What I've Learnt During Sixth Form

That's reassuring, I'm currently doing dual award now and I'm planning on taking biology and chemistry next year but I was going to familiarise myself with the parts of the triple science syllabus I haven't learnt. Will that be necessary?

agreed about chemistry, i'm doing ok in chemistry after what feels like 1 million re sits... i still think i am going to fail my last 2 chem exams but i think i did actually manage to do alright in my AS resit (3rd time lucky )... did absolutely AWFUL in my coursework. SOS SOSO glad i never have to think about hess cycles and whatever other crap that comes with chemistry again...


the annoying this is, i actually really like chemistry unless it's for an exam!!

General Studies is about as useful as an umbrella during a Category 5 hurricane.

Thank you for going to all the effort of writing this OP You spoke about all the subjects I'm doing (biology, chemistry, english lit and history) and I think this guide will prove to be invaluable

That's reassuring, I'm currently doing dual award now and I'm planning on taking biology and chemistry next year but I was going to familiarise myself with the parts of the triple science syllabus I haven't learnt. Will that be necessary?

Yeah, most of the time I can't be bothered so I buy stuff myself.

Even during freshers, halls are only loud at night. In the morning, people are either in bed or at uni, which makes more peaceful than the previous night.

Turns out, teaching yourself an A Level that doesn't have a textbook is quite tricky. Be warned.

What board are you on for chemistry?

The thing is, I absolutely love chemistry; it's my favorite A-Level. We do OCR B Salters, which has a heavy emphasis on applications of chemistry. Though this may seem daunting, it is really quite interesting.

The exams are not too challenging either for it as well. However, my mates who do AQA and OCR A, always say how mundane and extreme the exams are.

Could there be a board divide?

No probs. I enjoyed it. It made me realise how much I've learnt from this. My school didn't prepare us for anything so I was like a sitting duck in a war zone.




I'd suggest going over the basics to make sure you understand it all and I've heard good things about those CGP Head Start books.



LoL! I'm a light sleeper so I think I'll get earplugs or something! I'm always scared that if I use them then they'll get trapped in my ear and I'll never be able to take them out!



Oh. Dear. Which A Level is this?

yep OCR B too i do find it really interesting like i said i just don't like the exams and i mucked up the investigation coursework this year, partially because of a few home problems but i don't like making excuses for myself even if they are legit.

That was an amazing piece of writing, and it kinda summarised my first year in sixth form (albeit I have two more months *cries). It will be immensely helpful for students entering the cruel world of A-Levels.

I would like to add though that the social element does play a higher role, than many students think. DO NOT GET DISTRACTED!
Beware of the random crushes that can happen, and leave you with hours in the common room, when you should be in the library! And do not get carried away with extra curricular activities!

Striking a balance is really important in sixth form, though it's hard, it is not impossible.

Good luck to everyone, and remember, hopefully, these two years will fly.

agreed about chemistry, i'm doing ok in chemistry after what feels like 1 million re sits... i still think i am going to fail my last 2 chem exams but i think i did actually manage to do alright in my AS resit (3rd time lucky )... did absolutely AWFUL in my coursework. SOS SOSO glad i never have to think about hess cycles and whatever other crap that comes with chemistry again...


the annoying this is, i actually really like chemistry unless it's for an exam!!

This post is slightly dramatic.. Ok A levels are harder than GCSEs but if you're having a 'breakdown' is it not just a sign that maybe school isn't the place for you? More people than ever are staying on at school and in my opinion this isn't necessarily for the best... you can be just as successful, if not more, by leaving school and entering more vocational training!

Excellent advice OP! The part about ditching a class if the tutor is **** is something I also wish I had done during A-levels. When I finally ditched one of my teachers it was in the A2 year and they were sacked anyway due to other student complaints.

This is funny, cause' it's true:

Good read and I can relate to most of this. I struggled like mad for the first few weeks of A-levels. I thought I was smart at GCSE but it was really hard at first.

I considered dropping out because no matter what, I just couldn't get anything right. I got through it however, wasted a lot of the teachers time asking for help but it all paid off.

The main thing is to be very resilient. I know many friends who were about as smart as me but couldn't stand failing and it got to them and made them perform badly. Try make failures motivate you. That's what I did, whenever I messed something up, ot'd motivate me to try harder.

Oh. Dear. Which A Level is this?

I didn't even notice any gap in knowledge between myself and classmates. (Chemistry and Physics)
Having a flick through the first topic of the AS textbook would do no harm though.

It's fine if you don't use tissues, one of my flatmates got tissue stuck in their ear because of that. But you'll be fine, you'll get used to a bit of noise

You actually have to try to make friends and people don't judge you like they used to.