The Student Room Group

My top 5 tips on how I went from DDE into A*AA! + Q & A

My previous post here received a lot of attention and positive feedback, and I've had so many questions so I've decided to condense my answers down into my five most important tips that should be helpful to many go you. I strongly suggest you check my other post out and read the whole thing, but otherwise, try to read through everything here.

1. HOW MUCH REVISION: This is the most common question by far, surely the answer to this is 15+ hours a day, right? Of course the more you do the better, but there’s two problems with this. Most people (like me) cannot possibly focus for any where near that amount of time each day, and I know I would certainly get bored of the subject by December if I did that, so cramming in as much as possible might not be the best option. Personally, I started from week 1, but only a little at first, around 1-2 hours per week. I then gradually increased the amount per week as the year progressed, doing about 3-5 hours per day by May.

2. ONLINE REVISION: This one is very important but often overlooked, textbooks alone simply don’t give the level of interactivity that websites do. This interactivity also allows me to stay engaged for longer, particularly at times I find it hard to concentrate. The website which works best for me is Revisely, as it covered my particular subjects and is easy to use, but my friends used others which also seemed to do the trick. If you’ve got any other sites you’d like to share, please post them below so others can see!

3. DOUBLING UP REVISION: This one is a little unusual but it worked excellently for me. Use revision notes or textbooks along side a revision video or other form of revision - you can compare them at the same time. This won’t work for everyone, but particularly science based subjects which can be confusing make use of this as you can see and compare the way things explained in two different ways at the same time.

4. PAST PAPERS: This is obvious, everyone says it, but I couldn’t possibly leave it out as it’s absolutely crucial and I need to stress emphasis on it. A lot of people mention how you can’t do these until you've learned the entire content of the course, but only answering the questions that you can do is a way to start earlier. Revision websites also organise questions by topic, so you can just work on the topics you know at first.

5. REVISION TIMETABLE:

A conventional revision timetable didn’t work for me personally, since I often had unexpected things that came up and I wasn’t always motivated at the times allocated. Instead, I did a minimalistic timetable, where I simply set a specific amount of time each day that I must revise, alternating between slightly more and slightly less time (e.g. 2 hour one day, 1.5 the next). I set no particular time slot, but knowing that I had to do it at some point actually made me do it as soon as possible on some days. I can’t quite explain why, but the alternation seemed to work better for me. I would also do extra work on Saturdays, and have every Sunday off, other than the crucial exam period of course.

You’ve probably now realised that some of these tips are similar to those that everyone gives, but I hope this post gave you the much needed clarification and context to guide you in the right direction. A levels are going to be one of your greatest challenges in life, so if this post has helped make them a little more bearable, please let me know! I’m also happy to answer any other questions you have. Good luck!!!
(edited 5 years ago)

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Original post by x_Bronx
My previous post here received a lot of attention and positive feedback, and I've had so many questions so I've decided to condense my answers down into my five most important tips that should be helpful to many go you. I strongly suggest you check my other post out and read the whole thing, but otherwise, try to read through everything here.

1. HOW MUCH REVISION: This is the most common question by far I’ve been asked on my other thread, in messages and in person. Surely the answer to this is 15+ hours a day, right? Of course the more you do the better, but there’s two problems with this. Firstly, most people (like me) cannot possibly focus for any where near that amount of time each day, and secondly, I know I would certainly get bored of the subject by December if I did that, so cramming in as much might not be the best option. Personally, I started revising from week 1, but only a little at first, around 1-2 hours per week. I then gradually increased the amount per week as the year progressed, doing about 3-5 hours per day by May.

2. ONLINE REVISION: This one is very important but often overlooked, textbooks alone simply don’t give the level of interactivity that websites do. This interactivity also allows me to stay engaged for longer, particularly at times I find it hard to concentrate. The website which works best for me is Revisely, as it covered my particular subjects and is easy to use, but my friends used others which also seemed to do the trick. If you’ve got any other sites you’d like to share, please post them below so others can see!

