I try to choose subjects that don't require too much revision. Like in Maths and Further Maths, you don't really need to memorise anything, it's more about understanding the concepts. And if you understand them in the actual lesson, you're pretty much fine for the exam, even without any work, because you don't really forget it. In Physics and Chemistry, It was also mostly just understanding concepts. A lot of Physics and Chemistry was just basic Maths anyway. In these subjects, there was very little to actually *learn*. But these things were used so often that they weren't really the kinds of things I could forget. Like I had to memorise the fact that a Carbon atom forms 4 covalent bonds. But you see that so often during the lessons that you don't really have to give it a second thought.
At GCSE, in the few subjects where I actually needed to memorise things - I only started working about a week before the exam, because if I start too early, I'll have forgotten everything by the time the actual exam comes. So it's best just to cram it all into a short space of time. Then I can forget it all after the exam, because with such subjects, I usually care more about the grade than the actual subject.
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Why do some students who don't work at all get A's at alevel watch
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tazarooni89
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- 11-11-2008 00:13
Last edited by tazarooni89; 11-11-2008 at 00:16. -
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- 11-11-2008 00:21
I think its just a difference in revision style ie i cant revise months in advance and do well in exams so instead i have a great memory for written works and so cram stupid amounts of information in my head the day before every exam and haven't done badly in anything. then again i do have suspected asperges. diffiferent minds think differently.
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- 11-11-2008 00:23
Because life's a *****.
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Witches_Rave
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- 11-11-2008 00:24
It's cause they can either look at stuff a couple of times and remember it or they hear it and remember it.
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- 11-11-2008 00:26
(Original post by In1Su)
The usual case is that the person who you think is not revising, is either hiding the hours they put in or simply lying about revision ( to look "cool" )
In my entire time in sixth form I very, very rarely did any work outside of school. I paid attention in class and did all my 'home'work in free periods. 1-2 days revision was more than enough, and I'm not even talking massive cramming, just about 5 or 6 hours in total. I didn't revise for English Lit at all.
A-Levels are just easy, that's all. -
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- 11-11-2008 00:28
I wouldn't know if I could do no work and do well in an exam, because I'm always too scared to try it out...I always end up revising!
Is anyone else a loser like me? -
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- 11-11-2008 00:36
(Original post by mermania)
No. People always say that not because it's true, but because they simply won't accept the truth. -
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- 11-11-2008 00:40
(Original post by In1Su)
Simply won't accept the truth? What truth? If I had seen or met a person in my life that, without revision, got straight As I would definitely acknowledge this "truth". Simple fact is, I haven't. -
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- 11-11-2008 00:55
Everyone knows A-levels not just a walk in the park.They show they don't work but trust when they go home and do just that.Besides you can't have A's for nothing..its more than just last weeks revision.
May be they have very good revision skills, that it just pays off even on the last minute.Last edited by Manal-1; 11-11-2008 at 00:57. -
thisisyesterday
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- 11-11-2008 09:51
(Original post by In1Su)
Simply won't accept the truth? What truth? If I had seen or met a person in my life that, without revision, got straight As I would definitely acknowledge this "truth". Simple fact is, I haven't.
Okay you've never *met* a person like that, but is that because any time you do meet someone like that, you call them a liar? If you refuse to believe that someone can do it, if they tell you that's what they did, you will simply jump to the conclusion that they are trying to be 'cool'.
I stopped trying to be 'cool' a long time ago, and I have no reason to lie (especially on an internet forum full of people I don't know). The things I have stated in this thread about my revision/work methods are 100% true, and that's that. I've even pointed out that I wish I wasn't like it, because the stress at exam time is unbearable, but because I always come through, so nothing changes. If I could be different, I would..
