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A-Level Advice

I start Sixth form next week and I would like advice on how to tackle the work so that I don't fall behind.I plan on taking Biology,Chemistry,Maths and Psychology
Also are my GCSE grades ok?
I got 6 for Maths and B in both Chemistry and Biology (also Physics but I don't plan on taking A-Level Physics)
I want to go into Pharmacy in the future
With maths, do all the exercises in the book just so that you are practising those types of questions constantly (i do those whilst watching tv) and I suggest going on physicsandmathstutor for resources such as past papers (based on chapters or year). Try to keep up with the workload, and if possible, go over the next bit at home before your lesson just so that you have an idea of what it will be like and know what you're struggling with.
So you don't fall behind i would suggest just keep doing the exercises and get a head start - it helped me in year 13 as i had more time in class to focus on the areas i was weak on with my teacher rather then just doing exercises that i found easy.

Biology has a LOT of content so try to understand the basics and keep referring back to it. That's going to be really important in your first year. My school made us summarise each chapter in a separate book after every lesson just so that we could use that book for revision later on - see if that helps you. I would say be very active in your lessons and to write all your own notes and to use different sources when doing that (not just your textbook)
biotutor.com
alevelbiology.co.uk
thealevelbiologist.co.uk
- Maths will be useful here - particularly S1
- Some of the things you learn in chemistry will show up here but not in as much detail so thats another advantage

Chemistry is not for everyone but a lot of people need the subject. Some parts are very maths heavy and involve lots of calculations so make sure you practise those types of questions as much as you can so you can apply your knowledge to different situations and based on that calculate the different parts of the question. The other side of chem is pretty much all about remembering patterns and organic pathways. Summarise what you learn and try to memorise that.
chemsheets.co.uk (paying £10 for the whole year is worth it but they also have some free resources and this is what my teacher used)
You need to nail this subject for pharmacy and make sure you know whats going on in the news regarding new medications or what common ones are used for + side effects etc.
Practise situational judgement scenarios + make sure you know what is ethical to do

Good websites overall is s-cool, tsr (this website) and physicsandmathstutor can be used for all subjects.

I didnt do psychology but it involved a lot of remembering different experiments and it was pretty interesting as long as you didnt mind writing essays.

Your GCSE grades are okay as long as you put in the work in and figure out how you revise best.
Don't forget to go to the library often after school (if that helps) and dont lose focus.

If you need any help dont be afraid to message me :smile:
Reply 2
Original post by RosieMedic
With maths, do all the exercises in the book just so that you are practising those types of questions constantly (i do those whilst watching tv) and I suggest going on physicsandmathstutor for resources such as past papers (based on chapters or year). Try to keep up with the workload, and if possible, go over the next bit at home before your lesson just so that you have an idea of what it will be like and know what you're struggling with.
So you don't fall behind i would suggest just keep doing the exercises and get a head start - it helped me in year 13 as i had more time in class to focus on the areas i was weak on with my teacher rather then just doing exercises that i found easy.

Biology has a LOT of content so try to understand the basics and keep referring back to it. That's going to be really important in your first year. My school made us summarise each chapter in a separate book after every lesson just so that we could use that book for revision later on - see if that helps you. I would say be very active in your lessons and to write all your own notes and to use different sources when doing that (not just your textbook)
biotutor.com
alevelbiology.co.uk
thealevelbiologist.co.uk
- Maths will be useful here - particularly S1
- Some of the things you learn in chemistry will show up here but not in as much detail so thats another advantage

Chemistry is not for everyone but a lot of people need the subject. Some parts are very maths heavy and involve lots of calculations so make sure you practise those types of questions as much as you can so you can apply your knowledge to different situations and based on that calculate the different parts of the question. The other side of chem is pretty much all about remembering patterns and organic pathways. Summarise what you learn and try to memorise that.
chemsheets.co.uk (paying £10 for the whole year is worth it but they also have some free resources and this is what my teacher used)
You need to nail this subject for pharmacy and make sure you know whats going on in the news regarding new medications or what common ones are used for + side effects etc.
Practise situational judgement scenarios + make sure you know what is ethical to do

Good websites overall is s-cool, tsr (this website) and physicsandmathstutor can be used for all subjects.

I didnt do psychology but it involved a lot of remembering different experiments and it was pretty interesting as long as you didnt mind writing essays.

Your GCSE grades are okay as long as you put in the work in and figure out how you revise best.
Don't forget to go to the library often after school (if that helps) and dont lose focus.

If you need any help dont be afraid to message me :smile:


Thank you so much for the advice I wanted to make sure that I work hard at A-Level to achieve good grades and look at many resources to help me in the process of staying on top of my work.Thank you again,I really appreciate it ^^

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