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I got A* in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Feel free to ask for advice.

classifyed98

I also got perfect component grades for each subject. I want to help. If I can do it, so can you.

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I need help in math

Original post by Saras98

I need help in math

Maths is all about the practice. You have to start working systematically. You've got to plan your 2 years of study.
1) Make sure you know all about each and every unit. Take all books you have and read em all. Chapter by chapter. Don't proceed to the next chapter without being certain you've understood the current one. Seems like common sense however not everyone does it. They often give up.

2) As soon as a chapter is covered(either by you or in school), don't waste time in applying it. Past papers are your best friend. If you do enough past papers, you'll find that each examination board asks questions in the same style. If you do enough papers(I did everything from 2002-2016) you'll start to notice that and your mind will be able to guide you through problems more easily as it already knows the direction in which the question wants you to go. As I said, make a plan. You've got enough time.

3) This one is for excellence. Analyse each and every mistake. Usually, many of your mistakes can be grouped into categories. You should analyse each mistakes by asking the question "Why didn't I get it right?" Keep asking this question until you've got the root cause and solve it. Note it somewhere. Be sure to check your mistakes note once in a while. By doing this, you are eliminating the chance of making the same mistakes.

Reply 3

Saras98

thanks so much for your help. Shall I revise all the topics in math first then start doing past papers right?

Reply 4

classifyed98

Original post by Saras98

thanks so much for your help. Shall I revise all the topics in math first then start doing past papers right?

Yep. Practice is meant for applying what you've learnt. Good luck!

Reply 5

Trapmoneybenny

I need help in nailing that A star for physics. I believe i'm borderline i just need to nail it down

Reply 6

mars_22

Can you please give me the websites for maths and tips?

Reply 7

vee2610

Hey I really need help in Physics and Chemistry... my exams are approaching so quickly and i still didn't finish my revision. My biggest difficulty is in
Chemistry with the chapter of Born Haber cycle and the mechanisms in Organic.

Reply 8

justbesmile

It might be a longshot but do you have any advice on how you think about word problems? I find it hard to structure the logic into a mathematical form, sometimes I take irrelevant information and other times I don't put brackets in the right place. Really it feels like a coin flip whenever I answer word problems.

Reply 9

username3154254

Original post by classifyed98

THIS WAS AMAZING GOD BLESS YOU, if you could do something similar for physics and chemistry that will be greatly appreciated too!! THANK YOU!!!

Reply 10

username3312304

Yes omg thank you this is all i ever wanted since i am doing those exact three subjects myself. THANK YOU, im gonna save this thread for later.

Reply 11

Pastelx

Hey this is super helpful thanks!!

What are you studying at what university? Also personally how did you find each subject (did you like it, find it fun/boring? Etc.)?

Reply 12

username2371841

i want an A* in maths and chemistry!! PLEASE GIMME ADVICE

Reply 13

chelsieleighreid

Original post by classifyed98

I also got perfect component grades for each subject. I want to help. If I can do it, so can you.

advice in chemistry please, i got a borderline A

Reply 14

_aspiring__medic

Original post by classifyed98

I also got perfect component grades for each subject. I want to help. If I can do it, so can you.

Well done.
I need some advice for chemistry.Which exam board did you do?
What revision resources/websites/books did you use ?

Reply 15

classifyed98

Original post by chelsieleighreid

advice in chemistry please, i got a borderline A

If you already have an A, you must have a very good basic knowledge about the subject. Now, you just have to eliminate misconceptions and see if you know everything the syllabus requires.

To eliminate misconceptions, I'm gonna give you a very painful but rewarding advice: Dig up all the homework you've ever done in A Level Chemistry. Analyse each mistake. Then try to find the root cause of the problem and get that part of the syllabus right. To solve the problems, go to your teachers, books, internet, basically anywhere you can find information. Great books are A Level Chemistry by Eric Lewis and Chemistry in Context. However, these books might provide information that are beyond the scope of the syllabus, but this is what makes them great reference and research books. A good and reliable website: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/

Now a bit on specific topics:
For inorganic chemistry(periodic table), memorise the trends and answer templates. Chemistry questions usually ask the same things over and over again. By doing a lot of papers you start to see that the questions are quite similar. So memorise the trends and a few answer templates. Do this by looking at examiner reports and mark schemes to know what specific details a 5 point question or a 3 point question requires. This applies to the theory part of other chapters as well.

For organic chemistry, mechanisms pose a problem for many students. The only way to get around this is practice(I've been saying that a lot here :P). Just keep on drawing the mechanisms till you know every part of it. By the 5th time you'll almost certainly know it by heart. Again, consult examiner reports to see what parts in the drawings earn you marks. For reaction conditions, just memorise like a parrot. No other option. My teacher always said: "You only remember by repetition." He said it so many times that I remembered it!

And I can't stress this enough: Practice. I did past papers, every component, every variant(I might have missed a few though :P) from 2002-2016. (I took Oct/Nov 2016 session - Cambridge). If you do just 5 years worth of papers, analyse every mark scheme to really get in the mind of the examiner and carry your baggage of knowledge and practice with you, you're bound to get an A*. You've got to practice enough so that you're bored with the subject. Then a nice feeling of confidence shows up. The month before the exams is meant to wrap up everything you've learnt and get a full night's sleep. This is when you dream about life after secondary school, knowing that you'll ace the A Levels. To get these nice feelings at the end, do all the work beforehand.

Reply 16

classifyed98

Original post by tessa w

Well done.
I need some advice for chemistry.Which exam board did you do?
What revision resources/websites/books did you use ?

Cambridge. See my other response about chemistry for resources.

Reply 17

classifyed98

Original post by sfaraj

i want an A* in maths and chemistry!! PLEASE GIMME ADVICE

See my other responses about each subject.
One more tip, finish your syllabus by self-teaching as early as you can. You need to understand everything perfectly. This is helpful because when your teacher will explain the topics, you will already have an idea about the topic going into class. The teacher will just fill in the gaps. And the things that stick in your brain are the things learnt the hard way. Trust me on this!

Reply 18

classifyed98

Original post by Pastelx

Hey this is super helpful thanks!!

What are you studying at what university? Also personally how did you find each subject (did you like it, find it fun/boring? Etc.)?

I'm in a gap year. I will study Computer Science. In my gap year, I watched The Social Network and I learnt programming. I basically done this the whole year.

Maths was maybe my weakest subject. I used to start each question correctly, but end up with the wrong answer. This was because I wasn't writing every line of the solution on paper, I was working a lot in the head. Once I stopped doing that, Maths became fun,... well, whenever I got the right answer!

Physics was really great to study. I remember for a test on Waves, I did every past paper question for the last 14 years on Waves. Going into the test I thought to myself, "who could possibly beat in this test?" A bit smug I know. But that was the level of confidence I was after. And I did get the highest score. Also, that chapter had no more secrets I did not know. Same was for the chapter on AC.

Chemistry was always my friend. I used to get the bets marks in it. I just coasted through it tbh.