[OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP

Biology discussion, revision, exam and homework help.

Announcements Posted on
Please change your TSR password 23-05-2013
IMPORTANT: You must wait until midnight (morning exams)/4.30AM (afternoon exams) to discuss Edexcel exams and until 1pm/6pm the following day for STEP and IB exams. Please read before posting, including for rules for practical and oral exams. 28-04-2013
Sign in to Reply
  1. Otherguyx's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Posts: 147
    [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    Hey guys, i am currently revising for biology through the exam board text book given.

    First of all, is it worth getting a revision guide for the exams?

    If so, i know only two that i have seen around class. The OCR revision guide, and the CGP revision guide. Which one of these are worth getting? If you know one better than these two please do reccomend.

    Thanks
  2. Unsworth's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: Bournemouth
    • Posts: 563
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    I would recommend the OCR text book over the CGP, we were given both by our school and the CGP has alot less detail than what is in the OCR one. Although you obviously don't need everything that is in OCR's copy, it definitely helps to learn the details and cut it down rather than not learning enough.
  3. Otherguyx's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Posts: 147
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    So your saying that this one is good, and its worth getting?

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCR-Revise-A...ref=pd_sim_b_1


    or i should stick to my original big OCR text book?
  4. Unsworth's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Location: Bournemouth
    • Posts: 563
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    Oh no I mean the big 250 page OCR copy, assume that is what you have as the original? I have found it the best one by far.
  5. Wilko94's Avatar
    • Respected Member
    • Location: Weymouth, Dorset
    • Posts: 244
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    I would say both are brilliant, that's what I thought and I got both. The OCR Revision book is concise and has all the key marking points, and the CGP book is great if you're really trying to get your head around something.

    If I had to choose, I'd say get the CGP one, assuming you already have the big OCR textbook. The revision book is the same but more condensed, which is useful.

    Hope that helps, I'm an A2 student by the way.
  6. Joseppea's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    OCR Heinemann Textbook > CGP revision book > OCR revison book.

    Imho.
  7. Otherguyx's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Posts: 147
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    Damn i still dont know which to buy!

    Ok here is a little bit about my self...

    1)I am a very visual learner
    2) i can remember anything related to images very easily which is how i revise.
    3) Infact, i can remember things i revised for my GCSE's about 2 years ago clearly just because i drew images of them!!!
    4) i can remember MOST of my biology F211 revision because i drew posters and diagrams to help aid my revision!!!

    So i need something that helps in that. If i just read text i dont learn anything....

    The problem for me with the normal text book is that there is so much content its overwhelming! Its too much to read.

    Most if it i can understand if i just read it a few times from the book, or if i look online or something, or if i ask here.

    Its just the amount i have to cover. Its just overwhelming.

    It seems that the OCR Revision book is good but im worried i might miss things out and ill loose marks in the actual exam...

    CGP book looks good too... but it might have even less information compared to the OCR Revision book.

    Ive seen the OCR revision book and there is no colour at all which puts me off...
  8. Niki_girl's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: South-East
    • Posts: 1,425
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    (Original post by Otherguyx)
    Damn i still dont know which to buy!

    Ok here is a little bit about my self...

    1)I am a very visual learner
    2) i can remember anything related to images very easily which is how i revise.
    3) Infact, i can remember things i revised for my GCSE's about 2 years ago clearly just because i drew images of them!!!
    4) i can remember MOST of my biology F211 revision because i drew posters and diagrams to help aid my revision!!!

    So i need something that helps in that. If i just read text i dont learn anything....

    The problem for me with the normal text book is that there is so much content its overwhelming! Its too much to read.

    Most if it i can understand if i just read it a few times from the book, or if i look online or something, or if i ask here.

    Its just the amount i have to cover. Its just overwhelming.

    It seems that the OCR Revision book is good but im worried i might miss things out and ill loose marks in the actual exam...

    CGP book looks good too... but it might have even less information compared to the OCR Revision book.

    Ive seen the OCR revision book and there is no colour at all which puts me off...
    I think the big OCR textbook and a copy of the old textbook (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-Bi...382685&sr=8-18) which I brought. I had these 2 books last year , and the black-and-white revision guide (which is basically just a condensed version of the bigger book, and without colour).

    I made a LOT of posters, flashcards, flow charts, tables (for comparing things) last year, your style of learning sounds like mine. I got an A at AS, but I've dropped Biology now - I didn't enjoy it much!

    I also made a thread where I put up a lot of my resources I made when I was reivising for this course - http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/show....php?t=1768558.

    Hope this helps! I think the trick is with Biology is to do about 10-15 minutes a day of revision on both Units 1 + 2, and try to learn/ memorise 1 or 2 key terms and their definitions a day as well. If you did this from now (tip, use the glossary at the back of the large textbook as a starting point!) until May you could cover everything!

    I know it seems impossible now but as you get closer to May things will fall into place. If you start your revision soon you'll see what I mean, Biology as a whole is just a series of linked processes, the more you learn and understand at AS the easier it becomes to piece together by exam time - good luck!
  9. AGrumpyMole's Avatar
    • Adored and Respected Member
    • Posts: 464
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    (Original post by Otherguyx)
    Hey guys, i am currently revising for biology through the exam board text book given.

    First of all, is it worth getting a revision guide for the exams?

    If so, i know only two that i have seen around class. The OCR revision guide, and the CGP revision guide. Which one of these are worth getting? If you know one better than these two please do reccomend.

    Thanks
    Both.
  10. Otherguyx's Avatar
    • Full Member
    • Posts: 147
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    WOW niki_girl thanks for the link, really helps!

    that is alot of notes! thanks!

    Very nice of you to share them all like that!
  11. Niki_girl's Avatar
    • Peer Of The TSR Realm
    • Location: South-East
    • Posts: 1,425
    Re: [OCR Biology AS] Revision Guide OCR vs CGP
    (Original post by Otherguyx)
    WOW niki_girl thanks for the link, really helps!

    that is alot of notes! thanks!

    Very nice of you to share them all like that!
    It's fine! Otherwise they'd just be sitting on my computer...also, it took so long to write/ make all of them, that I feel better knowing that they're getting more use, if you know what I mean.
Sign in to Reply
Share this discussion:  
Article updates
Moderators

We have a brilliant team of more than 60 volunteers looking after discussions on The Student Room, helping to make it a fun, safe and useful place to hang out.

Reputation gems:
The Reputation gems seen here indicate how well reputed the user is, red gem indicate negative reputation and green indicates a good rep.
Post rating score:
These scores show if a post has been positively or negatively rated by our members.