struggling with gcse biology

i do triple science and i revise all of my sciences in the same way (seneca, topic questions, past papers and then reading my revision guide for topics i don't completely understand) and i'm on solid 8s/9s for both chemistry and physics but in biology i've been stuck on 7s since the year started and i'm not sure what i'm doing wrong and how else i can revise biology to bring it up to the level of my other sciences?

Reply 1

Mango:)

Make sure you understand all the content first and then do past paper questions. Biology is all about remembering the model answers/ using the specific words in your answers. I would recommend that you start with the biology papers from 2017 to 2022. Mark them yourself harshly, once you've finished one remember the key terms that the mark scheme wants, then do the next paper, repeat the process (once you've done a few you will find that the questions and answers are very similar every year). After finishing all the papers, make sure you go through them constantly and remember your mistakes. If you find that there is a specific topic you struggle on the most i'd recommend going on physics and maths tutor and find the questions by topic (idk if they do that for GCSEs). Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Reply 2

Mango:)

If you are struggling with Biology content I would recommend watching Cognito.
https://www.cognitoedu.org/home

Reply 3

alice237

Hi, I got a 9 in GCSE Biology, and I do A-Level now I hope this is helpful!
I used a LOT of Seneca and past paper questions so I would say keep going with those.
Make sure with PPQs that you are actively marking them, so by that I mean when you get things wrong, correct yourself and then go and watch a video about it or look it up in the revision guide.

Also, ask your teacher to mark some questions that you have done, as they'll know exactly what the examiner will mark right- also ask them to re-explain any topics you are struggling with, are there any revision sessions you can go to? A lot of Biology is how you apply the knowledge and answer the questions, so it could be exam technique that is the problem

I'd say as well make sure that you are actively revising content once you have read it, use flashcards or blurting (watch a video or read a page of the revision guide, write down everything you remember and fill in the gaps then repeat).

The final thing is target your revision, write a list of the topics to be revised, and then colour code them based on your understanding. Start by revising the ones you know the least!

Good Luck! I hope this has helped 🙂