Overwhelmed by a-levels

Ok, so I'm about three months in a-levels and am feeling so overwhelmed by my a-levels and I am putting in so much effort to do all the work like copying all the class notes outside of school as my teachers move on way to fast and I have considered if I have either picked the wrong a-levels or if I'm even cut out for a-levels. It's all so overwhelming and there be times where I get all the content and I'm all caught up and then there is a whole new wave and every day my to-do list is so long and usually I can get it all done but other days I'm just way too tired and then it all gets shifted to other days where i will get it done. I don't know can any year 13's give me advice on what to do.

I had a major problem with this as well. Until year 13 I felt like I was falling apart so I’ll tell you what helped me. Set yourself goals. Whatever grade you need to get to the next stage of your life such as uni or apprenticeships or jobs. For example if you only need BBC and you are stressed you don’t need to do the work to get A’s and A*’s

Take a step back and breathe.

I used to copy class notes and then I never used my neat rewritten notes. What I learnt to do is summarise lessons onto bullet pointed flash cards and do questions using past papers and questions for the textbooks. If you need neat notes use the textbook.

This may not work for everyone but writing notes too up way too much time and didn’t work for me. Try to find a revision method that works for you.

Obviously keep up with the work do your homework etc but don’t pour everything into year 12 otherwise when year 13 and your actual exams comes in you are at risk of burning out.

If your teachers move on too fast go and talk to them. I had sessions once or twice a week at lunchtimes and frees with my teachers to go over the material.

To do list aims: complete all your homework, then start any coursework you might have in advance, then go over class notes and spend 30 minutes max going over the notes and doing a few questions.

At the end of every week I wrote out the bare minimum tasks I had to do to keep my head up and not fall behind. If I had extra time I would then do more revision and make flash cards but you have to prioritise

It wi fall into place with a bit of hard work (which it sounds like you’re already doing)

Good luck you’ll do great

What subjects did u take?

Thank you this really helps. The jump from GSCE to a-level is bigger than I thought it would be and I find myself often in chemistry ( OCR B) sat confused and half the time I feel really dumb especially when everyone else in the class gets it so I find myself spending way more time on the content wayy than in my other subjects and I have thought about switching this level as I was unsure about it when my tutor mentioned he could get me on the course because he was my teacher last year and he knew I wanted to it, so I now feel like in a way I would disappoint him for switching but I do think that is me overthinking. Also I'm already 3 months into my a-levels is it too late to switch my options now ?

That was the same for me. I did them OCR A and in year 12 I couldn't get through a single session without crying. But once I sorted my revision techniques out I went from an E to a B. I felt super dumb as well and I know people say it a lot but with a bit of work it will totally click one day. Don't worry about your teacher. This is for you.

My advice would be pick a career and see what subjects you need. If you don't need chemistry then there is no point putting you through that suffering. I wouldn't have gone near chemistry if I didn't need it for my degree. Knowing what you are going to do for your degree helps give you that motivation to keep pushing.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I before we went into the first lockdown I was adamant that I wanted to go into oncology or become a paediatrician but now I think I want to do law at university and possibly study at a US university so I don't actually need chemistry to get into that course hence why I have thought about changing chemistry to something like politics, as this would save me a lot of pain and hassle. I know a-levels aren't supposed to be easy but I didn't think it would be this tricky. The only things holding me back now are if 1. my sixth form let me change this late. 2. i will have a lot to catch up on but I don't think it would be that bad and it is something that I think in long run will make my sixth form experience just that little bit easier