Chemistry A level
I have a question about Chemistry A-level. I was always good at chemistry and never struggled with it but with my AS exams, I came out with a C. I don’t understand because i found the AS chemistry test easy and answered/understood every question. This is knocking my confidence because I need to get an A* for a level but it feels like it’s impossible. I just can’t identify the problem. I understand the content fully and I can memorise it but the grades are just not there. Can someone offer some advice because this is stressing me out for A-levels
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Hi,
I would definitely recommend you to try and get a copy of your paper and to sit with your teacher and identify the issue if you really aren’t sure what happened. However don’t worry as AS is only 40% so you should just try focus on your alevel chemistry.
Also check how many marks you were off a B and you could get that remarked but see if your chemistry teacher would recommend it. If you got a C in both units I wouldn’t say resit any of them as it is a lot of pressure with all your other alevel subjects l. However if you really want to and can manage then I don’t see why not also if maybe you got a different grades on each unit see which one was ur lowest and you could resit that one.
Hope this helps & don’t lose confidence in yourself, keep believing you can do this and you will !
I would definitely recommend you to try and get a copy of your paper and to sit with your teacher and identify the issue if you really aren’t sure what happened. However don’t worry as AS is only 40% so you should just try focus on your alevel chemistry.
Also check how many marks you were off a B and you could get that remarked but see if your chemistry teacher would recommend it. If you got a C in both units I wouldn’t say resit any of them as it is a lot of pressure with all your other alevel subjects l. However if you really want to and can manage then I don’t see why not also if maybe you got a different grades on each unit see which one was ur lowest and you could resit that one.
Hope this helps & don’t lose confidence in yourself, keep believing you can do this and you will !
Chem is hard!
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
If you feel that the paper went well and that you’re grade is wrong, it might be worth getting it remarked? Examiners do make mistakes too... Were you getting grades higher than Cs on your mocks?
Original post by aroundtheworld00
Hi,
I would definitely recommend you to try and get a copy of your paper and to sit with your teacher and identify the issue if you really aren’t sure what happened. However don’t worry as AS is only 40% so you should just try focus on your alevel chemistry.
Also check how many marks you were off a B and you could get that remarked but see if your chemistry teacher would recommend it. If you got a C in both units I wouldn’t say resit any of them as it is a lot of pressure with all your other alevel subjects l. However if you really want to and can manage then I don’t see why not also if maybe you got a different grades on each unit see which one was ur lowest and you could resit that one.
Hope this helps & don’t lose confidence in yourself, keep believing you can do this and you will !
I would definitely recommend you to try and get a copy of your paper and to sit with your teacher and identify the issue if you really aren’t sure what happened. However don’t worry as AS is only 40% so you should just try focus on your alevel chemistry.
Also check how many marks you were off a B and you could get that remarked but see if your chemistry teacher would recommend it. If you got a C in both units I wouldn’t say resit any of them as it is a lot of pressure with all your other alevel subjects l. However if you really want to and can manage then I don’t see why not also if maybe you got a different grades on each unit see which one was ur lowest and you could resit that one.
Hope this helps & don’t lose confidence in yourself, keep believing you can do this and you will !
AS is 40%? I’ve been told that AS doesn’t count towards the A level grade at all. Thank you for the advice ! If I chose to resist one of them, when would I take the test? And wouldn’t it be pointless since AS doesn’t count towards A levels?
Original post by LuigiMario
Chem is hard!
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
You see, the way I revise is, I dedicate one day to making notes from the revision guide to start with, and then I look on websites to see if I can get any additional notes. I then dedicate the next day to doing practice papers and questions. I don’t do mind maps or flash cards or all that stuff because I feel like when I make notes it sticks in my head but apparently that didn’t work
Original post by earl2334
AS is 40%? I’ve been told that AS doesn’t count towards the A level grade at all. Thank you for the advice ! If I chose to resist one of them, when would I take the test? And wouldn’t it be pointless since AS doesn’t count towards A levels?
I am not sure but from what I have heard of you are doing the wjec board and you continue with your as subjects then they do count. If you were going to resit you would have to sit them in may just a couple of weeks before the alevel exams.
Original post by aroundtheworld00
I am not sure but from what I have heard of you are doing the wjec board and you continue with your as subjects then they do count. If you were going to resit you would have to sit them in may just a couple of weeks before the alevel exams.
