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Is A level about learning the mark scheme?

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I have tried making notes based on past yr papers for biology...don't know whether this way of studying is effective..what do you guys think?

Reply 21

james20207

Original post by cwswishy

I have tried making notes based on past yr papers for biology...don't know whether this way of studying is effective..what do you guys think?

I think it could work, I'm doing this as well! Obviously though it helps if you go through the textbook/notes first and understand it. Then make notes from the mark schemes to help you understand exactly which key words they want and prefer you to use. :smile:

Reply 22

Chaofan88

To everyone here saying yes, do you think it's a good idea to repeat past papers then?

Reply 23

isp

So why do you have 'A2 results: A*A*A' if you haven't even achieved your results yet?

Typical TSR user..

Reply 24

b41nzy

im doing my biology f215 in june (ocr) and by learning mark schemes do you mean memorising them?

i didnt do any past papers for f214 in january and completely flopped. I just try and learn from the textbook. I don't know how to improve it and my teacher is abit of a spanner so he's not worth asking.... :/

Reply 25

isp

Original post by Chaofan88

To everyone here saying yes, do you think it's a good idea to repeat past papers then?

No, a complete waste of time unless you have a lot of time on your hands - even then it's not good. This is because the answers will be in your memory. You may not realise it or know it yourself but it'll be there and you will recall the answer.

Only repeat questions you don't fully understand.

Reply 26

The Learn Ranger

Past papers are really useful - they let you know how examiners phrase questions and the sort of questions they set. Practising past exam questions ought to be an important part of anyone's revision.

The problem is that an exam paper doesn't cover the whole course - the specification covers a whole range of stuff and each exam paper only tests part of that. So relying entirely on past papers for revision could mean you miss out some important material.

So while it's a great idea to use past papers, it's not great to rely on them completely.

Reply 27

coolcric321

Original post by isp

So why do you have 'A2 results: A*A*A' if you haven't even achieved your results yet?

Typical TSR user..

Look at the date of OP's post...

Reply 28

cdoyle

I believe they are to do with learning mark schemes. and in university its to do with learning lecturers notes only as I read the recommended reading list might as well not have bothered.

Reply 29

vedderfan94

Not sure what it's like with other boards, but it is definitely the case with AQA. When I do maths, physics and chemistry past papers and get a question wrong, I actually just write the answer into my revision notes.

Reply 30

Starsong

For Economics & AS French that how I did it :biggrin:

It's harder with History though, seeing as we all interpret it oddly. I tend to have a mark scheme out if I'm doing past papers, just so I can check if it all goes tits up anyway. :smile:

Reply 31

HeyyImRyan

Even for writing subjects it is all about learning the mark schemes! You just have to combine it with reading Examiner's reports. They both list everything which will get you top marks, and the ideal way of laying out your answers.

Writing specifically how the examiners say you should write, and writing exactly what they want to hear, is exactly how to get full marks on any subject.

Reply 32

stefl14

Exactly. There are loads of people who work their ass off in some of my classes and end up getting mediocre marks because they don't use their resources properly.

I hate biology with a passion and it is not related to what I'm going to study at university at all (economics) and as a result I never listen in class and don't turn up quite often. But because I literally just learn mark schemes and use examiner reports and stick rigorously to the spec (the teachers don't - they give too much unnecessary detail while missing important bits) I'm currently on 448/460 marks. It's stupid that this is the case but it's easy to play the system.

Reply 33

bahjat93

Can some1 please tell me how to study the mark scheme?

Reply 34

cdoyle

Original post by bahjat93

Can some1 please tell me how to study the mark scheme?

memorise. when the mark scheme lists bullet points it mightn't help your understanding just confused me. but I added one or two of the bullet points to my list.