The Student Room Group

The Ripening of a Mango's A-Level Grades

Hello and Welcome to my Grow Your Grades thread, Fellow TSRarians (I don't know if that's the spelling, or even name and sincerely hope it's not spelled TSRaryans)...

Great start.

Motivation

Anyways, I want to start off with a ramble explaining my motivations for creating this thread. I am a silent loomer of the internet, observing rather than ever contributing myself, at least recently.

I am also a very ambitious person, with high standards for myself, but unfortunately due a combination of laziness and constantly getting ill (especially during exam periods. thanks stress), I find myself always coming up short.

I want to reach my expectations rather than lowering them to reach my current level. I feel like creating this thread will act as a constant motivational factor in inspiring me to do so, whilst also giving me something [I believe to be] worthwhile to contribute to and motivate others.

A-Level Subjects

I am a deranged person who has decided to take on 5 A-Level subjects. Here are the 4 reasons I hate school and my predicted grades in them:

Chemistry - A
Physics - A
Maths - A
History - A

For all you fellow maths whizzes who realised 4≠5, I also study Biology A-Level as an independent student. Therefore, I have no predicted grade in that.

My aims for this thread outside a nutshell:

I don't want to say that I'll update this thread to an unrealistic amount, because the internet will call me on my bluff and then the trauma will cause me to never post again. Instead, I will say that I intend on generally updating at least thrice a week. However, during exam periods, this number may drop or the posts may become very brief.

I do not want this thread to become an echo chamber for all my thoughts. Therefore, if you don't agree with me on something, go ahead and mention it. But, please write it in a constructive way. So instead of "You're an overachiever who will never get the grades you want," I would prefer "You're an overachiever who will never get the grades you want because you're stupid, as evidenced by your use of ''TSRarians' on your first post."

Conclusion

Sorry. I just didn't want my post to end in the 'Aims' part and had to make a separate heading for the end.

Well, if you've read this far, you're probably more invested in my grades than me. Thanks :h:

I hope to update this thread later today.

KawaiiMango out.

Scroll to see replies

Today's been quite productive.

Here's a list of work I've done:

History
- Created timeline
20171126_210516-compressed.jpg.jpeg
- Wrote out Truman notes
20171126_184715-compressed.jpg.jpeg
- Created WW2 notes on Google Docs

Maths
- Finished classwork

Physics
- Did some end of chapter questions
20171126_215541-compressed.jpg.jpeg
20171126_220016-compressed.jpg.jpeg

And the best part is, there's plenty more to go.
Original post by KawaiiMango
Today's been quite productive.

Here's a list of work I've done:

History
- Created timeline
20171126_210516-compressed.jpg.jpeg
- Wrote out Truman notes
20171126_184715-compressed.jpg.jpeg
- Created WW2 notes on Google Docs

Maths
- Finished classwork

Physics
- Did some end of chapter questions
20171126_215541-compressed.jpg.jpeg
20171126_220016-compressed.jpg.jpeg

And the best part is, there's plenty more to go.


Oh my goodness your notes are absolutely gorgeous! I love love love your handwriting! :love:

Also well done on those amazing predicted grades, they're definitely something to be proud of! Plus studying 5 A-Levels is an achievement in it's own right and I wish you the best of luck with that too!

I'll definitely be following along! :yep:
Original post by EmilySarah00
Oh my goodness your notes are absolutely gorgeous! I love love love your handwriting! :love:

Also well done on those amazing predicted grades, they're definitely something to be proud of! Plus studying 5 A-Levels is an achievement in it's own right and I wish you the best of luck with that too!

I'll definitely be following along! :yep:


Thank you so much for all the kind words and motivation! :biggrin:

You should see my handwriting in exams though. Pretty sure I get deducted a few marks for being a nuisance to the examiner.
Original post by KawaiiMango
Thank you so much for all the kind words and motivation! :biggrin:

You should see my handwriting in exams though. Pretty sure I get deducted a few marks for being a nuisance to the examiner.


