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Reading up on A-Levels Before the Start of Sixth Form

So -

I will be finishing my GCSEs on the 17th June so I have got a long (very long) summer ahead of me...

I'm aware of the huge jump between GCSEs and A-Levels, and so I was wondering if anyone recommended getting started on some lightish revision / reading first this summer?

If so, what textbooks/resources would you recommend? I'll be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and History.

Thanks - and best of luck in all your exams :smile:
For Chemistry, I would purchase the official textbook for your specification, if you know it, and go over the first few chapters to get a head start and know what your getting yourself into.
For Maths, Check out the website Examsolutions (absolute legend!:adore: ) and also start going over small easy stuff etc.
Can't help with the rest since i don't do them..:tongue:

Good Luck for your GCSE'S !:banana::bl::bumps:
Reply 2
Avatar for metellaest
metellaest
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11
Original post by hdhfhhdfhd
For Chemistry, I would purchase the official textbook for your specification, if you know it, and go over the first few chapters to get a head start and know what your getting yourself into.
For Maths, Check out the website Examsolutions (absolute legend!:adore: ) and also start going over small easy stuff etc.
Can't help with the rest since i don't do them..:tongue:

Good Luck for your GCSE'S !:banana::bl::bumps:


Thanks! I'll definitely check out that site and see if I can get the textbook out of a library (don't want to buy it in case the school gives it to me on the first day).

Best of luck with any exams as well :smile:
Original post by metellaest
So -

I will be finishing my GCSEs on the 17th June so I have got a long (very long) summer ahead of me...

I'm aware of the huge jump between GCSEs and A-Levels, and so I was wondering if anyone recommended getting started on some lightish revision / reading first this summer?

If so, what textbooks/resources would you recommend? I'll be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and History.

Thanks - and best of luck in all your exams :smile:

I'm sitting my A2s this year and trust me, you don't need to. This is going to be such a long summer for you: ENJOY it!
I'm doing nearly the same A Levels but not planning on doing anything school related over the summer... is that not normal for TSR? :redface:
I'm doing exactly the same subjects as you and no revision is necessary over the summer - enjoy it because you're going to need to work hard throughout the academic year.

But seriously, who revises in the summer?

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Reply 6
Avatar for metellaest
metellaest
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Original post by Platopus
I'm sitting my A2s this year and trust me, you don't need to. This is going to be such a long summer for you: ENJOY it!


I will (I'm going on a truly amazing school trip) but I find myself painfully bored a lot of the time... I only meant for a few hours a week - not a few hours a day :smile:

Best of luck with your A2s and Unis! :smile:
Reply 7
Avatar for metellaest
metellaest
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Original post by surina16
I'm doing nearly the same A Levels but not planning on doing anything school related over the summer... is that not normal for TSR? :redface:


I'm sure it is! I just know I'll get bored by Day 4... I would get a job, but I don't have enough free straight weeks in a row to get a proper one due to other things...

Best of luck with GCSEs! How many do you have left?
Reply 8
Avatar for metellaest
metellaest
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Original post by nomophobia
I'm doing exactly the same subjects as you and no revision is necessary over the summer - enjoy it because you're going to need to work hard throughout the academic year.

But seriously, who revises in the summer?

Posted from TSR Mobile


Okay - thanks for the advice :smile:

And I'm sure there must be a few people...?
Original post by metellaest
I'm sure it is! I just know I'll get bored by Day 4... I would get a job, but I don't have enough free straight weeks in a row to get a proper one due to other things...

Best of luck with GCSEs! How many do you have left?


Ah right - I don't think I can ever get bored doing nothing :biggrin: I might look for a supermarket job though so I have money to spend on 6th form clothes :lol: Yeah the main reason why I didn't do things like NCS is because I don't have that much time all in one block (if that makes sense lol).
Thank you - same to you! :h:
I have 11 more exams (done 14) - only completed 3/10 subjects so far :colonhash: You? :smile:
Original post by metellaest
So -

I will be finishing my GCSEs on the 17th June so I have got a long (very long) summer ahead of me...

I'm aware of the huge jump between GCSEs and A-Levels, and so I was wondering if anyone recommended getting started on some lightish revision / reading first this summer?

If so, what textbooks/resources would you recommend? I'll be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and History.

Thanks - and best of luck in all your exams :smile:


I'm in the same situation as you but I'm doing Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics.

I got the official spec books for Chem and Physics (for me it's AQA), and I've started reading like a few pages. Had to stop recently because of exam season but I think it's definitely worth working ahead. It's probably the best time to start after the exams are over, possibly 3 or 4 weeks before AS starts!

Don't take my word for it tho, I haven't been through A Levels yet lol.

Good Luck with the rest of your exams!! 😆


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Original post by surina16
Ah right - I don't think I can ever get bored doing nothing :biggrin: I might look for a supermarket job though so I have money to spend on 6th form clothes :lol: Yeah the main reason why I didn't do things like NCS is because I don't have that much time all in one block (if that makes sense lol).
Thank you - same to you! :h:
I have 11 more exams (done 14) - only completed 3/10 subjects so far :colonhash: You? :smile:


That's the same problem as me - I have a couple of weeks, then work experience, then family holiday, then a few more weeks, then big school trip - then *cries* two days later results day...I think I'll try and find some babysitting to do - because money for clothes is a very good idea! :smile:

Done 18 - got 7 to go! Only Maths, Triple Science and Greek left :smile:
Reply 12
Avatar for mliela
mliela
14
Original post by metellaest
So -

I will be finishing my GCSEs on the 17th June so I have got a long (very long) summer ahead of me...