They used to be that way, but I’m doing the linear course where AS does not account to the A level grade at all. I would retake chemistry but it would not matter as I would still do the test after the UCAS application deadline so that wouldn’t aid my predicted grades and also by the next application cycle I would of had the A level grades so AS wouldn’t matter.
Original post by LuigiMario
Chem is hard!
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
it is basically applied physics, with a bit less Maths, but with some highly niche knowledge that needs to be memorised.
Flashcards?, there are some awesome individual Chem 'A'-level websites, the one made by a student who went to Cambridge was teh best when I looked around three years ago, can't remember the address - but you CAN ace it, if you get help & follow previous best practise
I dont know sweat kind of chesmitry a level you did but it was nothing like god awful applied physics lol
Original post by earl2334
I have a question about Chemistry A-level. I was always good at chemistry and never struggled with it but with my AS exams, I came out with a C. I don’t understand because i found the AS chemistry test easy and answered/understood every question. This is knocking my confidence because I need to get an A* for a level but it feels like it’s impossible. I just can’t identify the problem. I understand the content fully and I can memorise it but the grades are just not there. Can someone offer some advice because this is stressing me out for A-levels
Chemistry grade boundaries are usually quite high so there's very little room for stupid mistakes like misreading a question. It may be your exam technique that is lowering your grade, not a lack of knowledge.
Someone in my chemistry class had an excellent understanding of all of the concepts but in mock exams would only get Bs or Cs. This was because they rushed themselves in exams so they could finish but in the process, would lose a lot of marks due to silly, avoidable mistakes. Once they realised this, they slowed down and their grades improved to As.
For you it may be similar. Think about how you approach an exam and whether you can change that to improve your grades.
Original post by Emily5243
Chemistry grade boundaries are usually quite high so there's very little room for stupid mistakes like misreading a question. It may be your exam technique that is lowering your grade, not a lack of knowledge.
Someone in my chemistry class had an excellent understanding of all of the concepts but in mock exams would only get Bs or Cs. This was because they rushed themselves in exams so they could finish but in the process, would lose a lot of marks due to silly, avoidable mistakes. Once they realised this, they slowed down and their grades improved to As.
For you it may be similar. Think about how you approach an exam and whether you can change that to improve your grades.
Someone in my chemistry class had an excellent understanding of all of the concepts but in mock exams would only get Bs or Cs. This was because they rushed themselves in exams so they could finish but in the process, would lose a lot of marks due to silly, avoidable mistakes. Once they realised this, they slowed down and their grades improved to As.
For you it may be similar. Think about how you approach an exam and whether you can change that to improve your grades.
I’ve watched countless videos and done every past paper on maths and physics tutor to perfect my exam technique but it’s still in no use. I do remember making some silly mistakes in the chemistry test like writing answers in the wrong place (8 marks wasted at least). Hopefully the paper will reveal what I was doing wrong but at this moment, I’m still confused. Thank you for the reply !
Original post by earl2334
I have a question about Chemistry A-level. I was always good at chemistry and never struggled with it but with my AS exams, I came out with a C. I don’t understand because i found the AS chemistry test easy and answered/understood every question. This is knocking my confidence because I need to get an A* for a level but it feels like it’s impossible. I just can’t identify the problem. I understand the content fully and I can memorise it but the grades are just not there. Can someone offer some advice because this is stressing me out for A-levels
Original post by earl2334
I’ve watched countless videos and done every past paper on maths and physics tutor to perfect my exam technique but it’s still in no use. I do remember making some silly mistakes in the chemistry test like writing answers in the wrong place (8 marks wasted at least). Hopefully the paper will reveal what I was doing wrong but at this moment, I’m still confused. Thank you for the reply !
Hey I think I've seen you on the UCAT thread. I was having a rough time with chemistry last year, which is why i decided to change my study techniques.
Basically you wanna make sure you don't repeat mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes only if you don't make them in the real exam. I made a diary of my silly and normal conceptual mistakes. I would add to that diary whenever I practised papers. Whenever I had an exam I used to go through the diary and made sure I recollected what kinda mistakes I did. Oh, and you also should space out your past paper practice to make sure you are constantly perfecting and improving.
