HELLO i am going to help you you seem like you are in the position i was in last year. useless teachers, no real help. seemed like revision was sooo much effort put in and nothing came from it.
WELL....
i learnt the secret just in time for my as level biology last year and came out with an A, 88% and 86% in the papers to be precise.
1)learn your stuff. use the black heinnman text book if your doing OCR, its great, and use the specification as a check list. make up rhymes for processes, for example glycolysis "GGFGTIP" - GG finally got the incredible part" lists the compounds involved. be comfortable with your stuff, but only really refine the niggling facts such as the process products towards the exam, for example a month before. COVER EVERYTHING.... DONT LEAVE ANYTHING OUT.
2)Past papers. i wrote down the answers to all the different types of ques eg 'describe how an endotherm regulates body temp' so id know EXXACTLY what to write when it came up again
BE VERY CAREFUL REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE PPL ON HERE HAVE SAID: DO NOT WAFFLE or write until 'some answer theyr lookin for' pops out of your train of thought. the examiners will only mark the first 2 points for a t wo point question and so on for most questions in the exam. also being precise will save you time and give your mind clarity as well as showing the examiner you are a strong candidate.
3) TIPS AND TRICKS: read the examiner reports on the ocr website to see where past students went wrong. youl be sure not to make the same mistakes. these reports are like a bible... a first hand account from the examiner on WHAT silly mistakes not to make. for exmapel, last night i learnt never to write 'hairs stand up to trap air'... you have to write 'erector muscles cause hairs to stand up to trap air'.
4)FINALLY.... DONT WORRY!
you have plenty of time. but make sure you utilise it wisley, 40% theory, 60% exam technique. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME DOIN WAT UR TEACHER TOLD YOU AND TEACHING YOUNGER YEARS....as far as extra curricular goes you are not free anymore to do so!! only spend your time in school doing stuff that will count toward you final grade. if that means youd rather carry on revising your unit 5 rather than revising for a unt 4 mock, so be it.
dont matter about your teachers that grade your mocks.... i go to grammar school and they always mark wrongly... theyr a poor excuse for an 'indication of how you're doing' i learnt all these tips coz i have a wonderful private school tutor.
GOOD LUCK... LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR EXAMS AND MOST OF ALL smile