Students that do A-level biology, chemistry or psychology..

These are my A-levels I have picked for September 2025, I'd like to ask students that are currently studying these subjects how you find them? Would you recommend pre-reading some content in my summer break? I want to do good as I aspire to go down the scientific route.
Thanks guys.

These are my A-levels I have picked for September 2025, I'd like to ask students that are currently studying these subjects how you find them? Would you recommend pre-reading some content in my summer break? I want to do good as I aspire to go down the scientific route.
Thanks guys.

These are my A-levels I have picked for September 2025, I'd like to ask students that are currently studying these subjects how you find them? Would you recommend pre-reading some content in my summer break? I want to do good as I aspire to go down the scientific route.
Thanks guys.

I do Biology and it’s my favourite subject! There’s a lot of content to get through but it’s manageable as long as you study as you go (i use many flashcards). The exam questions aren’t too bad but some of the mark scheme points can be quite specific or seem slightly unusual. The processes aren’t too difficult to learn or understand. We get a lot of homework but that’ll vary between schools. Over the summer i used the CGP headstart books which are really useful. If you do combined then definitely catch up on the triple content. Let me know if you have any specific questions 🙂

Hi there,
I did chemistry and psychology at A Level and also studied psychology at uni so am happy to share some tips 🙂
I absolutely loved both subjects at A Level! However I'm afraid I cannot speak for Biology as I did not do it.
Chemistry: There is a lot of technical content in this subject. I would 100% recommend making sure you are fully up to date with your understanding of the class material so it does not end up overwhelming you. Keep clear, full notes, use diagrams, do practice questions and make flashcards out of the markschemes, and don't leave your lessons with unanswered questions. Use your teachers, use your class textbooks and use YouTube.
Psychology: If you are interested in this, then you will be more motivated by it! I do not think reading in the summer is necessary but if you are interested, I read Ruby Wax's 'Sane New World' and took a look at the webpages on Simply Psychology, particularly on Freud, Milgram, Piaget and Vygotsky as these are responsible for some of the fundamental research in psychology and are also really interesting 🙂. I would recommend again, keeping up with material as you go along, keeping your notes clear and organised, and making sure you can understand not only what each study you look at did, but what it contributed to wider research and our understanding, and also what it did not provide evidence for or any criticisms of it (your teacher will guide you on this).
I hope some of this helps - best of luck this year!
Holly
University of Bath

Thanks so much for your advice! I really appreciate you recommending the headstart books, i’ll definitely invest in those.

I'd argue you'd be better off just reading free resources like on youtube or buying the textbook for your course

Have you used the headstart books? I think theyre a really good way to introduce some new stuff but with a focus on bridging the gap between gcse and a level. I used them for physics and biology before the start of year 12 and found them very helpful- what youre suggesting would have left me overwhelmed and with little motivation (getting to the end of the books was a target for the summer)

im in uni now, year 12 content is quite similar to gcses and is straightfoward compared to year 13, so focusing on that in summer can only help you imo. even just doing one chapter would put you ahead of other students

Have you used the headstart books? I think theyre a really good way to introduce some new stuff but with a focus on bridging the gap between gcse and a level. I used them for physics and biology before the start of year 12 and found them very helpful- what youre suggesting would have left me overwhelmed and with little motivation (getting to the end of the books was a target for the summer)

Thank you so much for this reply!
On the topic of chemistry - I just wanted to ask which youtube pages you would recommend?
And for psychology - I really am glad you recommended some books, I am really fond of reading, especially about psychology. I will definitely keep your advice about the studies in mind as it is a great way to evaluate studies.