The Student Room Group

About "the jump"

if you get mostly As and some Bs in Maths, bio, Chem and physics for GCSE then take it for A-level and work so much harder then you did for GCSE. you did every past paper in ever topic and you just worked non stop(in the most healthiest way) is there no chance of getting straight A*s? Is A-level maths really just for Maths geniuses? i want straight A*s for A-levels.

I am predicted an A for GCSE maths (although i haven't got one in the mocks yet and i'm in yr 11)
I am predicted an A* for science but i genuinely think i'll get As but i will try really hard to get an A*

last question - i don't do triple science for gCSE, will that hold me back for A-levels when i do bio chem and physics

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
Maths is harder, but doable, as are your other subjects. If you put your mind to it, not doing tripple shouldn't hold you back, just increase you workload slightly at the start.
(edited 9 years ago)
I wouldn't worry the "jump" is exaggerated. If you work as hard as you say you will straight A* won't be a problem.
No, A level maths isn't just for maths geniuses.. it's kind of easy...
I guess it depends on the individual. Try hard now in your GCSEs and you will reap your rewards.

Good luck and remember to aim high and at the same time be realistic :smile:
Reply 5
The jump is only overwhelming if you think that breezing through the year like in GCSEs will work out just as well. Don't worry, to pass maths AS/A2 all you really need is dedication to the subject - which you seem to have. GCSE Maths doesn't really work as a prediction for your A-level grade, my friend got an A* in GCSE and ended up with a C in AS, I got an A and ended up with 99%, so just work as hard as you can and you'll be fine.
Maths was by far the biggest jump for me. I only got an A at GCSE and then got Us and Es at the start of year 12 and in the mocks. Managed to get an A though
I got a B in GCSE double science mainly because I didn't try hard enough. I'm currently taking Biology and Chemistry. To be honest the jump isn't that big. As long as you work hard constantly throughout the year and don't slack off you'll get A's and A*'s.
Reply 8
Original post by pryngles
The jump is only overwhelming if you think that breezing through the year like in GCSEs will work out just as well. Don't worry, to pass maths AS/A2 all you really need is dedication to the subject - which you seem to have. GCSE Maths doesn't really work as a prediction for your A-level grade, my friend got an A* in GCSE and ended up with a C in AS, I got an A and ended up with 99%, so just work as hard as you can and you'll be fine.



Thanks, and is revision for GCSE similar to A-level. Obvi not terms on content but in terms of style.
Reply 9
Original post by anonwinner
Maths was by far the biggest jump for me. I only got an A at GCSE and then got Us and Es at the start of year 12 and in the mocks. Managed to get an A though


loool well done. How did you revise to get that A?
Original post by Hate_skl
loool well done. How did you revise to get that A?


http://www.examsolutions.net/
Reply 11
Original post by crayolaguy
No, A level maths isn't just for maths geniuses.. it's kind of easy...



What's easy about it?
Reply 12


i use that to revise for GCSE but you must have done other things?
Reply 13
Original post by Nidfeo
Maths is harder, but doable, as are your other subjects. If you put your mind to it, not doing tripple shouldn't hold you back, just increase you workload slightly at the start.


Why do you say "slightly at the start"
Reply 14
Original post by Hate_skl
if you get mostly As and some Bs in Maths, bio, Chem and physics for GCSE then take it for A-level and work so much harder then you did for GCSE. you did every past paper in ever topic and you just worked non stop(in the most healthiest way) is there no chance of getting straight A*s? Is A-level maths really just for Maths geniuses? i want straight A*s for A-levels.

I am predicted an A for GCSE maths (although i haven't got one in the mocks yet and i'm in yr 11)
I am predicted an A* for science but i genuinely think i'll get As but i will try really hard to get an A*

last question - i don't do triple science for gCSE, will that hold me back for A-levels when i do bio chem and physics



Not doing triple science definitely holds you back in Biology and Chemistry. (the two people in my biology that didn't take triple are struggling A LOT)
Maths is difficult, but it is doable (I got an A at GCSE and I am currently working at a D/C)
You've got to remember at AS the highest grade you can get is an A as it is only half of an a-level. So if you get straight A's at AS level, you have to also remember that it gets a lot harder at A2...so getting an A is even more difficult
Original post by Hate_skl
i use that to revise for GCSE but you must have done other things?


I just did all the past papers on examsolutions and then when I couldn't do a question I watched the video explaining how to do it. Also, I was really **** at some of the trig questions so I watched the tutorial videos for basic trig. I didn't even really use the textbooks at all, just examsolutions. This year I'm doing the same
Maths A level isn't that hard really. It's hard at the start, but you get used to it. You just need to work hard (and do many, many past papers). With regard to sciences, I doubt it will matter that you haven't done triple science. I can't think of very much I did in triple science that I wouldn't have done in double science that has helped me at A level. I am doing maths, bio & chem A2s so if you have any more questions about those ask away.
Reply 17
Original post by izpenguin
Maths A level isn't that hard really. It's hard at the start, but you get used to it. You just need to work hard (and do many, many past papers). With regard to sciences, I doubt it will matter that you haven't done triple science. I can't think of very much I did in triple science that I wouldn't have done in double science that has helped me at A level. I am doing maths, bio & chem A2s so if you have any more questions about those ask away.


how similar is to to gcses? As you know gcses were really about past papers after learning the content which isn't difficult. So are a-levels similar in terms of revision style and past papers having similar questions. What's the biggest difference? And also is the content in one subject like 5 times larger then it was in gcses? What actually makes A-levels difficult, is it the amount of work or actually understanding the concepts?

Sorry for the bad wordings. Thank you for helping me out :smile:
being honest im struggling with bio chem phy and maths atm :/ got BBCC so far
Reply 19
Original post by longsightdon
being honest im struggling with bio chem phy and maths atm :/ got BBCC so far


Is it because it's hard to learn?

Quick Reply

Latest