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Received 11A* at GCSE.
Going to study medicine this September.
What exam boards were you for all of them?
AQA for biology, chemistry (and epq) and edexcel for maths!!
right so everyone says that the step up for those 2 subjects going from year 12 to year 13 is massive. I won't deny that it is quite a big step up - defo bigger than from gcse to A-level. But given the fact you have gotten high grades throughout year 12, you should have a firm grasp on the basic AS content so I think you should be able to manage. The best thing you can do is make sure you are really good with organic chemistry especially the basic mechanisms you learn in year 12 because organic chemistry is probably the thing everyone despises. For maths specifically, make sure you can do basic calculus as well as trigonometry because these topics become much more complex when in year 13 (ESPECIALLY INTEGRATION).
Do you have any specific advice for the EPQ written report? Mine is also science-related.
Do you have any advice for a-level biology? I'm going into year 13 and I'm currently on a B/A grade for biology (aqa) but I would like to solidify that A grade. Right now my revision consists of flashcards (mostly daily), past exam questions, blurting and watching videos on topics I don't understand. Is there anything else you'd advise I should be doing? Also, do you have any advice on tackling the maths questions in bio since I tend to lose marks on those questions.
Thank you in advance
So I think that the most important thing is ensuring that your project Q is filled out (not too sure if everyone uses the same platform but its essentially where you write stuff about your EPQ). You need to have a lot of information about what you are doing on each day and reflecting on stuff that could perhaps make your project even better. It needs to be a gradual process rather than "I suddenly decided to write my EPQ about this" but you need to show how your ideas progress. Another overlooked thing is making sure that your sources are thoroughly analysed - reflect on where your sources have come from, the dates and whether they are still likely to be true, whether it is a primary source or a secondary source & how reliable / reputable the website / wherever you got the source from is. As long as your EPQ is about something you enjoy, I am sure your passion will come through and you will do well.
Do you have any advice for a-level biology? I'm going into year 13 and I'm currently on a B/A grade for biology (aqa) but I would like to solidify that A grade. Right now my revision consists of flashcards (mostly daily), past exam questions, blurting and watching videos on topics I don't understand. Is there anything else you'd advise I should be doing? Also, do you have any advice on tackling the maths questions in bio since I tend to lose marks on those questions.
Thank you in advance
Frankly I was quite similar to you like throughout year 12, I was on a solid A grade but I wanted to push for the A*. I recommend this youtube channel called biology exam tech as I feel not too many people used it and I found some of the advice on there quite helpful. Obviously, you should also use miss estruch (love her) in order to make sure you have a firm grasp on the content. Personally, I loved using flashcards and also making mindmaps. I also did most of the stuff which you are saying that you already do (especially blurting) but I think you could perhaps consider doing AS papers as you have finished year 12. I think A-level biology was the most difficult subject I did cause you need to be able to memorise a large amount of content as well as being able to apply it in application questions (the bane of my existence). Make sure you know the content inside out and before going into year 13, have a firm grasp over all of your AS content as a lot of year 13 builds on the basic ideas in year 12. When doing past exam questions, perhaps see if there is a pattern for which command words you lose marks to - for example "suggest" means that you may struggle more with application questions whereas "evaluate" could mean you struggle with data analysis questions and then you can go to Miss Estruch's website and she has freebies where exam questions are organised both by topic & type of question.
hope that helps!!
hope that helps!!
Thanks a lot for the advice
Received 11A* at GCSE.
Going to study medicine this September.
yo bro i saw u dm'ed me but the website isnt letting me reply cos my account isnt 3 days old yet lol so ill dm u when it is 👍️ also sick results man 👍️ 👍️ 👍️
Received 11A* at GCSE.
Going to study medicine this September.
Congratulations those are amazing scores!
Would med unis care too much if I retook 3 of my GCSEs to get more 8/9s ?
Is taking an EPQ a lot of effort and time ?
How did you effectively revise for bio and chem ?
Would med unis care too much if I retook 3 of my GCSEs to get more 8/9s ?
Is taking an EPQ a lot of effort and time ?
How did you effectively revise for bio and chem ?
1.
Not 100% sure on the first question but I think there are a lot of med unis that only look at like your top 8 gcses or they only care about if you passed / got a grade 6 in maths and English. I would not recommend resitting GCSEs during college as this would take away time from your A-levels which is the main priority as college / 6th form is a huge step up from GCSEs.
2.
I think you can complete most of the work for your EPQ before A-levels begin to get stressful so I would not say that it takes away too much time from your A-level revision provided you do not leave everything until the last minute.
3.
