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Area Teen Attempts To Improve Grades... What Happens Next Will Inspire You...

Of course, we don't know what happens next so you will just have to stay tuned...
Intro

Hello, my name is Raleigh and I'm an AS level student. I'm currently studying History, Philosophy, English Language and Art and am planning on continuing them all onto A2, providing I get the results I want to in my exams.
I've had a really turbulent time in Year 12. At first, I went to a large city college doing Archaeology, Anthropology, Classics and Philosophy but, 6 weeks in, I decided the college wasn't for me so I moved back to my old school's sixth form. I had to drop 3 of my subjects because they don't offer them at sixth form and picked up 3 other ones. I chose to do Psychology but two weeks in, I found it incredibly dull and switched to do Art which I didn't do at GCSE. So I spent the rest of the winter term doing catch up work, trying to keep up with the current work and all the while dealing with mental illness. It has been hard, to put it lightly.
Grades

I have been predicted Cs in History, Art and English Language and a B in Philosophy. In my November mocks, I got Cs in History and English Language and an E in Philosophy! We recently had more mocks this month and we will be getting the results back on the 29th of February. I hope to get Cs or better in all of my exams!
Goals

For AS, I hope to get:

English - A
Philosophy - A
Art - B
(We are on a linear History course so we don't do AS exams)

And for A2 I want:

History - A
English - A
Philosophy - A*
Art - A*

I plan on going to university and reading either Anthropology or a combined course of Anthropology and Archaeology. I am undecided which uni I want to go to but most of the ones I'm interested in require AAA-ABB.
Targets

This half term I have set myself the goals of:

-Revise 1 hour every night, 6 days a week
-Use a planner and create revision timetables
-Get an A in this term's Art project
-Get B/As in all essays
-Conduct wider reading in History, Philosophy and English
-Consolidate catch up work and turn it into revision notes
-Do Duolingo everyday (a hobby)


Well, there's not much more I can say! I'll try to update this at least once a week, preferably 2-3 times so I can keep myself on track. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask! I hope you enjoy my blog :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Hi, those sound like great subjects that you've chosen. You've obviously been through a lot of hassle to get to where you are now. I understand how you might feel trying to cope with the work load and mental illness at the same time. Well done for getting this far, and with the determination you have, you'll be able to get through it. :wink:
Good luck with your mock results and goals for the half term! :biggrin:
Reply 2
Original post by Matrix123
Hi, those sound like great subjects that you've chosen. You've obviously been through a lot of hassle to get to where you are now. I understand how you might feel trying to cope with the work load and mental illness at the same time. Well done for getting this far, and with the determination you have, you'll be able to get through it. :wink:
Good luck with your mock results and goals for the half term! :biggrin:


Thank you so much, that means a lot to me :h: It's been hard but I've got support now for my mental illness so things are improving! Thanks again for these kind words, I'll try to remember them. I wish you the best with whatever you're doing right now!
Original post by raleighs
Thank you so much, that means a lot to me :h: It's been hard but I've got support now for my mental illness so things are improving! Thanks again for these kind words, I'll try to remember them. I wish you the best with whatever you're doing right now!


No problem :biggrin: I'm glad things are improving with you.
Thanks :wink:

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Reply 4
UPDATE 1
I thought I'd begin on a Monday so it could be a fresh start! I like things to be orderly :wink:
After a bad day yesterday where I got nothing done (oops) I decided I would start easy today. I didn't have college today because it's a teacher training day, so I started off making a list of everything I need to revise for my exams. We haven't learned everything yet, so it's an incomplete list.
IMG_20160222_115323.jpg
This makes it super easy for me to go through what I've done and what I need to do. In this notebook, I plan to make detailed revision notes as a starting point for my revision. From them, I will create mindmaps with key concepts/ideas and use them to test my knowledge of the details. Then, I will use my newly bought index cards to create flashcards with only a few words on them to test my knowledge on a whole. From there, I'm not really sure what I'll do... However, testing yourself is the best way to revise. You can learn all you want, but you don't really know your stuff until you can recall it from memory!

Today, I'm focusing on my Art. I plan to complete a double page of observations - including annotation - and write up about my visit to the Kurt Jackson exhibition (anyone else go?). If I have some time, I will do some more observation and development of ideas.

Hope you all have a lovely, productive day!

