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Advice on a level chemistry?

Just got an 8 and I’m starting a level chemistry in September and determined to get an A or A*. What revision guides/resources can assist me for AQA a level chemistry and what tips would you give to me? Many thanks.

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Reply 1
If the specification hasn't changed since the 2018 exams, I can send you a really good checklist for AQA Chem. It formed the base for all my Chem revision. PM me your email if you want it. In terms of books, just the cgp revision guide lol.

Biggest tip is to stay on top of everything. If you don't understand something, then address it instantly with your teacher and practice at home.
Original post by Nuttyy
If the specification hasn't changed since the 2018 exams, I can send you a really good checklist for AQA Chem. It formed the base for all my Chem revision. PM me your email if you want it. In terms of books, just the cgp revision guide lol.

Biggest tip is to stay on top of everything. If you don't understand something, then address it instantly with your teacher and practice at home.

Hey! I'd like this if you could kindly extend your offer to me!

I'm going into my second year of A-level chemistry in September. First year was a bit of a rollercoaster for me, but I'd certainly advise trying to keep on top of it as much as you can. I started out my A-level studies with a plan of writing up my notes as I went along, keeping on top of everything, doing my homework as soon as I got it, et cetera. This dwindled towards the end of the year and I'm finding myself with quite a lot of work to catch up on with not a lot of time remaining of summer.

I definitely suggest keeping on top of your workload as much as you can, but don't substitute your own mental health for this.

Resource wise, I suggest doing as many practice questions as possible. You will find hundreds online. Just practice and practice.

Good luck for the two years ahead. There'll be blood, sweat and tears, but it will surely pay off.
Reply 3
Original post by pericardium
Hey! I'd like this if you could kindly extend your offer to me!

I'm going into my second year of A-level chemistry in September. First year was a bit of a rollercoaster for me, but I'd certainly advise trying to keep on top of it as much as you can. I started out my A-level studies with a plan of writing up my notes as I went along, keeping on top of everything, doing my homework as soon as I got it, et cetera. This dwindled towards the end of the year and I'm finding myself with quite a lot of work to catch up on with not a lot of time remaining of summer.

I definitely suggest keeping on top of your workload as much as you can, but don't substitute your own mental health for this.

Resource wise, I suggest doing as many practice questions as possible. You will find hundreds online. Just practice and practice.

Good luck for the two years ahead. There'll be blood, sweat and tears, but it will surely pay off.


Sure, DM email. Also this is for AQA, dont use for anything else.
Reply 4
Original post by Hali7
determined to get an A or A*

Famous last words :P
Download and print off the syllabus, use it as a checklist and try to go over everything three times. Once the evening after your initial lesson, once in a refresher session midway through the year, and once in a pre-exam cramming session.
Just the standard textbook will do. I find revision guides to not really cover what you might need to know for good in-depth knowledge. Further reading is a good idea. It's useful to know how NMR works, why carbonyls behave like they do, mechanisms for everything etc. My favourite organic book is organic chemistry by Clayden, don't have a favourite inorganic book because I found them all to be awful.
Make sure you know every calculation inside and out, make sure you know the mistakes and how to recover from them.
Reply 5
I hardly did any revision. Didn’t grasp much of it, and ended up with a B. Not the best- but shows how easy it can be to do ok in the subject with little work.
Did you guys use your in class notes as revision then add some details to them or did u make new notes during frees and at home as detailed notes is how i revise chemistry and biology at GCSE but im concerned it will take me too long to make new notes, learn them and stay on top of classwork
Reply 7
Original post by cbutler100
Did you guys use your in class notes as revision then add some details to them or did u make new notes during frees and at home as detailed notes is how i revise chemistry and biology at GCSE but im concerned it will take me too long to make new notes, learn them and stay on top of classwork


I didn't use a single class note lool. I mainly used the revision guides and AQA textbooks and my ticklist to form revision notes and revision cards. Then I just memorised the revision cards until I was confident to try past papers. Ive done nearly all the past papers there are available for AQA Chem lol. Be harsh when you mark them and time restrict yourself near the exams.
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by Nuttyy
I didn't use a single class note lool. I mainly used the revision guides and AQA textbooks and my ticklist to form revision notes and revision cards. Then I just memorised the revision cards until I was confident to try past papers. Ive done nearly all the past papers there are available for AQA Chem lol. Be harsh when you mark them and time restrict yourself near the exams.

Did u find u had enough time to make ur new notes and review old notes as well as finish classwork/homework ?
Original post by Nuttyy
If the specification hasn't changed since the 2018 exams, I can send you a really good checklist for AQA Chem. It formed the base for all my Chem revision. PM me your email if you want it. In terms of books, just the cgp revision guide lol.

Biggest tip is to stay on top of everything. If you don't understand something, then address it instantly with your teacher and practice at home.


