Advice and tips for Sixth Form?
What things would i need to buy and bring?
Any revision tips?
Organizing tips?
Any tips in general to survive sixth form
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A messenger bag/rucksack to take to college
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Stationery - pens, pencils, ruler, sharpener etc
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A refill pad of lined paper
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Plastic wallets to keep loose sheets in
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Folders - I'd suggest one ring binder (to take each day) and one lever arch file (to keep at home)
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A couple of memory sticks to transfer and back up coursework, notes etc
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When I was in college, I took one ring binder to college every day. I had file dividers separating the work for each of my subjects, a few sheets of lined paper at the front (instead of taking a whole pad of paper every day), and a plastic wallet for each subject to store loose sheets in, which I hole punched and filed properly when I got home. I'd recommend this system 
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I also kept a lever arch file at home, which I transferred my work into once the ring binder got full. Again, I used file dividers to keep each subject separate.
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Make revision notes as you cover each topic in class. This saves time as your revision notes will already be completed when you come to revise at the end of the year. Also get a copy of the specification for each of your subjects to check you've made notes on everything you need to know.
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The earlier you master your exam technique for each subject, the better! Using the right technique when answering the exam questions increases your likelihood of gaining as many marks as possible.
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Consider using a revision timetable. I structured my revision by day, rather than time. For example: revise topic a, b and c on Monday, revise topic d, e, f and g on Tuesday, and so on. I found this structure much easier to follow and stick to, than if I'd structured it by time, e.g. revise topic a from 11am to 1pm, topic b from 1.30pm to 3pm etc.
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Always make sure to ask for help if you need it! Don't be embarrassed about asking for help, it's important that you understand the content. If you don't understand something at the start, it may hinder your ability to understand more complex related content later on.
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If you miss a lesson, try to find out what you missed as soon as you can.
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Take advantage of any homework help/revision help sessions your college might offer. They can prove invaluable if you're struggling with any aspect of the content, homework etc.
I've just finished year 13. Those subjects are great, you'll really enjoy them! I loved psychology. In terms of organisation, make sure you get lots of pens (including coloured ones, these helped me to remember facts), notebooks and folders. I had one folder for each subject, which is recommend as it's so easy to lose important notes.
I packed my bag a week before sixth form began. I also read up on the subjects I was doing during the summer- just gentle browsing of a science site for biology, going over GCSE knowledge for chemistry. This could be particularly helpful for history and psychology.
In terms of revision, don't start too early (I made this mistake in year 12 and burnt out). Make sure you skim over your class notes regularly and complete homework though. For study motivation, try 'theorganisedstudent'. It's a tumblr site with lots of printable timetables etc. So very helpful near exam time
Do you have a particular degree in mind that you want to study? If there is work experience you need to do for it, start early. Apply for opportunities before or as soon as you start sixth form. If you want to start volunteering to add to your CV, this can also be done during year 12- so you'll have a years worth of volunteering by the time you apply to uni (rather than starting a month before you apply- year 13 is stressful enough, believe me!)
For sixth form life, I actually took quite a large time to adjust. I'm shy, so in the first year of sixth form I stayed in the library without socialising. Don't isolate yourself! I had some of the best experiences of my life in sixth form, with my friends. Try and find a group of people you like to hang around with early on.
You can PM me if you need anything else!
English Literature:
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For every essay you're set, do some research and try to find at least 3 essays or interpretations on your given topic on the internet, using sites like Google Books, Google Scholar etc. For example, say you're set an essay on the theme of the American Dream in Great Gatsby: find an essay by someone on the way Gatsby is used to show the failings of the American Dream, find an article about the origins of the American Dream (very interesting, there used to be this idea in America that wealth was permitted by God, and so the wealthier a man was, the more godly he was... you can see very swiftly how this idea is subverted in Great Gatsby through Dr TJ Eckleberg and Wilson at the end, when he talks about there not being a God), then find an academic essay which lists some examples of the symbols in Great Gatsby and how they relate to the different themes. Read these articles and essays fully, then begin your essay, incorporating the themes and ideas you've found through your research. You'll find that you're writing essays which are fully developed and including sophisticated and advanced ideas. However, if you do not understand what an idea means, do not plagiarise it or attempt to put it into your own words. If you don't understand how Marxist criticism works when applied to novels of that genre, do not try to include it in your piece!!! Write about things which you fully understand, and so if a teacher asks you what you mean, you can explain it. If they ask if you've come up with it, don't lie! They'll be more impressed that you've taken an independent approach to learning by seeking out literary criticism and using those ideas in your own critiques. Save any sites you use, because when the time comes for exams you'll desperately need all the websites you used, and if you have a bank of sophisticated and well written essays to rely upon, you'll be set for the June examinations.
