Predicted A*A*A* - Ask Me Anything
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Original post by Metalfros
I am currently taking Gov and politics and have been getting straight B's. But no matter what I do, I always come a few marks short for an A. I really want an A* prediction next year. What can I do to refine my exam technique since my knowledge is fine?
I'm guessing you're in AS this year then? I'll first break down how marks are distributed for the 25 markers, what this means, and then how a good structure for each essay would be. (BTW this will be for AQA)
The marks for the long essays are as follows:
AO1 - 11/25
AO2 - 8/25
AO3 - 6/25
AO1 is your knowledge and content. This is your theory, examples, and understanding of the topic. Try to learn as many examples as possible as these count towards AO1 and AO2.
AO2 is your analysis. The easiest way to gain marks for this is to say "here's how it works in practice, but it looks like this in reality." This is how you evaluate the effectiveness of things, whether they actually work in real life, etc.
AO3 is SPAG and key terms so make sure to check your spellings, use fancy punctuation, and throw in as many key terms as possible (obviously used and spelled correctly).
5 markers
These are usually definitions of words used in the extract. While it's important to accurately define the term, don't forget to use examples of how it works. For example, if the question asks you to define parliamentary sovereignty, you could talk about the recent SC decision that referendum results on constitutional changes should be first debated and voted on in parliament, thereby increasing parliamentary sovereignty.
10 markers
Treat these as mini 25s. They'll often ask for "2 reasons" or "arguments" so make sure to read the question carefully! Do what it asks, no more, no less. Refer back to the question and again, throw in examples and analysis where possible.
25 markers
These are often debates but again, you need to carefully read the question. The best candidates, as often stated in mark schemes and examiners reports, will pick up on words used and discuss them in their analysis, gaining them the top marks. For example, we did a question that asked something like "Would the UK benefit greatly from a wider use of referendums?" and the words that it wanted you to pick up on were "greatly" and "wider" as these are the secret focus of the essay(AQA are super sneaky in their wording of questions sometimes...) so you need to make sure that your analysis in particular uses these words and evaluates them as these will gain you access to the top band.
Again though, make sure you throw in as many examples as possible as they show clear understanding of the theory but also can be used for analysis, maybe if you used an example that does the exact opposite of what the theory suggests, such as how FPTP has created a coalition government, and AMS was designed to create coalitions but the SNP gained enough seats to almost form a majority (they only needed 2 more seats).
Original post by greghayes
It depends on how much information is on the page, but roughly about 3-4 times? I split all my work into subsections (so the page on "difficulties in defining crime" for example in Forensics has 4 subsections: historical context, age, culture, and special circumstances) and each subsection is done in bullet points. I learn one bullet point at a time in subsection 1, then repeat it and add in bullet point 2, etc. until all one subsection 1 is learned. I then do the same with just subsection 2, then add in subsection 1 + 2 and do it all together (if that makes sense?). Basically, I do one subsection at a time, and then do everything I've done before moving on to the next subsection.
It means that I recite the earlier sections more frequently but I've found that it works well for me.
It means that I recite the earlier sections more frequently but I've found that it works well for me.
When your reciting it you're essentially writing it over and over again? Or just reading it constantly? When you've covered what you've revised do you go back over it the next day?
Original post by Niyi Aderounmu
When your reciting it you're essentially writing it over and over again? Or just reading it constantly? When you've covered what you've revised do you go back over it the next day?
Kind of like that but literally pacing around and saying it out loud. I find that speaking it and listening to myself does more to help it sink in than just reading it and writing it out.
I usually aim to cover a whole unit/topic in a revision session (by the time I come to study leave, I am to know the whole exam paper in a day) so I focus on that. I prioritise by what is on each exam and what comes up first so I do it a paper at a time (treating them like separate subjects entirely) so only repeat things that are on the same paper.
