Grow Your Grades Asks... How are you preparing for your A-level mocks?
Hey everyone! 
Hope this term is going well so far 
Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now
We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas!
To help other students with their revision, let us know:
Thanks everyone!
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Hope this term is going well so far Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now
We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas! To help other students with their revision, let us know:
•
What grade are you working at right now?
•
How important do you think mocks are?
•
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks?
•
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams?
•
Is there any other advice you’d like to share?
Thanks everyone!
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Reply 1
Mocks are really important to show you where you are now.
DO NOT cheat and try to guess which paper your school will use. This is absolutely pointless as you won't know which areas to work on. Even worse, the real exam will be the first you sit 'unseen'.
DO NOT cheat and try to guess which paper your school will use. This is absolutely pointless as you won't know which areas to work on. Even worse, the real exam will be the first you sit 'unseen'.
Reply 2
I like using flashcards to revise, specifically online ones on StudySmarter that I have made as I can make them to target my weaknesses. I have my A-level mocks in December and they are very important because they indicate what I need I am doing well and what I need to work on in order to do better in the real exams. I have been predicted As in RS and Biology and a B in Geography.
Original post by Pwca
Hey everyone! Hope this term is going well so far
Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas!
To help other students with their revision, let us know:
Thanks everyone!
Hope this term is going well so far Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now
We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas! To help other students with their revision, let us know:
•
What grade are you working at right now?
•
How important do you think mocks are?
•
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks?
•
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams?
•
Is there any other advice you’d like to share?
Thanks everyone!
Thanks for making this! It would be nice if i have general revision advice, but also for specific subjects please (i do aqa psych, socio and spanish)
I sat A Levels a year ago, but here are my tips anyways:
1. Go through a past paper or two and then see the mark scheme to see what you did wrong - I found that, particularly in Chemistry and Biology, the mark schemes could be a bit pedantic and so knowing what they're looking for helps a lot in not losing marks to pedantry.
2. Focus on the topics that you feel the least confident with.
3. This is a time-consuming thing to do, but I basically sat down and started re-doing my notes to streamline and improve them a little bit. I went over my old notes and class resources, which resulted in basically studying, and then the process of writing it all again helped commit it to memory.
4. Probably not the best tip in the world, some people might be shocked by this but... include jokes in your notes! When I re-did my notes I allowed myself to put in there all sorts of jokes and puns that related in some way to the contents, and it made many things so easy to recall because of the jokes.
1. Go through a past paper or two and then see the mark scheme to see what you did wrong - I found that, particularly in Chemistry and Biology, the mark schemes could be a bit pedantic and so knowing what they're looking for helps a lot in not losing marks to pedantry.
2. Focus on the topics that you feel the least confident with.
3. This is a time-consuming thing to do, but I basically sat down and started re-doing my notes to streamline and improve them a little bit. I went over my old notes and class resources, which resulted in basically studying, and then the process of writing it all again helped commit it to memory.
4. Probably not the best tip in the world, some people might be shocked by this but... include jokes in your notes! When I re-did my notes I allowed myself to put in there all sorts of jokes and puns that related in some way to the contents, and it made many things so easy to recall because of the jokes.
Eyes on the prize.
Spend your time revising for the real thing: May and June.
Mocks are a useful opportunity to practice timed exam questions, but their importance is immaterial compared to the real thing. Some people will disagree with this post but I've banged this drum for years so I won't be stopping now. Mocks are not to be worried about, eyes on the prize.
#MocksDon'tMatter
Spend your time revising for the real thing: May and June.
Mocks are a useful opportunity to practice timed exam questions, but their importance is immaterial compared to the real thing. Some people will disagree with this post but I've banged this drum for years so I won't be stopping now. Mocks are not to be worried about, eyes on the prize.
#MocksDon'tMatter
Reply 6
• What grade are you working at right now? 3xA* (Bio, Chem, Maths) I dropped further maths 😝
• How important do you think mocks are? They're more an opportunity to see how well you're doing and to refine your technique for summer exams.
• What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks? A-levels require a lot more exam technique than GCSE
• What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams? Active recall is a must, doing ppqs and looking over the textbook, flashcards for terms (both Quizlet and Anki)
• Is there any other advice you’d like to share? Don't be afraid to repeat qs you've seen before, they help to reinforce any new things you've learnt from doing the ppqs!
• How important do you think mocks are? They're more an opportunity to see how well you're doing and to refine your technique for summer exams.