I'm aware of the huge jump between GCSEs and A-Levels, and so I was wondering if anyone recommended getting started on some lightish revision / reading first this summer?

If so, what textbooks/resources would you recommend? I'll be taking Maths, Chemistry, Biology and History.

Thanks - and best of luck in all your exams :smile:


Loads of people say they will and never do. Trust me there's absolutely no need. Enjoy summer and learn the stuff during the school year.


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Original post by metellaest
Okay - thanks for the advice :smile:

And I'm sure there must be a few people...?


I highly doubt it..... and even then, no offence but why do you want to be that person?

If you're getting bored, get hooked on a new TV show or pick up a new hobby or a sport or just go out with friends all the time.

Please don't revise over the summer, enjoy it because AS Levels will kill you. :smile:

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Original post by nomophobia
I highly doubt it..... and even then, no offence but why do you want to be that person?

If you're getting bored, get hooked on a new TV show or pick up a new hobby or a sport or just go out with friends all the time.

Please don't revise over the summer, enjoy it because AS Levels will kill you. :smile:

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Haha okay :smile: I'm sure I'll have no problem getting hooked on a new TV show. Any recommendations?
Original post by metellaest
Haha okay :smile: I'm sure I'll have no problem getting hooked on a new TV show. Any recommendations?


I'm not the best person to ask lol but my friend recommended to me The Healer and She Was Pretty - they're both Korean dramas but I have no idea if they're any good cuz she only recommended them today and like I said, AS Levels are killing me rn.

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Original post by nomophobia
I'm not the best person to ask lol but my friend recommended to me The Healer and She Was Pretty - they're both Korean dramas but I have no idea if they're any good cuz she only recommended them today and like I said, AS Levels are killing me rn.

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Thanks - I'll check them out. How are you finding history? I really enjoyed the GCSE but it took up so much time and energy! And I only ended up writing about maybe a twelfth of what I knew in the exam cos the questions were bad...

Best of luck with your AS Levels :smile:
Original post by metellaest
Thanks - I'll check them out. How are you finding history? I really enjoyed the GCSE but it took up so much time and energy! And I only ended up writing about maybe a twelfth of what I knew in the exam cos the questions were bad...

Best of luck with your AS Levels :smile:


I....do not wish to scare you. But since you asked....

*ahem*

History is murder. At first. I like you, loved it at GCSE and thought it would be a great idea to take it to A-Level - at first I hated it because I couldn't wrap my head around the exam questions - and I have a great teacher too. But then when I got my hear around it around December time I LOVED IT - and I still love it and I will be sad to be dropping it this year - I can honestly say it's my favourite subject alongside maths, it's a great subject to study but it's incredibly hard and requires a lot of time and hard work.

And also, if you think GCSE is taking ages, there is 1000 times more content for A-Level - I had to memorise about 250 pages of content for history :cry2: and exam technique too!

And that's just for AS, because of the new spec, if I took it to the full A-Level, I'd have 500 pages of content to learn.

I also ended up spending a lot of time on it and couldn't really prioritise my other subjects....

But you'll probably love it. Don't worry about that.
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Original post by nomophobia
I....do not wish to scare you. But since you asked....

*ahem*

History is murder. At first. I like you, loved it at GCSE and thought it would be a great idea to take it to A-Level - at first I hated it because I couldn't wrap my head around the exam questions - and I have a great teacher too. But then when I got my hear around it around December time I LOVED IT - and I still love it and I will be sad to be dropping it this year - I can honestly say it's my favourite subject alongside maths, it's a great subject to study but it's incredibly hard and requires a lot of time and hard work.

And also, if you think GCSE is taking ages, there is 1000 times more content for A-Level - I had to memorise about 250 pages of content for history :cry2: and exam technique too!

And that's just for AS, because of the new spec, if I took it to the full A-Level, I'd have 500 pages of content to learn.

I also ended up spending a lot of time on it and couldn't really prioritise my other subjects....

But you'll probably love it. Don't worry about that.
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Gosh that's a lot of content! I do like learning about it though - I just find the exams themselves so stressful...I'm not sure whether I'm going to do the full A-Level or not - it depends whether I'm finding Maths easy or hard!

And prioritising is a big problem for me - relative to other subjects, I definitely spent too much time on History!

Luckily, one of the big AS topics at my new school is on the rise and regime of the Nazis - and while I appreciate it will be in much greater depth, we did study that for the GCSE at my current school! So at the very least, I will know the context of things already :smile:
Out of the subjects you're taking, I take Biology and if you really want to, then do some light reading of the basic things you'll need to know like cell structure and such which is much more detailed than at GCSE. But honestly, enjoy your summer and do as many things as possible because you'll make the best memories and there'll be plenty of times when you start Year 12 where you wish you could go back,

Good Luck.

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