Original post by 888ella
Hi guys, I’m doing AQA Physics A-Level and since it’s Easter it’s time to go hard with revision but I’m a bit lost on where to start. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to prioritise???? And how to get my revision together for Physics???
Know what it is you need to revise.
• go through your exam board specifications (all available to you online) and look through each topic and make sure you know everything it says you should. It's a great way to find gaps in your knowledge as they have the basis of everything you can be tested on.
• Make sure you prioritise your weaker topics as there isn't much point revising things you already know. Do revise them to a certain degree, just don't spend too much time focused on topics you are confident in.
Make a plan
• some people find scheduling out revision really effective when making sure they get everything done / having a structured plan to make sure you reach daily targets so if it's something you would want to try, I'd recommend it
Fill in your gaps before you start practicing
• do all your notetaking before you answer practice questions / past papers, especially with physics
• I would make short mind maps or page summaries of topics for physics and use them for when I start answering questions so everything I need to know is condensed and easy to access in a way I can revise it / use it effectively
• I used physics and maths tutor (https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/) for some summary page content for all subjects and used science shorts (https://scienceshorts.net/) for physics. They have video run-throughs of exam papers / making mind maps, etc, so highly recommend them.
Active revision
• make sure you're not just reading notes / highlighting / rewriting content as that wont make you remember any info!
• make your own revision cards / mindmaps / quizzes
• timed recall: write as much as you can about a topic for 15 mins without looking at your notes. Then after you've reached your time limit, go through your notes for and see what's missing. With a different colour, go back and add as much as you can remember for 5 mins and keep repeating so you are activiely recalling information.
• do past papers and look at markschemes, they're the key to forming well-worded answers in physics!
• do practice questions and if possible, ask your teacher to give feedback on them
• spaced repitition also works very well, making sure you can still remember something 15 mins, an hour, a few hours, the next day after you revise it.
Finally, make sure you prioritise consistency and quality over spending hours sat trying to revise without it being effective. Revision is different for everyone so make yours catered to you. Ask others for advice or help, especially your teachers, they have so many resources available for students to use so just ask them!
In terms of being able to understand concepts but struggling to apply them to questions, try and see if it tends to be associated with particular topics. If it isn't, then look at the questions type, e.g. is it a long, worded answer or are they multi-step calculations? Sometimes there are questions that use ambiguous language / require you to understand particular wording to make assumptions that are key to get an answer, so I'd recommend having a look and seeing what it is specifically that is catching you out and see if it something you can address yourself or if you require someone else to explain specific techniques or knowledge to you instead.
When deciding what to prioritise first, go through your exam board specification and have a look topic by topic at what it is you struggle with the most / what would require the most work and start off with those topics, making your way downto the one you find the easiest or the one that you tend to understand the best. This is so you spend enough time covering topics you need more practice in and don't just focus on ones you can already do well in.
I hope all this helps and make sure you start your revision early and pace yourself. Wishing you all the best for your exams! If you have any other queries, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
Hiya, I'm currently a 3rd year astrophysics and cosmology student at Lancaster Uni and it's really hard to say one way to revise but I can give you suggestions based off what worked for me:
Know what it is you need to revise.
• go through your exam board specifications (all available to you online) and look through each topic and make sure you know everything it says you should. It's a great way to find gaps in your knowledge as they have the basis of everything you can be tested on.
• Make sure you prioritise your weaker topics as there isn't much point revising things you already know. Do revise them to a certain degree, just don't spend too much time focused on topics you are confident in.
Make a plan
• some people find scheduling out revision really effective when making sure they get everything done / having a structured plan to make sure you reach daily targets so if it's something you would want to try, I'd recommend it
Fill in your gaps before you start practicing
• do all your notetaking before you answer practice questions / past papers, especially with physics
• I would make short mind maps or page summaries of topics for physics and use them for when I start answering questions so everything I need to know is condensed and easy to access in a way I can revise it / use it effectively
• I used physics and maths tutor (https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/) for some summary page content for all subjects and used science shorts (https://scienceshorts.net/) for physics. They have video run-throughs of exam papers / making mind maps, etc, so highly recommend them.
Active revision
• make sure you're not just reading notes / highlighting / rewriting content as that wont make you remember any info!
• make your own revision cards / mindmaps / quizzes
• timed recall: write as much as you can about a topic for 15 mins without looking at your notes. Then after you've reached your time limit, go through your notes for and see what's missing. With a different colour, go back and add as much as you can remember for 5 mins and keep repeating so you are activiely recalling information.
• do past papers and look at markschemes, they're the key to forming well-worded answers in physics!
• do practice questions and if possible, ask your teacher to give feedback on them
• spaced repitition also works very well, making sure you can still remember something 15 mins, an hour, a few hours, the next day after you revise it.
Finally, make sure you prioritise consistency and quality over spending hours sat trying to revise without it being effective. Revision is different for everyone so make yours catered to you. Ask others for advice or help, especially your teachers, they have so many resources available for students to use so just ask them!
