The Student Room Group

Access vs A Levels onto Uni

Helloooo,

I have currently started an access to science course and am currently two weeks through. Everything seems to be going fine so far but I was intrigued by the varying of difficulty between the access course and a levels. I then dumbly decided to look into a biology a level past paper(I want to study zoology or biology). I know I am only two weeks in but the complexity of the paper seemed so much more than what I am learning about. I am just wondering if access courses do truly prepare you for the level of learning at degree level or whether it is just a money making machine? I am not worried by this as I will ask many questions and if I have to buy some text books and attempt to learn as much as I can by next year when I hope I start Uni then so be it. Any information about how people compared to A Level students would be appreciated and take away any anxiety I have atm.

Thank you!
Reply 1
Original post by BambleAndTheFunk
Helloooo,

I have currently started an access to science course and am currently two weeks through. Everything seems to be going fine so far but I was intrigued by the varying of difficulty between the access course and a levels. I then dumbly decided to look into a biology a level past paper(I want to study zoology or biology). I know I am only two weeks in but the complexity of the paper seemed so much more than what I am learning about. I am just wondering if access courses do truly prepare you for the level of learning at degree level or whether it is just a money making machine? I am not worried by this as I will ask many questions and if I have to buy some text books and attempt to learn as much as I can by next year when I hope I start Uni then so be it. Any information about how people compared to A Level students would be appreciated and take away any anxiety I have atm.

Thank you!


Hi! I did A-levels eleven years ago and an Access course last year so have the perspective of learning both types of course.
A-levels are very good at making you an expert on revision. You get told what to learn, you learn it, you answer the questions on the exam. Millions of past papers available which give you a good idea on what to study. I got DDE at A-level because I didn't care about going to University when I was 18 so didn't really bother with revising. :colonhash:

Access courses prepare you very well for University. Last week I was given a 2500 word assignment to complete by next month. I've already finished it. I was the only one in my class (of students straight out of 6th form) to know what Harvard referencing is and what is expected from me when producing an academic report. My access course taught me how to manage my time well and study independently. I wasn't babied like I was in sixth form. Teachers back then would chase me up for work that needed to be submitted. Access was different. You got set a due date, if you missed it, tough. Capped at a Pass.

You mention that the A-level papers contain things which sound much more complex than what you're currently learning. May I suggest you can read these topics alongside your Access studies and then add them in to your exams/coursework? I got a Distinction in my 6 credit Bio exam because I did further reading and incorporated those facts in to my exam answers. I bought & used the 'Campbell Biology: Ninth Edition' book to get me through my Biology. It's definitely a book that is more suitable for University study but it gets you those extra marks in your Access work. I'm sure I recall reading some grading criteria for Access exams and for Distinctions it mentioned something like 'the student demonstrates having depth and breadth of the topic'. Something along those lines anyway.

You also have to remember that ATHE courses are condensed in to less than a year, whereas A-levels are over two years. That's a whooole extra year of studying so it's no surprise the subjects are a little more in-depth.
Which ATHE course are you studying? :smile:
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by denideth
Hi! I did A-levels eleven years ago and an Access course last year so have the perspective of learning both types of course.
A-levels are very good at making you an expert on revision. You get told what to learn, you learn it, you answer the questions on the exam. Millions of past papers available which give you a good idea on what to study. I got DDE at A-level because I didn't care about going to University when I was 18 so didn't really bother with revising. :colonhash:

Access courses prepare you very well for University. Last week I was given a 2500 word assignment to complete by next month. I've already finished it. I was the only one in my class (of students straight out of 6th form) to know what Harvard referencing is and what is expected from me when producing an academic report. My access course taught me how to manage my time well and study independently. I wasn't babied like I was in sixth form. Teachers back then would chase me up for work that needed to be submitted. Access was different. You got set a due date, if you missed it, tough. Capped at a Pass.

You mention that the A-level papers contain things which sound much more complex than what you're currently learning. May I suggest you can read these topics alongside your Access studies and then add them in to your exams/coursework? I got a Distinction in my 6 credit Bio exam because I did further reading and incorporated those facts in to my exam answers. I bought & used the 'Campbell Biology: Ninth Edition' book to get me through my Biology. It's definitely a book that is more suitable for University study but it gets you those extra marks in your Access work. I'm sure I recall reading some grading criteria for Access exams and for Distinctions it mentioned something like 'the student demonstrates having depth and breadth of the topic'. Something along those lines anyway.