Most important thing was as we learnt the content, I made sure that I had complete understanding of it and if not, I would take necessary measures in order to do so - such as watching youtube videos. That way, by exam season, I was mainly focused on doing exam questions & past papers in order to improve my exam technique.
I’m going into Year 12 this year to study Bio, Chem and Maths (all OCR) and I have a few questions, if you don’t mind answering:
1. What can I do now to help prepare me for my new courses?
2. How do you recommend studying? For example, would you recommend making resources (flash cards) after finishing a topic in class or would you just make them lesson by lesson? And what would your study routine look like, for example after a lesson of Biology? I have no clue as to how I should go about this… 🥲
3. How did you ensure that you had all the necessary content covered?
4. If you did further academic reading, how did you approach this and what were your go-to resources?
Thank you!
Received 11A* at GCSE.
Going to study medicine this September.
What goals do you have for your time at university?
I’m going into Year 12 this year to study Bio, Chem and Maths (all OCR) and I have a few questions, if you don’t mind answering:
1. What can I do now to help prepare me for my new courses?
2. How do you recommend studying? For example, would you recommend making resources (flash cards) after finishing a topic in class or would you just make them lesson by lesson? And what would your study routine look like, for example after a lesson of Biology? I have no clue as to how I should go about this… 🥲
3. How did you ensure that you had all the necessary content covered?
4. If you did further academic reading, how did you approach this and what were your go-to resources?
Thank you!
1.
I would personally say enjoy your summer and perhaps the last few days before you are about to begin year 12, you could go over content that might be covered in the first few lessons (either through YouTube or if you have been given access to any textbooks). Would also recommend that you get some large lever arch files to store your notes in (unless you are planning to have notes digitally such as on an ipad / laptop).
2.
I loved making flashcards as we went through the content because I did not want it all to pile up. So after each lesson, I would consolidate what we had learnt if there was some gaps in my understanding - usually by watching youtube videos. And I would then use the specification as well as the notes made in class to create flashcards. In year 12 & 13, you get given study periods which I usually used to get any work done and this was when I could consolidate what I had learnt perhaps in a lesson earlier on in the day. In terms of study routine, I did not study a huge amount unless we had assessments coming up but obviously I would try and get 1-2 hours done everyday after school (would increase if there was an assessment approaching).
3.
I used the specification and what it outlined to ensure that there was no gaps in my knowledge as well as also looking at past paper questions to see if I could understand how best to go about answering it or if I was missing some content.
4.
I am a huge advocate for future learn however my one issue is that some courses have a time period for how long you can access them. I did a few courses on there which I included in my personal statement (as well as doing them for personal interest). In some cases, further academic reading also helped with understanding ideas in some of my subjects (especially true for biology).
Hope this helped!!
I would live to "survive" medical school. That would be quite ideal but I also want to be part of some academic work beyond simply learning lectures and sitting assessments such as research projects in an area of medicine that may interest me - I have an interest currently in oncology but would be willing to undertake research in any field of medicine to gain further insight.
Hopefully you’ll do more than survive. University is a fantastic time, hopefully you’ll have time to pursue some medical research opportunities as well as explore hobbies and all sorts of other defining opportunities.
Best of luck
1.
I would personally say enjoy your summer and perhaps the last few days before you are about to begin year 12, you could go over content that might be covered in the first few lessons (either through YouTube or if you have been given access to any textbooks). Would also recommend that you get some large lever arch files to store your notes in (unless you are planning to have notes digitally such as on an ipad / laptop).
2.
I loved making flashcards as we went through the content because I did not want it all to pile up. So after each lesson, I would consolidate what we had learnt if there was some gaps in my understanding - usually by watching youtube videos. And I would then use the specification as well as the notes made in class to create flashcards. In year 12 & 13, you get given study periods which I usually used to get any work done and this was when I could consolidate what I had learnt perhaps in a lesson earlier on in the day. In terms of study routine, I did not study a huge amount unless we had assessments coming up but obviously I would try and get 1-2 hours done everyday after school (would increase if there was an assessment approaching).
3.
I used the specification and what it outlined to ensure that there was no gaps in my knowledge as well as also looking at past paper questions to see if I could understand how best to go about answering it or if I was missing some content.
4.
I am a huge advocate for future learn however my one issue is that some courses have a time period for how long you can access them. I did a few courses on there which I included in my personal statement (as well as doing them for personal interest). In some cases, further academic reading also helped with understanding ideas in some of my subjects (especially true for biology).
Hope this helped!!
Thank you so much! Your advice was really helpful - I’ll make sure to incorporate your tips! 😊
Received 11A* at GCSE.
Going to study medicine this September.
well done🎉 i’m just starting yr 12. do u have any tips on maths to get an A?
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