People who got A's at AS!!!
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Scroll to see replies
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
I was mainly getting Cs throughout Year 12 in Law and ended up getting an A at AS. It's definitely possible to get an A if you're already getting Cs and Bs at this point
I definitely believe the main reason I got an A was because of the amount of examiner reports, mark schemes and past papers I went through. Make sure you read them so you know exactly what the examiners want and what the biggest mistakes were from previous years.
Good luck!
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Got a very strong A in Maths AS (295/300) and an A in Further Maths (267/300) 2 years ago. I was getting high scores (mostly 90%+) pretty much from the start of the year. That said, none of your C and B grades count towards the course, so if you work hard, an A is definitely possible. Just do lots of past-paper questions - you want to be familiar with each kind of question you might be asked, and any calculations should become second-nature. It's not just about knowing the content - it's about being confident when applying it.
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
I got a high C and low B in my first 2 unit tests in biology and felt useless, so decided to put some serious work in and got an a in my mock. Honestly, yes, but I would take a look at your studying techniques and how much time you actually spend revising without distractions (i.e. not on your phone) , otherwise if you were anything like me, you may be disappointed.
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
I got AAAB at AS.
I started off getting ACCC.
Got some Bs, Cs, and a single D on the way (and mostly As in the subject I initially got A in). One of my so-called 'progress grades' slip sent to my house was CDEE, even though I always exceeded those grades in every single assignment, never got an E grade in any of my subjects, and usually got solid Cs, with the exceptions of the one subject I was very good at, in which I got As, a B, and a C and one subject in which the teacher gave me a D.
My mock grades were ACDE, with D in the subject in which I got the B and E in one of the subjects in which I got an A.
I studied for my mocks more than I studied for the real exams, so I am guessing my teachers were just very harsh markers or did not like me much (one of them outright hated me and tried to get me removed off the course). If you revised so much and only got B-C, I would doubt the quality and accuracy of the marking, to be honest. Not saying all such grades after much revision are undeserved, just that in my case, they were, so I would not be surprised if someone was in a similar situation.
As for how I did it, I read my notes over and over again. Most of my studying was done by using a timetable in which I studied 6 hours per subject every week (yes, that was 24 hours of revision a week in total). I only managed to keep it up for three weeks, but it was enough to get most of the information in my head. I recommend you keep such a schedule all year because I am just fortunate to have been blessed with an amazing memory and thus did not need an extremely huge amount of time to memorise everything. I did past papers, read mark schemes until I understood them, read examiner's reports, and read model answers (read a lot of the good ones, a few terrible ones, and like one or two average ones).
And most importantly, do not panic! A-levels are not that hard in content. The hardest parts of A-levels are coping with the pressure and not having a mental breakdown.
Remember: your mock grades are not your real grades and definitely do not represent your maximum potential (unless you get straight As, in which case there is no higher grade to get). None of the grades you get all year have any bearing in the exam. You simply have to study and do well in the exams and all will be fine.
(edited 6 years ago)
Got 4As in my AS year. Start of the year been getting ABBB and was that till end of the year - my target grade were 4Cs (GCSEs were average).
The revision was mainly done right before test day but nearer exams, I revised a couple months prior to my first official exam
The revision was mainly done right before test day but nearer exams, I revised a couple months prior to my first official exam
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Started year 12 with grades like CDU - had pre-exam mocks and got BCC and got AAB in my final AS exams.
Then finished year 13 with A*AAA* (picked up an EPQ in year 13).
Your grades are likely going to suck at the start since you're newly adjusting - and it almost always gets better near the end.
I got AAAB at AS.
French was predicted A, got an A in mock and an A in exam.
Spanish was predicted C, got an C in mock and an A in exam.
English lit was predicted an A, got an B in mock and an A in exam.
Obviously I didn't get an A in maths but still in the mocks I got an U and a D and in my exam I got an B so it's still good in comparison.
French was predicted A, got an A in mock and an A in exam.
Spanish was predicted C, got an C in mock and an A in exam.
