For students who achieved all (or nearly all) A*s at GCSE

Whats the secret to success? How did you guys secure such awesome grades? Any advice for us, before we embark on our GCSEs in the summer? Thanks!

Reply 1

Zwitterion1

Original post by Do it Right

Whats the secret to success? How did you guys secure such awesome grades? Any advice for us, before we embark on our GCSEs in the summer? Thanks!

I got 8A*s 3A's. Past papers are essential

Reply 2

Do it Right

Original post by Zwitterion1

I got 8A*s 3A's. Past papers are essential

But aren't they a limited resource? What do you do if and when you run out haha

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Reply 3

Indeterminate

Ooh that was a long time ago! :lol:

I suppose the major driving factor for me was the fact that I just enjoy learning, as well as the fact that I wanted to succeed in my own right :h:

In general, I'd recommend organising your revision and being consistent in terms of the amount of work you do on a daily basis :yep:

As above, it's obviously essential to practice exam technique with past papers etc :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 4

balanced

Original post by Do it Right

Whats the secret to success? How did you guys secure such awesome grades? Any advice for us, before we embark on our GCSEs in the summer? Thanks!

Past papers, you don't have to be intelligent or actually know the stuff very well. Becuase I did virtually all the past papers possible, I went from Ds in my mocks to a*s and as. It stops you worrying about them, which to me was my only hindrance.

Reply 5

brainzistheword

Study Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

If anyone has any tips or advice on this please take a look - I'm about to sit GCSE this year and I'm doing so many past papers it's unreal :smile:

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511

Reply 6

DatSmartGuy

Original post by Indeterminate

Ooh that was a long time ago! :lol:

I suppose the major driving factor for me was the fact that I just enjoy learning, as well as the fact that I wanted to succeed in my own right :h:

In general, I'd recommend organising your revision and being consistent in terms of the amount of work you do on a daily basis :yep:

As above, it's obviously essential to practice exam technique with past papers etc :smile:

What are you studying now? What were your GCSE grades?

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Reply 7

Indeterminate

Original post by DatSmartGuy

What are you studying now? What were your GCSE grades?

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I graduated last year (Maths degree), and I'm starting postgraduate study later on this year :smile:

11A*s

Reply 8

DatSmartGuy

Original post by Indeterminate

I graduated last year (Maths degree), and I'm starting postgraduate study later on this year :smile:

11A*s

Wow! Impressive. What university are you at? What are you doing between now and the postgraduate study?

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Reply 9

Indeterminate

Original post by DatSmartGuy

Wow! Impressive. What university are you at? What are you doing between now and the postgraduate study?

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1) First degree at Imperial, postgrad at Cambridge :smile:

2) Working (I regret not applying in my final year of uni) :redface:

Reply 10

Serine Soul

I only got 5 A*s and 6 As so you probably don't want my opinion but I learnt that past paper and question practice were essential. Tbh I only truly cared about the sciences and maths, and I enjoyed them from the very beginning, so maybe that's why I was driven to do well in them. They felt kind of natural to me :redface:

But yeah, practice makes perfect

And you don't have to aim for all A*s (unless you're from a top private school - in that case it'll be pretty embarassing if you don't get all A*s ygm?)
Less than half of my GCSEs were A* and I got an offer from my dream uni :daydreaming:

Reply 11

aliciaa1997

Making notes, making sure I covered the whole specification, writing practise essays (or at least planning them roughly), learning key points to include in essays. I did loads of practise questions for English language because I wasn't very good at it. Annoy your teachers by making them mark stuff. Plan your coursework at home before going into school and writing them in exam conditions (actually you might have already done coursework idk). I don't actually remember doing many past papers in my own time...might be because our school made us do them. Sorry that's a bit vague but my revision depended on the subject. (I got 10A* 1A, currently in year 13. GCSEs seem like ages ago!). Best of luck!

Reply 12

DatSmartGuy

Original post by Serine Soul

Well done! Was 11 GCSEs challenging? Do you think you would still get into ur dream uni if you only done 9 GCSEs ?

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Reply 13

Serine Soul

Original post by DatSmartGuy

Well done! Was 11 GCSEs challenging? Do you think you would still get into ur dream uni if you only done 9 GCSEs ?

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Not that much, I had done 4 of them by the end of year ten, so I had 7 to do in year eleven. Something happened in year eleven though and I was quite shaken by it, meaning that I lost quite a bit of focus. In that season I got 2 A*s and 5 As, with the A* in English and the other A* in Physics (unsurprisingly :redface:

)

Hmm it'd probably be the same when I come to think of it

Reply 14

ForcePotential

Hey im taking my GCSE's too. I just wanna put it out there, I literally have no time to revise because of the workload that my school gives me, what time in the day is best to revise for you guys on a normal school day?

Reply 15

BULL14

I think in the afternoon

Reply 16

waleed29

Im going to start revising in beginning march so how many hours a day should i do on weekdays and weekends? How do i absorb all the information from the textbooks as if i repeat a sentences 7 times then i could remember it in 7months time what type of learner am i ?