• What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks? A-levels require a lot more exam technique than GCSE
• What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams? Active recall is a must, doing ppqs and looking over the textbook, flashcards for terms (both Quizlet and Anki)
• Is there any other advice you’d like to share? Don't be afraid to repeat qs you've seen before, they help to reinforce any new things you've learnt from doing the ppqs!
Reply 7
18
1. Currently working at A* in maths and chemistry, A in physics. Hoping to get that up to an A*.
2. UCAS mocks are very important, other mocks are useful to get used to exam environments. I'm a supporter of mocks as they help you get used to real exam conditions and they definitely helped in my GCSEs.
3. Mostly the length. Staying focused for 3+ hours (extra time) is hard. They're also more stressful to prepare for as they mean more, especially chemistry as my chemistry teacher will drop my predicted grade for literally any bad result even if it was a bad day with extenuating circumstances 😅
4. Past papers. Flashcards don't work for me anymore as there's simply too much content, the only way to effectively revise for me is to just do the thing until I remember it.
5. I've had quite a few upset year 12s doubting if they're good enough, if they can do it or if they should drop out etc over the last few weeks. For any year 12s that see this who feel the same way: if I gave you a GCSE paper in year 7 and told you to do it, you'd freak out in the same way you are now. But you did GCSEs in year 11 and obviously did pretty decently to get into sixth form. Same thing applies to A-levels. Nobody thinks they can do A-levels until they actually do their first tests and see their (hopefully) hard work pay off.
2. UCAS mocks are very important, other mocks are useful to get used to exam environments. I'm a supporter of mocks as they help you get used to real exam conditions and they definitely helped in my GCSEs.
3. Mostly the length. Staying focused for 3+ hours (extra time) is hard. They're also more stressful to prepare for as they mean more, especially chemistry as my chemistry teacher will drop my predicted grade for literally any bad result even if it was a bad day with extenuating circumstances 😅
4. Past papers. Flashcards don't work for me anymore as there's simply too much content, the only way to effectively revise for me is to just do the thing until I remember it.
5. I've had quite a few upset year 12s doubting if they're good enough, if they can do it or if they should drop out etc over the last few weeks. For any year 12s that see this who feel the same way: if I gave you a GCSE paper in year 7 and told you to do it, you'd freak out in the same way you are now. But you did GCSEs in year 11 and obviously did pretty decently to get into sixth form. Same thing applies to A-levels. Nobody thinks they can do A-levels until they actually do their first tests and see their (hopefully) hard work pay off.
Reply 8
1. Currently working at A*s in all my subjects 
Well, I'm predicted A*s for both biology and psychology, and I just got my first ever A* in my maths exam last week
2.I think mocks are helpful to see where you're at in terms of ability, grades etc and whether or not youre on track, but obviously the actual exams are way more important
3. A Level mocks are a lot longer than GCSE ones, and it's harder to get marks than at gcse (biology, I'm looking at you
)
4. I said this at GCSE and I'll say it again, past papers 🔛🔝
I personally do blurting for each topic and then move onto past paper questions, but this is time consuming so you can miss out the blurting if you're short on time. The fenyman technique (I may have got the name wrong) is also really helpful- you basically explain the content put loud as if you were explaining it to a 5 year old
Well, I'm predicted A*s for both biology and psychology, and I just got my first ever A* in my maths exam last week2.I think mocks are helpful to see where you're at in terms of ability, grades etc and whether or not youre on track, but obviously the actual exams are way more important
3. A Level mocks are a lot longer than GCSE ones, and it's harder to get marks than at gcse (biology, I'm looking at you
) 4. I said this at GCSE and I'll say it again, past papers 🔛🔝
I personally do blurting for each topic and then move onto past paper questions, but this is time consuming so you can miss out the blurting if you're short on time. The fenyman technique (I may have got the name wrong) is also really helpful- you basically explain the content put loud as if you were explaining it to a 5 year old
Reply 9
Original post by Pwca
Hey everyone! Hope this term is going well so far
Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas!
To help other students with their revision, let us know:
Thanks everyone!
Hope this term is going well so far Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now
We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas! To help other students with their revision, let us know:
•
What grade are you working at right now?
•
How important do you think mocks are?
•
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks?
•
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams?
•
Is there any other advice you’d like to share?
Thanks everyone!
I'm currently working at an AAC, but hope to get it up A*AA.
