How to Use the Funnelling Revision Technique

You’re preparing for your GCSEs or A Levels and you need a good revision technique - something innovative and scientifically proven to work. Maybe you’ve heard of the Funnelling Revision Technique and you’re keen to know what it’s all about. 

We’ll go through what it involves and how to use the Funnelling Revision Technique by defining it, explaining its powers, and getting you ready with some ready-made examples. 

Key Takeaways

• The Funnelling Revision Technique is a smart way to shrink huge amounts of information into bite-sized pieces. 

• It works because it’s scientifically-proven: you recall information better when you've actively processed it and organised it yourself.

• It literally funnels information by narrowing it down until you're left with just the essentials.

What Is the Funnelling Revision Technique?

You've probably got a pile of revision notes. Or, maybe you’ve highlighted every sentence of every page of your textbooks! Now what? You know you need to summarise it, but how do you decide what to keep? How do you make sure you don’t get rid of something important? 

With the Funnelling Revision Technique you’ll gradually squeeze your notes down into something clearer and more focused, and you’ll learn along the way. 

The core idea? Instead of trying to memorise everything, you’ll create a series of summaries that get shorter and shorter. Starting with all the information, you’ll remove less important bits, keep the key facts, and finally end up with the essentials. Like a funnel, it starts off wide and becomes narrow, like an information filter. 

Why Does It Work?

Brains are brilliant, but they have limits. Cognitive load theory (opens in a new tab) tells us that when you're trying to learn something, your brain can only handle a certain amount of information at once. Too much and nothing sticks.

The Funnelling Technique works because:

Active recall means you're not just reading your notes—you're actively deciding what's important and what isn't. Active recall works because by “forcing your brain to search for an answer, you strengthen your memory”.

Spaced repetition happens naturally with this technique. Spaced repetition helps your brain store information into its long-term memory.

Condensing notes reduces your cognitive load. By breaking information into smaller chunks, each stage feels manageable and less scary. Plus, when you pare things down to essentials, it's easier to remember what actually matters.

How To Use the Funnelling Revision Technique: Step by Step

Stage 1: Gather Your Notes

Start by collecting all your notes on a topic. This could be from your textbook, lessons, or revision guides. Don't worry about organisation yet - just get everything together.

Stage 2: Create Your First Funnel Level

Read through a section and identify the most important points in a topic. Aim to reduce your notes by about half. Write out your findings in clear, simple sentences. You're still keeping quite a lot at this stage—just removing the minor details.

Stage 3: Make Your Second Funnel Level

Now take your first summary and condense it again. Aim to cut it down by half again. Focus on the biggest ideas and key facts - things that would appear in exam or test questions.

Stage 4: Create Your Final Summary

Now reduce everything to just the core facts (maybe just bullet points). This is what you'll memorise and quickly review before a test.

Stage 5: Transform Into Flashcards or Visual Aids

Use your final summary to create flashcards, mind maps, or quick-reference sheets - perfect for last-minute revision.

Subject-Specific Examples

Example 1: History—The Industrial Revolution

Stage 1 (Full Notes): Five pages covering inventions, working conditions, social changes, key dates, important people, and economic impacts.

Stage 2 (First Funnel): Two pages focusing on the three most important inventions (steam engine, spinning jenny, power loom), how they changed society, and why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain.

Stage 3 (Second Funnel): One paragraph: "The Industrial Revolution (1760–1840) transformed Britain through new inventions like the steam engine. Factories replaced home-based work, cities grew rapidly, and society changed forever. It happened in Britain first because of available resources, trade routes, and investment."

Stage 4 (Final Summary): Key bullet points:

• Industrial Revolution

• 1760–1840

• Steam engine key invention

• Factories replaced crafts

• Rapid urbanisation

• Britain leading due to resources and trade

Example 2: Biology—Photosynthesis

Stage 1 (Full Notes): Detailed explanation of light-dependent reactions, light-independent reactions, chloroplast structure, glucose production, and oxygen release.

Stage 2 (First Funnel): How photosynthesis happens: plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make glucose and oxygen.

Stage 3 (Second Funnel): Simple equation and purpose: 6CO₂ + 6H₂O + light energy = C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6O₂. Plants make food and oxygen.

