Those of you who have, or are predicted, A* at A level. Tips please?

Just done my ASs, now doing Biology Chemistry & Maths for A2. Predicted A*s or As and really want to achieve these, so has anyone got any tips for how they managed it?

Did you revise much throughout the year? Did you do much work in the summer before year 13? Etc.

For any subjects, I'm sure people with essay subjects will want ideas too. :smile:

Thank you!

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Reply 1

Jam'

Original post by MarsBar*

Thank you!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

I just finished my A2 year and I do all Maths, Chemistry and Biology among others.

Maths is piss - spend the least time on this.

What exam boards do you do for bio and chem because that seriously affects how to prepare for the best grades?

Reply 2

MarsBar*

AQA bio, OCR A chem.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 3

Starsong

I don't have my results yet but I'm predicted an A/A* in History & Photography.

I read all the history books I thought were relevant over the summer, so when it came to coursework I knew what I was talking about. :cool:

Definitely make notes regularly, once you've finished a topic or each week. Makes stuff a lot easier to remember. :smile:

And learn the marking criteria off by heart.

Reply 4

Picture~Perfect

I'm predicted an A* in physics, I think the key is to make sure you really understand everything on the specification, actually understand it and not just be able to recite it. That way whatever question they throw at you, you will be able to handle it.

Reply 5

Wahrheit

I just finished my A2 exams, was predicted 3A* 2A in Maths, Further Maths, General Studies, Biology and German. Dropped out of the general studies exams, though so technically 2A* 2A prediction :P.

Obviously it's too early to tell exactly what my results are going to be, I would say that for Maths just do all the past papers on the OCR website and you should be fine. Make sure as soon as you learn a topic you do questions in the text book until you feel you could handle anything they throw at you, so revision really is 'revision' rather than... Vision?

Make sure you work hard for your exams in January of year 13, because retakes aren't really something you want to be worrying about it June (I've had 12 exams this summer, 2 of which were retakes).

Reply 6

pcorbett94

Read up on Chemistry and Biology over the summer. If you have your A2 textbooks already, read those. I had a joint AS/A2 textbook for Human Biology, but it was OCR, so I don't know what you have. For OCR A Chemistry I just looked at my specification and then read all the relevant pages on here: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/
I must admit I went a little overboard with this because I overly desperate to get the grades for medicine, so I basically pre-taught myself the whole of F324 and part of F325.

Make sure you do every past paper possible for all maths exams, and repeat them if you've got through them all before the exam.

Chemistry past papers are also essential, but OCR A don't really have many available. My college were great and made 7 compilation papers from the old syllabus papers, but if your's doesn't do that make sure you do the hard work of finding the legacy papers and scanning them to find relevant questions.

For Biology (I did Human, but the same applies I think) you will have to remember a load of things. OCR feel the need to ask you a load of things that aren't on your syllabus, and I've heard on here that AQA aren't much better. The only ways I prepared for the exam were revision cards on every single point of the specification, and I was lucky to have a family who went through the mound of cards with me over and over until I knew all the content. Past papers will help too, but I didn't do them on account of my teachers being useless and not finishing the course, or being available for help during study leave, meaning I had to spend time teaching myself the end of the course and didn't have time for past papers.

Finally, be prepared, with that combination, to have loads of study leave with no exams and then 3 or 4 exams in a week. I resat my January module for Maths and ended up doing the whole Maths A level year in 3 weeks as well as the final Biology and Chemistry modules.

Reply 7

dean01234

Original post by Jam'

Please don't listen to this advice...

Maths, while probably a little easier than some sciences is not piss. You are not going to get 90% that you need to average for an A* (90% for A2 core modules) with out work.

And the moment that you start thinking a subject is piss is when you start putting in less work than you probably should. Of course it is good to feel comfortable about a subject but being over confident is not a good strategy.

EDIT: I'm hoping this is just a retaliation neg and was not because that TSR is such a messed up place that good advice gets negs.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8

doobucks

Original post by MarsBar*

Thank you!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Maths is piss like that guy said, missed an A* by only a few marks, but revised for it like a week before. Just learn that early then recap on it like a week before the exam. Also don't leave early or go to sleep midway during the exam, do the test again and make sure you got everything right.

Chemistry, just read CGP over and over again and past papers/examiner reports.

Biology, CGP is a pile of crap, just read the big book, past papers and examiner reports, make sure you know everything there is to know. (you can tell which subject I did worst in)

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9

Mally1

Maths - PAST PAPERS GALORE! And examsolutions , dat site taught me C2.
Got predicted a A, got A*.

Reply 10

tpxvs

No and no. Just chill and dont try too hard.. actually focusing in lessons should be enough, along with doing set work. Thats it. Have hobbies. Do other things, enjoy life.. dont worry yourself about exams too much. Atleast having a laisez faire attidude helps me :smile:

Reply 11

AverageExcellence

Keep on top of the work load constantly with small but regular revision periods throughout. Dont wait until the last month or term and start cramming.

Reply 12

False Utopia

don't do any sciences accept maths and further maths.

Reply 13

Gibbers

I was predicted 2A* in Philosophy and History - just finished my finals a few days ago. For essay subjects, the important thing is exam technique... I know that sounds really lame but come the exam - you should know practically everything required (start revision 3-4 weeks before exam). Philosophy is just about learning the arguments for and against, and the exam technique is structuring these arguments in a logical way so that the essays you produce are coherent - a coherent essay that shows you know your stuff always scores highly. History is just a solid grind to get all the facts and figures burned into your brain, I can't speak for the exam technique as people do different boards that do vary quite widely. I did AQA, and it was just about making sure there was a clear argument in your essay - and that it had a clear conclusion. As for coursework... don't miss deadlines... what else is there to say? Pace yourself so that you have all your coursework material done (notes/research etc.) then begin the Coursework. Don't start before you have completed your research. For my coursework, it took 4 months to get all the notes down, 1 day to do the first draft, and 3 days to do the final thing. The essay isn't the problem with history coursework, it's the gathering and selecting of material. That's important to keep in mind.

The essays you do throughout the year should really be the prep' you need regarding exam technique. Try and aim for A's in the essays you do in class and for homework, because if your teachers are anything like mine were, they will mark ridiculously harshly so even a low A would probably translate into a solid A*. It's also not a bad idea to revise from the essays you do throughout the year, as if they get a good mark, you have a revision tool all ready made with the necessary knowledge and structure included. Make sure you look after these and indeed all the essays you do - make a folder on your computer and put all of them there, or, if they are handwritten - put them all in a separate ring-binder so you don't lose them.

I got 280/280 in History at AS level + A2 Coursework, in Philosophy I got 181/200 at AS. I obviously don't know what my results will be, indeed in Philosophy for one point I stated the wrong Philosopher (they both began with G's =[ ) and for one of the questions I'm worried that some of the points may not have been entirely relevant to the question, but the important thing is to look back and have no regrets.

Revise hard come crunch time, look after the work you do in class (and at home), participate in lessons, and ask your friends for help when needed. If you do these things, you know you've done practically all you can to get an A*.

Reply 14

Howbeit

Original post by MarsBar*

Thank you!

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Most of my exams were essay based but I did a massive cram two weeks before my exams and used memory techniques such as loci. Do plenty of practice papers (after you've done your revision though) and then make up your own questions, write about what you know, etc... it tests what you really know and I find if I'm explaining something I remember it.