top a level revision tips
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
Scroll to see replies
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
Hello,
I finished college this summer and have some advice that really helped me with my A-Levels. When it comes to note-taking I found that I was most productive typing them rather than writing them which led me to create a folder for each of my subjects on Google Drive.
Every time I would finish a topic I would spend a few hours going through the booklet and compiling all of the important information into a document that I saved into it's respective folder. This helped me to reduce 30 page booklets into concise documents for revision. Though, it often led to me skimming notes rather than reading them thoroughly because lets be honest reading is boring and repetitive.
So, I used Anki. Anki is a flashcard app that you can download on your computer or phone. I made sure to turn every single important fact on those worksheets and from my booklets into a question. Using Anki, it would take me anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour to finish revision for a topic which was so much quicker than reading those 30 page booklets. If I got a flashcard question wrong I would reroll it until I got it right. This technique really helped me to find out what I *actually* needed to focus on and the app is great because it brings back the questions you struggle with. It doesn't take much effort before you've memorised all the answers and therefore the topic itself.
Make sure you are still doing past paper questions though. Memorising topics is all good but will only take you so far. You need to practice so that you're familiar with mark schemes and know what the examiners are after.
Original post by 048243
Hello,
I finished college this summer and have some advice that really helped me with my A-Levels. When it comes to note-taking I found that I was most productive typing them rather than writing them which led me to create a folder for each of my subjects on Google Drive.
Every time I would finish a topic I would spend a few hours going through the booklet and compiling all of the important information into a document that I saved into it's respective folder. This helped me to reduce 30 page booklets into concise documents for revision. Though, it often led to me skimming notes rather than reading them thoroughly because lets be honest reading is boring and repetitive.
So, I used Anki. Anki is a flashcard app that you can download on your computer or phone. I made sure to turn every single important fact on those worksheets and from my booklets into a question. Using Anki, it would take me anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour to finish revision for a topic which was so much quicker than reading those 30 page booklets. If I got a flashcard question wrong I would reroll it until I got it right. This technique really helped me to find out what I *actually* needed to focus on and the app is great because it brings back the questions you struggle with. It doesn't take much effort before you've memorised all the answers and therefore the topic itself.
Make sure you are still doing past paper questions though. Memorising topics is all good but will only take you so far. You need to practice so that you're familiar with mark schemes and know what the examiners are after.
I finished college this summer and have some advice that really helped me with my A-Levels. When it comes to note-taking I found that I was most productive typing them rather than writing them which led me to create a folder for each of my subjects on Google Drive.
Every time I would finish a topic I would spend a few hours going through the booklet and compiling all of the important information into a document that I saved into it's respective folder. This helped me to reduce 30 page booklets into concise documents for revision. Though, it often led to me skimming notes rather than reading them thoroughly because lets be honest reading is boring and repetitive.
So, I used Anki. Anki is a flashcard app that you can download on your computer or phone. I made sure to turn every single important fact on those worksheets and from my booklets into a question. Using Anki, it would take me anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour to finish revision for a topic which was so much quicker than reading those 30 page booklets. If I got a flashcard question wrong I would reroll it until I got it right. This technique really helped me to find out what I *actually* needed to focus on and the app is great because it brings back the questions you struggle with. It doesn't take much effort before you've memorised all the answers and therefore the topic itself.
Make sure you are still doing past paper questions though. Memorising topics is all good but will only take you so far. You need to practice so that you're familiar with mark schemes and know what the examiners are after.
that's good! i have heard about anki and will start using it soon
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
hello guys!! what other revision strategies do you recommend for A Level?
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys!! what other revision strategies do you recommend for A Level?
Spam past paper questions, past papers, if run out of. past papers use other exam boards. madasmath for math, a level physics online for physics, pmt for other subjects, exam solution for math.
pomodoro technique for timing in studying to create sense of urgency. use stayfocusd to block other websites in chrome, 1focus to block everything else. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STUDY WITH BREAKS OF COURSE. DO NOT STRAY FROM IT. YOUR GRADES DEPEND ON IT. SO GET WORKING.
And just pushing myself, evne forcing myself to study 10+ hours a day. At least i managed to get the strong results.
