I got all A*'s at GCSE and A-Level: ask me anything (advice thread)

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What did you get in those 3 subjects at GCSE? I've heard that chemistry is very hard as an A-Level but I can't tell you much about that since I didn't do it. For biology yes you can definitely get an A if you do all that! Biology is purely based on understanding content and being able to apply it (plus 10% of the marks have to be maths so if you are good at maths you already have an advantage as it's very basic). Maths is a tricky one. I was on edexcel and our maths paper got leaked this year. Also the exam was wayyy harder than any other practice paper or specimen so even if you know the content it's hard to be prepared! Definitely do all that but remember, at A-Level, its very hard to understand absolutely everything. As someone who got A*'s in everything, I still don't understand some concepts, sometimes you just have to accept something without fully understanding it.

Thanks for your advice! I got 8 in maths 9 in biology and 7 in chemistry but the 7 I got was my problem and I’ve been revising the gcse in the holidays. It’s what happens when I revised paper 1 the day b4 and didn’t sleep much. I’m never going to be disorganised like gcse again...

Reply 61

rose236

Original post by 15drai

Hi I’m going into year 11 next week and my weakest topic is French - I was wondering how you made revision resources for Spanish? Did you take all your old Spanish class work and condense/rewrite then into notes or just make flash cards from them?

In the GCSE video linked on the first page i talk about a few apps that i use for vocab and also what i do for my spanish writing
For speaking, I made flash cards for a variety of different questions that I could be asked and memorized answers to them
I also made flashcards for the key question words; who, why, what, how etc. as this would help with reading
my class notes weren't the most useful so i didn't tend to use them so i would often just use the textbook instead
For listening and reading, I did every single past paper (this helped me the most)

Reply 62

d0nkey_dude

i’m going into year 13 and i wanna apply to warwick but for maths! i’m also doing edexcel maths for a level and aiming for an A*, do you have any tips for that extra push from an A?
Also, i’m going to be self-teaching AS further mayhs as well, so i’m doing loads next year😂any resources for fm and help with time management etc?
I’m doing ocr a bio too and doing alright tbf, bio isn’t too bad at all!

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 63

rose236

Original post by YouAreAYute

how did you go about the long essay questions in econ, and remembering all the relevant information :frown:

I was on edexcel so the way I do it may be different to others but for a 25 mark essay I would do an intro (one or two sentences, include context), point 1 (analysis and application to context), evaluate point 1 in a separate paragraph, do the same again for a second point (sometimes a third if i have time- think i did this only one time in my a-level exam) and then always do a conclusion of a couple sentences to get an A*
15 and 12 marker compose of the same thing but without intro and conclusion, and less detailed
watch econplusdal on youtube, i can't stress this enough!! I would watch his videos and make posters on his videos and then add more to the posters from my own notes. By watching the video and listening to it and also writing it down, you will remember almost all of it
To be honest, i did go into the exam without knowing everything though, there is a lot to learn! so dont worry if you cant remember all of it

Reply 64

rose236

Original post by ArtmisKco

You have a really good chance of getting an A* in biology if you got a 9 at GCSE trust me, aim for that! And yeah at A-Level you need to be consistently performing all year round. You can't go from getting a B or C at the start of year 13 to getting an A* at the end of it (or at least it's very rare) so focus on doing revision all year round and im sure you will be fine.

Reply 65

rose236

Original post by d0nkey_dude

Firstly, just remember to get at least A*A*A predicted as Warwick give maths offers to everyone who applies but they give out offers as A*A*A, I got a few A's throughout year 12 and 13 (year 2 maths is very hard for edexcel, especially mechanics). I think just do a lot of practice papers throughout the year; when you move on to statistics, practice year 2 pure content alongside it so you don't forget it (I wish i did that). Also, read ahead on the pure year 2 integration and differentiation sections as well as chapter 7 from the statistics and mechanics textbook. These are the hardest sections of the course so make sure you understand them as they will come up.
For AS further maths, I did S1 and FP1 as my optional modules. Highly recommend statistics 1!! It was so easy, it has chi squared as one chapter and I learnt that in biology (although i was on edexcel). Use this website https://www.examsolutions.net/a-level-maths/ocr/ to teach yourself as well as using the textbook
For FM time management, i created a lesson plan for the entire year using excel, do 1 section a day (weekday) and you should finish by feb/march :smile:

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 66

d0nkey_dude

Original post by rose236

Thanks! but the problem is my sixth form doesn’t predict A*’s so i’m only predicted AAA, do you think that would cause major problems?

