Smashing AS LEVELS

(edited 8 years ago)

Hi,
I would appreciate if you guys could offer some tips on how to revise in order to achieve super high UMS.
And is it unlikely for those who aren't naturally intelligent?
Are AS levels: Hardwork = Top grades?
Hopefully this thread can benefit others too.

Thanks

Yes, you can get high grades at AS if you put in lots of hard work. What subjects are you doing?

Reply 2

RevisionNad

PRACTISE A lot of exam paper questions
make revision notes as you go along
revise from day 1, not a month or 2 before the exams
make sacrifices, miss a party or 2 if it means you will get work done
good luck

Reply 3

AlexS101

Putting in enough work, but not so much that you burn out.
Don't be the student who does the set homework on the bus to school on the day its due, but definitely don't be the student who works from 6AM until 1AM 7 days a week. Those students are both likely to get mediocre grades at best, while those in the middle achieved higher grades, but the one who did no work has a much more enjoyable year (or at least that's what seemed to happen grade wise), so overworking in my opinion is worse than not working hard.
In subjects where there is a lot of past papers available you should aim to complete at least 1 in every subject every other week, as soon as you finish the first unit, as this helps keep both the knowledge and exam style at the front of your mind as well as the current work.
If you get a cold or other illness, where you feel well enough to attend school, but not right, take a step back, as working too hard will make the illness last much longer, and 60% of normal effort for a few days, and then returning to 100%, is much better in the long run than 80-90% for up to a few weeks.
At exam time, when you have an exam the next day just focus on that unit, I would personally say the same if you have one in the morning and one in the afternoon (revise for the morning one the night before, and the afternoon one in the time between exams, as you should get at least 90 minutes), in subjects where some things from one unit may be relevant in another unit, but don't attract credit in that other unit, make sure that you are 100% over what is in each unit.
Read mark schemes before making revision notes, to give you an idea as to what the examiner is looking for, and try and keep on top of them as you learn the topic. Also try and make sure your revision notes are short enough, and have enough white space, to be read in 15 minutes just before your exam, and try to photocopy them if hand written so that you still have a copy of any you have to bin just before the start of the exam (reading notes outside the exam hall can both distract your mind (the 5 mins before an exam is always worse than when you are actually sitting it), and give you one last look at key points) .

Reply 4

~Seraphina~

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get the subject specifications/syllabus

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get past year exam questions and start doing them

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get the mark schemes and see what is required of you in the exams

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get the recommended textbooks and start reading them/making notes

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do your reading/studying and then come on here and ask questions or start a discussion

Reply 5

bioeng98

Short answer: yes, of course you can.

Long answer: Natural intelligence might make a difference, but I reckon that some people use 'natural intelligence' as sort of an excuse (e.g. oh, this is so difficult. XYZ gets it, but they are naturally intelligent, so of course they would). Schools do not help on that front. When I started sixth form, all of the teachers were saying how difficult it was and how much of a step-up it was from GCSEs (it's more complicated, but when you go through it, it will come together and you will understand it), to the point that some of my classmates repeated that it was difficult and were more likely to give up before they even tried. And, just because somebody does not have a 'natural intelligence', does not mean that they can't succeed or get the top-top grades.

Apparently (and I do not know this for a fact, as I only started school in sixth form - before then I was home-schooled) the workload and the amount of homework set does go up for A levels. The amount of homework set has definitely gone up from AS level to A2. Much of this homework is repetitive, especially in maths, and you do the same thing over and over again in ways that are so close to identical that they might as well be. You will be set mock tests, sometimes on the same days or the same week as the coursework tests. Hint: prioritise the things that actually count towards the exams. Don't just do all your homework without thinking about it, as after a certain point I think doing excessive homework actually hinders learning, but get as much out of the homework you do as possible.

Figure out what type of learning works for you. Do you actually learn through mind-maps? If no, then revise another way. It is possible to learn by just reading through the books without taking notes, despite what school keeps insisting. Read ahead of the class material. In university you are required to learn independently, and universities like people who can work independently and take initiative for their own education. Find the way that works for you. Read and go through the specification as you go along, not just before exams, but the entire year to track your progress and see what you understand. Look at different textbooks, not just the ones that school use, that are recommended for your syllabus. Start with a few exam papers early, ideally the less-recent ones from the earlier years. When you get close to exams, go through exam paper after exam paper, figuring out the way they ask the questions and how they expect you to answer them.

Hope this helps. :smile: