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AQA A2 Environmental Studies/Science

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else is studying this lovely subject?

I'd love if we shared some revision tips or resources you may have :smile:

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I'm (unfortunately) doing it too!
I've found that revising from the book doesn't help me in the slightest since the exams are so diverse (*cough* stupid *cough*), so I do all the past papers from the mark-scheme. Somehow, I can always remember answers this way and there's a lot of repeated questions so that's the only revision tip I've got - mark schemes.

How are you feeling about it at A2? :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by croatoan
I'm (unfortunately) doing it too!
I've found that revising from the book doesn't help me in the slightest since the exams are so diverse (*cough* stupid *cough*), so I do all the past papers from the mark-scheme. Somehow, I can always remember answers this way and there's a lot of repeated questions so that's the only revision tip I've got - mark schemes.

How are you feeling about it at A2? :smile:


Hey! At least one person! :biggrin: There's only 3 of us in our A2 class!

The book is a absolute bull! I hate it tbh...

Yeah, the exams are really diverse and I just don't know what to expect... But yeah, I've noticed that some question repeat so, thanks!

I absolutely love the subject but there's so little out there to revise from so I'm kind of panicking about it.. You?
Original post by MrsStark
Hey! At least one person! :biggrin: There's only 3 of us in our A2 class!

The book is a absolute bull! I hate it tbh...

Yeah, the exams are really diverse and I just don't know what to expect... But yeah, I've noticed that some question repeat so, thanks!

I absolutely love the subject but there's so little out there to revise from so I'm kind of panicking about it.. You?


Hahaha i know it's rare to find others :') been looking on here for ages for people to share war stories and tales of suffering with!
wow and we thought our class of 9 was bad! though granted there's never more than 4 of us at one time.

urgh I honestly wish I hadn't wasted my money on the book. Like, Im reading it rn cause i'm resisting unit 1 tomorrow and it's just too broad?? and how on earth they expect us to learn EVERY SINGLE THING in it i'll never know.

same here. enjoy a lot of it but there's only really the book and then past papers... and they're hard exams man, really hard :frown:

you plan to study something like it at uni?
Reply 4
Original post by croatoan
Hahaha i know it's rare to find others :':wink: been looking on here for ages for people to share war stories and tales of suffering with!
wow and we thought our class of 9 was bad! though granted there's never more than 4 of us at one time.

urgh I honestly wish I hadn't wasted my money on the book. Like, Im reading it rn cause i'm resisting unit 1 tomorrow and it's just too broad?? and how on earth they expect us to learn EVERY SINGLE THING in it i'll never know.

same here. enjoy a lot of it but there's only really the book and then past papers... and they're hard exams man, really hard :frown:

you plan to study something like it at uni?


Haha, it's only me usually if the others decide to turn up! They only took the subject because they had to take a third A2 XD

I know! And it doesn't even cover everything in as much detail as you need, and sometime it just goes on about unnecessary things ! I'm fuming about it, but to be fair they're not going to waste their time writing a good book if theres so little of us doing the subject :/ they're not even carrying on the subject next year because they're so little interest :frown:

Yeah... our tutor gives us some work sheets but they're mostly Environmental Science ones so some of the stuff is irrelevant.

I want to do VetMed so no haha you?
Original post by MrsStark
Haha, it's only me usually if the others decide to turn up! They only took the subject because they had to take a third A2 XD

I know! And it doesn't even cover everything in as much detail as you need, and sometime it just goes on about unnecessary things ! I'm fuming about it, but to be fair they're not going to waste their time writing a good book if theres so little of us doing the subject :/ they're not even carrying on the subject next year because they're so little interest :frown:

Yeah... our tutor gives us some work sheets but they're mostly Environmental Science ones so some of the stuff is irrelevant.

I want to do VetMed so no haha you?



Haha, I feel like it's the same with my class :')

Yeah like they'll give you exam questions on one tiny little two-line paragraph and you're just expected to know everything? Man, I hope nothing about smoke comes up in unit 3 -.-
Oh it's been confirmed that they are continuing it next year! We've been following the progress in class and they're definitely continuing it, the new spec is on the website :smile:

(It also annoys me that GCSE is environmental science and A-levels is studies when there's way more science!)

I wanna do geological oceanography at Bangor. Where you applied? :smile:


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Reply 6
Original post by croatoan
Haha, I feel like it's the same with my class :':wink:

Yeah like they'll give you exam questions on one tiny little two-line paragraph and you're just expected to know everything? Man, I hope nothing about smoke comes up in unit 3 -.-
Oh it's been confirmed that they are continuing it next year! We've been following the progress in class and they're definitely continuing it, the new spec is on the website :smile:

(It also annoys me that GCSE is environmental science and A-levels is studies when there's way more science!)