Original post by justlearning1469
Spam past paper questions, past papers, if run out of. past papers use other exam boards. madasmath for math, a level physics online for physics, pmt for other subjects, exam solution for math.
pomodoro technique for timing in studying to create sense of urgency. use stayfocusd to block other websites in chrome, 1focus to block everything else. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STUDY WITH BREAKS OF COURSE. DO NOT STRAY FROM IT. YOUR GRADES DEPEND ON IT. SO GET WORKING.
And just pushing myself, evne forcing myself to study 10+ hours a day. At least i managed to get the strong results.
pomodoro technique for timing in studying to create sense of urgency. use stayfocusd to block other websites in chrome, 1focus to block everything else. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO STUDY WITH BREAKS OF COURSE. DO NOT STRAY FROM IT. YOUR GRADES DEPEND ON IT. SO GET WORKING.
And just pushing myself, evne forcing myself to study 10+ hours a day. At least i managed to get the strong results.
yes i love that energy! have you replied on any of my other forums - i recognise the username
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
Good luck! Try and stay on top of your content
Original post by snauman
Good luck! Try and stay on top of your content
and also try hard for your mock exams
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
writing notes is a WASTE OF TIME. I used to rewrite my notes or copy out from the textbook thinking I was productive until I sat back and thought about what I'd actually learnt (nothing).
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
Original post by snauman
and also try hard for your mock exams
thanks i am going into year 13
Original post by aliaa03
writing notes is a WASTE OF TIME. I used to rewrite my notes or copy out from the textbook thinking I was productive until I sat back and thought about what I'd actually learnt (nothing).
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
hello! thanks so much! first of all, i definitely have a habit of writign out notes and not actually learning anything from them, so this is really helpful!!
Original post by aliaa03
writing notes is a WASTE OF TIME. I used to rewrite my notes or copy out from the textbook thinking I was productive until I sat back and thought about what I'd actually learnt (nothing).
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
and because you said it pushed up your grades, i will definitely take on board your advice! what year are you in?
Original post by emm4nuella
yes i love that energy! have you replied on any of my other forums - i recognise the username
Yes, some others. But you need to make sure you can make it. My big mistake was slaacking off for Y13. And going through clearing instead of retaking a levels when i only got **** grades of BBC when I did them 2 years early.
Original post by snauman
Good luck! Try and stay on top of your content
Not just content but exam questions. And problem solving. Especially for math and physics and FM.
Original post by aliaa03
writing notes is a WASTE OF TIME. I used to rewrite my notes or copy out from the textbook thinking I was productive until I sat back and thought about what I'd actually learnt (nothing).
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
the thing that really helped to push up my grades was going through the textbook/ CGP guide, reading the content or watching a video on it and then making flashcards with e.g. definitions, exam qs, etc, then I'd sit and go through them every morning. usually I'd put an elastic band around the ones I kept getting wrong so I'd do them first, and I'd write out the answer on a whiteboard.
one of my favourite methods was feynmans technique which sounds a lot fancier than it is, you essentially get your page of notes or from the textbook, read through it, turn the notes around and then say it all out loud as if you're teaching a class. e.g. read through the Krebs cycle and then explain how it works out loud, the diff stages, oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, etc. when you're done, look back at your notes and see what you forgot to mention and then restart your explanation. you just keep doing this until eventually you barely need to look at your notes and you can just have a quick skim and then you'll know the whole topic off by heart !!
I guess it all depends which subject it is really, e.g. if its more wordy subjects with lots of content like English, business, geography, history, psychology etc then feynmans technique is probably the best, cause you can write out your notes / summarise if you really want to and then practise going through the topic and explaining out loud, whereas if it's more mathsy stuff or things where you need to learn equations, memorise methods, etc, flashcards are great for that as well, but ONLY if you actually go through them everyday, writing out the content onto a flashcard doesn't count as revision.
I agree but textbooks weren't that useful sometimes, and "Reading" and "watching" didn't help me that much in math and physics. but at least it kept me immersed, basically nearly 24/7 of learning, that's how I got BBC at 15 along with my gcses. But I slacked off.
Yeah, if in doubt - see if you can teach others the content. Eventually, you can't haave skims - you need to know everything off by heart. And flashcards can be rather tedious especially to my executive functions.
Original post by emm4nuella
hello! thanks so much! first of all, i definitely have a habit of writign out notes and not actually learning anything from them, so this is really helpful!!
Reword your notes and if there are math problems, change the numbers a little and use the symbols so you're forced to learn from it.
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
Hey!
All the tips on here are great, and definitely also recommend flashcard apps and past papers!