History:
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With history, there will be a lot of information to take in so I recommend reviewing your notes every week to make sure you've got down all the information you've been given. Take care of your notes and make sure they're done chronologically. Every time you finish a section, take it out of your folder and keep it at home, so you'll have fewer pieces of paper to carry around with you and you won't lose your folder and with it all your work - a friend of mine kept all her history work in one folder and then lost the whole thing in April. Eventually she found it again, but had she been taking her work out at the end of every month/topic, losing her folder would only mean losing a few weeks of work rather than losing her entire year's worth of notes. Also, find the syllabus online for your exam, which will include all the different sections you'll be tested on; use this as a checklist and once you've finished a section - let's say the financial policies of Henry VII - you can tick it off and review your notes. Keeping on top of it is key.
Good luck!
English Literature:
•
For every essay you're set, do some research and try to find at least 3 essays or interpretations on your given topic on the internet, using sites like Google Books, Google Scholar etc. For example, say you're set an essay on the theme of the American Dream in Great Gatsby: find an essay by someone on the way Gatsby is used to show the failings of the American Dream, find an article about the origins of the American Dream (very interesting, there used to be this idea in America that wealth was permitted by God, and so the wealthier a man was, the more godly he was... you can see very swiftly how this idea is subverted in Great Gatsby through Dr TJ Eckleberg and Wilson at the end, when he talks about there not being a God), then find an academic essay which lists some examples of the symbols in Great Gatsby and how they relate to the different themes. Read these articles and essays fully, then begin your essay, incorporating the themes and ideas you've found through your research. You'll find that you're writing essays which are fully developed and including sophisticated and advanced ideas. However, if you do not understand what an idea means, do not plagiarise it or attempt to put it into your own words. If you don't understand how Marxist criticism works when applied to novels of that genre, do not try to include it in your piece!!! Write about things which you fully understand, and so if a teacher asks you what you mean, you can explain it. If they ask if you've come up with it, don't lie! They'll be more impressed that you've taken an independent approach to learning by seeking out literary criticism and using those ideas in your own critiques. Save any sites you use, because when the time comes for exams you'll desperately need all the websites you used, and if you have a bank of sophisticated and well written essays to rely upon, you'll be set for the June examinations.
•
With history, there will be a lot of information to take in so I recommend reviewing your notes every week to make sure you've got down all the information you've been given. Take care of your notes and make sure they're done chronologically. Every time you finish a section, take it out of your folder and keep it at home, so you'll have fewer pieces of paper to carry around with you and you won't lose your folder and with it all your work - a friend of mine kept all her history work in one folder and then lost the whole thing in April. Eventually she found it again, but had she been taking her work out at the end of every month/topic, losing her folder would only mean losing a few weeks of work rather than losing her entire year's worth of notes. Also, find the syllabus online for your exam, which will include all the different sections you'll be tested on; use this as a checklist and once you've finished a section - let's say the financial policies of Henry VII - you can tick it off and review your notes. Keeping on top of it is key.
Good luck!
i'm doing classical civilisation
and this is what my teacher for next year said i would be studying
You will study two topics for AS: Greek Tragedy in its Context and Homer's Odyssey and Society. For the Tragedy unit you will study four plays: Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Sophocles' Antigone, and Euripides' Medea and Electra, both as works of literature and as social and historical documents. You will investigate the origins and development of drama and the impact that classical drama has had on the modern world. For the Odyssey unit you will study Homer's epic poem following the perilous journey of the hero Odysseus in his bid to return home and reclaim his kingdom after the Trojan War. As with the Tragedy unit, the Odyssey will be studied as a work of literature and as a social document, and you will explore the society and the values it represents. For A2 you will study the units Comic Drama in the Ancient World and Virgil and the World of the Hero. For the Comedy unit you will study four plays: Aristophanes' Cloudsand Lysistrata, and Plautus' The Brothers Menaechmus and The Swaggering Soldier. All texts will be studied in their historical, literary and cultural contexts, with exploration of Athenian politics and the birth of democracy, and discussion on drama as a political and social tool. For the Epic unit you will study parts of Homer's Iliad and trace the influence of this cornerstone work upon other authors such as Virgil, and you will read Virgil's Aeneid in the context of the Augustan regime which formed the birth of the Roman Empire.
