How to go from ABBB to AAB+, slight rant warning!

maybe you feel too much pressure whilst taking exams?

I was predicted AAAB and ended up with ABBB so I'm very disappointed and haven't even bothered to tell my parents what I got. The A is in the subject I don't even want to take to A2 and absolutely loathe so it's useless to me now. These were my results:

Mathematics - A
Eng literature - B
Chemistry - B
Biology - B

I'm taking English literature, biology and chemistry to A2. I'm just so annoyed at the moment because English was supposed to be my strongest subject, I got A's in all the mock exams and got a rubbish C in the exam, I did way too much work to end up with that and I might as well have not even bothered revising tbh. I ordered a remark anyway because I'm pretty sure I smashed that exam.

I revised like crazy for chemistry too and aced the class tests so again something has gone very wrong in the exam which I actually found easy and was getting near 100% in every past paper I'd done. I just feel like I could've done so much better even though I worked so hard and it makes me not even want to bother for next year. I had such strong work ethic but now I just think what's the point? I don't want loads of B's, I want A's. What can I change?

First of all - Well done in Maths, well deserved after seeing you work hard on it all year.

That can happen with exams like that - for maths its clear-cut whilst other exams rely heavily on exam technique and the kind of marker you get I would request your photocopies to see where you went wrong and if its worth a remark.

It sounds honestly like exam technique to me. For example I got a C in January History unit 2, and then I changed my strategy this June and got 90%. My new strategy worked because it directly answered the question, and provided strong arguments that kept the examiners attention.

I would say keep revising and keep trying - there's no point in giving up because your grades will just plummet, keep working consistently and hard next year and try to explore exam technique to ensure your writing down what examiners want. (and also good memory for science subjects).

I got ABBB at AS and got better than AAB in A2.
Just work hard, nail your resits, and for biology, making lots of notes will help you a lot.

I was predicted AAAB and ended up with ABBB so I'm very disappointed and haven't even bothered to tell my parents what I got. The A is in the subject I don't even want to take to A2 and absolutely loathe so it's useless to me now. These were my results:

Mathematics - A
Eng literature - B
Chemistry - B
Biology - B

I'm taking English literature, biology and chemistry to A2. I'm just so annoyed at the moment because English was supposed to be my strongest subject, I got A's in all the mock exams and got a rubbish C in the exam, I did way too much work to end up with that and I might as well have not even bothered revising tbh. I ordered a remark anyway because I'm pretty sure I smashed that exam.

I revised like crazy for chemistry too and aced the class tests so again something has gone very wrong in the exam which I actually found easy and was getting near 100% in every past paper I'd done. I just feel like I could've done so much better even though I worked so hard and it makes me not even want to bother for next year. I had such strong work ethic but now I just think what's the point? I don't want loads of B's, I want A's. What can I change?

thanks for the motivation! You're right, I suppose giving up isn't going to help anyone. I also recall a few months ago wanting to drop maths because I was certain I was going to get an E/U and I improved that massively so I have no excuse not to improve my other grades too. Especially considering I only need to move one grade up rather than 3+.

Well done on your amazing results! Should I even resit biology and chemistry? I already have unit 1 as an A for chemistry and this recent B is like 2 marks off an A so I'm not sure. I've tried resitting biology before (unit 1) but I just ended up with another B so it appears to be my weakest subject unfortunately! I was thinking I'd just work extra hard on both units 3 & 4 next year to bump my grade up as I have until next June now.

no problem . Precisely, what course are you considering applying for? It may be recommended to continue maths but I can see why you wouldn't want to (if you hate it). Exactly, I think it is not too much of a long stretch to go from BBB to AAB. Good luck

I'm not really thinking of applying for a competitive course such as medicine or dentistry, more of a science-y/health sort of course. I haven't decided exactly what yet though because I keep changing my mind.

thanks
well i resat unit 2 biology 3 times i was so desperate to get the A but i did very well in unit 4 and 5, so i didn't need the unit 2 anyways
i will speak to your teacher and she might advise you on what to resit. You only have one chance now compared to 2. so maybe resitting a couple of AS units and doing A2 units at the same time might be a bit tough

If its more science-y I'd say maths would be of greater benefit but if you love English please feel free to ignore this

I would definitely consider maths if I was ANY good at it. I just find it in general so much more difficult than my other courses and I honestly think C3 and C4 would just kill me. I'll probably end up choosing a course that only requires maths to AS standard

Same thing happened to me in English at AS, I was getting As all year then got a D in the exam.
I'm now going to Manchester to study English Literature and I didn't change my revision technique at ALL and managed to get on an AAA course!
It was probably just a bad exam, don't worry

I was predicted AAAB and ended up with ABBB so I'm very disappointed and haven't even bothered to tell my parents what I got. The A is in the subject I don't even want to take to A2 and absolutely loathe so it's useless to me now. These were my results:

Mathematics - A
Eng literature - B
Chemistry - B
Biology - B

I'm taking English literature, biology and chemistry to A2. I'm just so annoyed at the moment because English was supposed to be my strongest subject, I got A's in all the mock exams and got a rubbish C in the exam, I did way too much work to end up with that and I might as well have not even bothered revising tbh. I ordered a remark anyway because I'm pretty sure I smashed that exam.

I revised like crazy for chemistry too and aced the class tests so again something has gone very wrong in the exam which I actually found easy and was getting near 100% in every past paper I'd done. I just feel like I could've done so much better even though I worked so hard and it makes me not even want to bother for next year. I had such strong work ethic but now I just think what's the point? I don't want loads of B's, I want A's. What can I change?

Your results are good. Maybe just not to your standard.

Anyways, English is a bit subjective as probably shown by discrepancy in the grades of the mock and real exam. So I think you have done a right thing by trying to remark it. If that does not work out: perhaps you should ask for a script of your exam and check it with your English teacher to see where you could improve.

As for Chemistry perhaps you should learn all the reactions and equations, but also try to improve on your exam technique after learning all of the stuff in the book. You could improve exam technique by doing all of the past papers (timed) and then checking the mark scheme (but don't cheat during the test). After reading your mark scheme (once) try to finish the paper again with acquired knowledge from mark scheme. Also, the exam reports for each of your past papers can be useful as they show common misconceptions and mistakes students made and so helps you to learn to avoid it in the future.

During the exam itself try to read the questions carefully to see what they are actually asking.

Don't give up. I know you have worked hard, but some people are just better at exam technique and remembering stuff. So next year ask your teachers to explain you the topic if you don't understand something. Try to be more active in the lessons (if you are not already) and don't be afraid to ask questions.

As for your AS results you could try asking politely teachers to predict you higher marks if you think your current marks might hinder you from applying to a certain university.

Continue to put in all of the effort next academic year and I am sure you will achieve the results you have been hoping for. Good luck.

PS Try to start your revision early so as not to pressure yourself and make sure to be consistent throughout the year.

yeah when I look at my results, I do think now that they're good whereas before I didn't, I think it's just because my predictions were higher.

I agree with you on the subjective marking of English exams though so I've ordered a photocopy of my script so I can go through it with my teacher (who is an examiner for the same exam board I sat the exam with which helps!), then I'll decide if it needs remarking. Thanks for all your assistance.

Don't know if my advice about other A-Levels was good as you may already be trying your hardest. Still, good luck with English and your other A-Levels.
Are you planning to drop any subject in A2?