatively

Fill the gaps by producing the explanation yourself, in the format that fits: a diagram, an analogy, a game.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Build Precise Vocabulary
"Generate the key technical terms for cell structure, each with a precise GCSE definition and a sentence showing correct use. Then test me by giving definitions and asking for the term, and vice versa."
V
Step 4
The Testing Effect & Retrieval Practice

Verify Your Knowledge

Answer exam-style questions from memory, then have AI mark them and show you the points you missed.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Predict the Mark Scheme
"Show me a past-paper-style question on cell structure. Before answering, I'll predict what the mark scheme rewards. Then reveal a realistic mark scheme and tell me how accurate my prediction was."
E
Step 5
Higher-Order Thinking & Unseen Material

Explore Application & Analysis

Apply what you know to unseen data, new scenarios and cross-topic questions.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Predict and Justify
"Set me a scenario about cell structure and ask me to predict what would happen, then justify my prediction with biology. Tell me whether my reasoning, not just my prediction, was sound."
T
Step 6
Metacognition & Spaced Retrieval

Transform Through Reflection

Review what went wrong and what worked, then have AI plan your next fortnight of spaced review.

💬 From the Prompt Library
Run a Metacognitive Check
"Ask me reflective questions about how I just studied cell structure: what worked, what I avoided, where I lost focus, and whether I tested myself or just re-read. Then suggest one change to my method."
🎁
Take the prompts with you

Get the free Velvet Method Prompt Library — ready-made AI prompts for every step, every subject, every level. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Under 16? Ask a parent or teacher to sign up for you. Privacy

What It Is Built On

Findings, and frameworks.

We separate the two deliberately. Findings are replicated experimental results. Frameworks are ways of organising teaching that are useful but are not, in themselves, evidence.

Finding
Testing effect
Verify step
Finding
Spaced retrieval
Transform step
Finding
Generation effect
Learn step
Finding
Pretesting
Evaluate step
Framework
Schema theory
View step
Framework
Bloom's taxonomy
Explore step
Questions
Is using AI like this cheating?

No. Nothing in the Velvet Method asks AI to write your answers. Every step asks it to question you, mark you, or set you problems — the thinking stays yours. Coursework is different: follow your school's AI policy, which usually requires you to declare any use.

Do I need to pay for ChatGPT?

No. Every prompt on this page works on the free tiers of ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. Paid tiers allow longer sessions and file uploads, which help when you upload a specification at the View step, but nothing here depends on them.

Which exam boards does it work with?

Any — you name your board and specification inside the prompt, as the examples above do. It works for GCSE, A-Level, IB and AP. AI does get things wrong, so check what it tells you against your own specification and mark schemes.

What if I have barely used AI before?

That is fine. Each step has a one-minute video and a ready-made prompt to copy, so you need no experience to start.

Does this replace a private tutor?

No. It does a different job. A good tutor gives expert teaching and feedback from a person. The Velvet Method is for revising independently with AI between lessons, or when a tutor is not an option.

More in the guides: How to use ChatGPT to revise for GCSE · AI and exam rules · ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini · All guides

Who Made This

Two teachers, one method.

James Martin
James Martin
Physics & Technology · MSci Bristol, PGCE Oxford

Teaches physics and technology, in the classroom and one-to-one.

Clare Saunders
Clare Saunders
Languages · BA Durham, PGCE Oxford

Teaches French, Spanish, Italian and Chinese. A former curriculum tutor at the University of Oxford, where she helped train teachers.

We built the Velvet Method after noticing that the students who did best were rarely the ones working longest. They were the ones who knew what to do next. Get in touch →

Contributors

Specialist voices, real-world experience.

Brendan Hogan
Brendan Hogan
Geography & Economics · Velvet Method Geography Coach

Teaches Economics and Geography, with a passion for learning beyond the classroom — he believes some of the most valuable lessons come from exploring the world firsthand. His enthusiasm for freediving, spearfishing, scuba diving, hiking and sand therapy reflects a hands-on approach to understanding the natural world. As a Velvet Method contributor, he's focused on helping students build the curiosity, confidence and independent learning skills to take ownership of their education — and discover that learning doesn't stop when they leave the classroom.

Julie Shen
Julie Shen
English Language & Literature · MEd TESOL, BEd & BA Queen's University

An IB-certified English Language and Literature educator with 15+ years across the PYP, MYP and Diploma Programme. An IB Diploma Programme Examiner and IBEN Workshop Leader, she co-authored Kognity's DP English Language & Literature textbook (2025). Combines examiner-level insight into assessment criteria with warm, structured coaching for Paper 1 analysis, the IO and building confidence as writers and speakers.