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Original post by SANTR
What a load of rubbish. I know people who were learning the material weeks before the exams and coming out with A*A*A.

It's not really rubbish though is it? I highly doubt those people you know were on a U (ungradable) before they started learning. Sure they may have not been working hard or learnt everything but they would've had a basic understanding of their subject (Getting C's maybe). Plus OP may be doing the new a level specs, so he/she may not be carrying marks from their AS exams which makes it even harder. And you'd be surprised how many people play down how much they revised prior to an exam (Because I am one of those people :wink:) but props to your mates if they did that.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by asiangcse
It's not really rubbish though is it? I highly doubt those people you know were on a U (ungradable) before they started learning. Sure they may have not been working hard or learnt everything but they would've had a basic understanding of their subject (Getting C's maybe). Plus OP may be doing the new a level specs, so he/she may not be carrying marks from their AS exams which makes it even harder. And you'd be surprised how many people play down how much they revised prior to an exam (Because I am one of those people :wink:) but props to your mates if they did that.


I think the point still stands that it is possible to learn all of the content in 4 months. Whether that attributes to A*s will depend on the individual like the OP.
Original post by NeverLucky
I think the point still stands that it is possible to learn all of the content in 4 months. Whether that attributes to A*s will depend on the individual like the OP.

Again I think it depends if OP is doing the reformed A levels. I agree with the past A2 exams it may have been do-able, but I think it's nearly impossible to learn all the content in 4 months for the new A levels (which examines everything from AS and A2) even if you are an A* student.
Original post by asiangcse
Again I think it depends if OP is doing the reformed A levels. I agree with the past A2 exams it may have been do-able, but I think it's nearly impossible to learn all the content in 4 months for the new A levels (which examines everything from AS and A2) even if you are an A* student.


4 months is a fairly long time. While it almost always means working more aftershool and weekends, I still think it's possible. Also, for A-level Chemistry at least, questions will still be similar regardless so learning mark schemes is still a viable option.
It is possible if you study now and everyday, put aside say half an hour or an hour per subject to study each day. dont over do yourself. think positively and positive things will happen. aim for an A* and you should at worst get a B.
Best of luck :smile:
I think there's also a distinction here to be made: did you get a U through lack of studying/caring/preparation or did you still revise quite a lot? Is this the same with history?

All these people saying it's impossible, no not really. If I'm correct history english and chemistry are all linear now so AS doesn't "count". However, with a U at AS you're going to have to figure out how you work best. That is honestly the key to getting the top grades. You can try and memorise things or use flash cards or re-read and test yourself until the cows come home but if you don't know how you learn best it's not gonna get you an A*. Really think: out of the methods I've tried, which have given the best results? For example, people always say to plan essays. However, the last few essays I've written for English have only been planned in my head for 5 mins and I came out w A grades rather than B. Sometimes what works for you may go against common practice/wisdom. Sometimes it doesn't. I know someone who didn't learn well in a "class" environment so just went to the local Starbucks and worked alone. Ended up getting A*A*A - the A was couple marks off an A*. They had AABC originally at AS (not the same as U or D mind, but still).

As I say on this forum often, best of luck but more importantly, best of revision :smile:
Original post by Mooodle
Hi guys,
Bit of background knowledge. Last year I bummed off in my 1st year of A-Levels (if want for a better term). I hated college, struggled massively with motivation (to the point of considering dropping out) and my attendance was lying at around the 40% mark.
I have been playing a massive unfun, *****y game of catch-up for the last year as result. Procrastinate, work ridiculously hard, burn-out, hate college, don't attend.

Anywhoo, I am ridiculously motivated/scared now.
I want A*'s across all subjects come June...
Is it feasible?

I don't know if GCSE's are really indicative of anything with regards to A-Levels but I did well: 10A*s and an A
My current subjects are Chemistry, History and English Literature
And my current (respective) grades are: U, D/C and A*
English Lit isn't really a problem. I've gotten A*s consistently since starting the course; its just finding time to read supplementary texts that's the issue at the moment.
With regards to history and chemistry- although the grades shown don't instil great faith, I'm not entirely hopeless with chemistry. The results are mostly from a lack of revision and exam practise; but when working through papers I've found online with topic specific questions in an exam format, I'm understanding them completely. Just moreso a lack of application.

