A* OCR A Level Biology notes

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

Hey, well done on your amazing grade!
Thank you for the notes! What textbooks would you recommend buying? And are there any revision tips for alevel bio (OCR) as I'm quite nervous about it.

Wow congrats that's insane and thanks for your generosity

I personally only had the Heinemann textbooks (the AS one has a spiky thing on, the A2 has a brain on), so I'd have to recommend those, though I will admit to using them only for making notes. Personally I went through every past paper for the new spec and the most recent legacy spec and made a document full of the answers (this is in the notes so you don't have to spend time doing that) and just crammed all the answers. Also I looked at the questions and mark schemes of the papers to learn the patterns of the questions, as there are often specific buzzwords that mean to talk about specific things (i.e: most of the time when they ask about enzymes interacting with something you get a mark for talking about the enzyme-substrate complex). Reading the examiners reports is also helpful for uncovering patterns. One thing I do wish I'd done was made better flashcards, as they make memorising so much faster. So, in summary, make decent notes (or edit notes you are given to suit you), then make really good flashcards by copying and pasting those notes into the flippity flashcard templates (https://www.flippity.net) or any other online template, then use the answers to all the questions, examiners reports, and doing past papers to figure out what they want you to say in the exam to get the marks. That said, there are probably other ways to get an A*, so I shan't say that my way is the only way. Good luck

Hey, sorry for the late reply! Thank you for these amazing advices!
Also, I haven't done the best in bio in my GCSEs (it's one of my lowest grades) so would you still suggest that I take A-level Bio as many say it's hard at alevel?

It's okay, I have been similarly slow at replying. Doing well in any A level takes a lot of time and dedication, which is much easier to put in if you like the subject matter being studied. For example, I did well in English literature at GCSE, but I found it incredibly dull and so knew not to take it at A level as I would struggle to put the work in. Therefore I would recommend working out which subjects you enjoy most and taking those. If Biology is one of those, then do take it. If it isn't, then really consider why you want to take Biology, as, if you don't like it at this level, then a career involving the subject may be ill-advised. If you like the subject and are going to work hard, then a low grade at GCSE does not matter (though it may matter to unis, so it may be a good idea to check with them). I went from getting Us in class physics tests at the start of year 10 to an A* in the real exam, so there is always room for improvement regardless of your starting grade. Good luck!

Thank you so much! Also, did you do the spec OCR A for Biology?

Yes

Ohhhhh thank you soooooo much

Thank you for replying! I find the praticals hard and we only started and I'm finding the topics hard. I don't know what to do:/ My teacher did say this is a hard part. Like how hard does alevel biology get?

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).

I got an A*, so thought I might as well post my old notes here so others can use them: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-z58yK_ejPVbcMB9ROkrr4T-TqwyTz7U9JJ9j6ifh4I/edit . This link also leads to my notes for my other two A Level subjects (OCR Chemistry, and AQA Psychology).