The Student Room Group

Chemistry AS Level Help - OCR A

Willing to help anybody studying the 2015 OCR A Chemistry AS level specification. Posts questions and queries below :smile:
Original post by elizabethkeay
Willing to help anybody studying the 2015 OCR A Chemistry AS level specification. Posts questions and queries below :smile:


Hey, do you think the chemrevise notes are good enough to soely revise from? I don't find the book helpful. And do you think there is enough time to learn and revise all of the organic section by end of April including papers? thanks
Original post by ronnydandam
Hey, do you think the chemrevise notes are good enough to soely revise from? I don't find the book helpful. And do you think there is enough time to learn and revise all of the organic section by end of April including papers? thanks


Hey! I personally didn't benefit from chemrevise notes at all. I use the CGP revision guide which is great. They cover all the content but don't tell you anything more than you need to know. They keep it concise and the book is really tailored to the specification. It depends what kind of grade you're aiming for and how many hours per day you're wiling to invest into it but yes realistically you could! However, I found that reading over notes is by far the worst form of revision. Get some coloured pens and make flashcards, get people to keep testing you over and over again until you get it right. Be sure to learn all of your definitions and standard answers before you jump into any of the more complex stuff. Basics are key!

Good luck! X
What sort of revision routine did you go through?
I'm not sure what to do, past papers first or just continue making notes?
Reply 4
What's the difference between Van der Waals' forces and London forces?
Original post by Vanilla Poison
What sort of revision routine did you go through?
I'm not sure what to do, past papers first or just continue making notes?


Make sure you finish your notes before you start doing past papers. I always find though that once I have finished a topic it is always good to do a couple of questions on the topic to make sure I understand it. Make sure you get somebody to keep testing you on your notes especially a few days after you wrote them just to make sure that you're actually taking it all in. Oh and don't forget to use colored pens and stuff! Mind maps are always great too. If I have a day of pretty hefty revision, the next morning i always wake up and make an a4 mind map and try to recall as much as i can from the previous day, and then look at my notes and compare them to see what I managed to remember and what i didn't.

Once you feel like you have a good understand of the course, that is when to start doing past papers. Don't leave them right until the end as they are a great method of identifying areas of weakness. When you're marking papers make sure to read through the mark scheme and take note of any model answers, especially for the 6 mark questions as these come up frequently! Another thing that I find really useful is to actually go through the examiners report for each paper. It tells you which questions most students went wrong with and why they did- this is really interesting!

Good luck
Original post by OGGUS
What's the difference between Van der Waals' forces and London forces?


They're the same thing!! Van der Waal's was the old specifications name for them and London Forces is the 2015 name for them. Both are exactly the same thing, but make sure to say Londons Forces in the exam if you are doing the new 2015 specification (aren't a re sitter).
Reply 7
Original post by elizabethkeay
They're the same thing!! Van der Waal's was the old specifications name for them and London Forces is the 2015 name for them. Both are exactly the same thing, but make sure to say Londons Forces in the exam if you are doing the new 2015 specification (aren't a re sitter).


Okay thanks :smile: (and no I'm not a re sitter)
Original post by OGGUS
Okay thanks :smile: (and no I'm not a re sitter)


No problem!! Yep its london forces for you then, most revision guides still call them Van Der Waals' forces though which can be pretty confusing.

Good luck for your exams!
Original post by elizabethkeay
Hey! I personally didn't benefit from chemrevise notes at all. I use the CGP revision guide which is great. They cover all the content but don't tell you anything more than you need to know. They keep it concise and the book is really tailored to the specification. It depends what kind of grade you're aiming for and how many hours per day you're wiling to invest into it but yes realistically you could! However, I found that reading over notes is by far the worst form of revision. Get some coloured pens and make flashcards, get people to keep testing you over and over again until you get it right. Be sure to learn all of your definitions and standard answers before you jump into any of the more complex stuff. Basics are key!

Good luck! X


Thanks a lot :smile:. I have the CGP book and have used that occasionaly, I need an A and I've mae flash cards on everything and I've learnt them all for module 2 and just keep testing myself, I just want to make sure I can learn it all by end of April including past papers from 2009-15 so in May I can just do older past papers, you reckon 2 hours a day is enough for chemistry? ( I have three other subjects too)

Quick Reply

Latest