The Student Room Group

do i have enough time to get a decent grade in a-level chemistry?

my half term just started and i'm making notes from scratch for chemistry (and also finishing up notes for my other 2 subjects).

if i finish making all of my notes for my subjects by the start of april and then just do past paper questions until may when my as-exams start will i be fine? i'm not looking for straight a's or anything but would it still be possible to get at least BBB/BCC??
(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

Original post
by user122963
my half term just started and i'm making notes from scratch for chemistry (and also finishing up notes for my other 2 subjects).
if i finish making all of my notes for my subjects by the start of april and then just do past paper questions until may when my as-exams start will i be fine? i'm not looking for straight a's or anything but would it still be possible to get at least BBB/BCC??

Personally i think making notes can be a waste of time because you're just writing what you hear and not truly understanding what your being taught. To improve in a subject especially for a level chem its better to start practicing questions right away. Attempt an exam paper, even if you don't feel confident, identify the topics you struggled with, then use YouTube and the mark schemes for help. A week later, try the same paper again to check your progress. This method allows you to start exam practice earlier and complete more papers before June. Also for Organic chem memorise the synthesis map it will save you in the exam!

Reply 2

if you do aqa chemistry, just use the detailed and essential notes on pmt instead of making ur own

Reply 3

Chemrevise has really good notes, you shouldn't waste time making your own. I started to improve so much more once I started doing daily exam question practice. Use the questions by topic on pmt.

Reply 4

Original post
by Iqster
if you do aqa chemistry, just use the detailed and essential notes on pmt instead of making ur own

unfortunately i do wjec, the pmt notes are good but they left out half of the spec points for me lol

Reply 5

Original post
by alzmsd7
Personally i think making notes can be a waste of time because you're just writing what you hear and not truly understanding what your being taught. To improve in a subject especially for a level chem its better to start practicing questions right away. Attempt an exam paper, even if you don't feel confident, identify the topics you struggled with, then use YouTube and the mark schemes for help. A week later, try the same paper again to check your progress. This method allows you to start exam practice earlier and complete more papers before June. Also for Organic chem memorise the synthesis map it will save you in the exam!

ik making notes isnt the most efficient way but i literally know nothing, i have to start from somewhere ig. im planning on doing questions after making notes on each topic tho and im gonna start doing past papers for chem every other day when it gets to april

Reply 6

Original post
by Kaybae05
Chemrevise has really good notes, you shouldn't waste time making your own. I started to improve so much more once I started doing daily exam question practice. Use the questions by topic on pmt.

doesnt cover all the spec points for wjec unfortunately :frown:

Reply 7

Original post
by user122963
doesnt cover all the spec points for wjec unfortunately :frown:

How about using Uplearn to strengthen knowledge. Check if your school has a bursary for it or if you are eligible for free school meals you can get the Uplearn scholarship. There are other ways to be eligible for Uplearn like being part of a school that is part of the Elephant Group so just check it out. Now Uplearn is not perfect but it does help with revision to plug in gaps in your knowledge. You can check your specification for overlaps with AQA because Uplearn is based on AQA.

Quick Reply

How The Student Room is moderated

To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.