A* at A level students - how much revision did you do

Original post by manic_fuzz

Nope, I could mark the science papers well enough myself. I only did a couple of mocks in EngLit in class so obviously they were both marked. For psychology it would have been helpful to have had them marked but my teacher was ill - admittedly the marking scheme wasn't as ambiguous as for EngLit so it wasn't too bad.

Yeah just looking at the politics making scheme and it isn't particularly helpful tbh.
It's very generic. Unlike maths, essay subjects require alot more as there isn't a definite right or wrong answer.

How did you get round the psychology mark scheme?

Reply 42

manic_fuzz

17

Original post by 3mmz

Yeah just looking at the politics making scheme and it isn't particularly helpful tbh.
It's very generic. Unlike maths, essay subjects require alot more as there isn't a definite right or wrong answer.

How did you get round the psychology mark scheme?

Um I just did the best I could, the mark scheme wasn't too generic, as in you could definitely tell what they wanted in an answer. Although I got an A in psychology rather than an A* so my revision technique evidently wasn't absolutely perfect :tongue:

Reply 43

Silvermead

4

Original post by 3mmz

great advice

i am doing politics on my gap year. any tips you can give? did you do edexcel?

I did do Edexcel and I'm hoping to do politics at university (depending on how Thursday goes lololol) though I'm not sure I'm necessarily best placed to give advice on it for the reasons already mentioned

However having learned from bitter experience one thing I would definitely say is that in order to do your best in politics using extraneous theories and ideas is largely useless. Buy one of Andrew Heywood's textbooks and keep reading over it because, if you look at the mark schemes, you see the material in both is practically identical. Also from experience it seems that unless you say exactly what Heywood wants you to say (ie. what's in the mark schemes/his textbook) you'll likely get marked down for it.

So my most important tip is that you buy an Andrew Heywood textbook and learn all the key points of that and the mark scheme. As long as you do that alongside all the structural stuff like evaluation and analysis and definitions etc. there shouldn't be much scope for things to go wrong (this was mine and my teachers' theory when getting ready anyway - results day could [though I hope won't] prove us wrong)

It does seem rather peculiar that my advice to you is to be as unoriginal and uncontroversial as you can possibly manage in a politics exam but that's how the system seems to be skewed - I guess there's more opportunity for all that at university

Reply 44

Original post by Silvermead

I did do Edexcel and I'm hoping to do politics at university (depending on how Thursday goes lololol) though I'm not sure I'm necessarily best placed to give advice on it for the reasons already mentioned

However having learned from bitter experience one thing I would definitely say is that in order to do your best in politics using extraneous theories and ideas is largely useless. Buy one of Andrew Heywood's textbooks and keep reading over it because, if you look at the mark schemes, you see the material in both is practically identical. Also from experience it seems that unless you say exactly what Heywood wants you to say (ie. what's in the mark schemes/his textbook) you'll likely get marked down for it.

So my most important tip is that you buy an Andrew Heywood textbook and learn all the key points of that and the mark scheme. As long as you do that alongside all the structural stuff like evaluation and analysis and definitions etc. there shouldn't be much scope for things to go wrong (this was mine and my teachers' theory when getting ready anyway - results day could [though I hope won't] prove us wrong)

It does seem rather peculiar that my advice to you is to be as unoriginal and uncontroversial as you can possibly manage in a politics exam but that's how the system seems to be skewed - I guess there's more opportunity for all that at university

You will be fine on Thursday, dont worry :wink:

. All that hard word will pay off!

Thanks for the advice...
what texts books did you use for politics btw? Does Heywood write the exam?

Also did you do poltiical ideologies for A2?

Reply 45

Original post by manic_fuzz

Um I just did the best I could, the mark scheme wasn't too generic, as in you could definitely tell what they wanted in an answer. Although I got an A in psychology rather than an A* so my revision technique evidently wasn't absolutely perfect :tongue:

did you teacher mark your psychology papers?

