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How do you get A-A*s in science A-levels?

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Three words: memorise mark schemes. that will get you everywhere as far as science exams go. the same questions are repeated year after year its just spotting the differences in context.
(edited 13 years ago)
I'm stuck with chem and bio papers too. I keep getting B/C grades in both, and am struggling to up my grades...
Reply 22
in long answer questions...i was tought to COVER ALLL ANGLES. WAFFLE! #
but i do AS physics...tho i got an A in my jan exam.
Reply 23
Original post by Limesasquatch
in chem im onto an A*, we usually finish the topics so early and then go through them all again
plus we end up doing all past papers twice at least.. everything is drummed in by the end. i got full marks on the jan paper


Wow - congrats

I usually go through my practise papers a couple of times aswell 2-3 times each to make sure I have improved on my knowledge and have learnt from silly mistakes so by the end of it - I get like 90% but a B in the real exams :s-smilie: lol

My chemistry teachers are terrible - one was absent for 2 and half months and claims we've somehow finished the whole of unit 4 O_O
the other is too busy working for her PhD so only gives out worksheets and doesn't really teach
The other is the head of science in the college - she is always answering the questions wrong and has to be corrected by the class so much it's a joke :angry:

I'm basically teaching myself the course :s-smilie:
Reply 24
Original post by The Smeezington
Two words: memorise mark schemes. that will get you everywhere as far as science exams go. the same questions are repeated year after year its just spotting the differences in context.


Been there and done that LOL - I think it's probably something else I'm lacking or just bad luck :eek: lol
Different things work for different people. If you do well in exams by actually learning then ignore what I said as it isn't ver long lasting i just said it as it works well for me in exams (got me two A's) but i can honestly say i can't remember half the stuff, which tbh is pretty terrible
Original post by nmiah
Been there and done that LOL - I think it's probably something else I'm lacking or just bad luck :eek: lol
Reply 26
I just like to delve into the past papers without doing too much revision. I obviously begin with getting little right, but sit down and really think about the answers. I guess I kind of revise from mark schemes.

After about ~7 years of papers if you have a half decent memory you'll be fine in the exam :smile:

I only do physics but its worked for me so far in the Jan module.

I just got 100% on my biology and chemistry papers... And I personally don't bother with past papers...
I just learn the syllabus back to front
And write heaps and heaps in the exam...Anything I can think of thats vaguely related to the question :P
Good thing I write quickly ey?!
Reply 28
Original post by emilylikeeee
I just got 100% on my biology and chemistry papers... And I personally don't bother with past papers...
I just learn the syllabus back to front
And write heaps and heaps in the exam...Anything I can think of thats vaguely related to the question :P
Good thing I write quickly ey?!


lol lucky you :smile:- what exam boards were on for those subjects?
Original post by nmiah
lol lucky you :smile:- what exam boards were on for those subjects?


Edexcel for both :smile:
Reply 30
Original post by emilylikeeee
Edexcel for both :smile:


ooh I'm doing edexcel chemistry :smile:
I've been trying to cut down on my answers from GCSE and make them more point specific but I think I might actually go for your advise and - atleast that way I wouldn't have missed anything out and well done with your grades btw :biggrin: i just hope my handwriting can get as fast as yours too :colondollar: lol
Reply 31
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! :smile: 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 :smile:
Reply 32
i found that the mark scheme is very specific; eg you can not put sugar (DNA) you have to put pentose sugar or sometimes deoxyribrose sugar- depending on the exam. So aim to put 2/1 describing words before a key word just to ensure you dont miss out on marks.
Original post by The Smeezington
Two words: memorise mark schemes. that will get you everywhere as far as science exams go. the same questions are repeated year after year its just spotting the differences in context.


Two words: memorise mark schemes.

Two words: memorise mark schemes.

Two words: memorise mark schemes.
Reply 34
Original post by Corpsebaby
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! :smile: 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 :smile:


Thank you ever soo much - what you said has made a lot of sense - my main weak area I think is not my knowledge but my exam technique which is so unfair - I'm definately going to practise what you said and copy out perfect answers and I have been reading examiner reports but maybe I haven't been using them as specifically as you said so I'm going to definately do that - Thank you for this I wont forget this :biggrin:


Original post by poiuy
i found that the mark scheme is very specific; eg you can not put sugar (DNA) you have to put pentose sugar or sometimes deoxyribrose sugar- depending on the exam. So aim to put 2/1 describing words before a key word just to ensure you dont miss out on marks.



Original post by BackDoorEntry
Two words: memorise mark schemes.

Two words: memorise mark schemes.

Two words: memorise mark schemes.


I am definately going to do this - memorise the mark schemes and the perfect answers and especially make note of key words THANK YOOOUU :biggrin:
Reply 35
Past papers, past papers, past papers.
Also, go through the specification, and try to find past paper questions on most of the specification points.

Also, go through the book you're learning from, and learn all of the little insignificant bits, which you may not have gone through in lesson, because there's every chance that it will come up in the exam, like it did in each one of my exams!

In this batch of A2 exams, my results were..
Chemistry (AQA) : 119/120
Biology (OCR) : 74/90 (not amazing, i know! but it's still an A.)
Maths (AQA) 100/100.

This is just doing what i said in my post. Good luck! :smile:
Reply 36
Original post by Luke0011
Past papers, past papers, past papers.
Also, go through the specification, and try to find past paper questions on most of the specification points.

Also, go through the book you're learning from, and learn all of the little insignificant bits, which you may not have gone through in lesson, because there's every chance that it will come up in the exam, like it did in each one of my exams!

In this batch of A2 exams, my results were..
Chemistry (AQA) : 119/120
Biology (OCR) : 74/90 (not amazing, i know! but it's still an A.)
Maths (AQA) 100/100.

This is just doing what i said in my post. Good luck! :smile:


I'm definately going to try that - never even thought of it like that - thank you :smile:
Reply 37
Revise the whole book and just keep reading parts until you get them and remember them and read through the mark schemes and make sure you answer the way the examiner wants you to answer.
Original post by nmiah
ooh I'm doing edexcel chemistry :smile:
I've been trying to cut down on my answers from GCSE and make them more point specific but I think I might actually go for your advise and - atleast that way I wouldn't have missed anything out and well done with your grades btw :biggrin: i just hope my handwriting can get as fast as yours too :colondollar: lol


Yeah I don't do concise, just write down everything in as many ways possible to try and snab all the marks :smile: Might not work for everyone though lol
Thanks and good luck!
Reply 39
well i write loooots of notes which helps me and after kinda memorising it, do ALL the past papers u can find. sometimes, its just the matter of exam practice..

also, ask ur teacher for a copy of the specification and use it as tick box list on what to revise

all the best

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