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Do you have any A-Level A/A* tips for me?

I'm re-sitting A-level Sociology (AQA) and History (OCR), achieving an E and D grade respectively. Overall I got A*BDE. I really need some tips on how to improve my grades, any advice would be appreciated!

Reply 1

999tigger

Original post by MiraclePetals

Work out what went wrong. With your teacher or get a tutor. get copy of your exam scripts and get feedback. One you see your weaknesses then you know what you need to improve. Revision books and practicing exam papers will help. It seems like you dont have a good understanding of essays and what they are looking for.

If you understand what the examiner wants and see examples (revision books) hen you can use that in future and improve.

Reply 2

hollyoliviax

Can't help you with sociology but I've just done history and got an A - you need to make sure you have an excellent understanding of essay writing and that everything you write makes complete sense. For the depth study, learn tiny contextual details and the dates. For the breadth study, remember to use historian interpretations and form a clear and detailed argument. Just revise key information and write practice essays - submit as many as you can to the teachers to be marked!! Good luck and congratulations on your A* 😊

Reply 3

MiraclePetals

Thankyou so much! When did you start revising for your main exams? I definitely think I slacked on doing past papers, so I'll definitely be giving plenty to my teachers :smile:

Original post by hollyoliviax

Reply 4

MiraclePetals

I think I already know what went with history - I didn't do enough wider reading or past papers. Exam scripts are sorted, hopefully I'll have them by early September. The coursework aswell let me down - I was told I'd receive an A/B but ended up with a C, which was so frustrating.

Original post by 999tigger

Reply 5

hollyoliviax

Original post by MiraclePetals

Thankyou so much! When did you start revising for your main exams? I definitely think I slacked on doing past papers, so I'll definitely be giving plenty to my teachers :smile:

I started from the beginning of the year, nothing else I could have done really as I'm not naturally that smart 😂

Reply 6

hwhj

Original post by MiraclePetals

I did History, learning the dates are so important! This will help you stay within the specified time period of the question. Practice making essay plans as it will help you form a detailed and logical argument - this saves you time in the exam, as you may have coincidentally done a similar essay plan before. Ask your teachers for guidance, so that they can help you add more precise evidence for the higher mark :smile:

Reply 7

AlexLamberti

I just got an A* in History and the only advice i can give is just to learn the topic inside out because the questions are focused on very short periods, I started revising for the summer exams in January because the content is ridiculous. Also learn the essay structure and what they are asking you to write, thats all you can do.

Reply 8

evangelinemay

I got an A* in sociology and i think something which really helps is realising that you can to some extent choose what you want to learn! As long as you are able to talk about and evaluate the main topic areas, you can choose which evaluation points click with you and which sociologists names are easiest to remember for YOU. Also lots of practice essays and get them marked. This video is also extremely helpful for sociology revision tips https://youtu.be/erc29hFQc1k :smile:

Reply 9

jazzyisnotonfire

i got a B in History (AQA) and id never gotten higher than a C in mocks before that, the questions for the past exam were so focused but i didnt even know one question at all and i still got marks for technique. so just make sure you plan your answers before you start, practise your structure and know what you need to cover in each essay eg tone and time period etc as little things like dates and names really make a difference.

Reply 10

MiraclePetals

I love Ibz Mo! Unfortunately I watched this video after my exams - I'll definitely give it a re-watch. Thankyou :smile:

Original post by evangelinemay

Reply 11

MiraclePetals

The main problem I faced was during my witchcraft exam (worth 40% I think), was that the source question was based on the Essex witch-hunts rather than the general English witch-hunts which used the only section from the main textbook as an extract. I completely panicked and forgot to plan - I'll definitely have to bare that in mind!

Original post by jazzyisnotonfire