Things you wish you knew before A-Level.

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This is going to sound odd but make an effort to like your teachers and try not to be ill. If you don't like your teachers no matter how hard you try you will zone out in their lessons and you can't afford to do that. Also from personal experience this year, if you miss days it will be hard to catch up. This year I was off twice with food poisoning and a bad stomach bug. I missed almost a week each time and it was so difficult to catch up and actually understand what I'd missed in physics and maths.
On a revision note, past papers may seem like your worst enemy but they are your best friend. Do as many as possible and mark them yourself. Pay attention to what the mark schemes say. They'll tell you the key terms you need to use and what not to say. There are bits where it says NOT ... ie no marks for writing this. Another good idea before you start revising is to print out the specification and go through it ticking off what you think you can do then you know what topics you need to start with and what you might need to check with your teacher.

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Reply 81

moorbre

Original post by Damask-

Just done C1-3, M1, S1 and D1. C4 on thursday, then I'll be able to sleep properly for the first time in weeks. :sleep:

I also have c4 thursday... I did a pretty normal maths A level, that's enough for me :L C1-C4 m1 and s1

Reply 82

C_G

That teachers actually know what they are doing :O

Reply 83

88888

Original post by kittyb99

Actually doing extra reading around the subjects you study would have been a brilliant idea... Oh, and that journal article reading is a great way to prepare for university. Reading around certainly makes a personal statement stronger though

Thats actually a very good point..Thank you for ur advice, I just wonder as other people may do as well, where can we read those ' jounal article reading' ? :smile:

Reply 84

Didierr

Whats wrong with OCR? Im getting scared now...
teachers said were doing it next year in biology
Are the questions super hard or something?? :frown:

Reply 85

pleasedtobeatyou

GCSEs count for nothing at A level because it's just a whole new world out there

Make sure you spend at least a few frees doing some work. It's difficult to set yourself into some sort of routine for this at the start because you're just not used to that weekday freedom :P

Reply 86

Damask-

Original post by moorbre

I also have c4 thursday... I did a pretty normal maths A level, that's enough for me :L C1-C4 m1 and s1

Good luck, heh :biggrin:

Not looking forward to next year tbh, FP1-3, S2 and M2..

Reply 87

moorbre

Original post by Damask-

Good luck, heh :biggrin:

Not looking forward to next year tbh, FP1-3, S2 and M2..

I tried further maths for 2 weeks before i changed to chemistry in my first year....good luck next year, I shall be at uni :biggrin:

Reply 88

Astronomical

Original post by britchick

I wish I knew how maths-y Physics is. Might sound silly but nobody told me just how maths-orientated it is, so I took it without taking A-level Maths. Worst mistake of my life!

You got to be kidding? Physics A-level is virtually maths free... no calculus at all! :frown:

I wish I knew how incompetent my teachers would be, and that AQA chemistry is actually just a memory game with some chemistry jargon thrown in for the fun of it.

Reply 89

cl_steele

Not to treat A-Levels like GCSE's and not to try and cram at the last minute without doing any prior work :rolleyes:

Reply 90

Astronomical

Original post by C_G

That teachers actually know what they are doing :O

I'm calling BS on that one.

Don't trust teachers; your textbooks shall be your new best friends.

Reply 91

DjamesH94

Just use your study time productively, and don't waste free lessons if you have them. Also, do a little bit of work on a subject each night from the start of the year. It may seem like exams are a long time away but trust me, if you do this, it will be worth it :smile:

Reply 92

Larry31

Original post by Didierr

Whats wrong with OCR? Im getting scared now...
teachers said were doing it next year in biology
Are the questions super hard or something?? :frown:

You have no idea. They lure you in with a relatively interesting specification (exception is everything to do with ecology) and then they screw you over in the exam. Seriously, the June paper will likely be 95% ecology and 5% everything else, and the questions are so vague that you feel like slamming your head repeatedly onto your exam desk. Oh, and you will very quickly learn to hate the question word 'Suggest' :O They are the absolute worst!

Reply 93

Frankster

From this thread I have got that with Maths, FM, Chemistry and Physics, I am going to have a helluva time, but I guess I am safer than the ones who took Biology... shall I start some modules self teaching myself during the summer holidays? Is there anything else I should do in these summer holidays with regards to my A levels - I have already got 2 work experiences sorted out.. ?

Reply 94

Cath-ay

Original post by Procrastination

I am currently coming towards the end of year 11, which seems to have flown by, and thus sixth form is rapidly approaching. :s-smilie:

I have no idea what I am about to face, and therefore I would love people to share their mistakes, secrets to success and general tips and information that a year 11 may not know about sixth form.

Thank you :smile:

ps. good luck with exams, results , university places or whatever is to come.

Nice thread :smile:

Wish I had someone to warn me of what A-levels would be like!
Here's a list of what I'd advise in general:

Spoiler

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 95

C_G

Original post by Astronomical

I'm calling BS on that one.

Don't trust teachers; your textbooks shall be your new best friends.

If that is the case then your teachers must be terrible. The textbooks we have are shocking for 2/3 lessons that I use them. The other is mediocre at best.

Reply 96

watermelonwishes

Do the work in the lesson, then make notes on the notes after, then do homework. It makes revision sooooo much easier! I did it for one subject (we had homework set weekly) and I knew so so so much more for that when revision came round. Also, start revising early. Don't put it off, and don't get into the swing of procrastinating :frown:

I'm so bad, I have an exam in two days, really need to be revising, yet I've done barely any today!

Reply 97

Larry31

Original post by Frankster

You could self teach, but this is a summer holiday you should spend enjoying yourself, not studying. Year 12 summer will be personal statement and application stuff. Just enjoy the summer!

Reply 98

breakeven

Don't choose law, psychology and sociology then find out half way through the year that universities don't like them -_-

I also wish I knew how much work you need to put in at A Level. Got through GCSE's with no revision and for C+ in everything, get to A level and worked my arse off for a month and barely got B's. Thank god for retakes!

Reply 99

Mephestic

Thing I learnt; That you cant just blagg your way through A levels - just because it worked once doesnt mean it will "all be ok" in your other exams - it really..really wont and will bite you in the ass.

Revise well in advance so its easier later on to grasp things - revise a couple hours a day everything you learnt.

Also one thing I learnt is its not about how clever you are but how dedicated you are - those most dedicated to revision/trying to learn will seem most clever but its dedication thats scoring them good grades - not intelligence.