The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

My chem teach said textbooks give a B/c grade

So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?

Scroll to see replies

Original post by katemoss
So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?


I used my exam board's textbook along with past papers as my sole revision sources and got nearly full marks (A*).

Without past papers, he may be right, but with them, I think it's a good way to revise.
Original post by katemoss
So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?


That's exactly what my teacher said . He made us buy old ones from 2008 -_-
Reply 3
Avatar for TajwarC
TajwarC
17
Original post by katemoss
So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?


I was always told this too, but rarely told what this "wider reading" really is... Long story short you simply don't need to know anything more than whats on the specification. To supplement that, exam technique and practice is what will get you the best grades.

If you're interested and have spare time then of course read around, there are loads of university level textbooks you can find as PDFs online. Problem with this is that they might be too advanced (even for myself going into second year university, lots of the stuff in the textbooks doesn't make sense). Your best bet is to just use a few different AS/A level textbooks.

chemrevise.org has the most concise and comprehensive notes for most (if not all) specifications. It's all you'll really need alongside the textbook you already have
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by katemoss
So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?

The only Further Reading I did With A Level Chemistry is if I found if I struggled with a concept it helped to google it and read up using search results. Obviously only using respected sites and sources of information. Chemguide is really clear! And you could try youtube for a broader understanding of topics.
I think your teacher is trying to scare/ stretch you. If you properly understand all the ideas outlined on the syllabus, plus you do lots of past paper questions, you should do fine. But A Level Chemistry does test your residence and tenacity, so don't lose your sense of curiosity and focus!
my teacher said the same thing because textbooks are not detailed enough but he said if you learn everything from class you should get a*
Reply 6
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
See that's what I was thinking. Obviously if you don't do past papers you won't become accustomed to the exam style, and thus be less efficient in the real exam. He also said people the get A*s at a level chemistry get it out of
Reply 7
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
Original post by ParisOMg
That's exactly what my teacher said . He made us buy old ones from 2008 -_-


OMG that's acc horrendous WHY ???
At least we're getting the books on loan for two years 🤦🏻*♀️
Reply 8
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
Original post by banoffeee
The only Further Reading I did With A Level Chemistry is if I found if I struggled with a concept it helped to google it and read up using search results. Obviously only using respected sites and sources of information. Chemguide is really clear! And you could try youtube for a broader understanding of topics.
I think your teacher is trying to scare/ stretch you. If you properly understand all the ideas outlined on the syllabus, plus you do lots of past paper questions, you should do fine. But A Level Chemistry does test your residence and tenacity, so don't lose your sense of curiosity and focus!


He went on to say people that get A* at a level chemistry are "lucky" and I don't believe in luck and that was really demeaning . THEN he said using the internet is useless. 😕
I both agree and disagree with this.

Lots of students can revise solely from the book assigned (providing it is a good textbook and provides all the information) and get the top grades. However, there are also students who may not understand the content by just reading it from one book and so have to (or choose to) engage with the content through other material.

I mean wider reading is never a bad thing and it prepares you well for university but it's not an essential for everyone to get a good grade
Reply 10
Avatar for 3121
3121
21
I think the only subject where the textbook alone can purely get you an A is Maths, anything else and you would need to use extra resources and past papers, but also study the mark scheme.
Original post by katemoss
He went on to say people that get A* at a level chemistry are "lucky" and I don't believe in luck and that was really demeaning . THEN he said using the internet is useless. 😕


If the internet is useless then where are you meant to do this wider reading?

Anyway, ignore the teacher, it's perfectly possible to get top grades just using the textbook. However, if you're really keen on chemistry and are thinking of doing it at uni it might be good to do further reading - understanding the principles behind what you're doing can be really interesting, and also means you don't have to memorize as much. Maybe that's what they were trying to get at?
Reply 12
Avatar for STLJA
STLJA
12
You do not need to learn any more info than what is on the specification. Your textbooks should cover all aspects of the specification. What your teacher perhaps means is that rote learning content may not be enough to allow you to access the highest grades. Higher level questions tend to rely on you not only learning but truly understanding the content enough to apply what you have learnt to an unfamiliar/ harder situation.
In Chemistry it's basically impossible get an A/A* without doing past papers, so I guess it's sort of true.

But it doesn't mean you need to do wider reading- that would essentially use up time that you could use to study actual content and do past papers.
Reply 14
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
Original post by sindyscape62
If the internet is useless then where are you meant to do this wider reading?

Anyway, ignore the teacher, it's perfectly possible to get top grades just using the textbook. However, if you're really keen on chemistry and are thinking of doing it at uni it might be good to do further reading - understanding the principles behind what you're doing can be really interesting, and also means you don't have to memorize as much. Maybe that's what they were trying to get at?


Maybe. I'm not sure he was tho. Maybe he was just trying to get people to work hard to understand it and I can see why bc a lot of people in my class don't seem to know much because of the different exam boards at gcse. Thank you .
Original post by katemoss
So I'm in year 12 , have just started and my chemistry teacher said that the most you can get out of text books is a B/C grade. Now I don't understand how, if all the exam material is there, you can only get b/c.
And what is "wider reading" around subjects suppose to entail? Would it be like reading around wave properties and uses once you've studied waves as a topic?


Textbooks tailored to your exam board should contain everything in the spec. I think your teacher means merely learning the textbook contexts will get you no higher than a B - you have to be able to apply your knowledge to exam questions. The new Biology spec relies much more on application, not just factual recall.
Reply 16
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
Original post by Mystelle
Textbooks tailored to your exam board should contain everything in the spec. I think your teacher means merely learning the textbook contexts will get you no higher than a B - you have to be able to apply your knowledge to exam questions. The new Biology spec relies much more on application, not just factual recall.


Ah I see where you're coming from. Thank you
Reply 17
Avatar for katemoss
katemoss
OP
8
Original post by fairplaytoyou
I both agree and disagree with this.

Lots of students can revise solely from the book assigned (providing it is a good textbook and provides all the information) and get the top grades. However, there are also students who may not understand the content by just reading it from one book and so have to (or choose to) engage with the content through other material.

I mean wider reading is never a bad thing and it prepares you well for university but it's not an essential for everyone to get a good grade


So in terms of success, I need to understand the concept and apply it. Ok thanks
What exam board are you? The textbook I have for OCR A is fantastic and my chemistry teachers swears by them for the best grades and I agree. Obviously alongside other revision materials/ resources as you can't rely on one textbook
It depends how people use it. When you rely upon only on textbook, most people don't know specific things needed for exam. It may give you good understanding but it doesn't really help you on how to apply it in exam. If you combine it with past papers and specification, then you will also learn how to apply knowledge to qiestions. Some time textbook may not cover some stuff from specification. This is where you look up online and this is what people call "wider reading". But this should get you A /A*

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you