Reply 46

manic_fuzz

17

Original post by 3mmz

did you teacher mark your psychology papers?

Nope my teacher wasn't around. I had a substitute who only knew the AQA course (I was on OCR, *shudder*)

Reply 47

Silvermead

4

Original post by 3mmz

You will be fine on Thursday, dont worry :wink:

. All that hard word will pay off!

Thanks for the advice...
what texts books did you use for politics btw? Does Heywood write the exam?

Also did you do poltiical ideologies for A2?

Looks like we did the exact same units - I used this textbook:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780230367258?redirected=true&gclid=CKzBur6N-bgCFYPHtAodmF0AoA
you can get it off Amazon either

I know Heywood used to be the chief examiner but apparently he has retired to Cornwall now having made plenty of money from getting people to buy his textbook - nonetheless the exam is based pretty much totally around the textbook so if you use that and the mark schemes you should be fine

And thank you for your kind words regarding exams :biggrin:

Reply 48

ladynova

16

Don't have a social life and lose all your friends because you failed to manage your time in an efficient way :angry:

Reply 49

abzy1234

14

Original post by ladynova

Don't have a social life and lose all your friends because you failed to manage your time in an efficient way :angry:

Hence why it's important to achieve a balance between both worlds to get the very highest possible :smile:

Reply 50

Original post by Silvermead

Looks like we did the exact same units - I used this textbook:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780230367258?redirected=true&gclid=CKzBur6N-bgCFYPHtAodmF0AoA
you can get it off Amazon either

I know Heywood used to be the chief examiner but apparently he has retired to Cornwall now having made plenty of money from getting people to buy his textbook - nonetheless the exam is based pretty much totally around the textbook so if you use that and the mark schemes you should be fine

And thank you for your kind words regarding exams :biggrin:

what about for AS?

Also is the poltiical ideologies the only book you need?

Reply 51

Plebbles

I did Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Maths at AS. Being completely honest I'm not very clever and had to work pretty hard for my GCSE's which were mediocre. I started revision for A Level from day one making notes etc and actually learn the work. I found it's so easy to make mind maps etc and it not go in at all. From around March I did an hour or so revision before school, used every study period, some lunch times, 4 hours after school and around 8-10 hours each day on the weekend. I kinda burnt out in the final week of exams and so when I needed to do so final recapping I kinda gave up. Just don't throw away a social life or sports or anything that you do for fun as it just made me miserable really! Also I put little posters on my shower door and above the sink in the bathroom etc of like mechanisms for chemistry which I found so easy to visualise in the exam. I also covered my room in mind maps but found that really messed up my sleeping but that might just be me :smile:

anyway good luck!

Reply 52

Htrain250

For those who were predicted A*s what UMS did you get at AS level

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Reply 53

mischief-managed

5

Original post by Htrain250

For those who were predicted A*s what UMS did you get at AS level

97% in maths, 95% in chem, 93% in bio. sounds like a lot but the marks are very standardised so 95% UMS definitely isn't 95% in the paper (for example for biology i remember i was averaging about 80% raw marks in past papers, nowhere near 93%!).

Reply 54

Nocturnal.

Don't want to jinx Thursday but I'm predicted 3 A* (plus some unknown pointless and obscure grade for general studies) so just thought I'd share my experience.
Honestly with A levels the exams are so generic a tick box approach to revision really does take you far, despite how teachers will tell you to do extra reading etc. best advice as some have said is past papers (I do history philosophy and eng lit so this does work for essay subjects too- got A* in my only jan exam). Obviously if want 100UMS then cramming like me probably isn't the answer, but I'd be ecstatic with A*s as most people would be!
Seriously don't stress too much over revision it's not worth it, and if your friends are telling you in march April that their revising then their lying- no one starts that early, and if they do they'll forget or by the time the exam comes round.

Im sure you'll do brilliantly, best advice is past papers and lots of timed essays before the exams as this is often the hardest part, the strict timing.

Reply 55

Nocturnal.