History is more to do with my lack of attendance: I have hardly any notes on the first section of the course (South Africa), raw knowledge of the USA section and a very scarce covering of the Tudor section.

With 4 months of persistent effort... do you realistically think that I would be able to achieve 3A*s?

And if so, do you have any tips that could help me with learning more efficiently?

Thanks :-)
Meg


You specifically said you're ridiculously motivated now. That alone should be enough if you continue on this path, but try not to panic or get scared because too much panic will be a drawback for you. In any case, work harder than you have in your life and you will achieve your 3 A*s.

Good luck!

Oh and my main tips for chemistry (only subject we both do) is practise for all of the organic chemistry sections, remember your reagents like the back of you hand. If maths comes to you quite naturally then the physical sections should be okay, and always approach the question logically. The worst they can ask you is a pH question and the effect of a catalyst on equilibrium - which you can approach very logically. Find a method to working out all types of questions.
And with inorganic just keep memorising your colours, I know they're a pain but knowing them is the first step before you even think about reactions! Fortunately chemistry is favourable to those who learn the content because it is applied quite nicely, so just keep repeating the content and looking over your notes. Once you have learned all of the content, start working your way through the old spec papers (1,2,4,5) to give yourself more confidence with how the exam questions work. Another tip would be to learn your own way of describing all set practicals, along with using the mark scheme for the specimen paper 3. Hope this helps :biggrin:
Original post by Mooodle
Hi guys,
Bit of background knowledge. Last year I bummed off in my 1st year of A-Levels (if want for a better term). I hated college, struggled massively with motivation (to the point of considering dropping out) and my attendance was lying at around the 40% mark.
I have been playing a massive unfun, *****y game of catch-up for the last year as result. Procrastinate, work ridiculously hard, burn-out, hate college, don't attend.

Anywhoo, I am ridiculously motivated/scared now.
I want A*'s across all subjects come June...
Is it feasible?

I don't know if GCSE's are really indicative of anything with regards to A-Levels but I did well: 10A*s and an A
My current subjects are Chemistry, History and English Literature
And my current (respective) grades are: U, D/C and A*
English Lit isn't really a problem. I've gotten A*s consistently since starting the course; its just finding time to read supplementary texts that's the issue at the moment.
With regards to history and chemistry- although the grades shown don't instil great faith, I'm not entirely hopeless with chemistry. The results are mostly from a lack of revision and exam practise; but when working through papers I've found online with topic specific questions in an exam format, I'm understanding them completely. Just moreso a lack of application.

History is more to do with my lack of attendance: I have hardly any notes on the first section of the course (South Africa), raw knowledge of the USA section and a very scarce covering of the Tudor section.

With 4 months of persistent effort... do you realistically think that I would be able to achieve 3A*s?

And if so, do you have any tips that could help me with learning more efficiently?

Thanks :-)
Meg


We're on the same boat, haha.
Let's both do our best.
DATTEBAYO!
Reply 28
Original post by asiangcse
It's not really rubbish though is it? I highly doubt those people you know were on a U (ungradable) before they started learning. Sure they may have not been working hard or learnt everything but they would've had a basic understanding of their subject (Getting C's maybe). Plus OP may be doing the new a level specs, so he/she may not be carrying marks from their AS exams which makes it even harder. And you'd be surprised how many people play down how much they revised prior to an exam (Because I am one of those people :wink:) but props to your mates if they did that.

I'd didn't know OP's current grades so I guess you're right; it might be a bit far fetched.
(edited 7 years ago)
It is not impossible, considering your GCSE grades (assuming you put a similar amount of procrastination and effort into those exams). I bummed off all my subjects (bio, history, chem, Eng lit) for a year and freaked out but in a few days I revised and did my mocks and got A's and a B in chem - just to say I switched to Chem 3 months ago, missing over a year of lessons). If you're smart you will be fine! Essentially you need to attend ALL your lessons, asking your teachers for notes/sheets/slideshows you missed. You also need to find optimum revision time, I found waking up an hour and a half before I am meant to get up (so at 5:30) is when i work best, so I study then and also when I get home from school, and then going to bed early so I get at least 9 hours sleep so that you retain all the information (which is REALLY) important, don't underestimate the power of sleep. That means I get at least 6 hours of learning time at school, and 4 1/2 hrs of revision a day. When you revise, compile and organize a revision guide with lots of relevant information so that you can fill out all the gaps you missed, it is also a great way to learn. Ask teachers if you're missing something or confused, make time to read around your subjects (particularly in history, it will give you the edge in an exam). Stay MOTIVATED, revision is the priority. I think getting the English Literature A* will be feasible, chemistry you should be doing a LOT of past papers relevant to your exam board, its really the best way to learn, and history, look at past exams questions and relate your notes to the key questions of the course to make information easy to recall in the exam (ie how did politics/culture/economy change over a period, factors affecting change etc. Look at the big picture and relate it to all the key facts.) But remember, NO university course expects all A*'s and even the best only require one in their most sought after courses, so don't be discouraged if the goal is unrealistic.Good luck and God speed!!
Reply 30
Original post by EnglishNoobC
If you want me to lie an say "Yes, it's possible": Yes, it's possible.