Can you send it to me too I’m starting AQA a level Chemistry this year please it would help so much
Make sure you make revision notes on each topic as you go along, will save you a lot of time and effort at the end. When making notes, stick to the specification!
Original post by Hali7
Just got an 8 and I’m starting a level chemistry in September and determined to get an A or A*. What revision guides/resources can assist me for AQA a level chemistry and what tips would you give to me? Many thanks.


What other subjects are you taking? I’m also taking a level chemistry this heat and I too got an 8 in chemistry!!! Can we keep in contact and share good revision resources we’ve found ? I think it’ll be helpful
Reply 12
Original post by cbutler100
Did you guys use your in class notes as revision then add some details to them or did u make new notes during frees and at home as detailed notes is how i revise chemistry and biology at GCSE but im concerned it will take me too long to make new notes, learn them and stay on top of classwork


Idk about the new syllabus, but coursework wasn't a huge issue for me. I had loads of time spare. Within the first few months I'd look to reduce to 3 a levels if you do 4, then you'll have so much time to do whatever you want.
Reply 13
Original post by cbutler100
Did u find u had enough time to make ur new notes and review old notes as well as finish classwork/homework ?


Yep, don't burnout tho. Plan a revision timetable early.
Original post by Hali7
Just got an 8 and I’m starting a level chemistry in September and determined to get an A or A*. What revision guides/resources can assist me for AQA a level chemistry and what tips would you give to me? Many thanks.

Hi I am glad you made this thread.

I did AQA A Level Chemistry in 2018 and achieved an A* so I can pass on my wisdom.

Resources
Ok so in terms of resources, the cgp revision guides and student books are a great place to start. There are also some good online sites such as :

http://www.a-levelchemistry.co.uk/
https://www.chemguide.co.uk/
https://chemrevise.org/revision-guides/

You can also use the official student book designed specifically for the course you are doing:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AQA-Chemistry-Level-Student-Book/dp/0198351828/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GH5Z2Y4ERBHO&keywords=aqa+a+level+chemistry&qid=1566775983&s=gateway&sprefix=aqa+a+level+chemsitry%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-1

Tips:
For your practical endorsement, don't waste time trying to perfect your labs or lab write ups because you just get a pass or fail in the end and 99% of people nationally pass so no point wasting time putting in unnecessary effort
Make sure you understand the concepts, not just memorise them
Revise smart, not hard. I can say this is definitely true because I definitely did not revise throughout the whole year or anything like that. In fact I did proper revision only a few days before my exams and literally did like one or two past papers the day before the actual exam and still did well. The reason this worked out is because I actually understood all the concepts already from class so I could quickly revise through the content without putting too much effort
Take breaks from revision, otherwise you will burnout which isn't fun
Use the syllabus as a checklist that you have covered everything which could possibly be used to assess you in the exam
For learning practicals and how to answer practical questions, do previous practice questions ofc. But also use the online practical handout PDF that is supplied by AQA and print all of it out and just read through the stuff and make sure you understand it (handy for Paper 3 which is practical questions along with multiple choice questions)
Don't worry about making notes in class all the time. Focus more on what the teacher is saying and ensure you are understanding everything you are covering. I didn't even end up using my notes at all when I did my revision and instead use other resources such as the ones mentioned above ^^.



There are many other tips I can give but honestly I'm so tired rn.
But if you do want any specific advice with the course or anything in general feel free to PM me or I can answer it in this thread.
Original post by cbutler100
Did you guys use your in class notes as revision then add some details to them or did u make new notes during frees and at home as detailed notes is how i revise chemistry and biology at GCSE but im concerned it will take me too long to make new notes, learn them and stay on top of classwork

You can literally not make a single class note the whole 2 years and still get an A/A* ! This is because the student books have everything you need to know in them and you solely use those as your revision resource.

But if you really do enjoy making notes or if it benefits you, I would suggest making really brief notes in class so you don't get carried away by writing too much and not actually listening to the teacher when they are explaining stuff. For example, don't feel the need to copy down exactly everything displayed on a powerpoint!
If u don’t mind could u send it to me too x would be really helpful
Original post by Nuttyy
If the specification hasn't changed since the 2018 exams, I can send you a really good checklist for AQA Chem. It formed the base for all my Chem revision. PM me your email if you want it. In terms of books, just the cgp revision guide lol.

Biggest tip is to stay on top of everything. If you don't understand something, then address it instantly with your teacher and practice at home.


i’d really like this checklist too if you don’t mind?
Original post by Nuttyy
If the specification hasn't changed since the 2018 exams, I can send you a really good checklist for AQA Chem. It formed the base for all my Chem revision. PM me your email if you want it. In terms of books, just the cgp revision guide lol.

Biggest tip is to stay on top of everything. If you don't understand something, then address it instantly with your teacher and practice at home.

Sorry if this sounds repetitive but could I also have a copy of this as I've just started the course. Thank you
Reply 19
If only you could attach files on TSR..

https://gofile.io/?c=RPNaCi

Lmk if this works @sgarrickk, @luci.zxnuni, @Fatimasharifxx
(edited 4 years ago)

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