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I WILL NOT GIVE UP - AAAA (Maths, FM, Physics, Chem)

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Original post by Pentaquark
http://www.egsphysics.co.uk/files/a_level_past_papers/Jun05/AQA-PA04B-W-QP-JUN05.PDF
Take question 1 for example, I just wouldn't know what to say first.
Or the phase or path difference questions I find difficult.
http://www.egsphysics.co.uk/files/a_level_past_papers/Jan05/AQA-PA04-A-W-QP-JAN05.PDF
Actually skimming through some of the questions on the more recent papers don't seem too bad.
I can't really explain. I guess with practice it will all start to make complete sense :s-smilie:
Also do you know of any like banks of old questions for electricity? Instead of having to trawl through old past papers. I don't want to do recent questions as I want to save them.


Sorry I forgot to get back to you. Basically for the first question it just comes down to practice really, you just have to work out how the physical situation given relates to one of the simplified situations that you know how to explain. Regarding path difference, the wave travels at the same speed so if the path difference is an integer multiple of lamda you will get constructive interference as, for example , the peaks will arrive at the same time at each other so you get a maxima. When it is a multiple of (n+1/2)lamda they arrive out of sync so destructively interfere and you get a minima. The questions by topic are here http://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/physics-revision/aqa-unit-1/ and if you go back to the physics revision section and choose the other units there are questions by topic for all of them too.

I am currently in A2 taking maths further maths physics chem as well, so if you have any questions or I can help with anything let me know.
Good luck and I was wondering how do you find the subjects you are taking, as I am considering them too http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511

Are they very stressful and is there a heavy workload?

Thanks :smile:
Best of luck! I'm doing the exact same subjects & got the same December mock grades as you :biggrin:
Original post by brainzistheword
Good luck and I was wondering how do you find the subjects you are taking, as I am considering them too http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511

Are they very stressful and is there a heavy workload?

Thanks :smile:


I know you weren't asking me specifically but I'm an a2 student doing maths fm physics chem. I would say that I have to do a lot more work for chemistry than my other subjects, but I think that is partly because physics and maths are subjects where there is a very wide range of opinions on how difficult they are. For me personally, most of the topics in physics and maths seem to 'click' in a way that chemistry doesn't, so as such I had to put in less effort for them compared to chemistry. There's also some overlap between maths mechanics and physics so if you can take those modules. Let me know if you have any other questions
Original post by brainzistheword
Good luck and I was wondering how do you find the subjects you are taking, as I am considering them too http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511

Are they very stressful and is there a heavy workload?

Thanks :smile:

I really enjoy them and if I do very well at AS I would do them all for A2.
Ive had rough patches where it can be really frustrating but if you really enjoy your subjects then you'll keep going no matter how hard it gets.

Chemistry is probably the hardest but right now its starting to click and its probably the one I enjoy the most.

Maths and further maths I find pretty easy due to the repetitive nature of the questions.

But since I am pretty much self teaching further maths as I only have a few hours a week of it since my school doesnt teach it and I do it via the FMSP, I haven't been able to do a lot so far. So i dont know how well I am doing in it and we havent covered all the material for FP1 for me to start past papers.
So i really do need to start self teaching it.
Mechanics at the start was pretty hard to get my head around but it eventually clicked and I am getting As in past papers. M2 though is meant to be pretty tough but with hard work I am sure it will be fine.

Physics is fun but again sometimes the concepts can be hard to get your head around.

Hard work is needed for AS Level if you want to truly understand the material and smash exam technique. Plus further reading for UCAS personal statement is important imo, and well if you enjoy them you are probably doing some without even realising.

In terms of workload it really depends on what sort of person you are. If you are efficient and grasp things quick you will find as levels pretty easy going.
Some people need to do a lot of hard work whilst others can get away doing a little.
Make sure you concentrate fully in class and be engaging asking loads of questions.
It is certainly manageble!!
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by samb1234
I know you weren't asking me specifically but I'm an a2 student doing maths fm physics chem. I would say that I have to do a lot more work for chemistry than my other subjects, but I think that is partly because physics and maths are subjects where there is a very wide range of opinions on how difficult they are. For me personally, most of the topics in physics and maths seem to 'click' in a way that chemistry doesn't, so as such I had to put in less effort for them compared to chemistry. There's also some overlap between maths mechanics and physics so if you can take those modules. Let me know if you have any other questions


Thanks for that - how did you find the step up from GCSE to AS because I've heard it is quite a big leap?
Original post by Pentaquark
I really enjoy them and if I do very well at AS I would do them all for A2.
Ive had rough patches where it can be really frustrating but if you really enjoy your subjects then you'll keep going no matter how hard it gets.