In terms of being able to understand concepts but struggling to apply them to questions, try and see if it tends to be associated with particular topics. If it isn't, then look at the questions type, e.g. is it a long, worded answer or are they multi-step calculations? Sometimes there are questions that use ambiguous language / require you to understand particular wording to make assumptions that are key to get an answer, so I'd recommend having a look and seeing what it is specifically that is catching you out and see if it something you can address yourself or if you require someone else to explain specific techniques or knowledge to you instead.
When deciding what to prioritise first, go through your exam board specification and have a look topic by topic at what it is you struggle with the most / what would require the most work and start off with those topics, making your way downto the one you find the easiest or the one that you tend to understand the best. This is so you spend enough time covering topics you need more practice in and don't just focus on ones you can already do well in.
I hope all this helps and make sure you start your revision early and pace yourself. Wishing you all the best for your exams! If you have any other queries, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)
Know what it is you need to revise.
• go through your exam board specifications (all available to you online) and look through each topic and make sure you know everything it says you should. It's a great way to find gaps in your knowledge as they have the basis of everything you can be tested on.
• Make sure you prioritise your weaker topics as there isn't much point revising things you already know. Do revise them to a certain degree, just don't spend too much time focused on topics you are confident in.
Make a plan
• some people find scheduling out revision really effective when making sure they get everything done / having a structured plan to make sure you reach daily targets so if it's something you would want to try, I'd recommend it
Fill in your gaps before you start practicing
• do all your notetaking before you answer practice questions / past papers, especially with physics
• I would make short mind maps or page summaries of topics for physics and use them for when I start answering questions so everything I need to know is condensed and easy to access in a way I can revise it / use it effectively
• I used physics and maths tutor (https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/) for some summary page content for all subjects and used science shorts (https://scienceshorts.net/) for physics. They have video run-throughs of exam papers / making mind maps, etc, so highly recommend them.
Active revision
• make sure you're not just reading notes / highlighting / rewriting content as that wont make you remember any info!
• make your own revision cards / mindmaps / quizzes
• timed recall: write as much as you can about a topic for 15 mins without looking at your notes. Then after you've reached your time limit, go through your notes for and see what's missing. With a different colour, go back and add as much as you can remember for 5 mins and keep repeating so you are activiely recalling information.
• do past papers and look at markschemes, they're the key to forming well-worded answers in physics!
• do practice questions and if possible, ask your teacher to give feedback on them
• spaced repitition also works very well, making sure you can still remember something 15 mins, an hour, a few hours, the next day after you revise it.
Finally, make sure you prioritise consistency and quality over spending hours sat trying to revise without it being effective. Revision is different for everyone so make yours catered to you. Ask others for advice or help, especially your teachers, they have so many resources available for students to use so just ask them!
In terms of being able to understand concepts but struggling to apply them to questions, try and see if it tends to be associated with particular topics. If it isn't, then look at the questions type, e.g. is it a long, worded answer or are they multi-step calculations? Sometimes there are questions that use ambiguous language / require you to understand particular wording to make assumptions that are key to get an answer, so I'd recommend having a look and seeing what it is specifically that is catching you out and see if it something you can address yourself or if you require someone else to explain specific techniques or knowledge to you instead.
When deciding what to prioritise first, go through your exam board specification and have a look topic by topic at what it is you struggle with the most / what would require the most work and start off with those topics, making your way downto the one you find the easiest or the one that you tend to understand the best. This is so you spend enough time covering topics you need more practice in and don't just focus on ones you can already do well in.
I hope all this helps and make sure you start your revision early and pace yourself. Wishing you all the best for your exams! If you have any other queries, feel free to ask.
-- Arya (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Those are great pointers which will help me get organised!!! <333
Original post by Jakson123
I made a list of all the topics and gave them a red,amber or green rating - red hardest and green easiest. So I'm devoting most time to the red subjects and least time to the green. Currently on Further mechanics this week - a definite red and really not my favourite.
Great idea!! I’ll try that too, good luck!!!
Original post by Jakson123
I made a list of all the topics and gave them a red,amber or green rating - red hardest and green easiest. So I'm devoting most time to the red subjects and least time to the green. Currently on Further mechanics this week - a definite red and really not my favourite.
@Jakson123
This is a really good suggestion. I found it too easy to end up spending more time on topics that I enjoyed but that meant that the topics I found harder or enjoyed less were neglected a bit.
Tineke
Lancaster University Student Ambassador
Original post by 888ella
Hi guys, I’m doing AQA Physics A-Level and since it’s Easter it’s time to go hard with revision but I’m a bit lost on where to start. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to prioritise???? And how to get my revision together for Physics???
@888ella
I’m not sure I can provide much more insight than has already been offered - that was a really comprehensive answer from Arya - sounds really helpful. Just wanted to say best of luck with your revision!
When I did A Level Physics I went through each section one by one. Lots of practice questions and I remember the cgp guides being very helpful summaries.
Best of luck!
Tineke
Lancaster University Student Ambassador
Original post by Lancaster Student Ambassador
@888ella
I’m not sure I can provide much more insight than has already been offered - that was a really comprehensive answer from Arya - sounds really helpful. Just wanted to say best of luck with your revision!
