What's the essential piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels?
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Don't do them.
Okay, so don't make the same mistakes that I did! I'm in my first year, so have one year left and have just taken my AS-Levels!
1. You need to recognise that there is a massive difference between GCSE and A-Level, sounds really stupid but trust me A-Levels will make GCSE's look easy. Everything is different, so be prepared to learn how to do everything differently --- you will pick it up quickly!
2. Choose subjects that you love or are passionate about, chances are you will only take 3 or 4 a-levels, so this means you will have lots of the same lessons. This is no good if you hate the subject etc.
3. Make sure that you know what you are getting yourself in for - no late surprises!!!
4. If you have coursework, GET AHEAD!!!! You will be thankful for it at the end of your 2 years.
5. Obviously work hard, and want to do your best.
6. try to do the best that you can in your AS- levels, this takes pressure off you in your last year!
7. If you want to drop an a-level, do it at the start of your course!
Good Luck
1. You need to recognise that there is a massive difference between GCSE and A-Level, sounds really stupid but trust me A-Levels will make GCSE's look easy. Everything is different, so be prepared to learn how to do everything differently --- you will pick it up quickly!
2. Choose subjects that you love or are passionate about, chances are you will only take 3 or 4 a-levels, so this means you will have lots of the same lessons. This is no good if you hate the subject etc.
3. Make sure that you know what you are getting yourself in for - no late surprises!!!
4. If you have coursework, GET AHEAD!!!! You will be thankful for it at the end of your 2 years.
5. Obviously work hard, and want to do your best.
6. try to do the best that you can in your AS- levels, this takes pressure off you in your last year!
7. If you want to drop an a-level, do it at the start of your course!
Good Luck
Not sure if this has been mentioned here yet, but something me and my friends were never really told was that its always good to consider plans for post A-Levels around the first year, so like try and consider whether you want to go to uni or something, and start to consider what subject you may want to do if you like the idea, and start to PLAN.
Although looking as far ahead as uni is quite daunting early on, its always a good idea to consider it and what you would need to do to make your uni personal statement shine is experience and extra curricular activities etc.
It does seem kind of absurd, mentioning uni in an A-Level help thread, but gaining experience in specific areas of some form is always good for your future, even if its not for uni, and something that will probably benefit you someday.
TLDR; I have friends who want to be nurses and doctors who couldn't get into uni this year because of lack of experience in their subject- GO FORTH AND VOLUNTEER/DO WORK EXPERIENCE WHILE YOU CAN!!
Although looking as far ahead as uni is quite daunting early on, its always a good idea to consider it and what you would need to do to make your uni personal statement shine is experience and extra curricular activities etc.
It does seem kind of absurd, mentioning uni in an A-Level help thread, but gaining experience in specific areas of some form is always good for your future, even if its not for uni, and something that will probably benefit you someday.
TLDR; I have friends who want to be nurses and doctors who couldn't get into uni this year because of lack of experience in their subject- GO FORTH AND VOLUNTEER/DO WORK EXPERIENCE WHILE YOU CAN!!
Original post by She-Ra
Your A-levels are done, you're now officially a little bit older and a little bit wiser 
So what's the essential piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels?
This is a golden thread. Join in with the discussion before 26 August 2016 to be in with the chance of winning an iPad air 2!
Other golden threads:
1. List the fibs your teacher told you at school
2. What's your ultimate summer tune?
3. Which GCSE subject can you not wish to ditch?
4. Sum up how you’re feeling about results day in a meme or gif
5. How do you plan to celebrate your exam results?
6. Starting uni: what are you most excited about?
7. One essential piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels
8. What's the one thing will get you through results day?
The competition runs from 3 August to 23:59 on 26 August 2016. The random draw will be made on 30 August 2016.
So what's the essential piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels?
This is a golden thread. Join in with the discussion before 26 August 2016 to be in with the chance of winning an iPad air 2!
Other golden threads:
1. List the fibs your teacher told you at school
2. What's your ultimate summer tune?
3. Which GCSE subject can you not wish to ditch?
4. Sum up how you’re feeling about results day in a meme or gif
5. How do you plan to celebrate your exam results?
6. Starting uni: what are you most excited about?
7. One essential piece of advice you'd give to someone starting their A-levels
8. What's the one thing will get you through results day?
The competition runs from 3 August to 23:59 on 26 August 2016. The random draw will be made on 30 August 2016.
Be realistic in both ways. You may think you'll be able to handle doing really challenging A levels, but choose something you know you'll enjoy and benefit from. There's no point doing something you dislike, because it'll just make everything harder.
On the other hand, be realistic about how great you are! don't be afraid to study what you want. These A levels will determining your future- don't make the mistake of doing something that you look back on a regret wasting your time on.