Chemistry is probably the hardest but right now its starting to click and its probably the one I enjoy the most.

Maths and further maths I find pretty easy due to the repetitive nature of the questions.

But since I am pretty much self teaching further maths as I only have a few hours a week of it since my school doesnt teach it and I do it via the FMSP, I haven't been able to do a lot so far. So i dont know how well I am doing in it and we havent covered all the material for FP1 for me to start past papers.
So i really do need to start self teaching it.
Mechanics at the start was pretty hard to get my head around but it eventually clicked and I am getting As in past papers. M2 though is meant to be pretty tough but with hard work I am sure it will be fine.

Physics is fun but again sometimes the concepts can be hard to get your head around.

Hard work is needed for AS Level if you want to truly understand the material and smash exam technique. Plus further reading for UCAS personal statement is important imo, and well if you enjoy them you are probably doing some without even realising.

In terms of workload it really depends on what sort of person you are. If you are efficient and grasp things quick you will find as levels pretty easy going.
Some people need to do a lot of hard work whilst others can get away doing a little.
Make sure you concentrate fully in class and be engaging asking loads of questions.
It is certainly manageble!!


Thank you - it is nice to hear it from a person's experience who is actually going through it. How did you find the step up from GCSE?
Original post by brainzistheword
Thanks for that - how did you find the step up from GCSE to AS because I've heard it is quite a big leap?


This is again highly subjective but it is a fairly large jump up. At GCSE there were exams where I had done minimal preparation for (e.g. reading the cgp guide the night before, didn't actually revise at all for maths) and got a high A*, whereas if I had tried to do the same thing last year I wouldn't have done anywhere near as well in my exams last year. However I much preferred AS as although the content took longer to learn, for me personally I would rather spend double the time doing stuff I like than have to spend time on subjects I wasn't a great fan of
Original post by samb1234
This is again highly subjective but it is a fairly large jump up. At GCSE there were exams where I had done minimal preparation for (e.g. reading the cgp guide the night before, didn't actually revise at all for maths) and got a high A*, whereas if I had tried to do the same thing last year I wouldn't have done anywhere near as well in my exams last year. However I much preferred AS as although the content took longer to learn, for me personally I would rather spend double the time doing stuff I like than have to spend time on subjects I wasn't a great fan of


Yes I agree it is very subjective, just wondered though. No one in my family is interested in science and they have never been to college so I don't have anyone to ask back home. Your advice is much appreciated :smile:
Original post by brainzistheword
Thank you - it is nice to hear it from a person's experience who is actually going through it. How did you find the step up from GCSE?

At the start of sixth form I didnt feel it. Everyone would go on about it and I was sort of anticipating it but it felt like GCSE again. However nearer to christmas it did gradually increase in difficulty. I planned to look over my notes every day but it didnt happen as I found it quite easy in lessons to grasp and so i didnt think it was necessary.

Right now I am getting quite worried for the impending exams. I certainly can feel the step up now.
Last year doing my gcses i didnt even bother with revision at this point in time but for AS its different as I want to feel well prepared come exam time.
ASs are a lot more important especially if you want to apply to top universities.
Youll be up against thousands of peoole from all backgrounds competing for uni places and good AS grades will help immensely.
BUT would i want to be back in gcse ? Hell no :smile: you get to study the subjects you love and id rather revise stuff i like than stuff I hate.
GCSEs are hard in their own way all those exams, honestly my as exam timetable is way better.
Original post by brainzistheword
Yes I agree it is very subjective, just wondered though. No one in my family is interested in science and they have never been to college so I don't have anyone to ask back home. Your advice is much appreciated :smile:


No worries if I can help with anything else let me know
Original post by Pentaquark
At the start of sixth form I didnt feel it. Everyone would go on about it and I was sort of anticipating it but it felt like GCSE again. However nearer to christmas it did gradually increase in difficulty. I planned to look over my notes every day but it didnt happen as I found it quite easy in lessons to grasp and so i didnt think it was necessary.