And A-level? You think being able to do it at A-level is a big thing? lol.... It's predictable, easy, and pretty mind-numbing. So hardly rocket science, really. -
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- 11-11-2008 09:55
Lol, thats wat i do aswell. But i just about "scrapped" the A's in my AS's. So i have to do some retaking. But i guess if the person understood everything in their courses, revising last minute is just like retaining and remembering alot of information (like for Biology) so it becomes a memory test lol. But im not gonna do that this year, revising twice a week from now. Re-reading my notes after the lessons, and before. That way it sticks more..although ill still do the last minute cramming :P
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- 11-11-2008 09:58
because A levels are piss easy?
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thisisyesterday
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- 11-11-2008 09:59
Even now, at uni, I write my assignments in 2 nights - one for research and notes, and one to type it all up into essay form, in spite of the fact that we are given 2 weeks for each one. And so far I've not had anything less than a high 2:1
What annoys me is when people tell me I 'don't deserve' the marks I get, because I don't work/don't attend classes (at a-level, anyway). I don't feel that I am any less deserving than the person who attends every lesson and is always in the library studying - it's not my fault that I work differently. If the exam date/deadline isn't imminent, I can't work, I can't focus. I need the panic and stress there, I thrive on it - it's what helps me to learn the material. But why does that mean I don't deserve my grades? Should I intentionally go and write a C-grade answer so that I don't get As anymore? -
PaperChain
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- 11-11-2008 10:07
I don't start properly revising until nbo more than a week before the exam, I just can't do it and don't remember anything if I start earlier. The year before is for understanding the work, then I actually lkearn it in the week before. I do very little throughout the year, just what is set then do nothing but revise for the week before the exams. I usually understand things fairly quickly anyway though, so normally I've got it by the end of the lesson and rarely have to do work afterwards to understand it. It just so happens that this is the work style that suits me.
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- 11-11-2008 10:11
Some people are just better at retaining information.
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- 11-11-2008 10:19
Its just cramming.
Doesnt seem to work quite as well at uni however =( -
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- 11-11-2008 10:32
(Original post by thisisyesterday)
Even now, at uni, I write my assignments in 2 nights - one for research and notes, and one to type it all up into essay form, in spite of the fact that we are given 2 weeks for each one. And so far I've not had anything less than a high 2:1
What annoys me is when people tell me I 'don't deserve' the marks I get, because I don't work/don't attend classes (at a-level, anyway). I don't feel that I am any less deserving than the person who attends every lesson and is always in the library studying - it's not my fault that I work differently. If the exam date/deadline isn't imminent, I can't work, I can't focus. I need the panic and stress there, I thrive on it - it's what helps me to learn the material. But why does that mean I don't deserve my grades? Should I intentionally go and write a C-grade answer so that I don't get As anymore?
I have a good short term memory. I've always got through exams and assignments by working just like the OP says. Doing the bare minimum of work through the year (ie handing in marked assignments) then learning the course properly a few days before the exam. It doesn't help in the long run because I forget it all a few weeks later but just for the exam period it works fine. I class it as a bad habit. I'd love to be more organised about my work. -
Zelda91
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- 11-11-2008 21:11
they do work.
If they say they don't, they're lying -
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- 11-11-2008 21:25
In everything that's logic related : physics, maths, chemistry I just need to memorise a couple of formulas an hour before the test then work out what they mean for a half hour and I come out with one of the best marks in the class. On the other hand if I don't put in 4-5 hours of work into grammatic, vocabulary I will fail. And for anything book analysis I have to have listened during most of classes.
My brain is horrible at short retention but is very flexible and logic
everyone is different that's itLast edited by mf2004; 11-11-2008 at 21:29. -
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- 13-11-2008 18:37
Depends on the subject, for me French is great cos so long as you go to your lessons and generally do the set homework no revision is required as its just a skill you learn that you then apply to the exam! Again I need to do very little revision for maths and physics its just so logical! However I did geography AS last year not having done it at AS and for that I had to revise four days solid as theres just sooooo many facts to learn!
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Updated: November 13, 2008
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