You also have to remember that ATHE courses are condensed in to less than a year, whereas A-levels are over two years. That's a whooole extra year of studying so it's no surprise the subjects are a little more in-depth.
Which ATHE course are you studying? :smile:

Thank you for commenting! I'm studying Access to science and same as you really. Never cared about sixth form or going to uni, got CDD at A-Level and now i'm trying to study Science which I had no interest in at school hahaha. If you studied access to science could give me any advice that would be greatly appreciated as I am slightly nervous about it all and I get anxious anyway but I usually I don't use that anxiousness in a good way to make me study more...more in a oh well I give up but I know i'm not going to do that this time.
(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by BambleAndTheFunk
Thank you for commenting! I'm studying Access to science and same as you really. Never cared about sixth form or going to uni, got CDD at A-Level and now i'm trying to study Science which I had no interest in at school hahaha. If you studied access to science could give me any advice that would be greatly appreciated as I am slightly nervous about it all and I get anxious anyway but I usually I don't use that anxiousness in a good way to make me study more...more in a oh well I give up but I know i'm not going to do that this time.


Ah, sure! I didn't specifically study Access to Science but I had two science subjects on the course.
All I'd say is if you have a question, ask it. No matter how silly. I guarantee someone else in class will have the same question. And the videos on Khan Academy are great for explaining things you don't quite get in lessons.
I really struggled with trying to understand things I can't even see... like mitochondria. :colonhash: I'm a very visual learner so Youtube was my best friend for learning about Cell Biology. Be careful with your language, too, in exams. I got a good mark for an answer on why an experiment didn't go as planned and as I said "this suggests that..." rather than "this is because". Paying attention to little details like that will help you a lot. :biggrin: I came out with 45 Distinctions in the end which I was over the moon about but no means was it easy - if I had a pound for the amount of times I had a hissy fit and threw my textbooks across the room because I didn't understand something... :redface: These feelings of anxiety are totally normal, you're going back to education after a long time and it's hard to get the old noggin working again! Give yourself the benefit of the doubt!
So thought I'd reply really late this but thanks for all the advice. I ended up with 45 credits at distinction and am going to study zoology and Queen Mary! Go me haha but now I'm still scared that everyone will be in front of me on the course because I'm going to a "Russell group". I just hope I'm ok and I've been told the first year is essentially just getting everyone to the same standard, so I should be good haha.
Original post by BambleAndTheFunk
So thought I'd reply really late this but thanks for all the advice. I ended up with 45 credits at distinction and am going to study zoology and Queen Mary! Go me haha but now I'm still scared that everyone will be in front of me on the course because I'm going to a "Russell group". I just hope I'm ok and I've been told the first year is essentially just getting everyone to the same standard, so I should be good haha.

Hey!

I did an Access course the year before last and just finished my first year in Zoology @ UoManchester, so think I can share a lil insight.

Firstly, congrats on your amazing marks! It's a real feat to get Distinctions across the board so you should be super proud of yourself.

For reference, I got 45 D's as well and went on to get a 1st in my first year at uni. The Bio & Maths side of things I didn't at all feel like I was at a disadvantage for, and lecturers will generally ease you in and signpost you to any helpful material if you're struggling with the basics. You discover so many different niches in Bio when you get to uni, and actually, from talking to other students the access course covered more of these than their Bio A-Level did, so we might even be at an advantage :smile:

Chemistry however was a different story. I had to take a Biochem module and found it VERY difficult. Access Chem for me was way too broad, and we only spent about three weeks on Biochem. I felt there was deffo a gap in my knowledge here and that A-level students came in with more awareness of the topics. Even if you don't have to take a biochem module, it's a good idea to take one as an optional as it crosses over into many other zoo units.

Structure & workload wise you will be at a total advantage!! Access prepares you for uni; you have multiple deadlines at one time, it's very fast-paced, the tutors will signpost you to find the info yourself but won't tell you the answer. Access makes you put in the effort to get good grades, whereas A-Levels your teachers are hyper-aware if you're grades are getting worse and will try and step in and help you.

In short, you absolutely have the power to do well at uni! If you struggle with Biochem I really recommend "Biochemistry for Dummies", it sounds crap but was actually really helpful at explaining difficult concepts in a simple language. Good luck!

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