You’re welcome! :hugs:

And honestly my exam writing is merely chicken scratch! I surprised myself that I even got any marks in English GCSE! :laugh:
Original post by KawaiiMango


I don't want to say that I'll update this thread to an unrealistic amount, because the internet will call me on my bluff and then the trauma will cause me to never post again. Instead, I will say that I intend on generally updating at least thrice a week. However, during exam periods, this number may drop or the posts may become very brief.



Welp, that's quite awkward. 20 days and no update. I did catch a nasty case of the flu, and had exams (I've recovered from the flu, but the exams still haunt me...) but still I don't want to validate my unproductive time period by simply using excuses - that's the exact thinking that I used to explain my lower-than-expectations GCSE grades.

On a positive note, I have learned the ways of the BB code, so hopefully my posts will become less dull in terms of presentation. Can't make any guarantees in terms of content.

So onto what I hope to achieve this weekend.

Saturday, the 16th of December, 2017:

History

- Write 1,200 words for History Coursework.

Sunday, the 17th of December 2017:

History

- Write 1,800 words for History Coursework.

Yes, I know, it's not a very long list, but I have no other outstanding homework due until after the holidays, except this which is due Monday. May seem over-ambitious and irresponsible on my part but the exam board forced me to change my question, and I have had a busy week (excuses, excuses).

It doesn't really matter if I don't reach today's goal by the end of today, as long as I have at least 3,000 words written by the end of Sunday.

I just wanted a way of measuring my goals. If this is anything like my personal statement, getting to 3,000 words won't be an issue. The issue will be staying below 5,000 words... I have a feeling editing will take 3 times as long as actually writing.
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 6
I love your handwriting!! Good luck with your 5 subjects!! It must be a lot of work...
Original post by nyxnko_
I love your handwriting!! Good luck with your 5 subjects!! It must be a lot of work...


Thank you! 5 A-levels is a lot of work but all it has meant so far is that I can only binge watch 2 or 3 episodes of a TV show at a time on schooldays rather than a whole season :grin:
Not exactly looking forward to exam season although I hope I'm in the majority with that...
(edited 6 years ago)
Definitely subbing to this, reading cool threads like this distracts me from updating my own, dusty GYG for Y12 :rofl:

I do the same A Levels as you almost! Just with Further Maths instead of History, I wish you the best of luck, subbing :h:.
Original post by AryanGh
Definitely subbing to this, reading cool threads like this distracts me from updating my own, dusty GYG for Y12 :rofl:

I do the same A Levels as you almost! Just with Further Maths instead of History, I wish you the best of luck, subbing :h:.


Thanks, same to you :biggrin:

At this point in time, I am wishing that I chose Further Maths instead of History...
Original post by KawaiiMango


So onto what I hope to achieve this weekend.

Saturday, the 16th of December, 2017:

History

- Write 1,200 words for History Coursework.



So, I ended up writing 1,501 words. Although it still needs heavy editing and will be cut down, I still feel quite accomplished. I think that actually having measurable goals induces further motivation and makes the experience more rewarding.

Speaking of rewarding, I remembered reading about this app called 'Forest' which I decided to download onto my phone today. It's basically a timer that grows a cute, little tree whilst you stay away from your phone and you get coins to buy more trees and music once the timer is done. However, if you indulge, the tree withers. Unfortunately, I witnessed this when I accidentally switched to Spotify to play some 'focus' music. R.I.P. default tree that existed for a mere 20 minutes.

The premium version also has extra features. I think I read something about growing real trees, which is 1000x more gratifying. I might stick with the free version for now though to make sure that I'll actually use the app.

Here's the Android link and the iOS link. I may be really out of the loop on this one, and everyone may already be using it, but if it helps somebody else out of the loop, then it's totally worth it.

Being the night-owl that I am, I am going to continue with the History essay.

If I don't update again for 20 days, it's because I'm protecting my trees.
(edited 6 years ago)
hi there mango!

