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Got U's need advice

Ok I am an A2 student , Who went from A' and B's and a couple of C's at AS level .I do sciences, maths, essay based subjects and economics . I got straight U's in all these subjects , so heres the problem I need to fix why I am failing , I revised alot in december and january not every day but most days I would stay up all night doing papers and revising . I didn't really work during school time but when I got home I did work.

So for those A and A* students whats your method , what do you do when you get home and revise . I think its time for some change and hopefully this thread can help others in the same position.

Reply 1

TheMiestero

Nice answer , But in fairness I learnt my lesson of not doing work at school . Can you tell me your revision technique without being one of those people who say they got the grade because of natural talent

Reply 2

mehhhw/e

You need to pay (assuming you don't) attention in class, along with making notes. You'd be surprised as to how much you learn in an hours worth of lesson. Also, staying up late at night isn't really going to help you. It's best if you spread your work, giving yourself 30 min breaks or so and starting early (perhaps an hour after you reach home from college?). Keep your social life on hold atm, and in your free periods, find a quiet area to sit and review your work from your previous lesson. When you get home, review your notes once more.

Um, I think that's all the advice I can give you - unless you tell us what you have difficulty with.

Reply 3

Folie

Original post by TheMiestero

Try and concentrate in lessons (easier said than done sometimes I know).
Don't do all night revision, you'll get tired and it won't go in. Plus if you're tired it'll make concentrating in lessons even harder.
Try different revision methods put (not just reading for sciences - also make notes, spider diagrams etc)
If you did well last year, think about what's changed since then - is there anything you're doin differently in your revision or lessons that might have caused this? If there is you need to address it. Speak to your teachers etc about it if you need to.
I hope you find at least some of this helpful :smile:

Reply 4

Nymthae

I don't do any work at home, I do all mine in college. As someone said, make sure you're actually paying attention in class and taking the notes well. Ask the questions that pop-up in your mind when you're writing it all down.

With something like Maths it can all be done through reptition - do the past papers. If you get stuck, use the mark scheme constructively - see how they've done it, does it make sense to you? If not, ask!

Keep on top of your sleep or the paying attention will go out of the window. Paying attention is the foundation of doing well, revision is just smoothing it all over.

Reply 5

phill232

How many subjects do you do; sciences maths essay based subjects and economics, is 7 an accurate guess?

Download the specifications from the exam board websites and use text books designed specifically for your exam board that way you can make sure you're revising exactly the right topics

Reply 8

bramz19

Original post by ChelseaDaggers

Download the specifications from the exam board websites and use text books designed specifically for your exam board that way you can make sure you're revising exactly the right topics

Agreed, this helps so much. Half the work is knowing the structure of the exam and the course and nailing exam technique. Getting the specification helps you gain perspective of what you need to know and when you need to start revising.

Reply 9

Lizzy the Bookworm

*Manage your time effectively i.e. Do work at school in frees, even if its hard to find a quiet place. I bust into a disused office sometimes that has a lockable door and just work there. Do all homework when it's set to avoid pile-ups (although this doesn't always work in practice)
*Ask your teachers for help with anything you don't understand, or want to understand better. They generally tend to want to help you, and if you make an effort, so will they.
* Talk to your friends, especially ones who take your subjects. Listening to someone who's your age and your friend talk about the work is often easier if you feel uncomfortable talking to a teacher. Plus, you'll get a different perspective on the work itself.
* Take time for YOURSELF. Doing 5 hour stints on work isn't healthy, and staying up all night certainly isn't. Sleep, drink and eat heathily, exercise and do something mindless to take your mind off work. I find Grey's Anatomy and a tacky magazine very useful :smile:

* RESITS ARE A GODSEND!!
* Revise in different ways to keep your brain active. I downsize all my notes, and then make MINDMAPS

Sorry for extra long post, hope all goes well. :colondollar:

Reply 10

Freerider101

Do what you did for your AS.... At least you know it works?

Reply 11

treacletart01

Go to a private school, get a tutor, delete facebook, turn your mobile off, and just be a nerd for the academic year.
Then when summer comes about PAAAARRRTTTTY

worked for me: 3A*'s and 1 B at a-level

Reply 12

BlueJoker

Forget "fun", pretty, colourful revision. I find nothing works better than copying out information again and again to remember facts, as well as practice papers, essays, ectr. Two hours every day straight after school, three on saturday, take the day off on sunday, increase as you get closer to exams. Boring, yes, hard work, yes, but definately worth it if you're this far behind.

And believe me, it works, I went up from a low D to an A* in history :smile:

Reply 13

adam_zed

Original post by TheMiestero

When I was in A2 I bunked off a lot of my lessons towards the end of the year and worked at home and in the library. My grades boosted somewhat. I experimented with a lot of different revision techniques and systems. Now what I do is I make very simple notes on a chapter, then I go back into a lot more detail. I then type these notes up, make a power point, and make flash cards from this power point. From this I would then advise going through the flash cards as much as possible before doing practice papers a week or 2 before the exams!

Reply 14

Folie

Original post by BlueJoker

I think that 'pretty, colourful' revision can work - specifically if you're a visual learner. It certainly works for me, but then different things work for different people. I do also combine with excessive note copying too though.

OP, if you're an auditory learner you could try recording your notes on your phone and listening to them on the way to college - I use this more for languages, but I know some people find it helpful for sciences/history etc too. If you don't know what works for you yet, it might be worth trying a few different methods and seeing what goes in best.