3. DOUBLING UP REVISION: This one is a little unusual but it worked excellently for me. Use revision notes or textbooks along side a revision video or other form of revision - you can compare them at the same time. This won’t work for everyone, but particularly science based subjects which can be confusing make use of this as you can see and compare the way things explained in two different ways at the same time.

4. PAST PAPERS: This is obvious, everyone says it, but I couldn’t possibly leave it out as it’s absolutely crucial and I need to stress emphasis on it. A lot of people mention how you can’t do these until you've learned the entire content of the course, but only answering the questions that you can do is a way to start earlier. Revision websites also organise questions by topic, so you can just work on the topics you know at first.

5. REVISION TIMETABLE:

A conventional revision timetable didn’t work for me personally, since I often had unexpected things that came up and I wasn’t always motivated at the times allocated. Instead, I did a minimalistic timetable, where I simply set a specific amount of time each day that I must revise, alternating between slightly more and slightly less time (e.g. 2 hour one day, 1.5 the next). I set no particular time slot, but knowing that I had to do it at some point actually made me do it as soon as possible on some days. I can’t quite explain why, but the alternation seemed to work better for me. I would also do extra work on Saturdays, and have every Sunday off, other than the crucial exam period of course.

You’ve probably now realised that some of these tips are similar to those that everyone gives, but I hope this post gave you the much needed clarification and context to guide you in the right direction. A levels are going to be one of your greatest challenges in life, so if this post has helped make them a little more bearable, please let me know! I’m also happy to answer any other questions you have. Good luck!!!


THANK YOU! I didn't do as well as I wanted on my recent mocks. So this has given me some hope that I can claw it back the next few months. What subjects did you take?
Nice
was DDE January mocks in year13
or predicted grades. or year12 mocks?
Reply 4
Is there enough time to turn my grades around now?? :frown:
Original post by JessNg
Is there enough time to turn my grades around now?? :frown:

of course there is!
Reply 6
Original post by lalliboo
THANK YOU! I didn't do as well as I wanted on my recent mocks. So this has given me some hope that I can claw it back the next few months. What subjects did you take?

You're welcome, hope it helps! I took Maths, Chemistry and Psychology.
Reply 7
Original post by Merry Xmas 2k19
was DDE January mocks in year13
or predicted grades. or year12 mocks?

DDE was my actual grades, I got A*AA when I resat my A levels.
Original post by x_Bronx
DDE was my actual grades, I got A*AA when I resat my A levels.


ohhhhh. I thought I had hope. :frown: guess not
Reply 9
Original post by Merry Xmas 2k19
ohhhhh. I thought I had hope. :frown: guess not

You have hope! The reason I improved so much is because I completely changed my mindset and rethinked everything. If I did this a year early, my grades will have probably been similar without needing to resit.
Reply 10
Original post by laurawatt
of course there is!

Second this, it's only January!
Original post by x_Bronx
Second this, it's only January!

What A levels did you take? x
Best motivation ever!!! Need a lil more, got a mock tomorrow :frown:
This gives me sooooo much hope, I really need to turn around my grades, I'm in the middle of my mocks- they really don't seem to be going well :frown: I hope you guys are right about having enough time to turn it around now.
Original post by Bakuwinx12
This gives me sooooo much hope, I really need to turn around my grades, I'm in the middle of my mocks- they really don't seem to be going well :frown: I hope you guys are right about having enough time to turn it around now.

Good Luck to you 2!

What A levels are you taking?
Reply 15
Original post by x_Bronx
DDE was my actual grades, I got A*AA when I resat my A levels.


Hi, you resat one year later correct? Just curious as I am doing my A Levels in one year to begin with. This is a very motivating post :smile:
Reply 16
Original post by MissCarter786
What A levels did you take? x

Maths, Chemistry and Psychology
Original post by x_Bronx
Maths, Chemistry and Psychology

Did you apply to uni the first time you did a levels?
What are you currently studying?
when you said 1-2 hours a week , is that per subject?
what did ou get A* in?

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