5 alevels! wow, good luck :smile:
how did you do at gcse?

your handwriting is absolutely gorgeous! :yep:

also - i love forest! it’s a brilliant app to stop my procrastination habits :wink:
Original post by clouddbubbles
hi there mango!

5 alevels! wow, good luck :smile:
how did you do at gcse?

your handwriting is absolutely gorgeous! :yep:

also - i love forest! it’s a brilliant app to stop my procrastination habits :wink:


Thank you! Forest is honestly amazing. This is only my second day using it but I feel like I will be using it for a while. It's weird though how something short-term like a tree can motivate me more than actually achieving good grades :s-smilie:

I did okay on my GCSEs. 1A*, 9As, 1C (thanks art). Probably not the grades one would expect from someone tackling 5 A-levels.

I was predicted quite a few more A*s but the thing that really threw me off was the confidence I had after the exams. I had completely neglected the importance of coursework in the overall grade and even though I had achieved high exam scores, my coursework brought down all my grades. What made matters worse is that I missed the A*s in each subject by only a few marks.

I've learned my lesson now. My downfalls were focusing too much on one subject because I wanted to improve my grade (art) and neglecting the coursework components of my courses. So now at A-level, I am focusing on my history coursework but still not neglecting my other subjects.

Sorry if anything in my rant sounds narcisstic. I think I just set high standards for myself. Or maybe I am simply a narcissist :biggrin:
Original post by KawaiiMango
Thank you! Forest is honestly amazing. This is only my second day using it but I feel like I will be using it for a while. It's weird though how something short-term like a tree can motivate me more than actually achieving good grades :s-smilie:

I did okay on my GCSEs. 1A*, 9As, 1C (thanks art). Probably not the grades one would expect from someone tackling 5 A-levels.

I was predicted quite a few more A*s but the thing that really threw me off was the confidence I had after the exams. I had completely neglected the importance of coursework in the overall grade and even though I had achieved high exam scores, my coursework brought down all my grades. What made matters worse is that I missed the A*s in each subject by only a few marks.

I've learned my lesson now. My downfalls were focusing too much on one subject because I wanted to improve my grade (art) and neglecting the coursework components of my courses. So now at A-level, I am focusing on my history coursework but still not neglecting my other subjects.

Sorry if anything in my rant sounds narcisstic. I think I just set high standards for myself. Or maybe I am simply a narcissist :biggrin:


don’t worry about seeming narcissistic! i would probably be the same - and your results are not terrible by any means, maybe you could have done better but they are still very impressive, and you’re learning from your mistakes which is even better!

#weloveforest

trees are my favourite form of motivation! :woohoo:

if you want you can check out my gyg :wink:
Okay.

So, my aim for this weekend has been to write 3,000 words for History Coursework which is due on Monday, which is now today I guess.
I have succeeded in doing that... but I am far from having completed the History Coursework :s-smilie:

I think I am going to have to pull an all-nighter on this one. Let's hope that a person professionally trained in marking history essays won't see through the tired ramblings of a 3AM-me.
Original post by KawaiiMango
Okay.

So, my aim for this weekend has been to write 3,000 words for History Coursework which is due on Monday, which is now today I guess.
I have succeeded in doing that... but I am far from having completed the History Coursework :s-smilie:

I think I am going to have to pull an all-nighter on this one. Let's hope that a person professionally trained in marking history essays won't see through the tired ramblings of a 3AM-me.


good luck!! you can do this!
Original post by nyxnko_
good luck!! you can do this!


Thank you for the motivation! I am at that stage now where I'm too tired to concentrate on the essay for more than 5 minutes but also too tired to sleep :confused:

I might try to take a quick nap and then get back to it.
Original post by KawaiiMango
Thank you for the motivation! I am at that stage now where I'm too tired to concentrate on the essay for more than 5 minutes but also too tired to sleep :confused:

I might try to take a quick nap and then get back to it.


get that nap in! you're not going to get any of that coursework done if you're tired
I'm not very good at updating this thing. To be completely honest, I spent my Christmas holidays relaxing and doing no work until the last few days. I am quite happy I did though because I feel like it 'rejuvenated my spirits' (I don't 100% understand what actually entails but I think it's an accurate description).