Also, read the required materials, and keep notes tidy and collected from day 1.
Don't choose similar subjects to everyone else just to fit in. Do what you're best at and the results will follow!
As others have said, consistent hard work over the full year, there are a small minority of people who have the capacity to cram A level subject, there is a strong chance you are not one of them. Cramming before an exam is like running three marathons for training in the three days leading up to running a marathon. Ideally you want to be prepped for exams way before, then you are not having to learn topics around exam time, you only have to revise/reiterate them.
Also Especially for maths subjects, do not assume because you were at A grade level, 2 months before an exam, that you will remain at that level after not looking at the topic for 5 weeks. Once you are at a level where you are doing past papers and scoring your target grade, continue to do 1 paper a week every single week. Maintaining a standard is far easier than building back up to a standard, plus doing it a second time is much harder as you lose interest when learning the same thing a second time.
Also while past papers are useful, for subjects like biology (ones which test memory/recollection more than applied style questions) do not neglect going through books/notes around exam time, exams don't cover every topic, so unless your doing every single paper ever in the 3 days before the exam you will likely miss some topics, which is why it's a good idea to skim the spec the week of exam, anything that isn't completely bulletproof open the book at that point and rewrite notes. I rewrote my physics notes 3 times over in there entirety.
Also Especially for maths subjects, do not assume because you were at A grade level, 2 months before an exam, that you will remain at that level after not looking at the topic for 5 weeks. Once you are at a level where you are doing past papers and scoring your target grade, continue to do 1 paper a week every single week. Maintaining a standard is far easier than building back up to a standard, plus doing it a second time is much harder as you lose interest when learning the same thing a second time.
Also while past papers are useful, for subjects like biology (ones which test memory/recollection more than applied style questions) do not neglect going through books/notes around exam time, exams don't cover every topic, so unless your doing every single paper ever in the 3 days before the exam you will likely miss some topics, which is why it's a good idea to skim the spec the week of exam, anything that isn't completely bulletproof open the book at that point and rewrite notes. I rewrote my physics notes 3 times over in there entirety.
Do not think its going to be like GCSE's and you can just wing it. Work hard, stay focused and keep up to date notes and DO NOT FORGET the extra reading.
·Don’t waste your frees, the common room may be warm and comfy but getting into good habits early on will really help
· Make all your revision notes before mocks, you can always add to them later
·Do every past paper you can find – even if its not your specification
· If you don’t understand a topic go to your teachers, once you get to a level the attitude is that you are responsible for your own learning. I found it was worth giving up ten minutes of my lunch to have something explained to me
· Make all your revision notes before mocks, you can always add to them later
·Do every past paper you can find – even if its not your specification
· If you don’t understand a topic go to your teachers, once you get to a level the attitude is that you are responsible for your own learning. I found it was worth giving up ten minutes of my lunch to have something explained to me
(edited 7 years ago)
Work hard. Don't give up. Don't let any type of negativity get to you as for my self I went through a lot of hate during my A levels but the key is to stay focused on your goal.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
Start months and months before exam leave and start doing the past papers. Today (day before results) I can relax a bit because I did as many papers in each subject as I could fit in (after doing revision on the topics), and knowing my grades in them reassures me that I'm going to get the grades needed today. Exam boards only have so many variants of questions that they can set, and if you've seen them all before your at least 50% of the way towards answering them.
Start months and months before exam leave and start doing the past papers. Today (day before results) I can relax a bit because I did as many papers in each subject as I could fit in (after doing revision on the topics), and knowing my grades in them reassures me that I'm going to get the grades needed today. Exam boards only have so many variants of questions that they can set, and if you've seen them all before your at least 50% of the way towards answering them.
-Start making your revision notes form the beginning
-Know the friends that will distract you and the ones you can actually get work done with
-If you take an A level and you don't like it CHANGE IT as quickly as possible. You'll thank yourself later.
-At least consider having 1 hard A level but if not do an EPQ which employers also value now
-Ignore teachers that think you not capable especially if you believe in your own potential. My teachers predicted me a D and i came out with an A so i know what i'm on about.
-If you want to go to a top uni, APPLY TO IT, don't listen to teachers who tell you you can't make it or your not good enough.
-SLEEP
-If you do badly at the beginning its okay, you can only go higher from there.
-Know the friends that will distract you and the ones you can actually get work done with
-If you take an A level and you don't like it CHANGE IT as quickly as possible. You'll thank yourself later.
-At least consider having 1 hard A level but if not do an EPQ which employers also value now
-Ignore teachers that think you not capable especially if you believe in your own potential. My teachers predicted me a D and i came out with an A so i know what i'm on about.
-If you want to go to a top uni, APPLY TO IT, don't listen to teachers who tell you you can't make it or your not good enough.