Right now I am getting quite worried for the impending exams. I certainly can feel the step up now.
Last year doing my gcses i didnt even bother with revision at this point in time but for AS its different as I want to feel well prepared come exam time.
ASs are a lot more important especially if you want to apply to top universities.
Youll be up against thousands of peoole from all backgrounds competing for uni places and good AS grades will help immensely.
BUT would i want to be back in gcse ? Hell no :smile: you get to study the subjects you love and id rather revise stuff i like than stuff I hate.
GCSEs are hard in their own way all those exams, honestly my as exam timetable is way better.


I will definitely bear that in mind. I am quite looking forawrd to AS because of like you say, I get to study the subjects I prefer and the exam timetable will look much better - it's just the content I must focus on. Your help has been much appreciated - and good luck with your impending exams :smile:
Original post by Pentaquark
At the start of sixth form I didnt feel it. Everyone would go on about it and I was sort of anticipating it but it felt like GCSE again. However nearer to christmas it did gradually increase in difficulty. I planned to look over my notes every day but it didnt happen as I found it quite easy in lessons to grasp and so i didnt think it was necessary.

Right now I am getting quite worried for the impending exams. I certainly can feel the step up now.
Last year doing my gcses i didnt even bother with revision at this point in time but for AS its different as I want to feel well prepared come exam time.
ASs are a lot more important especially if you want to apply to top universities.
Youll be up against thousands of peoole from all backgrounds competing for uni places and good AS grades will help immensely.
BUT would i want to be back in gcse ? Hell no :smile: you get to study the subjects you love and id rather revise stuff i like than stuff I hate.
GCSEs are hard in their own way all those exams, honestly my as exam timetable is way better.


You dont have to worry about exams, if you prepare properly you should he able to get to a point where you have the knowledge to answer anything they ask you, then in the exams you just have to remain calm and work out what bit of knowledge you have can be applied to a question when you get stuck (which you will). What sort of unis do you want to apply to and for what?
Original post by samb1234
You dont have to worry about exams, if you prepare properly you should he able to get to a point where you have the knowledge to answer anything they ask you, then in the exams you just have to remain calm and work out what bit of knowledge you have can be applied to a question when you get stuck (which you will). What sort of unis do you want to apply to and for what?

Haha ill try not to :smile: im just a person who has moments of worrying a lot.
In my first ever proper exam I panicked (core science in year 10) and had a brain freeze. This has probably scarred me for life as I was really relaxed about that exam the night before and i felt like i had done so badly in it. But somehow i got an A* in it :colondollar:

Universities right now providing that I get 4 lovely As :smile: fingers crossed!
Dream - probably physical natsci at cambridge or maybe material science at oxford I am not quite sure yet :colondollar:

Imperial - chemistry with molecular physics
Or straight physics
Or even chem engineering
Warwick - maths & physics
Durham - physics
Manchester - physics

As you can tell i have no idea what I want to do yet :smile:
Original post by Pentaquark
Haha ill try not to :smile: im just a person who has moments of worrying a lot.
In my first ever proper exam I panicked (core science in year 10) and had a brain freeze. This has probably scarred me for life as I was really relaxed about that exam the night before and i felt like i had done so badly in it. But somehow i got an A* in it :colondollar:

Universities right now providing that I get 4 lovely As :smile: fingers crossed!
Dream - probably physical natsci at cambridge or maybe material science at oxford I am not quite sure yet :colondollar:

Imperial - chemistry with molecular physics
Or straight physics
Or even chem engineering
Warwick - maths & physics
Durham - physics
Manchester - physics

As you can tell i have no idea what I want to do yet :smile:


Haha you still have plenty of time. i have offers from 3 of your potential choices for similar courses, pm me if you want to know anything about the experience I had with applying to them. And don't worry about exams, if you start to panic just have to fight it and regain your composure
Omg that sounds amazing good luck!! I think the last part of the plan in June was completly unnecessary imho haha:tongue:. No you dont have to get depressed or worried checking pointless retarded TSR unofficial mark schemes written by some random smarty pants who you don't even know who he is or what his qualifications are. Chances are you probably will do better than you expected, especially given the phenomenal amount of effort you put in for these exams.

