The Student Room Group

My Road to A* everywhere




I've finished updating this blog, but I have a new one with my current studies HERE

:banana::banana2:WELCOME!:banana2::banana:



School bits:
Hi Everyone,

I'm in year 11 so I will be sitting my GCSEs on the 18th May (eek). I also had mocks on the 22nd Feb so keeping this thread made sure I kept up with my revision. At the moment my targets and grades are:

(WJEC) English Language: A*
(WJEC) English Literature: A*
(Edexcel) Maths: A*
(OCR Gateway B) Biology: A*
(OCR Gateway B) Chemistry: A*
(OCR Gateway B) Physics: A*
(AQA) German: A*
(OCR Modern) History: A*
(AQA) Geography: A*
(OCR National) ICT: A*

Some of you may look at this and wonder how I can improve, but I set really high standards and in some of my mocks I have been getting 84/85 and scores like that, so I am working towards getting as high a mark as possible, and not just securing the grade.

Hopefully, if I can get the grades, I want to go on to college and study Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Geology.

Personal bits:
If you want a bit of background I've always been quite good academically (though I genuinely hate to admit it) but I believe it is down to the fact that I have severe Atopic Eczema (that the specialist said was the worst in 30 years) and because of this, I have found studying to be a worthy distraction. I also can't see out of one eye which makes life interesting but I like it that way. If I can work hard enough, and get into University, I will be the first person in my family to do so, and considering my parents have barely any qualifications, this is definitely something I aspire to.

A few last words:
I am open to any advice or constructive criticism and I am happy to help anyone too.

If you want to find out more about me as a person I would be happy to post info and along the way, I will be detailing revision I have done, so if you would like to see pictures of it just let me know and I'll be happy to upload :smile:

Also, recently, people have asked if they can post their revision on here too so it can help motivate everyone and we can help each other along - feel free to join in :smile:

Mocks (22nd Feb)
Here's the posts I made about the mocks I have just taken :smile:

Original post by brainzistheword
MOCK UPDATE AND TARGETS FOR 22nd FEB

So Mocks start tomorrow and I'm so nervous it's unbelievable!! But I have targets I want to reach in these exams, bearing in mind there are 2 every day from Mon-Fri. Here's what I want to achieve, or if possible beat:

Chemistry C1-C3: 70/75
Physics P1-P3: 72/75
Biology B1-B3: 68/75
Maths: 180/200 (from both papers)
English Literature and Language: A* in both (don't mind the specific mark)
Biology B4-B5 + Sect D: 50/60 (we haven't finished B6)
Chemistry C4-C5 + Sect D: 55/60
Physics P4-P6: 80/85


Original post by brainzistheword
MOCK RESULTS FROM 22nd FEB

So I got all my results back this week, and you can compare them to what are above (although these are only my personal targets and the school just wanted the grade)

Chemistry C1-C3: 73/75
Physics P1-P3: 68/75
Biology B1-B3: 63/75
Maths: 190/200 (from both papers) - (98/100 and 92/100)
English Literature and Language: A Language and A* Literature
Biology B4-B5 + Sect D: 49/60
Chemistry C4-C5 + Sect D: 55/60
Physics P4-P6: 81/85


The green grades mean I did as well or better than I had hoped, the orange means I was close and the red means I want to improve.

From these results, I really want to focus on Physics, English Language and definitely Biology.

All the results, except English Language are A* which I am pleased about, but as I said in the OP, I am bothered more about the actual mark, than the grade it turns into. I know some of the areas for improvement in English Language lie in getting the format of letters correct and more practice should help me get the techniques more accurate, so this is going to be a main focus when I revise English.