With this mantra of prioritising reviewing past papers over doing them, I achieved A*A*A! I'm not the brightest of people but I worked hard and very efficiently.
And don't panic!I know it's easier said than done because I've been in your position last year. Feel free to ask me any questions! And sorry if it was a long one.
Original post by A_J_B
Hey I think I've seen you on the UCAT thread. I was having a rough time with chemistry last year, which is why i decided to change my study techniques.
Basically you wanna make sure you don't repeat mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes only if you don't make them in the real exam. I made a diary of my silly and normal conceptual mistakes. I would add to that diary whenever I practised papers. Whenever I had an exam I used to go through the diary and made sure I recollected what kinda mistakes I did. Oh, and you also should space out your past paper practice to make sure you are constantly perfecting and improving.
With this mantra of prioritising reviewing past papers over doing them, I achieved A*A*A! I'm not the brightest of people but I worked hard and very efficiently.
And don't panic!I know it's easier said than done because I've been in your position last year. Feel free to ask me any questions! And sorry if it was a long one.
Basically you wanna make sure you don't repeat mistakes. It's okay to make mistakes only if you don't make them in the real exam. I made a diary of my silly and normal conceptual mistakes. I would add to that diary whenever I practised papers. Whenever I had an exam I used to go through the diary and made sure I recollected what kinda mistakes I did. Oh, and you also should space out your past paper practice to make sure you are constantly perfecting and improving.
With this mantra of prioritising reviewing past papers over doing them, I achieved A*A*A! I'm not the brightest of people but I worked hard and very efficiently.
And don't panic!I know it's easier said than done because I've been in your position last year. Feel free to ask me any questions! And sorry if it was a long one.
Thankyou for taking time to write this out! I’ll take your advice on board because I tend to ignore my mistakes to ‘boost my confidence’. I’ll definitely start paying more attention to them more often. Congrats on your grades btw, they’re amazing!
Original post by earl2334
Thankyou for taking time to write this out! I’ll take your advice on board because I tend to ignore my mistakes to ‘boost my confidence’. I’ll definitely start paying more attention to them more often. Congrats on your grades btw, they’re amazing!
No worries! It's better to be aware and wary of your deficiencies coz only then you'll be able to improve!
Original post by A_J_B
No worries! It's better to be aware and wary of your deficiencies coz only then you'll be able to improve!
Can I ask, how did you split up your revision?
Original post by earl2334
I have a question about Chemistry A-level. I was always good at chemistry and never struggled with it but with my AS exams, I came out with a C. I don’t understand because i found the AS chemistry test easy and answered/understood every question. This is knocking my confidence because I need to get an A* for a level but it feels like it’s impossible. I just can’t identify the problem. I understand the content fully and I can memorise it but the grades are just not there. Can someone offer some advice because this is stressing me out for A-levels
I have the same problem, I got a 9 at GCSE but only getting Cs at A level...
Original post by earl2334
Can I ask, how did you split up your revision?
Before I started practising full papers, I used to use physics/maths tutor and save my exams to practice individual topics, scoring myself using the mark schemes. I would advice against sitting passively in front of a book. Use the book only when you are doing targeted revision, and actively brushing up on certain loopholes. I actually used a routine, where I dedicated at least one slot to a certain topic, or two if it was a diffcult one (like genetics in bio or organic chem). So on one day, i would have 3 slots, one for each of my subjects. Each of those slots would be on a particular topic.
On a side note, you'll find that a few questions types reappear in every paper. Hone in on them and using the mark scheme, jot down the key points you need to write to get full marks (this is very useful for bio, and also for descriptive questions in chem). When you are going through that part of the book, do active recall, and see if you can quickly remember the key points.
You could always ask your teachers to increase your predicted grade by a grade two if proving you are capable of getting that grade.
Original post by earl2334
They used to be that way, but I’m doing the linear course where AS does not account to the A level grade at all. I would retake chemistry but it would not matter as I would still do the test after the UCAS application deadline so that wouldn’t aid my predicted grades and also by the next application cycle I would of had the A level grades so AS wouldn’t matter.
Original post by aroundtheworld00
You could always ask your teachers to increase your predicted grade by a grade two if proving you are capable of getting that grade.
My chemistry teacher completely hates me but I’ll see if I can convince her.
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