A and A* students... Share your revision tips

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  1. Vanny17's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Location: A serene place filled with love and happiness :D
    A and A* students... Share your revision tips
    I worked very hard for my As level exams but came out with very bad grades. I read during every break/ lunch and sometimes 4 hours straight. I worked through EVERY past papers, made revision notes, cut out on social life and always read before every new chapter. My teachers and students said I had potential to get AAAB grades. How come I messed up? Please tell me what I did wrong. Share your revision tips as well! Please. My subjects are biology, chemistry, Religious Studies and sociology. Thanks.
    Last edited by Vanny17; 11-04-2011 at 08:22. Reason: Wow, someone gave me a negative rating for asking for help which benefitted them by the way
  2. theseeker's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Location: Mayfair
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    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    I think this is a great thread. I hope, we get some responses.
  3. Mensorah's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Posts: 142
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    revise a lot
  4. DarkWhite's Avatar
    • TSR Demigod
    • Posts: 7,436
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    4 hours straight? Your concentration will drop after about an hour straight, so do it in short burts, taking breaks to watch TV, play games etc in between. Also worth noting that it's all well and good knowing the content to regurgitate during the exam, but it's another to understand it so that you can answer new questions on the material.
  5. CityOfMyHeart's Avatar
    • Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
    • Location: London
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    I find that if you really understand something, you won't need to revise it as much. I make sure that, throughout the year, I understand what we're doing and what's going on. I think I'm lucky in the sense that I seem to get stuff quite quickly, so I don't have to work too hard to get stuff stuck in my head. I make links between things, even if we don't have to, just in my head. When it comes to revising, I'm just refreshing my brain because most of the connections and links between things have already been made, if you get me.

    I don't know if that helps. I think revision is quite a personal thing as everyone is going to learn in different ways.
  6. MissFanatical's Avatar
    • Exalted and Worshipped Member
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    (Original post by Victor-PP)
    *suscribes*
    yes, because that is a word :awesome:

    OP, revise. soz. read over what you've written. close your eyes. repeat it. draw diagrams. read it again. make sure you understand it. read it some more. all that ****. there's no easy way or everyone would have straight A*s.
    Last edited by nuodai; 15-05-2012 at 19:33.
  7. Wardy23's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    As someone who got an A* an A and a C I can tell you that reading some notes from the years lessons doesn't work (results in a C) and that past papers work (result in an A* and an A).

    DO PAST PAPERS!!!

    I hope I've made that clear.
  8. Christian100's Avatar
    • Junior Member
    • Posts: 63
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Alright, this how I did it, I rewrite notes from class and I write them 7 to 9 times. I do this until they stick in my head. However I did this a month before the exams.
  9. jaheen22's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Co. Tyrone, NI
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    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Don't work for 4 hours straight.
  10. aphilpotts's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: Tamworth
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Don't take on too much, the recommended 4 ASs and 3 A2s is probably a good idea, you don't need a fourth, and it won't increase your chances of getting As as you'll just do worse across the board, as you'll be overworked, tired and generally less effective .
  11. MattyC93's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: Morecambe
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    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    (Original post by Vanny17)
    I worked very hard for my As level exams but came out with very bad grades. I read during every break/ lunch and sometimes 4 hours straight. I worked through EVERY past papers, made revision notes, cut out on social life and always read before every new chapter. My teachers and students said i had potential to get AAAB grades. How come i messed up? Please tell me what i did wrong. Share your revision tips as well! Please. Thanks.
    Definitely use a specification so you aren't learning garbage you don't need to know, I find writing notes in lesson and looking over/rewriting is great.
    Also using post-its to test yourself is handy & very quick, make sure to mix them up though you want to make sure you know the stuff and not just in one order!

    Also plenty of past papers. Make sure you don't revise for ages, take breaks.. have a kitkat :holmes:
  12. Hedgehunter's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Location: Berkshire
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    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    (Original post by Wardy23)
    As someone who got an A* an A and a C I can tell you that reading some notes from the years lessons doesn't work (results in a C) and that past papers work (result in an A* and an A).

    DO PAST PAPERS!!!

    I hope I've made that clear.
    Yeah, many trees have died to give me my results.
  13. neillya1's Avatar
    • Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
    • Posts: 3,756
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Short bursts, DON'T OVER DO IT!

    Go through the syllabus and make a powerpoint slide on each and every point in it, explaining that point in detail. This really helped me! My teachers even asked me to show them to the class :o:

    Do lots of past papers, these really help!!

    Main thing is not to over do it or you get demotivated, and just cannot be bothered anymore :yep:

    Also, most people will disagree but I feel A Levels are almost designed to be "crammed".... an hour a day for say a month before exams, then literally 6/7 hours a day the day before the exam (with breaks of course!) is what really helped me..... Be warned though, cramming only works if you have a good short term memory and bad long term like me :p: and from what I've heard it certainly won't help you at uni!
  14. Cicerao's Avatar
    • TSR Idol
    • Posts: 7,594
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    lol, revision.
  15. taperjeangirl!'s Avatar
    • Benevolent Member
    • Posts: 726
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    It'd be helpful to know what subjects you do, OP

    EDIT: For the people giving me neg rep for this post, the OP hadn't actually told us what subjects she did until she edited her post.
    Last edited by taperjeangirl!; 02-04-2011 at 21:22.
  16. snowshine's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: Ontario / Quebec
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    (Original post by Vanny17)
    I worked very hard for my As level exams but came out with very bad grades. I read during every break/ lunch and sometimes 4 hours straight. I worked through EVERY past papers, made revision notes, cut out on social life and always read before every new chapter. My teachers and students said i had potential to get AAAB grades. How come i messed up? Please tell me what i did wrong. Share your revision tips as well! Please. Thanks.
    Which subjects were you doing?
  17. such_a_lady's Avatar
    • Vengeful, Imperial Overlord of The Student Room
    • Location: Term time Oxford, otherwise Surrey
    • Posts: 4,322
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Find your teachers if stuck! Vary your revision so maybe do things in groups or teach someone else to see if you get it.
  18. Wesssty's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    • Posts: 2,258
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    Don't expect the teachers to teach you, anything.
  19. Kulpio's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Posts: 154
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    I got an A*, A* and an A, and dont mean to be arrogant, but i didnt do past papers or read 4 hours a day. I even managed to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of days on cod6. I have mastered revising using revision cards! Like writing key notes from your class notes and text book on the cards, and with some reading of them combined with a good memory, it does the trick.
  20. DPLSK's Avatar
    • PS Helper
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: United Kingdom
    Re: A and A* students... Share your revison tips
    1) Make lots of notes.

    2) Revise independently.

    3) Do lots of past papers.

    4) Stock up on stationery.

    5) Work hard.

    I'd say more... but I can't remember the post I made about this.

    I hope it helps though!
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