RESULTS



So to see a breakdown of my results click here: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3897511&page=305

(I got 8A*s, an A and a distinction which is equal to an A :smile: )

EDIT: My Geography got remarked and now my results are 9A*s and one A :smile:
(edited 6 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Good luck!
I'm planning on Maths and Further Maths as well :smile: Geology sounds interesting (unfortunately it wasn't an option for me)
Original post by JenniMusic
Good luck!
I'm planning on Maths and Further Maths as well :smile: Geology sounds interesting (unfortunately it wasn't an option for me)


Thank you! Luckily Geology is available, but I don't have much of an idea what it involves - though I think it will fit in well with the science subjects I want to study. Good luck with your studies too :smile:
UPDATE:

So for today I plan to revise the following:

Physics: P1-P3 writing summarised notes on topics I find difficult (I will give a list when I tell you what I have completed today)
Chemistry: C4-C6 Past paper and go through the errors to make a list of everything I will revise tomorrow
English Lit: Write out about 20 quotes for Of Mice and Men and add more detail to character profiles

So, I'm off to revise and I will update this tonight. My aim is to set out the plan in the morning and review what I have achieved at the end of the day.

Let me know how you are getting on :smile:
Good luck with your exams and you seem very committed to achieving your goals.
Some tips I have is:
1/ Make sure you revise in a clear way with creativity. Reading notes alone might not be the best thing to do. Perhaps organise it to mind maps or condense them. Read them out to yourselves to feel like you're teaching something. This way, it stays in your head well.
2/ Make sure you do practise questions to focus on exam technique and knowledge.
3/ Take breaks as it has been proven one cannot focus properly after 1 hour of full on revision. Do breaks after maybe 1 hour for 10 minutes.

That's about it, I wish you the best!
Original post by MezmorisedPotato
Good luck with your exams and you seem very committed to achieving your goals.
Some tips I have is:
1/ Make sure you revise in a clear way with creativity. Reading notes alone might not be the best thing to do. Perhaps organise it to mind maps or condense them. Read them out to yourselves to feel like you're teaching something. This way, it stays in your head well.
2/ Make sure you do practise questions to focus on exam technique and knowledge.
3/ Take breaks as it has been proven one cannot focus properly after 1 hour of full on revision. Do breaks after maybe 1 hour for 10 minutes.

That's about it, I wish you the best!


Thank you very much! I will definitely take this advice on board :smile:
Reply 6
Ay, good luck with GCSEs! Good mock scores are amazing, but don't get complacent - consistency is key.

On a lighter note, here's some bantz from us sixth formers :colone:

12540977_234913673506241_4239594144461983421_n.jpg
Original post by aymanzayedmannan
Ay, good luck with GCSEs! Good mock scores are amazing, but don't get complacent - consistency is key.

On a lighter note, here's some bantz from us sixth formers :colone:

12540977_234913673506241_4239594144461983421_n.jpg


Yeah I will definitely not get complacent as I know how volatile scores can be! That meme is so cool! :biggrin:
Original post by brainzistheword
Thank you! Luckily Geology is available, but I don't have much of an idea what it involves - though I think it will fit in well with the science subjects I want to study. Good luck with your studies too :smile:


Thank you :smile:
Sounds like you are doing well :borat: keep it up.

For English and ICT in particular, make sure you know how to be getting As and A*s (as it's not just a case of getting things right but doing things in a certain way), and if you don't, consult your teachers and then practice.

Good luck! :h:
Original post by brainzistheword
x


Great job so far! :smile:
Original post by SeanFM
Sounds like you are doing well :borat: keep it up.

For English and ICT in particular, make sure you know how to be getting As and A*s (as it's not just a case of getting things right but doing things in a certain way), and if you don't, consult your teachers and then practice.

Good luck! :h:


Thank you! Hopefully I know what I am doing but it seems a bit ironic that those are the two subjects where everyone complains that the teachers do not teach very well (if at all) so most of what I have learned is very much self taught. I'm sure I can find someone if I need the help though.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog :smile:
Original post by Ribenas
Great job so far! :smile:


Thank you I will try to update this daily so I can hold myself accountable for the revision :smile:
Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch , aber viel Glück für Ihre Prüfungen . Ich mache die gleichen Prüfungen wie Sie . Ich hoffe, dass auch die gleichen Noten zu bekommen.
P.S

Sprachen werden von Universitaten angebetet
Reply 17
Original post by brainzistheword
Hi Everyone,

I'm in year 11 so I will be sitting my GCSEs in less than 100 days (eek). I also have mocks on the 22nd Feb so keeping this thread will make sure I have kept up with my revision. At the moment my targets and grades are:

English Language: A*
English Literature: A*
Maths: A*
Biology: A*
Chemistry: A*
Physics: A*
German: A*
History: A*
Geography: A*
ICT: A*

Some of you may look at this and wonder how I can improve, but I set really high standards and in some of my mocks I have been getting 84/85 and scores like that, so I am working towards getting as high a mark as possible, and not just securing the grade.