When I did A Level Physics I went through each section one by one. Lots of practice questions and I remember the cgp guides being very helpful summaries.
Best of luck!
Tineke
Lancaster University Student Ambassador
I’m not sure I can provide much more insight than has already been offered - that was a really comprehensive answer from Arya - sounds really helpful. Just wanted to say best of luck with your revision!
When I did A Level Physics I went through each section one by one. Lots of practice questions and I remember the cgp guides being very helpful summaries.
Best of luck!
Tineke
Lancaster University Student Ambassador
Thank you!!
Original post by 888ella
Hi guys, I’m doing AQA Physics A-Level and since it’s Easter it’s time to go hard with revision but I’m a bit lost on where to start. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to prioritise???? And how to get my revision together for Physics???
Alevels.ai offers a better method than googling a past paper question. You can attempt the question, check the mark scheme and create a flashcard. The platform offers a targeted and time effective way of revising. You can actually see your progress, areas of strength and weakness. Revision is hard work, but at least this way you can focus on topics and move through the content methodically.
Original post by dbowman
Alevels.ai offers a better method than googling a past paper question. You can attempt the question, check the mark scheme and create a flashcard. The platform offers a targeted and time effective way of revising. You can actually see your progress, areas of strength and weakness. Revision is hard work, but at least this way you can focus on topics and move through the content methodically.
Ooo, it seems awesome!! But I don't know if I'm willing to pay for it 😖
i'm in the same boat as you tbh, but here's a few tips (that you've probably already seen)
do active recall, helps you remember stuff better than just reading notes and highlighting
LOOK AT THE SPECIFICATION (its a cheat code), make sure you know everything on it
do past paper questions (loads of em), for practice and look at the markschemes, doing this will give you a good idea on how to formulate your answer, how in depth you need to be and what key words you need to get the marks
make a plan as well for all your subjects, i did it 2 days ago and it rlly helps a lot so you don't procrastinate
last tip, don't over revise, revision only works when ur brain is turned on and ready (unlike mine), so doing lots and lots of hours doesn't mean your doing lots and lots of revision if it ain't going to your brain properly, take breaks, include free time in your schedule so you feel motivated (USE POMODORO TECHNIQUE PLS)
as i said, i'm in the same boat as you and so are many other ppl, good luck in your next set of ppes and your revision, wishing u all the best!!!
do active recall, helps you remember stuff better than just reading notes and highlighting
LOOK AT THE SPECIFICATION (its a cheat code), make sure you know everything on it
do past paper questions (loads of em), for practice and look at the markschemes, doing this will give you a good idea on how to formulate your answer, how in depth you need to be and what key words you need to get the marks
make a plan as well for all your subjects, i did it 2 days ago and it rlly helps a lot so you don't procrastinate
last tip, don't over revise, revision only works when ur brain is turned on and ready (unlike mine), so doing lots and lots of hours doesn't mean your doing lots and lots of revision if it ain't going to your brain properly, take breaks, include free time in your schedule so you feel motivated (USE POMODORO TECHNIQUE PLS)
as i said, i'm in the same boat as you and so are many other ppl, good luck in your next set of ppes and your revision, wishing u all the best!!!
Original post by dooby_boss
i'm in the same boat as you tbh, but here's a few tips (that you've probably already seen)
do active recall, helps you remember stuff better than just reading notes and highlighting
LOOK AT THE SPECIFICATION (its a cheat code), make sure you know everything on it
do past paper questions (loads of em), for practice and look at the markschemes, doing this will give you a good idea on how to formulate your answer, how in depth you need to be and what key words you need to get the marks
make a plan as well for all your subjects, i did it 2 days ago and it rlly helps a lot so you don't procrastinate
last tip, don't over revise, revision only works when ur brain is turned on and ready (unlike mine), so doing lots and lots of hours doesn't mean your doing lots and lots of revision if it ain't going to your brain properly, take breaks, include free time in your schedule so you feel motivated (USE POMODORO TECHNIQUE PLS)
as i said, i'm in the same boat as you and so are many other ppl, good luck in your next set of ppes and your revision, wishing u all the best!!!
do active recall, helps you remember stuff better than just reading notes and highlighting
LOOK AT THE SPECIFICATION (its a cheat code), make sure you know everything on it
do past paper questions (loads of em), for practice and look at the markschemes, doing this will give you a good idea on how to formulate your answer, how in depth you need to be and what key words you need to get the marks
make a plan as well for all your subjects, i did it 2 days ago and it rlly helps a lot so you don't procrastinate
last tip, don't over revise, revision only works when ur brain is turned on and ready (unlike mine), so doing lots and lots of hours doesn't mean your doing lots and lots of revision if it ain't going to your brain properly, take breaks, include free time in your schedule so you feel motivated (USE POMODORO TECHNIQUE PLS)
as i said, i'm in the same boat as you and so are many other ppl, good luck in your next set of ppes and your revision, wishing u all the best!!!
Thank you so much!!! I wish you the best too!!!!!
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