Reply 67

rose236

Original post by d0nkey_dude

Thanks! but the problem is my sixth form doesn’t predict A*’s so i’m only predicted AAA, do you think that would cause major problems?

The entry requirements are A*A*A + STEP (grade 1) or A*A*A* or A*A*AA including an A* in both Mathematics and Further Mathematics. It is still possible to still get an offer if you do not meet the entry requirements in your predicted grades as I believe they give offers to everyone who applies, however, keep in mind that if you get an offer and then don't meet the requirements in the actual exam, there is a high chance you will then be rejected and have to go to your insurance (or clearing). If you feel you can get the A*'s then definitely go for it though! Also maybe you can get a lower contextual offer if your school doesn't predict A*'s?

Reply 68

d0nkey_dude

Original post by rose236

yeah i am eligible for the contextual offer and hopefully that will work in my favour. do you think acc doing as further maths would be beneficial to my application for warwick or would they not really consider it?

Reply 69

rose236

Original post by d0nkey_dude

considering you are doing a maths degree and you do not meet the entry requirements via your predicted grades, I would say yes definitely (especially since you are self teaching it); most people applying for maths at warwick will have further maths a-level. you can also write about it in your personal statement. i didn't do that much revision (just the past papers) and got 119/160, which was an A, and the grade boundary for an A is 101/160. If you are good at maths its quite easy to do well and doesn't take up that much time

Reply 70

emilyfields101

Original post by rose236

At GCSE I got 11 A*'s (maths, english lang/lit, biology, chemistry, physics, business, spanish, geography, photography, ICT) and at A-Level I got 3 A*'s in maths, economics, and biology, an A* in my EPQ and an A in AS further maths (which I self-taught). I am open to answering any questions about my grades or the subjects I took and will try my best to give advice :smile:

video about my experience applying to cambridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNrmxbfAlyU&t=5s
how to get all A*'s at GCSE: https://youtu.be/o1f65qpdGno (PLEASE WATCH THIS BEFORE ASKING A QUESTION ABOUT GCSE's)

Hi! Do you have any revision tips for a level economics?

Reply 71

italiagordon

Hi! What paper did you use for a level maths?(Plain, ruled, squared)

Reply 72

anonymoustony

Original post by rose236

do u think if somebody has slacked and been lazy in yr 12 they still have hope if they give 100% for yr13?

Reply 73

rose236

Original post by emilyfields101

Hi! Do you have any revision tips for a level economics?

econplusdal on youtube
do past papers
essay plans for every topic (causes and effects)
quizlet (find pre-made lists)

Reply 74

rose236

Original post by italiagordon

Hi! What paper did you use for a level maths?(Plain, ruled, squared)

ruled (that's what you get in the exam too)

Reply 75

emilyfields101

Original post by rose236

econplusdal on youtube
do past papers
essay plans for every topic (causes and effects)
quizlet (find pre-made lists)

Thank u sooo much!!

Reply 76

rose236

Original post by anonymoustony

do u think if somebody has slacked and been lazy in yr 12 they still have hope if they give 100% for yr13?

yes there's still hope, it will be difficult to go up by 3 grades but if you start putting in the effort, going up by 2 grades isn't impossible. It will require a lot of work though, year 12 is a lot easier in comparison to year 13. most people find the gap between year 12 and year 13 to be greater than that of going from year 11 to year 12.

Reply 77

kpatel18

Do you have any advice for a person who is about to start year 10 in 2019? Thanks!

Reply 78

sweatersquig

how many hours a night did you revise in year 12, and year 13?

what methods did you use to revise?

do you find any benefit from reading / making notes?

Reply 79

rose236

Original post by kpatel18

Do you have any advice for a person who is about to start year 10 in 2019? Thanks!

just make sure you fully understand all of the content that you are learning, so ask the teacher lots of questions until you understand everything, this will make revision in year 11 much easier