Hopefully, if I can get the grades, I want to go on to college and study Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry, Physics and Geology.

I am open to any advice or constructive criticism and I am happy to help anyone too.

If you want to find out more about me as a person I would be happy to post info and along the way, I will be detailing revision I have done, so if you would like to see pictures of it just let me know and I'll be happy to upload :smile:


Hi!
Do you have any advice as to how I can become more consistent with my studying/revision? -(A study timetable or how many hours I should revise each day?) As I tend to lose motivation sometimes but have very high standards like you :smile:

Also, my targets are also A/A*s in everything.
Currently I am meeting them in everything besides Physics, English Language, English Literature and History.
How do you think I can improve in those subject? -(any websites or revision/study techniques)

Could you also PM me? I would really appreciate it!
Thanks!!
Original post by RosaA
Hi!
Do you have any advice as to how I can become more consistent with my studying/revision? -(A study timetable or how many hours I should revise each day?) As I tend to lose motivation sometimes but have very high standards like you :smile:

Also, my targets are also A/A*s in everything.
Currently I am meeting them in everything besides Physics, English Language, English Literature and History.
How do you think I can improve in those subject? -(any websites or revision/study techniques)

Could you also PM me? I would really appreciate it!
Thanks!!


First of all - it's great to know someone else has high standards :biggrin:.

In terms of hours to revise, this really depends. For me I try to spend 2-3 hours on a school night and 5-6 on a weekend or holiday, as long as I have nothing important planned. At the minute I use Google Calendar (although a different calendar or academic planner is absolutely fine) and the night before, I alway set out what I want to do.

I know some people say that planning on a Sunday is best but I find that what I plan to do on a Sunday isn't always what I feel like doing when the day comes. Planning the night before lets me be more flexible and stops me having to reshuffle everything if an event comes up.

For your concentration, I think we are in a similar situation. I cannot spend hours revising, so I do 20 minutes (or Pomodoro Technique) and have a break inbetween. If I start something and really get into it, I just cancel the timer and carry on. However, using the 20 minutes means that if you don't get into the revision and stop after 20 minutes, you have still achieved something.

Sorry for the long post - I will quote a new one with links to websites and subject advice :smile:
Reply 19
Original post by brainzistheword
First of all - it's great to know someone else has high standards :biggrin:.

In terms of hours to revise, this really depends. For me I try to spend 2-3 hours on a school night and 5-6 on a weekend or holiday, as long as I have nothing important planned. At the minute I use Google Calendar (although a different calendar or academic planner is absolutely fine) and the night before, I alway set out what I want to do.

I know some people say that planning on a Sunday is best but I find that what I plan to do on a Sunday isn't always what I feel like doing when the day comes. Planning the night before lets me be more flexible and stops me having to reshuffle everything if an event comes up.

For your concentration, I think we are in a similar situation. I cannot spend hours revising, so I do 20 minutes (or Pomodoro Technique) and have a break inbetween. If I start something and really get into it, I just cancel the timer and carry on. However, using the 20 minutes means that if you don't get into the revision and stop after 20 minutes, you have still achieved something.

Sorry for the long post - I will quote a new one with links to websites and subject advice :smile:


Thanks so much for the help!

And no, don't worry I really didn't mind that the post was long. It was very helpful

What do you mean by the Pomodoro Technique?

In terms of writing notes for your subjects how do you organise all of that and do you hand write them or type them up? Which method do you prefer? I'm curious as I could also do with some organisation tips 😂- I tend to lack in that department as well sometimes

Thank you once again 😊
(edited 8 years ago)

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