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

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I would recommend doing about 3 hours a day. People will probably say to do more, but too much work can actually be detrimental.

Reply 1581

upthegunners

Original post by LeonVII

I would recommend doing about 3 hours a day. People will probably say to do more, but too much work can actually be detrimental.

agreed.

Reply 1582

ThaniaOx

Omg ur burning yourself out, take breaks and eat regularly, balance out some time for socialising, your brain needs refreshing from time to time. Past papers are awesome but in my opinion you learn best when your in a group, teach eachother some content, u learn 90% of what you remember :O)

Reply 1583

TheJoshwha

Original post by eggfriedrice

Hmm, I don't know then. I've always been in the environment where the majority of people achieve high grades, bearing in mind I don't go to a private school. Even the people I know from other schools also obtain high grades, B+.

To be fair, my college is in a probably not so desirable place, but average grades are around a D. Quite a few people go there to flunk, and most of them do Btec's. Quite a lot end up doing psychology, sociology, media studies etc. and just don't bother working at them

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Reply 1584

calm down

Where is the logic? (in jan)
In media I did no revision- A
Maths I did a lot of past papers- B
Biology I did loads of notes, few past papers- E
History- Both Exams this summer
General studies I did no revision- B
Heres what I have figured-
1. SOme subjects just require you to do less as they are more simple (media, general studies)
2. For History Planning essays is as vital as writing them, for the souce exam little info is needed (dates), for the content exam, alot of knowledge is needed.
3. Past paers> notes by a county mile
4. General studies should not exist

Reply 1585

megfashion

so happy(ish)!

if i flunk these exams, meaning all Us, i will come out in August with CCE.

that may not seem like much, it wouldnt get me into uni, but actually thats good going for me!

i need to get a middle B in the english exam to get the C to a B

i need to get 75/100 in the exam on monday (media as) and 60ish out of 90 in the 4th june exam to get an A in media.

the whole 75/100 in the media as exam is starting to scare me...

Reply 1586

study beats

Original post by rollinglikerob

Study moar.

Sounds simple but that's about it. If you need inspiration, go on whatuni and look at entry requirements do courses you'd be interested in. Also think about where you could be in 5-6 years depending on how you do now. It's what I do, and it works. But then again I thrive on this kind of stress and pressure, it wouldn't work for everyone.

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i have already gained extreme OCD because of stress and pressure

Reply 1587

study beats

Original post by upthegunners

you still have not left GCSE mode

Alevel is about understanding. Not rote learning.

excuse me? i left GCSE mode after i got my january 2012 results......so i dont know what u talkin about

Reply 1588

study beats

Original post by pak1994

How did you revise? Just revising in any way won't necessarily work. It is all about what way you learn best.

i revised normally i guess.....time and pressure was upon me though...didnt get to practice everything properly...

but still i just get very unlucky....i guess it comes down to my lower academic abilities....

i have no skill in doing exams...

A LEVELS IS ALL ABOUT EXAM TECHNIQUE, THOSE WHO ARE HIGHLY MASTERED AT TACKLING EXAMS SEEM TO DO BEST....ITS SAD HOW UNFAIR THE SYSTEM IS

Reply 1589

username953561

Has anyon got any revision tips/help for AQA economics? Have the first exam monday and seriously stuggerling? Thanks!

Reply 1590

morewig

Original post by _b3th_

Has anyon got any revision tips/help for AQA economics? Have the first exam monday and seriously stuggerling? Thanks!

Make flash cards for all possible definitions - learn them!

go through all the past papers and practice the 8 markers

Do all the multiple choice questions from past papers at least twice, and make sure you go over the questions you got wrong

For every topic learn the definition, diagram, pros/cons

overall i'd say definitions are very important. You can learn a lot about the spec from just knowing the definitions. Also you can gain marks in the 12/25 markers from just stating clear definitions in the intro's

Good luck!

Reply 1591

ATL<3

The way I revise is, I revise for a period of time and then however long i revise for, half it, and that is how long i get for a break :smile:

Reply 1592

username953561

Original post by morewig

Thank you very much! I will definately take your advice!

Reply 1593

PricklyPorcupine

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. My subjects are biology, chemistry, Religious Studies and sociology. Thanks.

Ok, first of all, 4 hours without a break is way too much. I am taking a break from revision right now and what is recommended is 1 hour of work, 30 minutes break and repeat for as long as you want. My interest usually wanes after about half an hour so I do half hour slots with 15 minute breaks to go online, text people etc. etc. Also a tip for Religious Studies: it's a soft subject so based heavily on opinion and discussion so get together a small group and discuss questions, make up your own questions, swap, answer and mark. This way you learn new ways of looking at questions and you can get to sort of socialise at the same subject. For Sociology I would suggest the same and if it's anything like psychology, I would look up key figures/ ideas/ theories to learn more and get interested in the subject. Once you are having fun or are at least doing more in your spare time to learn the unnecessary but interesting stuff, you will want to carry on doing the subject and revising so you have an extra motivation besides getting good grades. Hope this helps!

Reply 1594

katebeckett

start revising early as possible and have a target on how much you mean to study everyday. Make sure if you don't understand something you ask your teacher so that you won't struggle later. When you come from school have at least a one hour break and then start revising the topic you wanted to revise for that day. Make sure you don't study too much for a day since you won't remember everything if you revise too much. Then have a rest. Don't study too late at night since it would make you tired, specially learning early in the morning is really good since you mind is fresh. Key thing is start revising as early as possible for your exam and revise a reasonable amount for each day. Good luck.

Reply 1595

ernstleanflowers

Original post by neillya1

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!

I think I over did it and now I'm 'demotivated' for my exam in 5 days... what do i do?!

Reply 1596

jvc95

Can someone help me please? I am studying a level economics, government and politics and btec ICT. Will any units accept me? I'm predicted AAD(distinction Equivalent to an A) or do they require full 3 a levels??

Reply 1597

rollinglikerob

Original post by ernstleanflowers

I think I over did it and now I'm 'demotivated' for my exam in 5 days... what do i do?!

Take a break, chill out, then listen to some music that gets you pumped (in a "I wanna do ****" not "I wanna part hard" way), go to bed early and resume hardcore revision tomorrow. Works for me.

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Reply 1598

marth34

Altering you revision techniques is a good way to up your grade. I am identified as an 'able scientist' and take Biology, chemistry and physics. However, in my first mocks, which I revised quite hard for, I ended up with C's and D's. After using past papers as my main revision technique, I realised there were key words which I was missing, and consequently, in the real exams I got straight A's.

The best person to help you is probably your teacher (especially if they're experienced and friendly), so ask them.