Stage 4 (Final Summary): Flashcard front: "What is photosynthesis?" Back: "Process where plants convert sunlight into chemical energy (glucose) using water and carbon dioxide."

Example 3: English Literature - Texts and Essays

Stage 1: (Full Notes): Comprehensive notes and annotations on Macbeth's Character Development - Act 1.

Stage 2: (First Funnel): Macbeth - Act 1: Brave warrior, loyal to Duncan - "Brave Macbeth" . Echoes witches' paradox ("So foul and fair") - link to supernatural, foreshadows corruption. Reaction to prophecies ("rapt" and fearful). Thoughts turn to murder ("My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical"). Dangerous ambition despite his horror ("Stars, hide your fires;/Let not light see my black and deep desires”).

Stage 3: (Second Funnel): Key Facts Summary: Macbeth - Act 1

• Introduced as brave warrior ("Brave Macbeth") before appearing

• First line echoes witches to show conflict - "So foul and fair"

• Prophecies make him "rapt" and fearful

• Immediately thinks of murder - "My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical"

• "Stars, hide your fires" - shows awareness his desires are evil

• Ambition vs. conscience conflict established

Stage 4: (Final Summary)

Flashcard Front: “Macbeth Act 1 - Initial characterisation”.

Back:

• Brave warrior → "Brave Macbeth"

• First line: "So foul and fair" (echoes witches)

• Ambition revealed: "murder yet is but fantastical"

• Shame/secrecy: "Stars, hide your fires"

• Central conflict: ambition vs. conscience

City University of New York (opens in a new tab) suggests the funnelling technique for creating introductions or arguments for essays, too. 

Why not test it out when you practice English Literature essays?

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Over-condensing too quickly: Try not to jump straight from full notes to a single paragraph. You need time to process information step by step. 

Removing too much context: Make sure your condensed notes still make sense when you read them weeks later. Avoid writing random words.

Not reviewing your funnels: Creating the funnels is great, but you need to actually use them!  Give yourself enough time with a good revision routine. 

Making your funnels too wordy: The whole point is to make things simpler. If your "condensed" version is still massive, you haven't funnelled enough. 

Tips for Getting the Most Out of This Technique

Use colour coding as you funnel. Highlight the most important information in bright colours in your final summary. 

Review your funnels regularly. Look at each stage of your funnel every few days. You remember things better with repeated exposure.

Combine with flashcards. Your final funnel summary is perfect for flashcards. Pair this method with active recall by testing yourself regularly.

Create visual funnels. Draw funnel diagrams on paper or use digital tools. Seeing the information shrink down helps you understand the hierarchy of importance.

Adapt to your style. Some people prefer written summaries, others love mindmaps or diagrams. Try different formats to see what works.

Teach someone else. Explain the topic to a friend using your final summary. If you can teach it, you've learned it!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between funnel notes and flashcards?

Funnel notes help you to process information as you organise and reduce it from broad to specific. Flashcards are a tool for testing yourself with questions and answers. Funnels are the journey and flashcards are the destination.

Can I use this method for all subjects?

Pretty much! This technique works brilliantly for any subject involving information you need to remember. It's especially powerful for history, languages, sciences, and literature. For maths, funnel down to the key formulas and problem-solving steps.

How often should I revise with funnel notes?

Ideally, review your funnels every 2–3 days. Space out your revision of your funneled notes. You need a break between sessions to lock information into memory. As your exam gets closer, increase the frequency of your reviews.

Final Thoughts

No more long notes and pages of highlighting! Now you know how to use the Funnelling Revision Technique you’ll revise smarter, not harder. You can sort everything you need to know into exactly what you must remember. 

What to do next: pick one subject and give this technique a go. Start with one topic, work through the stages, and see how it feels. You might tweak it slightly to suit your learning style. Maybe you prefer three funnel stages instead of four, or you like using diagrams. The best revision method is one that works for you.

Remember, good revision is about quality, not quantity!

References:

Cognitive Load Theory - Medical College of Wisconsin (opens in a new tab)

CUNY Writing Centre: Revision Strategies (opens in a new tab)