If you want an honest answer: No.

But don't get your hopes down now. 3 A*s are very tough to achieve which is why uni's don't have an offer requiring A*A*A*. You have to be more realistic with your grades, and considering the level your grades are at and how much little time you have (Let's be honest you won't revise 4 months straight 12 hours a day... It's impossible), I'd say the highest you would be able to achieve is max 3 As.

Prove me wrong 😄

Posted from TSR Mobile


shut up. who tf made you god of grades.
Original post by Josyb
shut up. who tf made you god of grades.

Unless I missed it, no where did he claim he was the god of grades, he was simply giving a more realistic outlook of grades from UC/(D)A*. And I think you are aware of the hard work one needs to put in to get AAA or higher since you posted on another thread "I got bcc in my mocks last year. My revision technique was really bad. But now im sacred if ive run out of time to get 3As at a level. Any advice.....please😃". So there's no reason to be rude.
Reply 32
Original post by asiangcse
Unless I missed it, no where did he claim he was the god of grades, he was simply giving a more realistic outlook of grades from UC/(D)A*. And I think you are aware of the hard work one needs to put in to get AAA or higher since you posted on another thread "I got bcc in my mocks last year. My revision technique was really bad. But now im sacred if ive run out of time to get 3As at a level. Any advice.....please😃". So there's no reason to be rude.


soz grandma
Original post by Josyb
soz grandma

Ahhh the maturity of prospective medical students :biggrin: Since you didn't get a response on your query I'll help you despite that remark.

I got similar grades to you at AS and decided to get my head down the second year getting A's and A*s at A2 so it can be done. One of the most useful revision techniques I found was to obviously finish every single past paper which is available to you, well before your scheduled exams. Make sure you read the mark schemes carefully, this will be your guideline to exam technique. Make amendments to your past paper with a different coloured pen, so when you go over them after a few weeks, your attention will be directed towards the improvements (best if they are in bullet pointed form). Even if you get full marks on a question (e.g 2/2), add in additional points which are also on the mark scheme, trust me, it's good to have a range of points that you can have up your sleeve. PM me if you need any subject specific help.
I will be realistic and say no but it is possible to get As and Bs. But on a serious note, stop procrastinating. I did this all through my 2 years at college and failed my A levels. It was so sad seeing all my friends get good grades on results day and go off to uni while I'm here planning on resitting my exams. Don't make the same mistakes I made.
Sometimes when I'm feeling unmotivated, I just imagine myself opening my results in August and seeing that I get the grades I want or even higher and then I get like a slight feeling of relief. It really does make me work harder.

Good luck :smile:
Original post by sparklerz_911
Completely possible, although it's more likely the result will be in the region of A*AA to A*A*A if you work hard starting right now.

Working hard means being completely motivated, not just learning the basic requirements of a course specification and past papers, but actually understanding everything and doing extra questions out of textbooks. You need to be proactive with your learning style, especially with Chemistry - draw all the chemical reactions and tests out and their relationships. For History, you'll need to look at the past papers and look at the style of questions/dates they relate to and memorise every event for the main topics in chronological order to be able to justify each point you make in an essay.

You'll need to be strict with yourself, which means a timetable from getting home/what to do each day in your frees/ targets for each week for each subject. After each topic, a good way of testing your knowledge is to close your book and recite from memory what you just learnt.

This is what I did for two months straight during study leave. I did the sciences (Maths, Biology, History, Chemistry) which I daresay involves more work then your current subjects, and our biology module had no textbook so I wrote my own using other textbooks, detailed diagrams for every process, supplemented by questions asked in papers and the mark schemes to get the 'key words' they always look for. I studied math until I could do every single question in the textbook without getting stuck, and then moved onto past papers - which I couldn't do at first. In the end I got an A*A*A*A and in my first year, I was like you with my AS results.