English lit was predicted an A, got an B in mock and an A in exam.
Obviously I didn't get an A in maths but still in the mocks I got an U and a D and in my exam I got an B so it's still good in comparison.
Keep in mind those are just your school's grade boundaries on fairly arbitrary tests. That said you should be able to get something like bonding spot on so definitely revise the areas you got wrong on the test. I think in the first test I got like 92% because it was mole calculations which we had already done in extension at gcse. I think in the big end of unit tests I got high 70s or low 80s (our school said A boundary was 70 in light of the new spec boundaries) on most of them but in the organic one which we did like a month before the exam I got like 60 so that pushed me into organic revision overdrive XD.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by GCSE 9
If you achieved an A at AS (in any subject) what were you getting near the start of the year (mini tests, mocks etc.) As I just had my end of unit chemistry exam (bonding) and I revised so much for it and I got 32/50 ( C grade) and in my other chemistry exam I got a low B. I'm aiming for A's at AS, so if i'm working at C/B at the start of the year can I still get an A overall (for maths, biology and chemistry)
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
Share your own stories- what were you getting at the start of the year and how did you get an A.
Any opinions welcome
My school does mostly linear A Levels, but ancient history still had AS. At the start of the year I really struggled with the subject and got Ds and Es in most of my essays for the first term or so. I considered dropping the subject because I didn't think I could do well, but I loved it so I stuck with it and worked as hard as I could. I got an A at AS and predicted an A* at A2, and I was predicted a C/D a year ago. It just goes to show that your A Levels aren't really about how smart you are (I definitely don't think I'm particularly clever) , but about how hard you're willing to work for a grade. Please don't be disheartened if you're struggling at the minute, everyone does to some extent and you have ages to pull it around.
My friend got E's in her AS levels in the mocks in Feb but ended up with A's in the end! She also took the same subjects as you. As long as you work hard I don't see why you can't get the grades you want... Just practice exam papers and exam style questions and make sure you know the spec, you'll do great
My first class tests I had ACCD (Maths, Chem, Bio, English Lit, respectively). Pulled it up to 4 A's for my exams. Got full UMS in my Biology and Chemistry exams, 288/300 in Maths, and 181/200 in English :P
Edit: The most important part is learning from your mistakes. Don't put yourself down for getting a bad grade, because it's not the real thing. You will adapt to the new teaching and learning style throughout the year and you will find your most efficient revision method. See where you went wrong, why you went wrong, and learn to fix it. It doesn't matter if other people are getting better results, because it's the exams at the end of the year that matter.
Edit: The most important part is learning from your mistakes. Don't put yourself down for getting a bad grade, because it's not the real thing. You will adapt to the new teaching and learning style throughout the year and you will find your most efficient revision method. See where you went wrong, why you went wrong, and learn to fix it. It doesn't matter if other people are getting better results, because it's the exams at the end of the year that matter.
(edited 6 years ago)
Rep to all, thanks you guys really motivated me 
Original post by Michiyo
I got AAAB at AS.
I started off getting ACCC.
Got some Bs, Cs, and a single D on the way (and mostly As in the subject I initially got A in). One of my so-called 'progress grades' slip sent to my house was CDEE, even though I always exceeded those grades in every single assignment, never got an E grade in any of my subjects, and usually got solid Cs, with the exceptions of the one subject I was very good at, in which I got As, a B, and a C and one subject in which the teacher gave me a D.
My mock grades were ACDE, with D in the subject in which I got the B and E in one of the subjects in which I got an A.
I studied for my mocks more than I studied for the real exams, so I am guessing my teachers were just very harsh markers or did not like me much (one of them outright hated me and tried to get me removed off the course). If you revised so much and only got B-C, I would doubt the quality and accuracy of the marking, to be honest. Not saying all such grades after much revision are undeserved, just that in my case, they were, so I would not be surprised if someone was in a similar situation.