-SLEEP
-If you do badly at the beginning its okay, you can only go higher from there.
-Start making your revision notes form the beginning
-Know the friends that will distract you and the ones you can actually get work done with
-If you take an A level and you don't like it CHANGE IT as quickly as possible. You'll thank yourself later.
-At least consider having 1 hard A level but if not do an EPQ which employers also value now
-Ignore teachers that think you not capable especially if you believe in your own potential. My teachers predicted me a D and i came out with an A so i know what i'm on about.
-If you want to go to a top uni, APPLY TO IT, don't listen to teachers who tell you you can't make it or your not good enough.
-SLEEP
-If you do badly at the beginning its okay, you can only go higher from there.
-Know the friends that will distract you and the ones you can actually get work done with
-If you take an A level and you don't like it CHANGE IT as quickly as possible. You'll thank yourself later.
-At least consider having 1 hard A level but if not do an EPQ which employers also value now
-Ignore teachers that think you not capable especially if you believe in your own potential. My teachers predicted me a D and i came out with an A so i know what i'm on about.
-If you want to go to a top uni, APPLY TO IT, don't listen to teachers who tell you you can't make it or your not good enough.
-SLEEP
-If you do badly at the beginning its okay, you can only go higher from there.
Original post by z33
There were people who got A*s at GCSE who end up failing AS and retaking or doing BTECs. And then there were people who barely scraped Cs who got Bs and As at AS so its not about how 'naturally intelligent' you are - work hard, play hard. Simple. So if you dont enjoy your subjects/ arent committed to them... you will fail fam.
This. I know kids who got A*s at GCSE who really struggled with AS levels, and a kid with 5 GCSEs who's predicted to get 4 As. Some subjects can be completely different from their GCSE counterparts (eg: AS History) so it's important not to get arrogant or assume that you'll inevitably ace the exams on the basis of GCSE performance. But people who work very, very hard and revise consistently, enjoy and "get" their subject, read widely around the subject and do well in lots of past papers have a good chance, I think...
Original post by z33
There were people who got A*s at GCSE who end up failing AS and retaking or doing BTECs. And then there were people who barely scraped Cs who got Bs and As at AS so its not about how 'naturally intelligent' you are - work hard, play hard. Simple. So if you dont enjoy your subjects/ arent committed to them... you will fail fam.
This. I know kids who got A*s at GCSE who really struggled with AS levels, and a kid with 5 GCSEs who's predicted to get 4 As. Some subjects can be completely different from their GCSE counterparts (eg: AS History) so it's important not to get arrogant or assume that you'll inevitably ace the exams on the basis of GCSE performance. But people who work very, very hard and revise consistently, enjoy and "get" their subject, read widely around the subject and do well in lots of past papers have a good chance, I think...
CGP revision guides are crap when you reach A2. Don't use them - there are loads of ace revision guides on the internet (eg. for OCR Advancing Physics B)
For maths and physics and chemistry, the best way to revise is past papers. Do as many as you can. The same exact questions might not come up again, but the same format will, and you'll learn exam technique as well as making sure you cover everything on the syllabus.
TLDR; do past papers
For maths and physics and chemistry, the best way to revise is past papers. Do as many as you can. The same exact questions might not come up again, but the same format will, and you'll learn exam technique as well as making sure you cover everything on the syllabus.
TLDR; do past papers
The biggest thing is keeping up, making sure you keep your homeworks and notes organised, so you know where to look when you need something later.
Don't be afraid to go and talk to your teachers if there's something you're not completely happy about, it's their job to make sure that you understand everything. A lot of subjects at my college had lunchtime support sessions where you can just go and work, and ask straight away if you need help.
YouTube is your friend. For me, especially with maths and physics there are tonnes of lessons which can go over explaining something you have already in class, maybe just in a slightly different way to your teacher which might just make something click for you.
I found these really useful for maths:
HegartyMaths - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLJnnnahpUYO2tOEcXe1mHA
Achieve Maths - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4h6xRhh6voZfG75oFso6w
But the most important thing is not to worry (too much) if you can avoid it and just do your best.
Don't be afraid to go and talk to your teachers if there's something you're not completely happy about, it's their job to make sure that you understand everything. A lot of subjects at my college had lunchtime support sessions where you can just go and work, and ask straight away if you need help.
YouTube is your friend. For me, especially with maths and physics there are tonnes of lessons which can go over explaining something you have already in class, maybe just in a slightly different way to your teacher which might just make something click for you.
I found these really useful for maths:
HegartyMaths - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLJnnnahpUYO2tOEcXe1mHA
Achieve Maths - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg4h6xRhh6voZfG75oFso6w
But the most important thing is not to worry (too much) if you can avoid it and just do your best.
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