Advice for A-Level starting in just under a week

I have decided to do Maths, Physics and Chemistry at A-Level. I received grade 8s in all of these but I was expected a 9in maths.

I have bought the maths revision guide and started looking through, I found the first section relatively easy compared to my expectations.

I definitely want to do Maths and Physics however I am still unsure about studying Chemistry.

I received grade 8s in all these subjects at GCSE and I enjoyed them all.


I am after as much advice on doing this combination and as much advice and tips for A level to make sure I don't fall behind and learn the content as quickly as possible. ALSO I have read that apparently the revision guides do not contain all the information required for the A level exams. I would appreciate all advice!

Consider what you want to do at university and look at the subject requirements. I'd recommend keeping Chemistry as it will keep your options pretty open for studying almost any science subject at uni.

As someone with this combo (plus Further Maths), Chemistry can be a bit of a break from constantly staring at numbers.

If you're worried about falling behind, I'd recommend going through and compiling your notes at the end of every week, if not every lesson. Definitely read through the relevant sections in your textbook and note down anything you still don't understand so you can ask your teachers. Don't do what I did and pretend to understand everything right until the end of the year!

As far as Edexcel Chemistry is concerned, I'm afraid the revision guides are incomplete. If you're desperate for a revision guide, your exam syllabus is pretty comprehensive (and free), but the only downside is that it is more of a checklist. On the other hand, it does contain everything you need to know by definition, so you can be sure you won't miss anything.

nice complementary combination, main thread that links them all is maths & logic.

Your college/sixth form will provide you with all the resources and cover the content with you fully If you want to check you know all the content, look at the specifications for your exam board which will list everything that you need to know.

The first bit of maths is straightforward, usually basic algebra and surds.

I've just finished my first year of biology, chemistry, maths and further maths and as long as you learn the content as you go along, and practice as you go along, all will be fine. Just don't leave things till the end of the year - ie make your revision resources (whether that be flashcards or something else) after every few lessons. Make sure that you can do everything covered in a lesson confidently, and if not, speak to your teacher, watch some videos online, do some practice questions ect. Basically, stay on top of it.

Must admit, I'm not really a fan of revision guides because they don't usually provide the depth required to get the top grades - there are tonnes of resources available online, freely, which will provide much more detail. I prefer the textbooks because they are exam-board endorsed and cover absolutely everything that you need to know.

I did that combination and further maths and it works quite well.

For maths, it’s just doing loads and loads of past papers and questions which is important imo.

If you’re doing AQA for chemistry, the chemrevise notes were really good. Print them all of and bring them to the lesson. Also look at the practical handbook for the required practicals.

For physics, I suggest to read through the chapter before class and making notes in pencil. I think the concepts in physics are a fair bit trickier to wrap your head around then chemistry, so having a little taster before class can really help. Then just lots of practice questions to consolidate your knowledge.

Hi! I've just finished my AS-Levels in Maths, Biology and Chemistry, and I got AAB (4% off AAA). I shared my revision tips here: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showpost.php?p=79104300&postcount=32
I hope you find them useful and good luck A-Level's aren't as hard as most people say, it just depends on how much work you're willing to put in.
More hard work = Better Grades

Thanks for the great advice!!!

I've checked it out. Would you mind if I could have your Snapchat, I would like to ask you a few more questions.