School started back up again on Wednesday. That day I pulled another all-nighter trying to reach to my second History coursework deadline. I didn't completely finish but oh well, I will continue working.

I spent Thursday doing some last-minute interview preparation for an interview I had on Friday. I got to miss school (Yay) but didn't end up coming home until 9pm (I live quite far away from the Uni).

Today, I am aiming to complete all the homework I have so that I can have tomorrow to actually revise. This is probably not going to happen, but at least then I can spend tomorrow revising at my own speed, instead of staying up all night doing last-minute homework. Future me will thank me.

Saturday, the 6th of January, 2018:

Chemistry

- Complete Practical Write-up and Analysis.

History

- Write a few paragraphs on the effects of the Black Consciousness Movement.
- Do more History Coursework.

Physics

- Complete worksheet on Capacitance.
- Complete Practical Write-up and Analysis.

Maths

- Complete assigned questions for Mechanics.
- Complete assigned questions for Core.




At the moment I am doing Chemistry, and I'm not entirely sure I will get this all done, but I will at least try. I will hopefully post my progress at the end of the day.
Original post by KawaiiMango
I'm not very good at updating this thing. To be completely honest, I spent my Christmas holidays relaxing and doing no work until the last few days. I am quite happy I did though because I feel like it 'rejuvenated my spirits' (I don't 100% understand what actually entails but I think it's an accurate description).

School started back up again on Wednesday. That day I pulled another all-nighter trying to reach to my second History coursework deadline. I didn't completely finish but oh well, I will continue working.

I spent Thursday doing some last-minute interview preparation for an interview I had on Friday. I got to miss school (Yay) but didn't end up coming home until 9pm (I live quite far away from the Uni).

Today, I am aiming to complete all the homework I have so that I can have tomorrow to actually revise. This is probably not going to happen, but at least then I can spend tomorrow revising at my own speed, instead of staying up all night doing last-minute homework. Future me will thank me.

Saturday, the 6th of January, 2018:

Chemistry

- Complete Practical Write-up and Analysis.

History

- Write a few paragraphs on the effects of the Black Consciousness Movement.
- Do more History Coursework.

Physics

- Complete worksheet on Capacitance.
- Complete Practical Write-up and Analysis.

Maths

- Complete assigned questions for Mechanics.
- Complete assigned questions for Core.




At the moment I am doing Chemistry, and I'm not entirely sure I will get this all done, but I will at least try. I will hopefully post my progress at the end of the day.


Okay, so I was right. I definitely did not get that all done. I've only completed the Chemistry work, but that was more of a project, with all the footnotes and research that had to be done. I also did roughly 60% of the Physics practical.

I don't think it's really as bad as it seems. They are both probably the most time-consuming pieces of homework, aside from history which I would place just slightly above them. Physics is literally plotting almost 100 sets of results for graphs, and then analysing them. So far I've plotted two and I've done some of the third one.

Anyways, on to the less boring stuff. Self-reflection. Today I experimented with using a timetable and setting out what I wanted to do within the day. I even tried overestimated the time that it would take to complete things, but I still didn't fulfill my tasks. However, I did follow the timings on it quite strictly, especially since I gave myself a lot of breaks to motivate myself to continue working. I think I'll continue making timetables at the start of each day for what I accomplish but it'll take time to adjust so that they can be more realistic but still push me.

Also, I've given up on the Forest App. It was cute, and fun in the short-term, but I often use my phone whilst studying to do quick research, especially when I'm already working on something on my laptop, or play some classical music on Spotify to pretend I'm cultured, but that would just kill an innocent tree. So I just sit there in the silence, staring at the tree that's imprisoning my phone.

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