4A* @ A Level

I am currently in year 12. What do I do now to get 4A*. I currently study mathematics Further maths, physics and chemistry. I am hoping to study maths at cambridge.

Start revising now, little and often. It is good to practise revision and exam technique now so you can work on them and improve them now so you can really focus on the content towards the end of your A-levels.

I am currently in year 12. What do I do now to get 4A*. I currently study mathematics Further maths, physics and chemistry. I am hoping to study maths at cambridge.

I am currently in year 12. What do I do now to get 4A*. I currently study mathematics Further maths, physics and chemistry. I am hoping to study maths at cambridge.

I do Maths at Cambridge and, if that's your primary goal, getting A*A*A*A* may not actually be the most important part or biggest hurdle. Note that the standard offer is A*A*A + 1,1 in STEP 2 and 3 and, of that, the STEP requirement is usually the thing that trips people up the most. As such, it may be worth it to focus more on your Maths, especially the sort of problem-solving Maths that forms the basis of STEP and interview.

But if you are just asking about A-Levels alone, just revise and do practice papers. For Maths and Chemistry, there are tons and tons of past paper and example questions. I don't know about Physics as I didn't take it but I assume Physics also.

Dont stress too much full transparency unless you're dense (which I doubt you are since the Cambridge application is an option for you) you don't need to torture yourself in year 12. Keep up to daye with homeworks (please I made the mistake of slipping up and it snowballed). Have a revision schedule for assessments and such and if youre slipping up ask teachers what else you can do to improve. Its honestly more than normal and even better to mess up in year 12 because thats prime time to learn from your mistakes. Depends on if you are a person who prefers regular revision or prefers focused revision in times of assessments as well (either works tbh) designate times to revise. Stay relaxed most importantly. Stress is healthy and keeps us on our grind but its so easy for stress to overwhelm you and end up clouding your vision in tests (based on experience). It is easier said than done obviously especially with 4 A Levels but I believe in you

Thanks for replying. I have started using the STEP support programme. I have joined some ASMP problem solving courses in preparation for STEP. are there any suggestions on how to improve my maths on a STEP level

I am currently in year 12. What do I do now to get 4A*. I currently study mathematics Further maths, physics and chemistry. I am hoping to study maths at cambridge.

Hi @xzxz.mn,

The quality of your revision is always better than quantity, I am aware that your subjects are very difficult and require lots of work, but try not to overwork yourself as you'll burn out and it may affect your results in the end. As you are at the early stages of Year 12, I suggest you try to adopt healthy revision habits that will keep you consistent throughout your A-Level course. A useful tip I can suggest for you is, to go over the notes you made in class for that day, everyday when you get back from home.

You don't necessarily have to spend hours upon hours doing this, but just by re-reading the notes for the topic you learnt that day- from personal experience, I found that it helped me retain the information for longer and strengthened my understanding of the concept. Turning this into a regular routine will help you in the long run, and by the time mocks come.

Hope this helps,
Danish
BCU Student Rep

Agree that the step requirements are probably harder than the a level and working through the step foundation modules in y12 is probably sufficient, as thats ~step 1 (old/discontinued). Then look at 2 and 3 in y13. I think you asked about smc/bmo in another post? Its probably worth noting that while it can be something to aim at for problem solving etc, its now past the time of being useful for a cambridge application as smc will be at the time of your application and bmo is after. Though looking at problem solving can help at an interview.

So it would probably be useful to do some things in y12 (supercurriculum) that you could put on your personal statement. There are some supercurriculum suggestions on the cambridge website, but just get stuck into finding out about and doing some maths. Maybe have a word with your school and see what they can suggest/do to support?