Is it worth getting ahead with A2 over the summer?

I've finished AS this year and am taking maths, chemistry and biology at A2 next year. Over the summer I'm planning to cover C3 and some of C4 for maths, but I was wondering whether it would be worthwhile making a good start on chemistry and biology as well? We didn't do much work on them in the last six weeks after exams. I was also considering doing an EPQ (which I may just research over the summer) and extra reading and other random stuff. BUT, I'm also going to be on holiday for three weeks. Eek.

Should I just wait until September to start the courses? Is an EPQ even worth doing for the amount of time and effort that it's going to take? Or should I just research the material over the summer anyway, so that even if I don't end up doing it, I'll have lots of extra reading to talk about? Don't know what to do! Advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

I've also just done my AS exams and am doing Maths. It's always a good sign to start A2 work on your own but I personally am doing my further reading, making my personal statement and preparing for the TSA oxford exam. Yes it's good to start with your work for next year but also read and prepare for your universities. Good Luck

In my opinion, an EPQ isn't really worth it. I too in the beginning thought it would be beneficial and would help me to secure a place at uni but in the end I opted out and didn't do it. I am glad i didn't as some of my friends did and they told me how it took up a lot of time and effort, and they could have used that time to concentrate more on their A2's!

Defo start A2 revision over the summer, you will be surprised by how much more you will know then your peers when you start A2.

Hmm, I might research something in depth as though I was doing an EPQ but then not bother actually doing it. All the log book and planning and documenting looks like it'll take ages! So do you reckon I should just focus on doing extra reading, getting ahead with maths, working on my PS and some other stuff to boost my application?

Yeah definitely think you should just stick to learning some A2 material as A2 is so much more difficult and you really have to go through the stuff a few times in order to understand it!

Is it really that much harder? :s Hopefully maths will be alright, and just a case of doing lots of practice (which I think is just fun anyway) But yeah, I can imagine that biology and chemistry are going to be pretty intense. I hate some of the topics in biology unit 4 as well. Ecology, photosynthesis, respiration... so. fricking. boring! I love some of the other topics though.

Any other tips for A2? How many times harder than AS would you say it is?

No! Enjoy your summer and relax. Yr 13 is very intense but even harder if you haven't had time to relax over summer. You're not going to retain any of the stuff for your exams in June so relax.


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It is harder than AS but nothing like the jump from gcse to AS. As for respiration and photosynthesis well they grow on you. I really liked them by the end. Ecology always remains dull though and everyone hates it.


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Is it really that much harder? :s Hopefully maths will be alright, and just a case of doing lots of practice (which I think is just fun anyway) But yeah, I can imagine that biology and chemistry are going to be pretty intense. I hate some of the topics in biology unit 4 as well. Ecology, photosynthesis, respiration... so. fricking. boring! I love some of the other topics though.

Any other tips for A2? How many times harder than AS would you say it is?

Thanks for the replies. You're right... I need to de-stress a bit.
I can never learn to love photosynthesis. And you're right - everybody hates ecology.
It's the topic of the devil.

Have you just finished your A2 year? If so, what subjects were you doing? And what are you doing/hoping to do at university?