It is hard work, but you just need to grit your teeth and do it, for these few months if you make it your only priority, it will definitely be worth it. Make sure you are harsh with yourself when marking and testing, getting an A* is more about knowing every single small detail and WHY, than simply just knowing your course. I would suggest you make your notes that you'll revise from (they need to be at the level where you don't need to refer to any other source) for the next two months - and especially re: chemistry, you should also make sure you re-learn your AS content as well. After this, you should do all the past papers, and add to your notes with exam questions. And then repeat, learning your notes again. 4 months is an incredibly long time, and there is absolutely no reason for you not to be able to get a minimum of AAA if you actually use all the time productively.

Think of it this way - it's just 4 months of your life to swap for those 3 letters on that paper, which will stay with you for the rest of your life. Are you really going to let your procrastination over useless things close doors for your future?

Best of luck.

Wow this is so motivational and well done!x:biggrin: Do you have any advice on how to get 95+ UMS in AS maths? I have 3 months left and I am planning to start revise tonight (doing all the past papers and solomon papers) etc!:smile: Should I just do lots of questions?x:smile:
Reply 36
Original post by asiangcse
Ahhh the maturity of prospective medical students :biggrin: Since you didn't get a response on your query I'll help you despite that remark.

I got similar grades to you at AS and decided to get my head down the second year getting A's and A*s at A2 so it can be done. One of the most useful revision techniques I found was to obviously finish every single past paper which is available to you, well before your scheduled exams. Make sure you read the mark schemes carefully, this will be your guideline to exam technique. Make amendments to your past paper with a different coloured pen, so when you go over them after a few weeks, your attention will be directed towards the improvements (best if they are in bullet pointed form). Even if you get full marks on a question (e.g 2/2), add in additional points which are also on the mark scheme, trust me, it's good to have a range of points that you can have up your sleeve. PM me if you need any subject specific help.


Thank you. 😘
Original post by sunshine774
Wow this is so motivational and well done!x:biggrin: Do you have any advice on how to get 95+ UMS in AS maths? I have 3 months left and I am planning to start revise tonight (doing all the past papers and solomon papers) etc!:smile: Should I just do lots of questions?x:smile:


Thank you :smile:

AS maths isn't so bad as it's fairly basic differentiation (from what I can remember, not sure if you now do integration as well), but it is definitely a big step up from GCSE. I would recommend that you study the textbook yourself rather than just learning in class as you never really cover all the content unless the teacher is really, really well-organised.

This way, you have a lot more time to really understand the reasoning i.e. what differentiation actually is, the relationships, the main x, y equations to find the values given gradients or lines. I would really stress the importance of doing (all) the questions immediately after learning the content each time, and kind of not giving up until you absolutely understand why you're doing what you're doing.

Once you have worked your way through all of the textbook content and questions at your own pace, I would only then recommend you start past papers. It's really important to get a good 'foundation' so to speak, before you apply it otherwise you just end up really confused because of gaps in your knowledge/logic. I would stick to the time limits at first, just to assess your level and pace, then mark your answers, review it and work over the things you got wrong. Once you've done all the past papers, I would then suggest the soloman papers. From what I remember, I don't think they were much harder, they just ask the question in a different way which tests your ability to understand what they're asking/applying your maths.

As you go along the papers, you'll easily see where you're not doing as well, and you can also spot key equations you need to memorise. It's a really good idea to do a few summary sheets of the key stuff to remember. I think for AS maths I did about 3 double sides of just equations and relationships that were useful so I could refer to them when I was doing a question or was stuck. It just makes it easier to work out where you're going wrong if it's all on the same page.

I hope this helps, but honestly I think you'll be absolutely fine with 3 months, just don't be complacent with your learning and really force yourself to carry on even if it gets really tedious, and NEVER settle for 'my answer is about the same'. Don't stop until you are getting full marks on each paper marking harshly, this will get you that high 90s. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but just tick things off, one page at a time and don't think too much about how much you have left to do and it'll be done in no time! Maths is one of those things that exactly reflects how much effort you've put into it, it will click eventually :smile:

I got 100 in C1, 96 in C2 and 99 in S1 doing exactly this after getting an E the first time round (I had a lot of personal issues and just an awful teacher that left me really uninspired).
You can do it.
Original post by Mooodle
Hi guys,
Bit of background knowledge. Last year I bummed off in my 1st year of A-Levels (if want for a better term). I hated college, struggled massively with motivation (to the point of considering dropping out) and my attendance was lying at around the 40% mark.
I have been playing a massive unfun, *****y game of catch-up for the last year as result. Procrastinate, work ridiculously hard, burn-out, hate college, don't attend.

Anywhoo, I am ridiculously motivated/scared now.
I want A*'s across all subjects come June...
Is it feasible?

I don't know if GCSE's are really indicative of anything with regards to A-Levels but I did well: 10A*s and an A
My current subjects are Chemistry, History and English Literature
And my current (respective) grades are: U, D/C and A*
English Lit isn't really a problem. I've gotten A*s consistently since starting the course; its just finding time to read supplementary texts that's the issue at the moment.
With regards to history and chemistry- although the grades shown don't instil great faith, I'm not entirely hopeless with chemistry. The results are mostly from a lack of revision and exam practise; but when working through papers I've found online with topic specific questions in an exam format, I'm understanding them completely. Just moreso a lack of application.

History is more to do with my lack of attendance: I have hardly any notes on the first section of the course (South Africa), raw knowledge of the USA section and a very scarce covering of the Tudor section.

With 4 months of persistent effort... do you realistically think that I would be able to achieve 3A*s?

And if so, do you have any tips that could help me with learning more efficiently?

Thanks :-)
Meg


I actually think it is possible. You need to knuckle down and do nothing else but study. Do that and you stand a chance.

One solid month per subject and then one month of revision.

Although you bunked off the first year you will have some understanding already.

Work hard and I think you will do it.
Original post by sparklerz_911
Thank you :smile:

AS maths isn't so bad as it's fairly basic differentiation (from what I can remember, not sure if you now do integration as well), but it is definitely a big step up from GCSE. I would recommend that you study the textbook yourself rather than just learning in class as you never really cover all the content unless the teacher is really, really well-organised.

This way, you have a lot more time to really understand the reasoning i.e. what differentiation actually is, the relationships, the main x, y equations to find the values given gradients or lines. I would really stress the importance of doing (all) the questions immediately after learning the content each time, and kind of not giving up until you absolutely understand why you're doing what you're doing.

Once you have worked your way through all of the textbook content and questions at your own pace, I would only then recommend you start past papers. It's really important to get a good 'foundation' so to speak, before you apply it otherwise you just end up really confused because of gaps in your knowledge/logic. I would stick to the time limits at first, just to assess your level and pace, then mark your answers, review it and work over the things you got wrong. Once you've done all the past papers, I would then suggest the soloman papers. From what I remember, I don't think they were much harder, they just ask the question in a different way which tests your ability to understand what they're asking/applying your maths.

As you go along the papers, you'll easily see where you're not doing as well, and you can also spot key equations you need to memorise. It's a really good idea to do a few summary sheets of the key stuff to remember. I think for AS maths I did about 3 double sides of just equations and relationships that were useful so I could refer to them when I was doing a question or was stuck. It just makes it easier to work out where you're going wrong if it's all on the same page.

I hope this helps, but honestly I think you'll be absolutely fine with 3 months, just don't be complacent with your learning and really force yourself to carry on even if it gets really tedious, and NEVER settle for 'my answer is about the same'. Don't stop until you are getting full marks on each paper marking harshly, this will get you that high 90s. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but just tick things off, one page at a time and don't think too much about how much you have left to do and it'll be done in no time! Maths is one of those things that exactly reflects how much effort you've put into it, it will click eventually :smile:

I got 100 in C1, 96 in C2 and 99 in S1 doing exactly this after getting an E the first time round (I had a lot of personal issues and just an awful teacher that left me really uninspired).
You can do it.


Wow your marks are amazing!x:biggrin: Thank you so much for your advice, and I hope you are better now!:smile:
When did you start revising for AS?
(And yes we do study integration now but it's not too bad!):smile:

Yeah I don't think AS maths is that hard, but it is VERY different from GCSE and a big step up! It is a LOT more interesting though!:smile:

Also, luckily we do a lot of textbook questions in class and the mixed exercises for homework so I have already done most of them!:smile:
(edited 7 years ago)

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