and this is what my teacher for next year said i would be studying
You will study two topics for AS: Greek Tragedy in its Context and Homer's Odyssey and Society. For the Tragedy unit you will study four plays: Aeschylus' Agamemnon, Sophocles' Antigone, and Euripides' Medea and Electra, both as works of literature and as social and historical documents. You will investigate the origins and development of drama and the impact that classical drama has had on the modern world. For the Odyssey unit you will study Homer's epic poem following the perilous journey of the hero Odysseus in his bid to return home and reclaim his kingdom after the Trojan War. As with the Tragedy unit, the Odyssey will be studied as a work of literature and as a social document, and you will explore the society and the values it represents. For A2 you will study the units Comic Drama in the Ancient World and Virgil and the World of the Hero. For the Comedy unit you will study four plays: Aristophanes' Cloudsand Lysistrata, and Plautus' The Brothers Menaechmus and The Swaggering Soldier. All texts will be studied in their historical, literary and cultural contexts, with exploration of Athenian politics and the birth of democracy, and discussion on drama as a political and social tool. For the Epic unit you will study parts of Homer's Iliad and trace the influence of this cornerstone work upon other authors such as Virgil, and you will read Virgil's Aeneid in the context of the Augustan regime which formed the birth of the Roman Empire.
Nice one, I did that exam in May with the exact same syllabus - Odyssey and the 4 plays. If you need, I can send you all my resources; I should get a high A at AS.
yes please. that would be great
No probs. Class civ was probably the easiest exam for me, and one of the most interesting too. Right now I'd really recommend you reading the Odyssey, or getting a flavour as to what it's about. Ooh! If you want them to think you're incredibly smart, here are some good words you can use:
- xenia (pron. zen-ee-ya) - basically the idea of hospitality, the Greeks were super into bringing each other gifts and things, and letting each other stay at their houses. Xenia is a really important concept in the Odyssey as it separated the civilised people from the uncivilised monsters Odysseus encounters, like Polyphemus and the Laestrygonians etc
- kleos and time (pron. clay-os and ti-may, two syllables) - both relate to ideas of honour and glory in battle which all heros wanted. Odysseus arguably spends most of his time searching for kleos, because he wants people to remember him as a great person
- philos (pron. fill-os) - the idea of family or of people you love
- oikos (pron. oy-kos) - term for 'household', because Odysseus wants to protect his oikos from the Suitors etc
- nostos (pron. nos-tos) - this is all about a homecoming; Odysseus wants his nostos because he's been away for so long and misses his philos, but his nostos is delayed by his attempts to gain kleos along the way
- in medias res (pron. in me-dee-as rez) - narrative technique where the poem starts in the middle of the story instead of telling the story chronologically
- anagnorisis (pron. an-ag-noor-i-sis) - Aristotlean term for the point in a tragedy where the protagonist makes a critical discovery, like when Oedipus realises that the prophecy has come true and he has actually killed his dad and banged his mum
- peripeteia (pron. perry-pet-ay-a) - Aristotlean term for when there's a change in fortune, especially involving the protagonist
- harmartia (pron. ha-marsh-ear) - Aristotlean term for a character's fatal flaw
- katharsis (pron. cath-ar-sis) - Aristotlean term for a cleansing at the end, when all the bad stuff is out in the open and the characters move on
Please PM me if you want to know more about class civ!!!! I loved doing Odyssey and Tragedy last year, it was so so much fun.
- xenia (pron. zen-ee-ya) - basically the idea of hospitality, the Greeks were super into bringing each other gifts and things, and letting each other stay at their houses. Xenia is a really important concept in the Odyssey as it separated the civilised people from the uncivilised monsters Odysseus encounters, like Polyphemus and the Laestrygonians etc
- kleos and time (pron. clay-os and ti-may, two syllables) - both relate to ideas of honour and glory in battle which all heros wanted. Odysseus arguably spends most of his time searching for kleos, because he wants people to remember him as a great person
- philos (pron. fill-os) - the idea of family or of people you love
- oikos (pron. oy-kos) - term for 'household', because Odysseus wants to protect his oikos from the Suitors etc
- nostos (pron. nos-tos) - this is all about a homecoming; Odysseus wants his nostos because he's been away for so long and misses his philos, but his nostos is delayed by his attempts to gain kleos along the way
- in medias res (pron. in me-dee-as rez) - narrative technique where the poem starts in the middle of the story instead of telling the story chronologically
- anagnorisis (pron. an-ag-noor-i-sis) - Aristotlean term for the point in a tragedy where the protagonist makes a critical discovery, like when Oedipus realises that the prophecy has come true and he has actually killed his dad and banged his mum
- peripeteia (pron. perry-pet-ay-a) - Aristotlean term for when there's a change in fortune, especially involving the protagonist
- harmartia (pron. ha-marsh-ear) - Aristotlean term for a character's fatal flaw
- katharsis (pron. cath-ar-sis) - Aristotlean term for a cleansing at the end, when all the bad stuff is out in the open and the characters move on
Please PM me if you want to know more about class civ!!!! I loved doing Odyssey and Tragedy last year, it was so so much fun.
Thank you very much
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