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How much harder does chemistry, physics, maths and biology A2 get?

(edited 10 years ago)

I don't know whether to drop a subject or not!
I'm coping well with all four at the moment, but I'm scared that next year it'll be different!
How big is the jump?
I do Edexcel chemistry, OCR biology and AQA physics.

The jump in maths is a little smaller than the jump from GCSE to AS.
The A2 introduces more complex concepts based on the content of C1/2
Can't speak for the rest from experience, though apparently chem gets very difficult.

Reply 2

joostan

Original post by geor

Ok thank you! :redface:

No worries :smile:

Reply 3

Aspen_x

I do different exam boards to you, (although you haven't mentioned maths one?) and I also dropped physics last year.. but I found that with biology there's another jump into having to expand answers even more (i.e. get to the point, concise). With maths it there is definitely a jump up, I sit looking at C4 having no clue how to even start a question sometimes haha, and chemistry is just weird. But our exam board (OCR B) is just weird, but it definitely gets more complicated, you have to really think about concepts rather than just accept them :smile:

That wasn't much of a help I imagine but I would just say that I am glad I dropped a subject, and am really having to make sure I'm on top of things this year, and I got all As last year. (I know grades aren't everything but I'd see what your results are like) There's no point in doing 4 if you aren't going to make it worth it, i.e. it'd be a shame if you didn't do as well as if you had only done 3, and unis only look at 3 really anyway :smile:

Reply 4

Midnight1811

How different is gcse to AS levels for chemisty maths biology ? Can you please tell me what is so different ?

Reply 5

Alotties

Original post by geor

Biology doesn't really get much harder, it just seems to get longer and last forever. (I do OCR).
Maths gets really hard (in my opinion) compared to C1/C2. C4 seems quite easy when you learn it but when you apply it to an exam it gets horrible, it's making me scared of missing my uni offer. (I do OCR MEI).
Chemistry doesn't get too much harder either (but it gets a lot harder than bio imo). There is a lot of application and they put confusing questions in just to throw you off but if you know the content well enough and know how to apply your knowledge to new situations it is manageable. (I do OCR A).
I don't do physics though so I can't comment.

Reply 6

Midnight1811

if i'm a person who is getting b's at high school is this the right academic choice for me ? i love biology, chemistry but have been told that i'm not as good as people withs a's ?

Reply 7

guitardad

Biology gets wayy harder if you're doing AQA; the ecology is soo boring, and the synoptic essay on the end of BIOL5 :bawling:

. Chem isnt that much of a Jump i'd say CHEM4 was genuinely fun - but thats probably because I like organic chem more. Maths C4 :frown:

Reply 8

William Turtle

Original post by Midnight1811

How different is gcse to AS levels for chemisty maths biology ? Can you please tell me what is so different ?

AS chemistry definitely seems to me to be the biggest step up from GCSE (I do bio, phys, chem and maths). Biology wasn't that much (they just get pedantic in their marking), and maths was somewhere between the other two. With b's, you can definitely do well if you work hard :smile: