One crucial piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels

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Reply 80

corax

Don't leave your homework till the bus in the morning.

Work hard

read around the subject and start revision way before you did for gcse's!!

Reply 83

PMBB

Don't see A levels as being one big lump of work... Break it down into blocks to make it more manageable :smile:

A-Levels are probably the hardest thing you'll do because it's such a huge jump between GCSE level work and A-Level but it's never impossible :smile:

ALWAYS THINK POSITIVE :biggrin:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 84

purple and gold

Keep on top of the work and definitely avoid resits.. :smile:

Reply 85

Sa3uel

Start your revision 2 weeks before the Easter holidays - that way you have enough time to sort something out with a teacher if there's a big topic you don't understand.

Reply 86

Venomilys

Make sure you understand everything on the specification. That way you guarantee yourself at least a B/

Reply 87

username972634

Ensure that you work ahead of the class.

Reply 88

elfess

Don't let anyone give you any ****e, even the teachers. Believe in yourself and work hard. Do outside reading if you can, and NEVER EVER listen to anyone who says that they've not been revising because they probably have and it will lure you into a false sense of security.

Also - understand the exact specifications for your subject and the grade boundaries. If you do everything they say to do on them then you can't really go wrong if you do it well enough.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 89

n64

They're not hard just really really long

Reply 90

behindblueglass

Treat college like a job. You wouldn't call in sick everyday and not turn up would you for fear of losing your job? Well although colleges are lenient you pay the price ultimately, you will miss important content and while you're catching up with the work you missed more work will be pilled on top and you start an endless spiral of catching up leading to stress and possibly dropping up.

Take notes in class, put these notes into poly pockets and file them in a lever arch file. Use dividers to separate each unit. Have a lever arch file for each of your subjects. If you have trouble remembering content rewrite your notes into little notebooks. If you have trouble connecting topics create mind maps for each of your units using bright colours.

Do past papers, first try them with the mark scheme and your notes, then take away the mark scheme, then take away both. Learn the mark scheme and what the questions are actually asking, more often than not questions are reused.

Anything you don't understand is a priority. But things you do know an understand can be forgotten so don't leave it until your exam to look over it again.

Have a hobby along with your college work, everybody needs a outlet.

look after yourself, eat well, sleep, drink fluids. Go out make friends, have fun.

Good luck :smile:

Reply 91

essjaychal

Stop stressing, university is a million times harder!!

Reply 92

Mattp9850

Everyone needs to have a social life and to have fun with friends. But, don't be pressured by friends to go out when you need to do work. Sure they may laugh and joke, but they'll stop when you're everything you've worked so hard to become.

Reply 93

abzwardi95

Original post by shooks

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Reply 94

cped

Revise from the start. At GCSE you may have found starting to cram a few weeks prior to the exams worked fine. This is risky at Alevel. So, so risky. I am speaking from experience here. If you start reading over your notes regularly from the start, it will make revising easier, as you won't be trying to recall ALL THE INFORMATIONS at the last minute. Go through as many past papers as you can get your hands on; it's good practise so that the real exam won't be too much of a shock, and certain exam boards (speaking from experience with OCR and AQA) seem to recycle questions every so often (sometimes reworded slightly), so doing this could seriously pay off. Also make sure that you know the Assessment Objectives and Markscheme guidance backwards.

Whilst doing this, also switch up how you revise. It's all well and good spending entire days copying information from the text book, but good luck remembering it. You need to condense it in a way that is easier to remember and more familiar to you. I found that mind maps and flash cards helped rather than copying word for word. Talking to people about the information is a massive help too - perhaps debate a question with a family member or friend, chat with classmates, or even just teach your pet (that's what I did. My staffie was an expert in Russian history.)

This sounds stressful, but you only need to start with a little bit, and then do a little bit more as the exams get closer. You will feel more in control, and more able to cope with whatever they throw at you!

Reply 95

abzwardi95

As a resitter, I can't emphasise enough how important this really is:
The jump from GCSE is huge. It's not easy. Revision is literally essential. I didn't revise, I didn't believe my teachers about the jump from GCSEs. The workload is huge and needs to be taken seriously, especially with the lack of January modules now. Oh and be warned, so many people get a huge shock with their AS results because they didn't take them seriously...like me.

So my advice is, take them seriously! They are harder than they seem in lessons, and they are COMPLETELY different to GCSEs - but don't be fooled, when taken seriously, they are possible!

Do not cram

Revision is the key, keep calm, try to stay relaxed, ensure that you revise early enough before the exams, and don't overwork yourself! Importantly, do a subject you really really enjoy, and don't be afraid to ask for extra help!

Reply 98

ImAz

Work ahead of the class.
id recommend printing out the specification for each subject and making a timetable from this, just so you're relaxed nearer exams

Reply 99

cambridge_please

Don't ever let the work pile up. Do it as it comes and all will be fine. Its' not that bad really but most people start working too late and it all becomes way too overwhelming to even try.