The reason why you might get depressed after an exam is probably cuz you come across a question which looks strange, you haven't seen before, they throw a really tough paper at you. The key thing is not to panic, just make sure you are resillient in the exam and prepared to be asked on anything, be extremely open minded, be confident and reassure yourself you have done absolutely everything you physically can, and that you will ace those exams. Also when you are doing pps at home do them UNDER TIMED CONDITONS (or in less time than that allocated in the real exam), also inflate the grade boundaries for each paper you do( say if you got 69% in a past paper which was an A in that exam, raise that bar to 80%, so you got a C). This will force you to work even harder and avoid repeating the same mistakes, and by the time you hit 95% on a past paper, you will most likely get that 69% in the real thing - which is an A. Wheras if you got 69% - A in a past paper, you will flop the real thing (D,E U grades).

Hope this makes sense:biggrin::wink:
(edited 8 years ago)
21/02/16 - Sunday (last day of half term) - 87 days left till first exam
Thoughts & feelings - productive
00:36 - I have done not a lot today but enough to feel that I haven't wasted the day doing nothing useful at all.
I feel rather confident for chemistry! :smile: Need to do some actual past paper questions though. I think I may compile questions into topics from other exam boards so I can pinpoint any weaknesses.

What I have done today
Maths -
Further Maths -
Chemistry - rewrote notes on the whole of inorganic chem, halogenoalkanes and alkenes

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-AQA--level-Science-Chemistry/dp/0007590210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1456015060&sr=8-1&keywords=aqa+chemistry+collins
I have been using this textbook - Collins AQA chemistry year 1
It is beautiful! I sometimes use the Oxford one as well :smile: Its good to have various sources and their different ways of explaining things and presenting them. For me it helps my understanding and well I am sucker for textbooks with layouts I like.
I tend to take in more info if it is presented nicely in a way that I like.
I do not use CGP revision guides or textbooks as I don't like the layout of them. Although the textbook seems quite good :smile:
I may get one for physics though as recommended from other people!

Physics -

What I have plan to do today (when I wake up)
Maths -
Further Maths - do some m1 papers
Chemistry - possibly self teach the remaining alcohols, organic analysis and make flashcards for everything.
Physics -
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 77
Avatar for kendo9
kendo9
16
Best of luck man!! With your dedication, I doubt you will need any. You're doing the same A levels as i will be doing next year and we share similar aspirations. This thread has really motivated me to strive for excellence. Thanks, and again, good luck :h::biggrin:
Update for 21/02/16 - Sunday
Thoughts & feelings - I am dreading school tomorrow. Whilst I love all my subjects, I hate my school.
I don't know why but I am just sick of it. I wanted to move schools since GCSE but I was too lazy and stayed on for sixth form.
For the past few days I have been thinking about the possibility of moving after year 12 and researching about transferring credit. I didn't know you could move your results onto a different exam board so something new I learnt :tongue:

I wish someone would go to the library with me because I am so much more productive if there is someone else doing work.
I think I might drag a friend along next weekend or something.
Joined also a study group although I mainly use it as a source of procrastination haha

Homework - trying to do all my homework for tomorrow now (physics)
What I have completed today - notes made on alkenes & half of alcohols for chemistry. No flashcards as of yet :/
22/02/16
Monday - first day back at school
Thoughts & feelings -
Just my usual moody self. Missed maths and physics lessons today but i dont really care.
Whilst I am on top of my subjects I can't help but feel as if I am going to do badly in my AS exams. Maybe its the hormones playing up. :colondollar: i turn into a right rude b**ch.

I have double maths tomorrow hopefully we start learning some new topics. I find my maths lessons to be so tedious. Honestly I'd be better off just self teaching the whole of maths AS tbf. My class are terribly slow but recently it has picked up some pace as the teachers are worrying that they won't get c2 and s1(haven't started) done in time.

I kinda wish there was some sort of proper problem solving element in class to help develop real mathematical thinking skills. But I guess that comes naturally... even if your teacher forces you to do about 30 questions that are all roughly the same to drill the method down into your head.:angry: so damn repetitive that I turn into a robot in class. No wonder why we go so slow.

Anyway ignore me I just feel better when I let things out. Another bonus about having a grow your grades thread, It serves as my little secret place to rant about life. :colondollar:

What I have done today -
Maths -
Further Maths - done a lot of FP1 Chapter 1 (roots of quadratic equations) questions in the AQA textbook.
Learnt a new technique involving substitution rather than just using alpha and betas.
Which is nice as I can check my answers with an alternative method.

Chemistry - completed homework which was a practical EMPA paper. Very useful as since ISAs have been removed for the new spec I reckon a lot of the questions for this year's exam will have a big emphasis on ISA/EMPA questions.
Physics -
(edited 8 years ago)

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