Desperate for A level chemistry advice

I am a year 13 and do aqa A level chemistry. But I can’t do chemistry for the life of me. I have done past papers, I go over notes and learn the theory. I go over my mistakes and makes notes on the mistakes so I can remember them. But it’s just one of those things for me which you can’t do. I keep getting Bs. The problem is I NEED an A, I need it for my course and I really want an A as well. As as you would exams are obviously very close and that obviously is making me stress. I am bad at wording questions how the marksheme wants and there are silly mistakes I make which I just don’t know how to stop making especially because I struggle with time (like missing a methyl group, a carbon in the chain etc). I would really appreciate any advice if anyone has any advice for me. Anything drawing which is complicated stresses me out because I feel like I’ll mess it up. I just feel like I don’t have a coordination for chemistry, there’s so many silly mistakes you could do. I really want this A because I’m working hard for it and would feel good to achieve that but at the same time I NEED it for my cours.

Reply 1

Prizzle

Here a few things that helped me get an A in Chem. this book- Jim Clark Calculations in A-Level chemistry. I found that he explained things really well and the worked examples helped me a lot. this website called "chem revise" had succinct notes and explanations which made things really easy to understand too. i dont know if you use any of these already but hope it helps. All the best

Reply 2

Mak...

Original post by Prizzle

Thanks! I do use chem revise.

Reply 3

Houseofballoons1

Hey there! I sat my OCR A-Level chemistry papers last year so i've been there and trust me when i say i feel you.

Have you tried youtubers? Do you learn from videos? I remember watching 'Allery Chemistry' on YT a lot nearer the time because he explained the concepts well and went through some exams questions. I think he covers all exam boards separately too. Also, regarding markschemes, make little flashcards on anki with bullet points from the markscheme and memorise those answers. I used Physics and Maths Tutor for practice questions i think btw.

You say you struggle with time? The solution for that is completing your papers and practice questions under timed conditions. It's all about exam technique. Know when to skip and come back to questions later. Get those easy marks first - that'll give you a confidence boost and then while you get warmed up on those, you might think of something to add to an answer for a harder question you skipped earlier for example. I'd say slow down too. Take a deep breath, oxidise that adrenaline if you're panicking. Read the questions properly. Don't rush because you're prone to error then.

Hope this helped at least a little bit. I believe in you. You'll get that A, just keep at it!
Best wishes!

(edited 1 year ago)