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Can I get AAAAA in higher?

I want to be a vet. Unfortunately I am not the smartest guy on Earth and need alot of practice. I hope to get 5 A's to give me the greatest advantage I can and make me feel super. I am taking English (2), Maths(1), Chemistry (1), Biology (1) and Physics ( never took at SG but am told I can do because I'm supposedly good at it). Any super websites you can give me links to for things, especially chemistry calculations will be welcome.

Who got 5A's?

Cheers, David.

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Reply 1

http://scholar.hw.ac.uk
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
and another good revision site posted by Bilal I think on another thread.

Get chemcord summary books.
Physics is quite a mathematical subject at higher so learn your formula etc.
Use bullet points to remember things if it works for you
Do lots and lots of past papers (I've done like the last 13 years for physics)
Work hard from the beginning of the year and it will pay off later

Reply 2

Like Acaila said, it is not impossible if you work consistently hard throughout the year and do lots of past papers in each subject. You will need to work hard at your English though - it is often the decider in Admissions for people wanting to do Vet Medicine and Medicine because they want people who will be articulate as well as good in the Sciences.

To achieve good marks in English at Higher, read widely in non-fiction, especially in things like the Sunday papers - as these are where a lot of the material for the interpretation has come from. Learn your texts for the essays well and have a wide selection to choose from when the day comes - so you're not stuck with doing a question that you can't really answer. Practise your writing skills by making the most of the NABs that are set throughout the year - they may be a pain to do, but they really do hone the writing skills you'll need later on the day itself.

Good luck and enjoy your Fifth Year.

Reply 3

Really get into the texts! Hopefully your teacher will get you to study a lot (we did 11, but other classes only did three :eek: ), that way you can pick the texts you like. I always find I do better on texts that I'm enthusiastic about.
Out of interest, do you have any idea what you want to do your SSL on?

Reply 4

Acaila
Really get into the texts! Hopefully your teacher will get you to study a lot (we did 11, but other classes only did three :eek: ), that way you can pick the texts you like. I always find I do better on texts that I'm enthusiastic about.
Out of interest, do you have any idea what you want to do your SSL on?



What is an SSL? I'll start getting the guardian or something that is good quality. I will get some notes made up this week as we have done 2 months of the course already I think. Thanks

Reply 5

Daibhidh
I want to be a vet. Unfortunately I am not the smartest guy on Earth and need alot of practice. I hope to get 5 A's to give me the greatest advantage I can and make me feel super. I am taking English (2), Maths(1), Chemistry (1), Biology (1) and Physics ( never took at SG but am told I can do because I'm supposedly good at it). Any super websites you can give me links to for things, especially chemistry calculations will be welcome.

Who got 5A's?

Cheers, David.


I think the best thing to do if you want to be a vet is to do loads (and i mean loads) of work experience. My friend who has just got into glasgow to do vet medicine got AAAAB at higher (B in english), but she speant almost every holiday, weekend, spare minute at a farm, or a vet, or horse place, which certainly really helped with her application because i am sure she got into other places as well.

Reply 6

Daibhidh
What is an SSL? I'll start getting the guardian or something that is good quality. I will get some notes made up this week as we have done 2 months of the course already I think. Thanks


Specialist Study Literature. You get to pick the text and the question.

The Herald's a good paper to read. They often use articles from that in the close reading papers.

Reply 7

Acaila
Specialist Study Literature. You get to pick the text and the question.

The Herald's a good paper to read. They often use articles from that in the close reading papers.



Did you get 5 As Acaila?

Reply 8

Yes :smile:

Reply 9

If you can do the subjects, keep up reasonably well throughout the year and do some decent revision at the end, getting 5 As isn't hard.

English - make sure you know your stuff, and do plenty of practice.
Maths - a "toolkit" of techniques really, just make sure you can do them all.
Chemistry - keep going over the knowledge side till it all sticks, and practice questions to apply it. For calculations it's best to find your own method unless you prefer working "mechanically" (generally a bad idea as it causes difficulty when things get more complicated), but in general it's all just basic maths and proportion.
Physics - know the equations and how/where to use them. Little knowledge side at Higher but make sure you know it, even if much of it seems like common sense.
Biology I didn't do.

Make sure you understand things at the time as you don't want things you glossed over hitting you in the face when you're revising a week before the exam. Learn from your mistakes in Prelim exams. Use Chemcord revision books, and do at least one past paper per subject or as many as you need to feel confident. Use Scholar if you really need to, though I personally didn't find any use for it at Higher.

Reply 10

Acaila
Yes :smile:



Impressive, any more tips and such are really welcome, ~PM me.

Reply 11

Thank you :smile:
Well if you want anything ask me on here. I'm useless with PMs :biggrin:
Out of your subjects I've done English, Maths and Physics so if there's anything you need regarding those three let me know

Reply 12

Acaila
Thank you :smile:
Well if you want anything ask me on here. I'm useless with PMs :biggrin:
Out of your subjects I've done English, Maths and Physics so if there's anything you need regarding those three let me know



Well, I started English at higher and I wuold like to know how I should go about learning the stuff harder. Also, any more tips for english. I am in a class where I will need to put in alot of effort because we have a faitless teacher.

Reply 13

I would add the Scotland on Sunday and the Sunday Herald to your list - they have articles that are very similar in style to the one that you will be doing in your exam, sometimes the article in the exam paper is even taken from those two newspapers, so there you go.

In English, when you get your texts and make notes about them in class, when you revise and learn your quotations, make sure you know exactly what each one means by learning the notes you made on them at the same time. Ask someone in your class who is really good at writing essays if you can see some of their work and write down what's good about it and transfer that to your own writing.

Reply 14

We had the Guardian and the Herald in our exam this year btw.

Reply 15

Daibhidh
Well, I started English at higher and I wuold like to know how I should go about learning the stuff harder. Also, any more tips for english. I am in a class where I will need to put in alot of effort because we have a faitless teacher.


Learn the quotes. Go around reciting poems by heart.

Do you know any of the texts you're going to study this year? If I know them/have done them I'll give you a hand.
Practice the kinds of question you'll get in the close reading e.g. linking questions, the last questions etc. Find out what you're not so good at and work at them.
Do as many essays as you can. Practice timing them after a few months.
Memorise basic intros, and endings if you can, to essays on your texts. This will save time in the exam.

Reply 16

Thankyou very much. These are helping although the papers may cost me a bit.

HOw many people in Scotland got 5 As if the statistics are out there.

Reply 17

You could try visiting the papers web-site and read the articles there, that way it would be free! :cool:

Reply 18

I did maths, english and 3 sciences at higher and got straight As - it's definitely achievable if you put in the work :smile: Biology was the easiest and physics the hardest imo - you will have to work hard if it's a crash higher.

I also have a friend who got AAAAB (B in english) and got offers for vet medicine from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and on Tuesday she made her offer of BB at AH for Glasgow. She did quite alot of work experience, but not excessively.

Reply 19

Daibhidh
I want to be a vet. Unfortunately I am not the smartest guy on Earth and need alot of practice. I hope to get 5 A's to give me the greatest advantage I can and make me feel super. I am taking English (2), Maths(1), Chemistry (1), Biology (1) and Physics ( never took at SG but am told I can do because I'm supposedly good at it). Any super websites you can give me links to for things, especially chemistry calculations will be welcome.

Who got 5A's?

Cheers, David.

You can get AAAAA at higher if you work hard and i can't stress how helpful doing past papers will be.

going from a 2 in english to an A at higher is not impossible: I managed it, a low 2 to an A band 1 infact :biggrin:, as I said just make sure you do past papers as with all your other subjects.