Just hopping on to add another thing that really helped me for both A-levels and then later on at uni as well, was taking my notes in the form of questions with answers, so I basically already had my notes in flashcard format when it came to revision - this saves loads of time re-formatting your notes for revision purposes. I also created a spreadsheet with a traffic light system for all my topics, and coded them as green for 'I know it well', amber for 'I know it but not well' and red for 'I don't know it'. I would then focus on the amber/red topics so I don't waste time going over things I know well just because it's easy/comfortable!
Hope this helps & good luck with your A-levels!!
Natalie
University of Kent Student Rep
Original post by University of Kent
Hey!
All the tips on here are great, and definitely also recommend flashcard apps and past papers!
Just hopping on to add another thing that really helped me for both A-levels and then later on at uni as well, was taking my notes in the form of questions with answers, so I basically already had my notes in flashcard format when it came to revision - this saves loads of time re-formatting your notes for revision purposes. I also created a spreadsheet with a traffic light system for all my topics, and coded them as green for 'I know it well', amber for 'I know it but not well' and red for 'I don't know it'. I would then focus on the amber/red topics so I don't waste time going over things I know well just because it's easy/comfortable!
Hope this helps & good luck with your A-levels!!
Natalie
University of Kent Student Rep
All the tips on here are great, and definitely also recommend flashcard apps and past papers!
Just hopping on to add another thing that really helped me for both A-levels and then later on at uni as well, was taking my notes in the form of questions with answers, so I basically already had my notes in flashcard format when it came to revision - this saves loads of time re-formatting your notes for revision purposes. I also created a spreadsheet with a traffic light system for all my topics, and coded them as green for 'I know it well', amber for 'I know it but not well' and red for 'I don't know it'. I would then focus on the amber/red topics so I don't waste time going over things I know well just because it's easy/comfortable!
Hope this helps & good luck with your A-levels!!
Natalie
University of Kent Student Rep
that's so cool! thank you Natalie!
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
I like using flashcards to revise, I use StudySmarter because it makes spaced repetition so much easier for me. (it is also easier to keep them online so I can't lose them
)Original post by flowersinmyhair
I like using flashcards to revise, I use StudySmarter because it makes spaced repetition so much easier for me. (it is also easier to keep them online so I can't lose them )
)oo thats great! thanks - what year are you in?
Original post by emm4nuella
oo thats great! thanks - what year are you in?
I'm going into year 13
Original post by emm4nuella
hello guys, what are your top revision/studying tips for A Level generally? let's try out some different techniques and help each other!
i would say do exam question esp if ur doing essay based subjects to get exam technique right
Original post by flowersinmyhair
I'm going into year 13
yayyy same!! what subjects do you take?
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- People who have done A Levels - what are your BEST TIPS for the start of Y12?
- would it be possible to get a*s?
- How to get a Distinction!
- Tips to reach A* in A - Level English
- ocr computer science alevel nea
- Advice for Starting Year 12
- would it be possible to get a*s?
- Info on UCAT
- how can I get an A* in a level economics??
- How to get a 9 in French GCSE
- An introduction
- National Stress Awareness Day!
- A-level english literature paper 2
- Share your number 1 essential revision tip and win our revision care package!
- Revising so much and still getting Us
- TO CURRENT OR FORMER YR12s and YR13s: What are some mistakes you made during your as
- A-level Economics
- How hard is functional skills?
- What should I do outside class while studying a text in class A-level English?
- Year 9
Latest
Trending
Last reply 23 hours ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities!Last reply 1 week ago
emmanuella's study discussions #2: taking breaksLast reply 1 week ago
emmanuella's study discussions #1: motivation and disciplineLast reply 1 week ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Ninth SessionLast reply 2 weeks ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Eighth SessionLast reply 3 weeks ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Seventh SessionLast reply 3 weeks ago
erin11 asks...what are your favourite ways to revise?Trending
Last reply 23 hours ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities!Last reply 1 week ago
emmanuella's study discussions #2: taking breaksLast reply 1 week ago
emmanuella's study discussions #1: motivation and disciplineLast reply 1 week ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Ninth SessionLast reply 2 weeks ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Eighth SessionLast reply 3 weeks ago
TSR Study Together - STEM vs Humanities - Seventh SessionLast reply 3 weeks ago
erin11 asks...what are your favourite ways to revise?