Original post by greghayes
Law and Politics, fair enough, but psychology is officially a science at the same level as biology, physics, and chemistry.
lol
Original post by rdlewiss
omg, I'm doing psychology + law too and I'm about to sit AS exams, so far they're not so bad but I've had a look at A2 papers and it looks soooo hard! do you have any advice on how to get A's? (psychology I'm sitting all at end of y13)
It's not too bad. It's all relative. I bet you look on GCSEs and see how easy they can be compared to AS Levels. It's the same for A2 as your teachers guide you through it enough to make it simple so don't worry if you don't understand it right now
AS Law is mainly just learning the facts and ratios of the cases. So long as you're familiar with the cases, you'll be fine. There are many more to learn in your second year so it's much better if you find a good way to learn them now. Second year is less about the facts and more just learning the point of law but there's more cases so...
Psychology, I would say, isn't harder in the second year, it's just different stuff and more topics. TBH, my favourite topic is forensics which is 2nd year and my worst are memory and attachment (1st year).
Advice for psychology would be to learn fewer "facts" and try and focus on getting your head around the concepts themselves. If you become familiar with them, you'll find it easier to evaluate them (which is where a lot of people struggle and lose marks).
Original post by rdlewiss
omg, I'm doing psychology + law too and I'm about to sit AS exams, so far they're not so bad but I've had a look at A2 papers and it looks soooo hard! do you have any advice on how to get A's? (psychology I'm sitting all at end of y13)
Omg even I am sitting for my as law, psychology(a level)and biology (a level) and I am so scared I want to get A/B in Law can anyone help. Also any tips for biology and psychology. Exams in 2 weeks 😅😫
Original post by greghayes
This is going to be my final replyas my intention on this thread was to help people (as many people on the unanswered section ask things like "how do I revise?" and there's many questions about law and psychology as they are difficult subjects).
Law is not required but they don't discriminate against those who do it. Having taken it now, I'm glad I did because we learn legislation by the word so what we learn is correct, even if it's not relevant to a law degree. Anyway, I decided not to become a barrister so now it's purely interest that's keeping me going.
I'm studying politics in a year rather than 2 years and surely it's better to take it and learn something than just blindly guess? I'm the only one of my friends to have taken politics and now they're asking me literally everyday about things like left vs right wing, what Trident is, why does Parliament have to vote on the election, etc. so I'm glad that I'm able to inform them about that as they may have not voted ottherwise or have voted without being informed of their choices. I have never told them my political views, I have merely stated what each party's stance is on certain issues and what their manifestos are/might be (again, they didn't know the different between a manifesto and a mandate). If that makes me stupid, then sure, I don't mind being stupid. I would rather have learned something new than just gone in blind and voted based on how my family and friends are.
Unless you have studied psychology, you cannot possibly know how much biology is involved. Yes, there is a biological approach and there is a section on biopsychology, but the rest is pure psychology. Biology doesn't explain why prisoners go on to reoffend when none of their family have (meaning that it's not genetic, therefore not biological) but psychology does. Again, it's my view and I won't explain anymore.
This isn't the point of the thread and I will now spend the rest of my time helping the other lovely TSRians who need it (including a fair few who have PMed me as well for their own reasons). But thank you for boosting my thread back up to the top and I hope you have a successful exam season
Law is not required but they don't discriminate against those who do it. Having taken it now, I'm glad I did because we learn legislation by the word so what we learn is correct, even if it's not relevant to a law degree. Anyway, I decided not to become a barrister so now it's purely interest that's keeping me going.
I'm studying politics in a year rather than 2 years and surely it's better to take it and learn something than just blindly guess? I'm the only one of my friends to have taken politics and now they're asking me literally everyday about things like left vs right wing, what Trident is, why does Parliament have to vote on the election, etc. so I'm glad that I'm able to inform them about that as they may have not voted ottherwise or have voted without being informed of their choices. I have never told them my political views, I have merely stated what each party's stance is on certain issues and what their manifestos are/might be (again, they didn't know the different between a manifesto and a mandate). If that makes me stupid, then sure, I don't mind being stupid. I would rather have learned something new than just gone in blind and voted based on how my family and friends are.
