Gap between GCSE and AS-level

Hi all,

Loads of people have said that it's a really big transition from gcse to AS... so I was wondering if you would really have to do lots of prep work before starting AS. Are you expected to know stuff that you havent covered in GCSE when you start AS? And what resources are available to bridge the gap?

thanks,
Jo

Reply 1

Forester

if you are an able student then it should be no problem to bridge the gap automatically. however if u are are C student normally then i suggest you try revision sites such as s-cool where you just look ahead to wat u going to learn.

Reply 2

Becky_90

12

I guess it depends on which subjects you pick for AS level.
It its something you have previously covered during school/at GCSE level then yes you are meant to be able to use that knowledge in AS level as the basics.

If you are an able student then it shouldnt be to hard, but like mentioned above if you are a lower grade student you may find it slightly tough.

If im honest i myself achieved a high C grade in my Science GCSE and had chosen Biology as an A level to study. At first yes i did find it hard, but if you keep up with the work and remember the basics all things begin to fall into place. I was in a class with the majority of students gaining A's/A*s in their GCSE Science but i stuck it out and now im quite happy to say im the only students left in that class that didnt get a high GCSE grade, which kinda shows for its self if you sitck it out and keep up with the work then its not so much of a huge gap when you get into it.

On the other hand if you choose subjects you've never studied before then yes of course it can be slightly daunting but again stick with it and sooner of later things will fall into place.
If you really want to make the transition easier then really i can only advise that you do a bit of 'revision' or read up on the subjects you have choosen and the things you are looking to encounter.

Reply 3

James

14

The jump from GCSE to AS is not very significant in most subjects. There is a much larger jump from AS to A2.

Reply 4

kellywood_5

17

It depends to a certain extent on the subject, but there is a huge gap between GCSE and AS. However, I wouldn't advise doing any prep beyond reviewing your GCSE work if you really want to because although you'll be expected to know all the GCSE stuff, no more will be expected of you and you should wait until it's explained in class.

Reply 5

Trepur99

The intial step from the end of gcse to the beginning of AS is relatively small, but you will develop enormously by the end of AS but this is very attainable.
It is perfectly possible to get a B in some GCSEs and then find the AS level much more achievable and get an A. However it is equally possible to get an A* in a gcse such as Eng lit, which is infamous for producing strange results, and then struggling enormously with AS. People talk about huge jumps between the different levels, and I remember being really worried, but you'll find that most of the time, the transition is steady and you'll never have to suddenly raise your standards. The module system helps especially with this (in the sciences and maths in particular)

Reply 6

arsenalfan.

1

depends on the subject and how smart you are...

e.g if u took additional maths at gcse, maths AS is really easy (basically additional maths)

Reply 7

Excalibur

15

Some subjects had quite a big jump. Apparently Maths had a huge one, although I didn't notice it because I did AS use of Maths in Year 11. Biology was a bit of a jump at first because of the sudden influx of jargon that you had to memorise, but after a while you get used to it. Chemistry didn't have much of a drastic jump at the beginning, probably because we started with GCSE level stuff like atomic structure and calculations (though it's getting harder I must say :s-smilie:

). German too didn't have too much of a gap for me, but again it's getting progressively harder.

So yeah, it depends. I wouldn't recommend doing any work during the summer holidays because you'll be taught it properly anyway; but if you want to go over some GCSE level stuff - or if you did foundation GCSE, go over higher stuff - then that might help.

Reply 8

kadhumia_flo

10

u shudnt take a gap year.

people who do usually leave education for good, as it is hard for them to go back

Reply 9

calcium878

18

Of course it gets harder, but I find this "jump" rather fallacious.

Reply 10

lizzyd

i found the jump to be more with the workload rather than the difficulty of the work. taking german, english lit and history means that i went from doing about one essay a month for german, none for english and history(apart from coursework) to one a week in each subject. geography isn't too bad at the moment because we don't do the essay questions until A2.
i've got used to it now though, and in hindsight i don't think it was as bad as people said it would be.

Reply 11

vector

15

There is a fair jump in difficulty in the sciences. Maths is harder but still too easy...

Reply 12

James

14

Maths is not too easy at A level. IMO it sets a very good standard and is examined well. Physics, on the other hand, is absurdly easy if you are doing maths. They don't even deny it - apparently the world needs more physicists!

Reply 13

username43584

8

There was a jump but I didn't find it conceptually hard as such (though there are a few tricky subjects in sciences, I had a bad teacher and just ended up teaching myself which is doable). But I found the actual workload tough to cope with. I was lazy up until 5th year - I didn't do homeworks or essays or anything and suddenly I had to actually revise for exams!

English Lit is tough but there is a definite learning curve and by the end of AS you'll be grand. A2 English, because of this, seems much easier because you do most of the real groundwork in AS. English is also frustrating because it doesn't really all come together until the exam time and that drives me mad!

Reply 14

nayiseda

There is definately a gap. As you progress in AS levels, you realise just how easy GCSEs were. However, the gap isnt the 'OMG UR GONNA GET LIKE NO TIME FOR SOCIAL LIFE YOULL GET C AND D OMG' that you sometimes here so dont worry. Its just part of the typical progression of work, A-levels wouldnt be interesting if they were the same difficulty as GCSEs. The increased complexity has also caused me to enjoy my subjects a lot more now than i did at GCSE.
Maths - not that much, manageable for anyone with A/A*.
English lit - again not very different, just that more in depth analysis is needed and the frequency of essays increases to about 2/3 a fortnight. History - this subject, along with chemistry is reputed to have the biggest gap because GCSE is sooo different from the A-Level. I agree. But the necessary skills are developed very quickly. Amount of content isnt too different.
Economics - didnt do it at GCSE but isnt difficult at all. An interest in current affairs is useful though.
German - again not a very big gap despite what i heard. The exams arent that much harder either (at AS level at least). If you fully grasped grammar at GCSE, youll be fine.

Reply 15

James

14

nayiseda

As you progress in AS levels, you realise just how easy GCSEs were.

I often wonder, is this a misconception? Now as an undergraduate, I look back on A Levels as being absurdly easy, but certainly at the time I found them a real challenge.

Reply 16

Ancient Beast

2

It depends on the subject. With Chemistry, I've seen so many people crash at AS, from getting AA/A*A* at GCSE double award science :redface:

Reply 17

arpeggio

12

AS is definitely a noticeable step up from GCSE. I've found it hard to cope with, but I think it really depends on which subjects you take. The most difficult thing is that you actually have to think about everything you're doing - e.g. at Maths GCSE I found I could sort of switch off and answer things mechanically, without really having to think about it. At AS you can't get away with doing that :frown:

Don't worry though - most people find it stretches them more and is more enjoyable. The only real preparation you need is to be comfortable with the subjects at GCSE level.

Reply 18

Abra

14

I don't like GCSE Maths. I think it's too weird. A Level is a completely different ball game tho.. (harder and better!)

Reply 19

twinkle.twinkle

I am going to be starting my A-Levels in September and I am doing subjects that I never did for GCSE. So I think the jump for me will be quite high, though at the same time I will be able to concentrate on them more for two reasons:
1. I left school last year, so won't have been in a lesson enviroment, I am doing a practical based subject at the moment.
2. People who have done it befor ewill start to get bored of it quicker than me.

Gap between GCSE and AS-level

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