I think mocks are fairly important, mainly because they get used for predicted grades and that gets sent off to UCAS so the better the grades you get, the more choice you have when picking universities. However, I don't like to spend every second of my day stressing about them, having a good social life is important as well so I try to find a balance between academics and socialising.
A-level papers are so much longer but I still ended up working till the last second. Compared to GCSEs where I had a lot of free time to stare off into space at the end of exams. Probably because the questions are so much harder so I find myself struggling with time more now.
I like to make revision posters, basically rewriting notes but I try to fit it all on one page. Then before the exam, I can quickly scan over it and try to remember all the information. It also makes sure I understand all the content since it's hard to rewrite something into your own words if you don't understand it. However, doing past papers and practice questions alongside this is important as the mark scheme is so specific with what it wants.
Advice wise, I would say don't give up if you don't do well, there's loads of other chances to make up for it.
Original post by bbbbbbb87
I'm currently working at an AAC, but hope to get it up A*AA.
I think mocks are fairly important, mainly because they get used for predicted grades and that gets sent off to UCAS so the better the grades you get, the more choice you have when picking universities. However, I don't like to spend every second of my day stressing about them, having a good social life is important as well so I try to find a balance between academics and socialising.
A-level papers are so much longer but I still ended up working till the last second. Compared to GCSEs where I had a lot of free time to stare off into space at the end of exams. Probably because the questions are so much harder so I find myself struggling with time more now.
I like to make revision posters, basically rewriting notes but I try to fit it all on one page. Then before the exam, I can quickly scan over it and try to remember all the information. It also makes sure I understand all the content since it's hard to rewrite something into your own words if you don't understand it. However, doing past papers and practice questions alongside this is important as the mark scheme is so specific with what it wants.
Advice wise, I would say don't give up if you don't do well, there's loads of other chances to make up for it.
I think mocks are fairly important, mainly because they get used for predicted grades and that gets sent off to UCAS so the better the grades you get, the more choice you have when picking universities. However, I don't like to spend every second of my day stressing about them, having a good social life is important as well so I try to find a balance between academics and socialising.
A-level papers are so much longer but I still ended up working till the last second. Compared to GCSEs where I had a lot of free time to stare off into space at the end of exams. Probably because the questions are so much harder so I find myself struggling with time more now.
I like to make revision posters, basically rewriting notes but I try to fit it all on one page. Then before the exam, I can quickly scan over it and try to remember all the information. It also makes sure I understand all the content since it's hard to rewrite something into your own words if you don't understand it. However, doing past papers and practice questions alongside this is important as the mark scheme is so specific with what it wants.
Advice wise, I would say don't give up if you don't do well, there's loads of other chances to make up for it.
i love this thanks so much for your wise words
!Reply 11
Original post by Pwca
Hey everyone! Hope this term is going well so far
Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas!
To help other students with their revision, let us know:
Thanks everyone!
Hope this term is going well so far Those of you studying for A-levels are probably starting to look ahead to your mock exams now
We’d love to gather together some of your top tips to support other students in the same boat as you, so it’d be great to hear your thoughts and ideas! To help other students with their revision, let us know:
•
What grade are you working at right now?
•
How important do you think mocks are?
•
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks?
•
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams?
•
Is there any other advice you’d like to share?
Thanks everyone!
What grade are you working at right now? I was predicted BCC
How important do you think mocks are? Fairly important as they give you a good understanding of where you are working at
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks? My school made us do 3 GCSE mocks a day so this time it will be a lot more relaxed
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams? flashcards and practice questions
Is there any other advice you’d like to share? Don't burn yourself out by revising too much.
Original post by RandomLawGuy
What grade are you working at right now? I was predicted BCC
How important do you think mocks are? Fairly important as they give you a good understanding of where you are working at
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks? My school made us do 3 GCSE mocks a day so this time it will be a lot more relaxed
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams? flashcards and practice questions
Is there any other advice you’d like to share? Don't burn yourself out by revising too much.
How important do you think mocks are? Fairly important as they give you a good understanding of where you are working at
What differences are there between GCSE mocks and A-level mocks? My school made us do 3 GCSE mocks a day so this time it will be a lot more relaxed
What revision methods do you think work best when you’re preparing for mock exams? flashcards and practice questions
Is there any other advice you’d like to share? Don't burn yourself out by revising too much.
great advice - welcome!!
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