Unless you have studied psychology, you cannot possibly know how much biology is involved. Yes, there is a biological approach and there is a section on biopsychology, but the rest is pure psychology. Biology doesn't explain why prisoners go on to reoffend when none of their family have (meaning that it's not genetic, therefore not biological) but psychology does. Again, it's my view and I won't explain anymore.
This isn't the point of the thread and I will now spend the rest of my time helping the other lovely TSRians who need it (including a fair few who have PMed me as well for their own reasons). But thank you for boosting my thread back up to the top and I hope you have a successful exam season
I genuinely want to know what you learn in government and politics other than what you said... I've followed politics fairly obsessively for the last few years (I come from a very political family, my dad's done some work on national campaigns helping write speeches etc...) and probably know more about politics than most people my age and the things you've talked about seem ridiculously basic for an A level.
I kind of wanna do it cause it seems interesting but could you tell me what you learn about other than "left wing right wing" and what a "mandate" is...
Would you seriously not have known what a governments mandate is before doing the course?
Original post by RuneFreeze
I genuinely want to know what you learn in government and politics other than what you said... I've followed politics fairly obsessively for the last few years (I come from a very political family, my dad's done some work on national campaigns helping write speeches etc...) and probably know more about politics than most people my age and the things you've talked about seem ridiculously basic for an A level.
I kind of wanna do it cause it seems interesting but could you tell me what you learn about other than "left wing right wing" and what a "mandate" is...
Would you seriously not have known what a governments mandate is before doing the course?
I kind of wanna do it cause it seems interesting but could you tell me what you learn about other than "left wing right wing" and what a "mandate" is...
Would you seriously not have known what a governments mandate is before doing the course?
I have been interested in politics for a while but never fully understood it. My family and friends aren't very political and so the only thing I knew about politics was from what I learned via the media (and we all know how dangerous that can be for something as important as politics). What you have to remember is that most people learning this at 16 have never studied it before, and so need to start from the basic, as with any subject.
In the first unit, you do about different electoral systems and referendums, participation and voting behaviour, political parties, and pressure groups. In the second unit, you learn about the constitution and its reforms, the judiciary, how parliament runs, the roles of the executive, and multi-level governance. I have found it really useful, not just in terms of educating me on my vote, but we also analyse theory vs practice and it becomes a lot more real rather than just the theory of it. In your second year, you do similar topics but with the US political system instead.
Considering that I am now 18, I would like to think that I would have taken the time to learn the basics before voting, and I would now know some of the things that I have learned. Nevertheless, I don't think that it's in any way harmful to want to be properly educated on these issues. Just because you have an interest in politics outside the curriculum, doesn't mean that everyone will take the same interest.
Original post by greghayes
I have been interested in politics for a while but never fully understood it. My family and friends aren't very political and so the only thing I knew about politics was from what I learned via the media (and we all know how dangerous that can be for something as important as politics). What you have to remember is that most people learning this at 16 have never studied it before, and so need to start from the basic, as with any subject.
In the first unit, you do about different electoral systems and referendums, participation and voting behaviour, political parties, and pressure groups. In the second unit, you learn about the constitution and its reforms, the judiciary, how parliament runs, the roles of the executive, and multi-level governance. I have found it really useful, not just in terms of educating me on my vote, but we also analyse theory vs practice and it becomes a lot more real rather than just the theory of it. In your second year, you do similar topics but with the US political system instead.
Considering that I am now 18, I would like to think that I would have taken the time to learn the basics before voting, and I would now know some of the things that I have learned. Nevertheless, I don't think that it's in any way harmful to want to be properly educated on these issues. Just because you have an interest in politics outside the curriculum, doesn't mean that everyone will take the same interest.
In the first unit, you do about different electoral systems and referendums, participation and voting behaviour, political parties, and pressure groups. In the second unit, you learn about the constitution and its reforms, the judiciary, how parliament runs, the roles of the executive, and multi-level governance. I have found it really useful, not just in terms of educating me on my vote, but we also analyse theory vs practice and it becomes a lot more real rather than just the theory of it. In your second year, you do similar topics but with the US political system instead.