I wanna do geological oceanography at Bangor. Where you applied? :smile:


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Oh gosh yeah! All like PANs and VCOs and stuff D; I dreading the essay question tbh...
Nice! I think it's just really badly advertised so people just don't know about it :/ I reckon if more people were told a subject like this exists they'd be interested!

Ooh! I got an offer to do zoology at Bangor! But I'm taking a gap year to get more experience (y)
Reply 7
Wow I've never found anyone else on here who does ES...btw my teacher wrote the book haha (even he admits it's terrible :biggrin: )

I'm resitting ENVS2 on Wednesday, it's weird how it's so much easier than this year...

Anyone else just find ENVS3 impossible?
Original post by MrsStark
Oh gosh yeah! All like PANs and VCOs and stuff D; I dreading the essay question tbh...
Nice! I think it's just really badly advertised so people just don't know about it :/ I reckon if more people were told a subject like this exists they'd be interested!

Ooh! I got an offer to do zoology at Bangor! But I'm taking a gap year to get more experience (y)




Yeah I agree with the lack of info about it... I didn't even know it was a subject until I had to change my options at my sixth form and that was was of the available classes!

Oh did you?? Shame, would have seen you there. But a gap year sounds amazing! What are you planning to do on it?


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Original post by Chihiro_
Wow I've never found anyone else on here who does ES...btw my teacher wrote the book haha (even he admits it's terrible :biggrin: )

I'm resitting ENVS2 on Wednesday, it's weird how it's so much easier than this year...

Anyone else just find ENVS3 impossible?


Wow seriously??? Tbh the mark schemes aren't much better so it's not all the book's fault.

Ah see I thought that with unit 1 that I resat but we all came out thinking last year's was easier! :/

I personally find unit 4 more difficult but unit 3 is also utterly crap. The only good thing is that you can sort of bull**** half of the pollution effects I guess :/


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Original post by croatoan
Wow seriously??? Tbh the mark schemes aren't much better so it's not all the book's fault.

Ah see I thought that with unit 1 that I resat but we all came out thinking last year's was easier! :/

I personally find unit 4 more difficult but unit 3 is also utterly crap. The only good thing is that you can sort of bull**** half of the pollution effects I guess :/


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Yeah he's always in London working with AQA, especially when they were trying to save the subject :redface: Oh god I hope ENVS2 isn't really hard...
Original post by Chihiro_
Yeah he's always in London working with AQA, especially when they were trying to save the subject :redface: Oh god I hope ENVS2 isn't really hard...


Unit 2 was always the nicer of the two anyway so it'll probably be really nice! :smile:
Original post by croatoan
Unit 2 was always the nicer of the two anyway so it'll probably be really nice! :smile:


I hope so! Or at least the grade boundaries might be low!
Reply 13
Yeah, AS - especially unit 2 - is a lot nicer than A2 definitely!

And woop! More people! haha wow seriously?! Good for your teacher! haha

I'm just planning to do work experience at a vets practise and farm :smile: and I dropped maths last year and had to pick another subject to do instead, I wanted to do science and society but it clashed with my other subjects so I went with ES!

And to be frankly honest, I hate aquaculture the most! :frown: But the whole of A2 is utter bull...
Reply 14
Guys! I found some notes on the TSR learning tools, maybe you already knew about these but ah well! haha

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/resources?level_id%5B0%5D=a2&subject_id%5B0%5D=environmental_sciencestudies

I've put some of my notes on there too.
Original post by MrsStark
Guys! I found some notes on the TSR learning tools, maybe you already knew about these but ah well! haha

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/g/resources?level_id%5B0%5D=a2&subject_id%5B0%5D=environmental_sciencestudies

I've put some of my notes on there too.



oh that's great thank you! anything is better than the book aha :biggrin:
Reply 16
Original post by croatoan
oh that's great thank you! anything is better than the book aha :biggrin:


My pleasure!
Hi I'm also doing environmental studies!! I've ploughed through all the past papers now so I'm reading the textbook from cover to cover and hoping for the best (I need an A argh) Just wondering what you guys think of the investigation style questions? For example 'Describe how you would research the effect of pH on seed germination'. We have never covered them in class. Also - just over one week until ENVS 3 lol
Reply 18
Hiiiii!
The past papers just wreck my head, I feel like I don't know anything D:
I need an A too so I'm just going to keep my fingers crossed haha

I kinda like those, but it depends what it's asking. For the pH one I'd just say to have several pots, all with the same seeds (number and type) and all under the same conditions but every pot has to have different pH. After some time check and calculate like percentage germination (?), repeat several times blah blah

Oh god haha don't remind me xD
(edited 8 years ago)
Hi! I also do Environmental Studies. I agree the content is so varied and so much can come up, but I really like the text book. I've done all the past papers but there aren't many so now I'm just re-reading the textbook and taking notes.

Anyone have any predictions for the essay questions in either papers?


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