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are A levels really that bad?

im in year 11 and i have applied for biology, chemistry and Psychology. On a scale of 1-10 how difficult are these subjects? Is it possible to exceed in it and get A*s in all three subejcts and please tell me what it is like studying the subjects?

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They are easier than gcses in my opinion
Reply 2
Avatar for meowzer
meowzer
14
i do psychology, i find it really interesting there’s a lot of content but it’s still enjoyable learning about all the different studies
It's definitely possible to get all A*s, but definitely don't expect it if you're not doing very well at GCSE and willing to put the work in.
Original post by .unknown
They are easier than gcses in my opinion

REALLY? what A levels are you doing?
i do psychology- it's not too difficult but there's a lot of content you need to remember. you need to be keeping on top of your notes/work and ensure you're consolidating regularly.
Reply 6
Avatar for m2b
m2b
14
If you don’t like doing work and putting in effort it is “that BAD”. If you are prepared to create time for doing extra work and you engage and enjoy your subjects, it’s a lot more enjoyable than gcses and is rewarding in the long run
They are generally harder than GCSE's but that doesn't define a person's ability if you're a hardworker you always will be if that makes sense... Just keep on top of your work, and work hard Ig.. I'm barely an A student I achieved only one A in my first-sitting of A levels and got straight A's in my GCSE's but that didnt mean A-levels were harder I mean they were but that wasn't why I didn't do well, I just simply didnt do well.
Reply 8
Avatar for m2b
m2b
14
Just be prepared to do a LOT of extra work if you want A*s - especially chemistry lmao. Barely anyone gets A*’s in chemistry, it is hard but if you put the work in and work smart you reap the rewards
Original post by m2b
If you don’t like doing work and putting in effort it is “that BAD”. If you are prepared to create time for doing extra work and you engage and enjoy your subjects, it’s a lot more enjoyable than gcses and is rewarding in the long run

what do you mean by creating time for extra work? I am planning to do ballet lessons, will that be a problem with my A levels?
In comparison to GCSEs A-levels are so much more draining. Suddenly having so much content and depth to a subject, while probably managing part time employment and managing 'frees' makes it very very easy for a levels to go wrong imo

However if you genuinely love a subject, it will be a lot harder than gcse but you will be interested so will put in effort outside of classes.


Chemistry is amazing js
Original post by silverdanger
In comparison to GCSEs A-levels are so much more draining. Suddenly having so much content and depth to a subject, while probably managing part time employment and managing 'frees' makes it very very easy for a levels to go wrong imo

However if you genuinely love a subject, it will be a lot harder than gcse but you will be interested so will put in effort outside of classes.


Chemistry is amazing js

What is A level chemistry like? :smile:
Original post by TimotheeLaurie
im in year 11 and i have applied for biology, chemistry and Psychology. On a scale of 1-10 how difficult are these subjects? Is it possible to exceed in it and get A*s in all three subejcts and please tell me what it is like studying the subjects?

Biology is pretty nasty in terms of exam technique and wording, but you should find the content interesting enough. In terms of problem-solving it's not really beyond GCSE level.

Chemistry requires quite a mathematical mind, and there are exam technique issues, but there's less memorisation.

Psychology has a lot of content to remember, as others have said, and is quite broad in terms of the skills used. I don't take it, so I couldn't really judge.

Difficulties are so subjective, there's little point giving a rating out of 10. It really depends upon how you think and what your skills are.
Reply 13
Avatar for m2b
m2b
14
Original post by TimotheeLaurie
what do you mean by creating time for extra work? I am planning to do ballet lessons, will that be a problem with my A levels?


A-Level is literally surviving on doing wider/extra reading and work lol, you will flop if you don’t do this. It won’t be a problem you just need to plan yourself out, create a timetable or something so that you are doing extra work and reading as well as your homework and still have time to do ballet - it’s possible, my school did a whole assembly on how to manage time and it works for us so it’s definitely manageable. It will obviously be harder but do-able
Original post by RtheBotanist
Biology is pretty nasty in terms of exam technique and wording, but you should find the content interesting enough. In terms of problem-solving it's not really beyond GCSE level.