Considering that I am now 18, I would like to think that I would have taken the time to learn the basics before voting, and I would now know some of the things that I have learned. Nevertheless, I don't think that it's in any way harmful to want to be properly educated on these issues. Just because you have an interest in politics outside the curriculum, doesn't mean that everyone will take the same interest.
Thank you for your reply
It seems kind of interesting but I probably won't take it, I pick most of this stuff out just by immersion in politics
Original post by 13aa
How do you keep your sessions productive, sometimes i spend a whole day revising but end up feeling like i have not done much
- Make sure that any distractions (phones etc) are kept on silent and away from your room or in a drawer somewhere. If you can see it, it'll be a distraction!
- Take regular breaks (even only 5 minutes if you feel like you want to keep working) as your mind needs time to rest. I believe that the supposed best method is 40 on-20 off? This doesn't work for me as I'm only just getting started at 40 minutes but it works well for others.
- Change up your revision technique. If you're trying to memorise something, write it as bullet points, make cue cards, do a mind map, add diagrams all in the same revision schedule. The more methods you have used in a short space of time, the more likely you are to remember it as different pieces of information will have gone in using different methods so it'll all be there in some way or another.
- Try looking up revision videos on youtube. Sometimes, if you don't understand something fully, these can just make it "click" really well as they use visuals while explaining and use very simple terminology.
- Accept when you've had enough for the day. I don't mind working until 9:00 but I can't take in new information past 5:00 because I've been working hard all day. Therefore, I'll maybe do homework or a past paper or something that is still productive and needs to be done but you're not stretching yourself too far.
- Have a clear image in your mind of what you want to achieve that day. I love bullet pointed lists so I make a to-do list everyday on my whiteboard of where I want to get to by the end of the day. I rarely get to the evening without doing everything because I know that not doing it means more work tomorrow because it needs to be done at some point...
- Try timing yourself. I can sometimes be staring at a page for 15 minutes without taking anything in because my mind is wandering. If I set a timer for 1 hour, I know that I can have a break if I've done my list of things to do in that time. If not, then I don't get a break.
- Sometimes, you just have to stop yourself and say "look, you need to focus!" because no one else is going to make you listen but you
Original post by greghayes
- Make sure that any distractions (phones etc) are kept on silent and away from your room or in a drawer somewhere. If you can see it, it'll be a distraction!
- Take regular breaks (even only 5 minutes if you feel like you want to keep working) as your mind needs time to rest. I believe that the supposed best method is 40 on-20 off? This doesn't work for me as I'm only just getting started at 40 minutes but it works well for others.
- Change up your revision technique. If you're trying to memorise something, write it as bullet points, make cue cards, do a mind map, add diagrams all in the same revision schedule. The more methods you have used in a short space of time, the more likely you are to remember it as different pieces of information will have gone in using different methods so it'll all be there in some way or another.
- Try looking up revision videos on youtube. Sometimes, if you don't understand something fully, these can just make it "click" really well as they use visuals while explaining and use very simple terminology.
- Accept when you've had enough for the day. I don't mind working until 9:00 but I can't take in new information past 5:00 because I've been working hard all day. Therefore, I'll maybe do homework or a past paper or something that is still productive and needs to be done but you're not stretching yourself too far.
- Have a clear image in your mind of what you want to achieve that day. I love bullet pointed lists so I make a to-do list everyday on my whiteboard of where I want to get to by the end of the day. I rarely get to the evening without doing everything because I know that not doing it means more work tomorrow because it needs to be done at some point...
- Try timing yourself. I can sometimes be staring at a page for 15 minutes without taking anything in because my mind is wandering. If I set a timer for 1 hour, I know that I can have a break if I've done my list of things to do in that time. If not, then I don't get a break.
- Sometimes, you just have to stop yourself and say "look, you need to focus!" because no one else is going to make you listen but you
- Take regular breaks (even only 5 minutes if you feel like you want to keep working) as your mind needs time to rest. I believe that the supposed best method is 40 on-20 off? This doesn't work for me as I'm only just getting started at 40 minutes but it works well for others.
