Best A Level Revision Apps: 7 Powerful Tools To Boost Grades Fast (Most Students Don’t Use #3) – If you want to actually remember what you revise instead of rereading notes forever, this is for you.
So, you’re hunting for the best A level revision apps that actually help you remember stuff, not just make you feel “productive”?
Start Studying Smarter Today
Download FlashRecall now to create flashcards from images, YouTube, text, audio, and PDFs. Use spaced repetition and save your progress to study like top students.
How Flashrecall app helps you remember faster. It's free
So, What’s The Best A Level Revision App Right Now?
So, you’re hunting for the best A level revision apps that actually help you remember stuff, not just make you feel “productive”? Honestly, start with Flashrecall – it’s one of the few apps that actually focuses on memory, not just pretty notes. It turns your notes, photos, PDFs, YouTube links and more into flashcards instantly, then uses spaced repetition and active recall to make sure you don’t forget anything. It’s free to start, fast, works offline, and it literally reminds you when to review so you’re not cramming the night before. Grab it here:
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Why Apps Matter So Much For A Level Revision
Alright, let’s talk about why A level revision apps are such a big deal.
A Levels are content-heavy: essays, definitions, formulas, case studies, quotes… trying to keep all that in your head with just a notebook is brutal.
Good apps should help you:
- Remember more in less time (not just stare at notes)
- Organise topics so you’re not jumping randomly between subjects
- Track progress so you know what’s actually sinking in
- Stop cramming by spreading revision out automatically
That’s where tools like Flashrecall really stand out – they’re built around how memory works, not just how notes look.
1. Flashrecall – Best For Actually Remembering Content
If you only try one app from this list, make it Flashrecall. It’s basically your memory’s personal trainer.
👉 Download it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
What Flashrecall Does So Well
Flashrecall is a flashcard maker app that makes revision stupidly efficient:
- Instant flashcards from anything
- Photos of textbook pages or class notes
- Text you paste in
- PDFs
- Audio
- YouTube links
- Or just stuff you type
- Built-in spaced repetition
- It automatically schedules when you should see each card again
- Hard cards come back sooner, easy ones are spaced out
- Active recall by default
- You see the question → try to remember → then reveal the answer
- This is the exact method research shows works best for long-term memory
- Smart reminders
- You get notified when it’s time to review
- No more “I’ll revise later” and then… you don’t
- Works offline
- Perfect for bus journeys, dead WiFi at school, or revising on the go
- Chat with your flashcards
- Stuck on a concept? You can literally chat with the card to get more explanation or examples
- Free to start, fast and modern
- Clean interface, no clunky menus
- Works on both iPhone and iPad
Why It’s So Good For A Levels
Flashrecall is especially great for:
- Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
- Definitions, processes, equations, diagrams
- Maths / Further Maths
- Formulas, theorems, methods (e.g. “How do I integrate this type of function?”)
- Languages
- Vocab, grammar patterns, phrases
- History / Geography / Economics / Psychology / Sociology
- Key dates, case studies, studies & researchers, definitions, essay points
- Any essay subject
- Turn your notes and model paragraphs into Q&A flashcards
Example:
You’ve got a 10-page PDF of Biology notes. Instead of rereading it for the 4th time, you import it into Flashrecall → it helps you turn it into flashcards → you review those with spaced repetition → you actually remember the content for the exam.
2. Quizlet – Popular, But Here’s The Catch
You’ve probably heard of Quizlet – it’s like the classic flashcard app everyone talks about.
What’s Good About Quizlet
- Huge library of pre-made sets (A level subjects, exam boards, topics)
- Simple to use
- Some game-like modes that make revision less boring
Where Flashrecall Is Better
Quizlet is decent, but:
- You often rely on other people’s sets, which can be wrong or not match your spec
- The spaced repetition and advanced features are paywalled
- It doesn’t create flashcards from PDFs, images, audio, or YouTube links as smoothly as Flashrecall
With Flashrecall, you can:
- Turn your own notes, photos, and resources into cards instantly
- Get built-in spaced repetition and reminders without needing to remember to “add” it
- Chat with cards if you’re confused, which Quizlet doesn’t do
If you like the idea of flashcards but want something more powerful and modern, Flashrecall is the better long-term choice.
3. Notion – Great For Notes, Not For Memory
Why Students Like It
- You can create pretty pages for each subject
- Embed PDFs, images, links, and tables
- Good for planning revision timetables
But Here’s The Problem
Notion is not designed for memory:
- No built-in spaced repetition
- No active recall system
- You just end up rereading notes, which feels productive but isn’t the most effective
Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :
Perfect combo:
Use Notion for organising your syllabus and notes → use Flashrecall to actually remember the key content by turning those notes into flashcards.
4. Anki – Powerful, But Kind Of Painful On iOS
Pros
- Extremely powerful if you like tweaking settings
- Lots of shared decks (though quality varies)
Cons (Especially On iOS)
- The interface feels old and clunky
- The official iOS app is paid and not exactly modern
- Steeper learning curve – lots of settings, add-ons, card types
If you want something that just works without watching YouTube tutorials on how to set it up, Flashrecall is a much smoother option on iPhone and iPad. You still get spaced repetition and powerful flashcards, but with a modern, easy interface and instant card creation from your real study materials.
5. Forest / Flora – For Staying Off Your Phone
These aren’t content apps, but they’re still useful for A level revision.
- Growing a virtual tree while you study
- If you leave the app to scroll TikTok… your tree dies
- You can set focused sessions and break times
They don’t help you learn content directly, but pairing something like Forest with Flashrecall is a strong combo:
- Use Forest to stay focused
- Use Flashrecall to actually revise during that focused time
6. Past Paper Apps & Websites – For Real Exam Practice
You can’t do A levels properly without past papers.