As for how I did it, I read my notes over and over again. Most of my studying was done by using a timetable in which I studied 6 hours per subject every week (yes, that was 24 hours of revision a week in total). I only managed to keep it up for three weeks, but it was enough to get most of the information in my head. I recommend you keep such a schedule all year because I am just fortunate to have been blessed with an amazing memory and thus did not need an extremely huge amount of time to memorise everything. I did past papers, read mark schemes until I understood them, read examiner's reports, and read model answers (read a lot of the good ones, a few terrible ones, and like one or two average ones).
And most importantly, do not panic! A-levels are not that hard in content. The hardest parts of A-levels are coping with the pressure and not having a mental breakdown.
Remember: your mock grades are not your real grades and definitely do not represent your maximum potential (unless you get straight As, in which case there is no higher grade to get). None of the grades you get all year have any bearing in the exam. You simply have to study and do well in the exams and all will be fine.
I started off getting ACCC.
Got some Bs, Cs, and a single D on the way (and mostly As in the subject I initially got A in). One of my so-called 'progress grades' slip sent to my house was CDEE, even though I always exceeded those grades in every single assignment, never got an E grade in any of my subjects, and usually got solid Cs, with the exceptions of the one subject I was very good at, in which I got As, a B, and a C and one subject in which the teacher gave me a D.
My mock grades were ACDE, with D in the subject in which I got the B and E in one of the subjects in which I got an A.
I studied for my mocks more than I studied for the real exams, so I am guessing my teachers were just very harsh markers or did not like me much (one of them outright hated me and tried to get me removed off the course). If you revised so much and only got B-C, I would doubt the quality and accuracy of the marking, to be honest. Not saying all such grades after much revision are undeserved, just that in my case, they were, so I would not be surprised if someone was in a similar situation.
As for how I did it, I read my notes over and over again. Most of my studying was done by using a timetable in which I studied 6 hours per subject every week (yes, that was 24 hours of revision a week in total). I only managed to keep it up for three weeks, but it was enough to get most of the information in my head. I recommend you keep such a schedule all year because I am just fortunate to have been blessed with an amazing memory and thus did not need an extremely huge amount of time to memorise everything. I did past papers, read mark schemes until I understood them, read examiner's reports, and read model answers (read a lot of the good ones, a few terrible ones, and like one or two average ones).
And most importantly, do not panic! A-levels are not that hard in content. The hardest parts of A-levels are coping with the pressure and not having a mental breakdown.
Remember: your mock grades are not your real grades and definitely do not represent your maximum potential (unless you get straight As, in which case there is no higher grade to get). None of the grades you get all year have any bearing in the exam. You simply have to study and do well in the exams and all will be fine.
Thanks for the answer and I marked it as we marked it as a class.
Original post by GCSE 9
Thanks for the answer and I marked it as we marked it as a class.
Are you sure you are not being too harsh on yourself? I have marked my own A papers as C-D more often than not
And even if you are not, getting a B or C at this point is good. My English Literature teacher said most people go up two grades between the mocks and the real exams! 
And thank you for the rep
Either way, you can do this! You got this, OP!
Do your best 
I got a C in my economics mock, and ended up getting an A
Started off the year with low C's and D's in History AS, and it gradually went up every homework and test. Before the exams, I was getting As pretty consistently and ended up with one off full raw marks in the exam. Everyone pretty much starts low, especially in essay-based subjects. I know people who were getting U's in some subjects and progressed to As in the exam.
Original post by TheMindGarage
Got a very strong A in Maths AS (295/300) and an A in Further Maths (267/300) 2 years ago. I was getting high scores (mostly 90%+) pretty much from the start of the year. That said, none of your C and B grades count towards the course, so if you work hard, an A is definitely possible. Just do lots of past-paper questions - you want to be familiar with each kind of question you might be asked, and any calculations should become second-nature. It's not just about knowing the content - it's about being confident when applying it.
But the op is probably doing the new spec for a level maths so he probably doesnt have any new past papers to go through other than the ones for the old spec.
Original post by asd90
But the op is probably doing the new spec for a level maths so he probably doesnt have any new past papers to go through other than the ones for the old spec.
yeah that's right, sucks
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