What textbooks are good for the following subjects? Quite urgent.N
This September I am taking A-Levels and I want to buy some textbooks today because I am visiting the nearest city which I don't do often and my exams are nearly over.
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
•
Biology OCR A The F2 courses
•
Chemistry OCR A
•
Physics OCR A
•
Maths (with Mechanics) AQA
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
Original post by jsmben
Anyone, this is quote important to me.
Don't the school have a textbook they say say you want you to buy? At my school, they told us what to buy and then we used them a lot in lessons.
Original post by Amplify
Don't the school have a textbook they say say you want you to buy? At my school, they told us what to buy and then we used them a lot in lessons.
No they don't have one to recommend so I thought I would ask those already doing the course what they used.
Just find text books that are endorsed by OCR or AQA for that specific course, and if there is an option between 2 books, then read a page spread from each on the same topic, and whichever you prefer...buy! I mean the chances are, if your teachers run the courses anything like mine did, book use will be very minimal! - also, investing in revision guides now, will certainly be worth it- CGP especially, manage to condense the courses down to exactly what you need to know, whereas the text books can sometimes waffle on about stuff that you don't necessarily need to know!!
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Original post by jsmben
No they don't have one to recommend so I thought I would ask those already doing the course what they used.
My school used this for biology: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-Student-Book-Exam-CD-ROM/dp/0435691805/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369811042&sr=8-1&keywords=biology+ocr+aS
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by dbenton2
CGP especially, manage to condense the courses down to exactly what you need to know, whereas the text books can sometimes waffle on about stuff that you don't necessarily need to know!!
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In my A-Level biology exams, we were asked about things that had less than half a page in the textbook, and other things people thought we didn't need to know, like pages of 'waffle', which weren't in the revision guide. The people who thought these things got low grades. If it's in the textbook, it's in the specification, and you need to know it as you can be asked about anything in the specification.
The CGP guides are meant for revision; not to replace actual textbook learning. They condense a lot of the main points to make it easier to revise, but they do not have the required detail you need to do well in exams without studying from the textbook as well. It's not exactly what you need to know; it's exactly what you should already know from the textbook, just refreshing your memory. The CGP guides leave out so much content that you can be asked about in the exams; you need to know everything in the textbook. Even when they talk about the main points they leave out details, because they assume you already know these bits from your textbook and classroom lessons.
(edited 10 years ago)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Biology-OCR-Cambridge-Advanced-Sciences/dp/0521717639/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369815853&sr=1-6&keywords=biology+ocr+aS
I had that one, and it was okay, but to be honest it wasn't great. So instead of a recommendation, i guess this is more of a suggestion not to buy this one!
I had that one, and it was okay, but to be honest it wasn't great. So instead of a recommendation, i guess this is more of a suggestion not to buy this one!
Original post by jsmben
This September I am taking A-Levels and I want to buy some textbooks today because I am visiting the nearest city which I don't do often and my exams are nearly over.
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
•
Biology OCR A The F2 courses
•
Chemistry OCR A
•
Physics OCR A
•
Maths (with Mechanics) AQA
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
Get the Biology one which Amplify recommended. It'll probably be cheaper to buy the books from amazon than from shops though.
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Original post by Amplify
In my A-Level biology exams, we were asked about things that had less than half a page in the textbook, and other things people thought we didn't need to know, like pages of 'waffle', which weren't in the revision guide. The people who thought these things got low grades. If it's in the textbook, it's in the specification, and you need to know it as you can be asked about anything in the specification.
The CGP guides are meant for revision; not to replace actual textbook learning. They condense a lot of the main points to make it easier to revise, but they do not have the required detail you need to do well in exams without studying from the textbook as well. It's not exactly what you need to know; it's exactly what you should already know from the textbook, just refreshing your memory. The CGP guides leave out so much content that you can be asked about in the exams; you need to know everything in the textbook. Even when they talk about the main points they leave out details, because they assume you already know these bits from your textbook and classroom lessons.
The CGP guides are meant for revision; not to replace actual textbook learning. They condense a lot of the main points to make it easier to revise, but they do not have the required detail you need to do well in exams without studying from the textbook as well. It's not exactly what you need to know; it's exactly what you should already know from the textbook, just refreshing your memory. The CGP guides leave out so much content that you can be asked about in the exams; you need to know everything in the textbook. Even when they talk about the main points they leave out details, because they assume you already know these bits from your textbook and classroom lessons.
I never said they were to learn from, but if it came across that way...it wasn't what I meant!! But I know in my chemistry course, some of the content in the revision guide is not in the main text books, content that comes up in 90% of the exams!! Whereas some of the spreads in the text book give you a great understanding of the chemistry behind specific ideas...but isn't actually in the specification!
I always make notes from the revision guides at home after lessons, and yes it does leave some detail out, but it's a hell of a lot less daunting to look at a revision guide on a topic than a full text book!!
Also...the text books with the exam cafe discs at the back are the ones that we use in physics at school...they are really good at most topic, but once again, lack clarity in only a couple. But I think this is the case for most text books!!
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Original post by Amplify
Don't the school have a textbook they say say you want you to buy? At my school, they told us what to buy and then we used them a lot in lessons.
you needed yo buy your own books? Public school?
OP, the reading list at York for the foundation year at York included the following for maths and physics:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Engineering-Mathematics-K-A-Stroud/dp/1403942463/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369907544&sr=8-1&keywords=engineering+mathematics
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0748755098/ref=ox_sc_sfl_image_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Physics-Palgrave-Foundations-Jim-Breithaupt/dp/0230231926/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1369907611&sr=1-1&keywords=palgrave+foundations+physics
Stroud's engineering mathematics covers from below GCSE to degree level mathematics. I suspect the A-level content will be in the foundation section of the book, maybe a little bit in the second section.
The palgrave foundation series also have a chemistry book. Just look inside to see what you think and if you are unsure as one of the people who reviewed it if it is good enough for A-level standard. I suspect given that it is on the university reading list for what is essentially A-level material it should be.
I never bought the second maths book, so can't comment on that.
Original post by bestofyou
you needed yo buy your own books? Public school?
At my (very good) state school, we had to buy our own textbooks for chemistry, biology and physics. Every other subject gave us free textbooks.
Original post by jsmben
This September I am taking A-Levels and I want to buy some textbooks today because I am visiting the nearest city which I don't do often and my exams are nearly over.
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
I do not know which textbooks to get. These are the courses I am taking to A-Level:
•
Biology OCR A The F2 courses
•
Chemistry OCR A
•
Physics OCR A
•
Maths (with Mechanics) AQA
Any recommendations on which text book I should buy?
Hey
I would recommend the CGP books for biology,Chemistry and physics.They are quite easy to understand and includes everything that is needed.For Maths,I wouldn't advise you to waste your time buying a book ,just go through the examples in your text book and practise all the past paper questions.
Goodluck
(edited 10 years ago)
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