Chemistry requires quite a mathematical mind, and there are exam technique issues, but there's less memorisation.

Psychology has a lot of content to remember, as others have said, and is quite broad in terms of the skills used. I don't take it, so I couldn't really judge.

Difficulties are so subjective, there's little point giving a rating out of 10. It really depends upon how you think and what your skills are.

To be honest, I really wanna study these subjects however the grades im getting rn are 5s and 6s plus one 9 in religious studies. The thing I don't believe i can succeed in A levels heck even GCSEs because im not smart enough ;:frown: sorry i lack so much faith in myself. im aiming for 8s and 9s and i dont really think i cant get those grades. Due to my lack of faith, it is stopping me from even doing these A levels i wanna do...
Original post by TimotheeLaurie
What is A level chemistry like? :smile:

Chemistry is like 40-50% maths based which is important to know when considering. However, the maths is applied to situations which in way makes it easier to understand than normal maths (I don't do a level maths and don't struggle with it any more than the people that do maths/further)

The concepts you learn are much more interesting than GCSE, you'll soon find how basic GCSE is but it's so interesting to understand chemistry rather than just stating what happens.

Also, I did combined at gcse and didn't notice the 'gap' as much as expecting, just maybe pre-read over the triple stuff.

Being in a class with people that want to do chemistry is good too!
Lessons aren't always sitting and writing too! Class discussions, practicals and required practicals break it up a lot
Original post by silverdanger
Chemistry is like 40-50% maths based which is important to know when considering. However, the maths is applied to situations which in way makes it easier to understand than normal maths (I don't do a level maths and don't struggle with it any more than the people that do maths/further)

The concepts you learn are much more interesting than GCSE, you'll soon find how basic GCSE is but it's so interesting to understand chemistry rather than just stating what happens.

Also, I did combined at gcse and didn't notice the 'gap' as much as expecting, just maybe pre-read over the triple stuff.

Being in a class with people that want to do chemistry is good too!
Lessons aren't always sitting and writing too! Class discussions, practicals and required practicals break it up a lot

Have you finished the course? im currently on a grade 5 and aiming for an 8. Me and maths don't really get along except if i understand it and based on what you said, it is kinda discouraging me (NOT YOU but the fact that chemistry is based around maths)
I do these 3 alevels, and as long as you have an interest in them it shouldn't be bad. it is a huge step up from gcse, no matter which alevels you take . I'd have to say aim for a/b as this is a more likely target, meaning it'll be easier to remain motivated for the two years.
chem, is maths and quite structured in terms of answers.
psychology is all about being able to pull key ideas and remember the key theories evaluation and research
biology is about hitting that markscheme
they are content heavy but there are overlapping topics throughout!


put in extra work early to get a headstart and you won't feel left behind when it gets nearer to crunch time in January/February year 2!

good luck in GCSEs!!
(edited 4 years ago)
Original post by bambi1425
I do these 3 alevels, and as long as you have an interest in them it shouldn't be bad. it is a huge step up from gcse, no matter which alevels you take . I'd have to say aim for a/b as this is a more likely target, meaning it'll be easier to remain motivated for the two years.
chem, is maths and quite structured in terms of answers.
psychology is all about being able to pull key ideas and remember the key theories evaluation and research
biology is about hitting that markscheme
they are content heavy but there are overlapping topics throughout!


put in extra work early to get a headstart and you won't feel left behind when it gets nearer to crunch time in January/February year 2!

good luck in GCSEs!!

This just put a lil hope in me :smile:! How is it? Do you do any extra activities outside of school and do you have time to study and do those extracurriculars affect your revision?
Save urself the trouble and never go do alevels 😣😣

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