NOTE: We're on the linear History course so we don't do an AS exam. I'm not revising any History right now because I want to focus on my exam revision.
Hi, I am having a relatively productive day, thanks :tongue: I'm glad you're revision is better today than it was yesterday. That's a great revision technique you're using there. I generally do something similar to that. Is that exhibition in Bath? I've never been.
Good luck with the rest of your art :wink:

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Reply 6
Original post by Matrix123
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Oh, I'm glad! What have you been doing today then?
The exhibition was in St Just in Cornwall, it was tiny. I didn't know there was one in Bath! :0 I wish I could go but I don't have time now.
Thank you!!
Original post by raleighs
Oh, I'm glad! What have you been doing today then?
The exhibition was in St Just in Cornwall, it was tiny. I didn't know there was one in Bath! :0 I wish I could go but I don't have time now.
Thank you!!


Thanks. Well, I've done a fair bit of physics revision and now I'm onto completing some history homework.
Ahh OK, Idk if there's one in Bath tbh. I just assumed from what some of my friends have said when talking about art galleries they'd been to.
You're welcome :wink:

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Reply 8
Original post by Matrix123
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Great job getting stuff done! Physics is so difficult!! What exam board are you doing for history?
Ah, that's a shame, would have liked to have gone to another of Jackson's exhibitions, he's a really good artist!
Original post by raleighs
Great job getting stuff done! Physics is so difficult!! What exam board are you doing for history?
Ah, that's a shame, would have liked to have gone to another of Jackson's exhibitions, he's a really good artist!


Thanks! Aw yeah, but tbh I've been more interested in it recently so that's helped a bit...but I've really started losing interest in biology! :eek: History is Edexcel.
Yeah, some of his work really is amazing :yep: I'll have to check that exhibition out sometime.

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Reply 10
Original post by Matrix123
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It's good that you're interested in it, makes revising so much easier. Aw, sucks about your biology... Why aren't you interested in it anymore?
Hey, same! :h: There's loads of different routes for history though, I haven't found anyone who's doing the same one as me. Which topics are you covering?
Original post by raleighs
It's good that you're interested in it, makes revising so much easier. Aw, sucks about your biology... Why aren't you interested in it anymore?
Hey, same! :h: There's loads of different routes for history though, I haven't found anyone who's doing the same one as me. Which topics are you covering?


Yeah, it really has helped. :h: Hmmm...I guess it's just the topics tbh. I really liked things to do with genetics but we're onto ecosystems, which I don't really enjoy learning about.
Sorry to disappoint but I'm at GCSE so it won't be the same :no: but I've done the Vietnam War for my controlled assessment, then I've got the American West, Crime and Punishment, and Transformation of surgery for the exams. What topics are you doing?

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Reply 12
Original post by Matrix123
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Aw that's a shame...
Sorry! I just assumed you were doing A level :doh: oops. Vietnam was my favourite topic at GCSE! All the others I found boring (Britain, Russia, I don't even remember the third one!) We're doing Britain and America 1918-1997. The Britain course is a drag because we've done it before, but America is very interesting! I love learning about the civil rights movement.
Are you going to continue history at A Level?
Original post by raleighs
Aw that's a shame...
Sorry! I just assumed you were doing A level :doh: oops. Vietnam was my favourite topic at GCSE! All the others I found boring (Britain, Russia, I don't even remember the third one!) We're doing Britain and America 1918-1997. The Britain course is a drag because we've done it before, but America is very interesting! I love learning about the civil rights movement.
Are you going to continue history at A Level?


Haha no worries! Yeah, that was pretty good. I'm doing transformation of surgery at the moment and it's really interesting too. That sounds great - yeah, the civil rights movement is interesting. It'd be cool to study that one.
No, I'm not. Tbh I'm not as interested in it as I was before.

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Reply 14
Original post by Matrix123
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Aw, your History topics were so much more interesting than mine..... :frown:
If you're not interested in it, then that's fair. Do you know what you want to do?
Original post by raleighs
Aw, your History topics were so much more interesting than mine..... :frown:
If you're not interested in it, then that's fair. Do you know what you want to do?


Yeah, they're alright. Russia sounds a bit interesting too.
Not too sure really. I like maths so probably maths, further math, physics and chemistry but I keep on changing my mind about the last two. I guess at least I've got about another 6 months to decide.

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Reply 16
Original post by Matrix123
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That's a lot of sciencey stuff, ouch! But if you're good at it, you might as well. Don't worry about it too much, you'll have time for that later. Just focus on your GCSEs. I hope they go well!! :h:
Original post by raleighs
That's a lot of sciencey stuff, ouch! But if you're good at it, you might as well. Don't worry about it too much, you'll have time for that later. Just focus on your GCSEs. I hope they go well!! :h:


Haha idek at the moment! I'm not into science that much but I think it would be good for opening up my options a bit as I've no idea what I'll do after! :tongue: Thanks, good luck with your A Levels :smile:

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