Any advice for studying these subjects?

Starting college in Sept. and I was just wondering if anyone had some advice for the subjects I want to study.

-Maths
-French
-Photography
-History

Edit: and feel free to mention any specific stationery I might find useful!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

username2088165

I didn't study any of those subjects, but in terms of stationery I'd suggest:

A pencil case
Biros (black and/or blue), pencils and colouring pencils for diagrams etc
Ruler, rubber and sharpener
Scientific calculator
A protractor and compass
A pack of lined paper
File divders to separate your subjects
Plastic wallets
A ring binder to take to college
A lever arch file to keep at home
A memory stick for transferring and backing up work etc

Reply 2

kkboyk

Original post by TheFame

>For Maths just practice loads, and also use ExamSolutions if you don't understand a particular concept. Go through every questions in textbook after finishing a particular topic, and if you are struggling then ask for help and written example. Also don't spend so much time writing notes for Maths.
>Manage your time effectively due to the heavy workload , especially for photography (the coursework can be a bit of a pain) and history.

Reply 3

amymcm11

History- if you do essays in class and you don't get a great mark in one, ask around to try and find someone who got a good grade and ask if you can read theirs. My class did this in year 12 and 13 and we all really benefitted from it; you can see how other people structure their essays and how they think, which helps you learn.

Maths- do as many past papers as you can. Start trying to do at least one each week once you've finished learning all the content. And as someone else already said, use Exam Solutions if you're struggling to understand the question or the mark scheme.

I didn't do photography or french, but my general advice would just to keep ahead of schedule with revision/coursework and just put loads of effort in.

Hope this helps :smile:

Reply 4

Charlotte_Lauren

History is amazing if you're able to be really strict on yourself as there is so much information to remember. But if you love reading and always learning new things about the world definitely go for it!! History's such a beautiful subject :smile:

Reply 5

AlexS101

Don't take breaks from maths work during coursework times 'because the exam is ages away'

Reply 6

username939230

Original post by TheFame

I did French. Wordreference.com is your bible and 100% better than a book dictionary (no matter what your teacher says). It can be hard but don't give up.

Get a french penpal through mylanguageexchange.com (you're supposed to be 18 though I think I guess for safety/child protection concerns but I have seen 16-18s on there before - I am assuming you're 16? - so just look for younger users be prudent - latter as anyone should be)

Watch videos on youtube to help with grammar if u need it. Understanding the grammar and being able to use it correctly makes your french a lot better.

Make flash cards for important words.

I don't know how much they have changed speaking tests - follow your teacher's advice of course but otherwise give as much detail/information/opinion as you can when you are asked a question.

When speaking don't get worked up on mistakes, just try and focus on fluency. Everyone makes mistakes but it is also good if you recognise it and correct yourself.

Reply 7

username939230

Oh I also did maths, it is massively time consuming. Unless you are really good be prepared for grades like Us and Es in mocks (hopefully not in the real thing but it can happen). You have to work and revise on it so so much.

(Personally, I got a C at AS and then dropped it because I realised I'd never use it in real life and I'd only taken it because I was told how prestigious it is - btw, I have just finished uni and to this day, that AS maths has not impacted my life, having a GCSE was enough. Although I guess the extra UCAS points are good.)