- Change up your revision technique. If you're trying to memorise something, write it as bullet points, make cue cards, do a mind map, add diagrams all in the same revision schedule. The more methods you have used in a short space of time, the more likely you are to remember it as different pieces of information will have gone in using different methods so it'll all be there in some way or another.
- Try looking up revision videos on youtube. Sometimes, if you don't understand something fully, these can just make it "click" really well as they use visuals while explaining and use very simple terminology.
- Accept when you've had enough for the day. I don't mind working until 9:00 but I can't take in new information past 5:00 because I've been working hard all day. Therefore, I'll maybe do homework or a past paper or something that is still productive and needs to be done but you're not stretching yourself too far.
- Have a clear image in your mind of what you want to achieve that day. I love bullet pointed lists so I make a to-do list everyday on my whiteboard of where I want to get to by the end of the day. I rarely get to the evening without doing everything because I know that not doing it means more work tomorrow because it needs to be done at some point...
- Try timing yourself. I can sometimes be staring at a page for 15 minutes without taking anything in because my mind is wandering. If I set a timer for 1 hour, I know that I can have a break if I've done my list of things to do in that time. If not, then I don't get a break.
- Sometimes, you just have to stop yourself and say "look, you need to focus!" because no one else is going to make you listen but you
thanks i think timing myself should help the most, but putting my phone away may be difficult since i sometimes use it in my revision
Hi I'm hoping to take Politics next year and was wondering if there's anything I can do over the summer to help me adapt to the subject. Furthermore what should I be doing every week in my first year to get A's and A*'s and is it extremely hard?
Original post by jazz_xox_
Wow, well done! It's good to see the hours you work on a regular day, that is about the same as me- it really panics me seeing some people doing crazy numbers of hours on a weekend, but I just wouldn't be able to stay productive for so long! Keep up the good work
Thank you
And I'm the same! My friend does about 8 hours a day (even on college days as she goes to the library before college, at break/lunch, and in any of her frees) but I think she is exhausting herself out because she's still getting Ds and Es even though she has always been a straight A student. Doing 8 hours a day for 4 years can just drain you so I avoid doing long hours because it worries me to see her like this.Original post by CinnamonSmol
Hi I'm hoping to take Politics next year and was wondering if there's anything I can do over the summer to help me adapt to the subject. Furthermore what should I be doing every week in my first year to get A's and A*'s and is it extremely hard?
TAKE NOTICE OF THIS ELECTION! I started getting interested in politics in year 11 during the 2015 election and remember sitting in class watching the final results come in (some constituencies had to recount so it went on into the morning). You'll pick up bits and pieces from that naturally and get a good understanding of how elections and parliament work.
When you're doing the course, my teacher advised us to keep a little book of examples that came onto the news as you really need plenty of real life examples to get the top marks. For example, I kept a log of the updates to Brexit as it's all relevant to different parts of the exam. The Supreme Court ruling is an example for both the judiciary and the constitution, the referendum itself can be used anywhere (but obviously in the "referendums" unit), etc.
I won't say whether it's easy or difficult because it purely depends on how interested you are in politics outside of the classroom and how good your exam/essay technique is. My teacher is a horribly harsh marker for homeworks because he says that we have more time to perfect it so it should be top quality, which of course means that the whole class gets Cs because you do the essay once and don't spend all week updating it and correcting it because you can't do that in an exam. But when we do times essays and mocks, I'm getting As so it's really difficult to judge quality with my teacher.
Where are you hoping to read psychology in September? And what is your offer?
Original post by greghayes
Need help with revision tips? Motivation? Need advice on a particular subject? I'm here to help
My subjects
AQA - Government & Politics (AS+A2)
AQA - Psychology (forensics, schizophrenia, relationships)
AQA - Law (offences against person & property)
My subjects
AQA - Government & Politics (AS+A2)
AQA - Psychology (forensics, schizophrenia, relationships)
AQA - Law (offences against person & property)
when are you going to study a real subject?
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