Hey.. saw this in the 'popular threads' in the sidebar. I got an A* in Biology A-level last year. (Ocr)
- Revise from the core textbook but also revise from revision guides (they contain concise info but also extra info - its worth looking at the extra info). Also revise from online resources.. if there is anything you don't understand, look it up online using lots of different sources until you get it. You'll probably expand on the specification too as again, any sources outside of the core textbook would contain extra or detailed info. And don't forget about all the resources you might get from your teachers like worksheets and info sheets throughout the year. Don't forget to use your specification for all your revision/note making.
- Past papers.. not just the recent ones on the AQA or Ocr website. Try to hunt down papers from way back. My teachers were great in that they made question books for us with questions dating back from early 2000s onwards but I also looked up all of the papers online too to get to the mark schemes. The specification for those papers were different but they should still cover a lot of what you're taught at the moment.
- Do not waffle in your answers. Be straight to the point with your first sentence for those big 8-10 markers. They're easy marks if you're just stating the steps of a process or 'giving a number of reasons' for something. For 'giving a no. of reasons for something' questions (or questions along those lines), put down all your good points first and leave any points you're not so sure would get you the mark last.
- Revise from mark schemes.. some questions, especially the long 8-10 marker ones have are repetitive with their mark schemes. (similar questions popping up in different years) Make a note of the mark scheme points and add those to your notes. Try doing this for niche questions too, no harm adding them to your notes if you think it'll help. Use key words that are in the mark schemes in your answers.
-Revision techniques I used included making revision cards, posters and notes on paper. There is a lot of info to learn with Biology so revision cards were great as I could look at them often. Use colours and visuals if they help. Ask your teachers for help. To test yourself I would also use the specification and ask yourself each point in the spec and see if you're able to answer them all in good detail.
-Do decently in the A2 practical to give you a boost.
- And yep.. when really in doubt for a question just list off everything you know about that topic. :P And think before you write for tricky questions.
I enjoyed Biology so I went all out with the revision. One main point to take from this is to expand from the specification points by using lots of different resources for revision.
Good luck!