Depending on your exam board and subject, you’ll find apps or mobile-friendly sites that give you:
- Past papers
- Mark schemes
- Sometimes examiner reports
These are perfect for:
- Testing exam technique
- Seeing how marks are awarded
- Practising timing
Smart way to combine them with Flashrecall:
1. Do a past paper or a set of questions
2. Mark it with the mark scheme
3. Any point you got wrong or forgot → turn it into a Flashrecall card
4. Now your mistakes become future marks, because you’ll keep seeing those cards until they stick
7. Flashrecall + Your Other Apps = The Best A Level Setup
Here’s a simple but powerful setup you can use:
Step 1: Organise Content
Use whatever you like for raw notes:
- Notion
- Apple Notes
- Google Docs
- Paper notebook
Step 2: Turn Key Info Into Flashcards With Flashrecall
Whenever you finish a topic:
- Take photos of your notes or textbook → import into Flashrecall
- Import PDFs from teachers or school
- Paste text from your digital notes
- Add YouTube links from revision channels
- Or just manually type key definitions, formulas, and essay plans
Flashrecall helps you turn all of that into flashcards quickly.
Step 3: Let Spaced Repetition Do Its Thing
- Open Flashrecall daily (even 10–15 minutes helps)
- The app shows you the cards that are due that day
- You rate how easy or hard each card was
- The algorithm schedules the next review for the perfect time
No more “where do I even start revising today?” – the app tells you.
Step 4: Mix In Past Papers
- Every time you do a past paper or topic test, add your weak spots into Flashrecall
- Over time, your deck becomes a personalised “don’t-forget-this” list
How To Use Flashrecall For Different A Level Subjects
Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)
- Turn diagrams into image cards
- Make Q&A cards like:
- “Explain the Bohr model”
- “What is Le Chatelier’s principle?”
- Use spaced repetition to keep tricky processes fresh
Maths / Further Maths
- Cards like:
- Front: “Differentiate sin(x)”
- Back: “cos(x)”
- Or method cards:
- Front: “Steps to complete the square”
- Back: numbered list of steps
Languages
- Front: word in target language
- Back: translation + example sentence
- Use audio or YouTube links for listening practice and add cards from them
Essay Subjects (History, English, Psychology, Sociology, etc.)
- Cards for key studies, quotes, dates, theories, essay structures
- Example:
- Front: “Milgram (1963) – aim + findings”
- Back: short bullet-point summary
All of these work perfectly in Flashrecall, with reminders so you don’t forget them three weeks later.
Final Thoughts: Which A Level Revision App Should You Start With?
If you want the best A level revision apps setup, you can absolutely mix and match:
- Use something like Notion or paper for notes
- Use Forest/Flora to stay focused
- Use past paper sites for exam practice
But for actually remembering content and not blanking in the exam, Flashrecall should be your main weapon.
It’s:
- Free to start
- Fast and modern
- Works offline
- Great for every subject – from languages to sciences to essay-heavy topics
- Designed around active recall and spaced repetition, which is exactly what you need for A levels
If you’re serious about smashing your grades, download it now and start turning today’s notes into tomorrow’s marks:
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest way to create flashcards?
Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.
Is there a free flashcard app?
Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.
How do I start spaced repetition?
You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.
What is active recall and how does it work?
Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.
Related Articles
- Best Revision Apps For A Level: 7 Powerful Tools To Boost Grades Fast (And The One Most Students Miss)
- A Level Revision Apps: 7 Powerful Study Tools To Actually Remember What You Revise (Most Students Don’t Know #3) – If you’re drowning in notes and past papers, these apps will seriously save you hours.
- Apps To Study Online: 7 Powerful Tools To Learn Faster (Most Students Don’t Know #3) – If you want to actually remember what you study instead of rereading notes forever, these apps will change how you learn.
Practice This With Free Flashcards
Try our web flashcards right now to test yourself on what you just read. You can click to flip cards, move between questions, and see how much you really remember.
Try Flashcards in Your BrowserInside the FlashRecall app you can also create your own decks from images, PDFs, YouTube, audio, and text, then use spaced repetition to save your progress and study like top students.
Research References
The information in this article is based on peer-reviewed research and established studies in cognitive psychology and learning science.
Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380
Meta-analysis showing spaced repetition significantly improves long-term retention compared to massed practice
Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2012). Using spacing to enhance diverse forms of learning: Review of recent research and implications for instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 24(3), 369-378
Review showing spacing effects work across different types of learning materials and contexts
Kang, S. H. (2016). Spaced repetition promotes efficient and effective learning: Policy implications for instruction. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1), 12-19
Policy review advocating for spaced repetition in educational settings based on extensive research evidence
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966-968
Research demonstrating that active recall (retrieval practice) is more effective than re-reading for long-term learning
Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), 20-27
Review of research showing retrieval practice (active recall) as one of the most effective learning strategies
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58
Comprehensive review ranking learning techniques, with practice testing and distributed practice rated as highly effective

FlashRecall Team
FlashRecall Development Team
The FlashRecall Team is a group of working professionals and developers who are passionate about making effective study methods more accessible to students. We believe that evidence-based learning tec...
Credentials & Qualifications
- •Software Development
- •Product Development
- •User Experience Design
Areas of Expertise
Ready to Transform Your Learning?
Start using FlashRecall today - the AI-powered flashcard app with spaced repetition and active recall.
Download on App Store