Biologyy Help!!

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Flashcards - ohmygod flashcards are my staple. Any time I finish a unit or topic in class, I go through and make flashcards of the key points, mainly in a question format. (e.g. "What are the advantages and implications of a double circulatory system?") I then go over these by myself when I have a little quiet time, or with friends and family, and often have a quick look through them before bed and before exams. Use bright colours, and colour-code topics - make them INTERESTING.

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Practice papers/exams - invaluable resources. Use and abuse them. Do them, then do them again, until you're getting the grade you're aiming for (or higher!). This might not be possible when you haven't finished a unit yet, but it's worth just going through the papers and doing what you can.

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Posters/Post-It Notes - By Christmas time, my room, study place, and frequently visited places in my house are covered in posters and little post-its with chunks of info on them. Obviously, whether or not you can do this depends on how receptive your parents are to having notes of "y=mx+c" plastered all over the place, but even if they won't let you tack reminders to cupboard doors, making some posters and putting them on the ceiling above your bed, around your desk area (if you have one), and on your walls/around your mirrors early on will mean you'll see those reminders daily and begin to remember them.

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Chew gum/eat sweets when studying - When going over stuff you find you need to chew on a bit more (hohoho pun) try and chew a flavour of gum or chewy sweet you don't normally have. Then, when the exam comes around, chew it again. The sensory link will help your recall.

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Teach others - Help people on TSR forums. You'll find you remember a lot more about a topic when you have to try and explain it to others than you will if you're just learning it for yourself. You can also try lecturing (lol) your friends and family on subjects - if they come away having learned something, you've got the concept nailed.

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Making notes interesting - Don't just have notes as black/blue text with the occasional diagram and highlighted word. Use different coloured pens to make key words, key concepts, equations, case studies etc. stand out. Try sticking post it notes in with additional information. Make little comics explaining key ideas. Don't just let it be black and white with nothing entertaining in there - you will not remember bland notes. You may as well just read out of a text book.

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YouTube - if you can avoid being distracted by it, YouTube has some great videos explaining GCSE, AS, and A2 topics. Find a creator you like, and go through their videos. Sometimes having someone else other than your teacher explaining something will help you understand it better, especially if your teacher's way of teaching isn't the best for you.

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Organisation - get organised now. Get yourself a folder and establish a system that works for you. Personally, I have a folder per subject (a huge ring binder, mind you) and I separate each topic by tabs for easy access. I have pockets for question sheets I am given, pockets for marked homework, and pockets for past papers. I insert every hand out I am given whether it looks relevant or not. Often when I come back to read over them, I find they actually are useful. Also make sure you put your notes in in the order they were taught to you - teachers teach topics in that order for a reason. Often one topic will lead on to the other. Try putting dates on your work if that'll help you.

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Going through and highlighting your notes/text books. This is great when you're trying to pick out key ideas initially, but after that it's pretty useless. You need to do something with that information to remember it.

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Reading. Okay, so you may need to read to learn some things, but don't rely on it as your only source of studying. You will fall asleep.

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Studying for too long. Take breaks. Be firm with yourself and set goals, and aim to achieve them by a certain time, but if you're tired or ill then give yourself time off. You aren't going to digest anything when you're so hung up on another thing, or sick enough that you can't concentrate. You will do far better giving your body some rest and coming back to it later - same as if you don't understand something. Move on, then come back when your head's a little clearer, or when you have someone who can help you.

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Cramming. REVISE NOW. REPEAT: START YOUR REVISION NOW. Every time you finish a unit or topic, check you understand the concepts, make sure you have good notes on it and revision resources for it, and be sure it's in your mind before cramming in other topics. Give yourself time to learn things, and keep practising them, even when you aren't being taught them in the classroom. If you leave your revision to too late (even after Christmas, for some things you would have studied in September) you'll find it harder to remember what you were taught on them. Get the basic groundwork established ASAP and you'll have a much easier time further down the line.