Ask me anything about my experience of A Levels

I'm starting A Level study this Sept, so I'll ask the natural question- firstly, did you enjoy studying for your A Levels?

Did you feel as though you were able to explore much more information in your chosen subjects, or were you cramming, as it were, for your exams?

I know you're given a lot of freedom with your A Levels with independent learning. Which is really great for me, for my particular personality.

How was economics? Its part of my degree component for this September 2014 if I In Shaa Allah kheyr get on to the course. Any familiarity with quantitative economics?

OCR economics wasn't really concerned with Quantitative Economics if I'm being really honest. At AS we did Micro and Macro, similarly at A2 it was Micro, but the Macro paper was a research paper and the stimulus material is released way before the exam. I'm afraid I'll be of little help, as I'm unsure about the mathematical side of Economics as at A Level, OCR barely touches upon it. Which is quite odd as at most Universities if you want to study Economics, A Level Maths is a requirement, I believe.

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I don't have A level maths either :/
Did you enjoy economics?
can you recommend any online sites or resources to help me become familiar with economics please?

I don't have A level maths either :/
Did you enjoy economics?
can you recommend any online sites or resources to help me become familiar with economics please?

Hi Amy,

I only really started to enjoy each and every one of my A Levels at A2. Although I've loved Biology since the very beginning, which is probably quite obvious

Well personally I was able to explore quite a lot within my chosen subjects and a little outside too. I and a close group of friends studying the same subjects as me were really close with our teachers. Almost like friends. So we all shared a passion for science, we learned from each other shared books and what not. So I managed to do that whilst studying. But in all honesty I didn't put half the effort in at AS that I did for A2. My AS results came as a shock because I practically spent so much time at school (7am-7pm) after January results 2013, but we had a little too much fun. So I would suggest to any future AS student to not start slacking and keep it 100 from the very beginning. Which is the approach I adopted from the very beginning of A2. I ended up getting really ahead of most for 2/3 of my subjects. For me GCSE science was a breeze compared to A Level science. Whilst Economics was okay and the stepping stone wasn't near as bad as I was expecting.

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You can also search PajHolden on YouTube, that's your one stop shop. He's excellent at explaining the A/S level concepts.

Revision tips/exam techniques for biology and chemistry??
I do same exam board just done AS and think.iv failed badly :/ need to be better prepared for next year

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I did after my first year when I really started to get serious. I mean I was known as 'the girl who hated economics'. Funny enough by 2nd year I was 1 of 2 girls left in the class and after a while I got into a routine where I'd be ahead of the class so I could juggle all 3 of my subjects whilst spending enough time on each.
Tutor2U is probably one of the best sites I've used. But anything else I practically was given to by my teacher.

I'm really bad at Maths like I dropped it on the first day of Year 12 and swapped it for Economics. But the real reason was that practically every one in my class was a year ahead of me, as they all did Additional Maths in Year 11.

May I ask what subject you are planning on doing? Is it a joint honours degree?

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You can also search PajHolden on YouTube, that's your one stop shop. He's excellent at explaining the A/S level concepts.

Absoloutely. From similar threads to this one, and also really examining the syllabuses for my chosen subjects, I've noticed that the intensity increases tenfold in A2. I'm only taking two A Levels, with (although this isn't set in stone) an idea of taking a third in an intensive programme. So I think with only two A Levels, it should be much easier for me to keep a consistent pace. Hopefully, anyway.

Wow, that is a long time at school? Was this you and your group of friends who stayed that long, or did other students to?
I think that's great that you had such a good relationship with your teacher's. When I visited the college a month or two back on a discovery day- type thing, I met some of the English department, and they seemed nice. Their teaching methods did seem bland in the first instance, but they had personality, so I hope over time they will show a lot more enthusiasm for the subject.

Thank you, I will do
A level concepts are basic concepts explored in the degree right?

What did you get for AS?
I'm planning on studying Policy, Politics and Economics at uni of Birmingham In Shaa Allah kheyr- there's two compulsary economics modules: principles of economics and quantitative economics

Unfortunately I didn't do so well at AS I barely managed to get anything above a C . Which was disappointing really. But all happens for a reason and it definitely was a wake up call for me. As for the principles of economics I think it may follow A level economics syllabuses. So Macro/Micro potentially. Tutor 2 U should have a couple of articles or something along those lines. And if not there's always YouTube.

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Doing 2 A Levels may give you a better balance and a chance to study your subject in more depth, rather than cramming it all in. I think you may like your subjects more too, so that's definitely a plus. For me getting along with my teachers was essential.

I ended up hating Psychology at AS due to travelling (my sixth form is part of a federation of about 6/7 other sixth forms) and my teacher. So they definitely do play a big part. Also the smaller your class the better,in my experience. My biology and chemistry classes had about 10 of us as we were split up, I loved it. My Psychology class started of with 30 and that's where it went downhill for me! What other A Level are you looking at, btw English Lang or Lit?

They were friends, but I only met them in my first year. The sixth form is part of my secondary school, but the people I spent time with, most of them came from elsewhere, bar 1 or 2.
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