Any revision advice for biology, psychology, english lit
I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
Reply 1
Get help from your teachers - that’s what they are there for!
Regularly go to any extra revision sessions or clinics if they run them. After school, pick a topic you find hard and ask them for specific advice on the parts you don’t understand and ask for resources that will help you learn and practice those parts. Then do them. Show your work to your teacher and ask for more advice on what you have done and what you could do next. Use their help. Ask questions and get their help during lessons too. This is your learning and your A-levels, so push yourself to get the support you need. Ask and learn. Ask and learn. Ask and learn. Don’t be shy!
Past-paper questions are excellent and really trying to understand the mark scheme is invaluable - you need to be able to use the vocabulary and structure that the examiners need to see, to be able to give you points, so past papers and mark schemes are your best friend.
Make a revision product while (or as soon as you have finished) studying a topic, so it is fresh in your mind. Then file and store that product in an organised manner so you can access it again sporadically to review, and before exams. Products like mind maps, summarising, online or physical flash cards etc. Good luck
Regularly go to any extra revision sessions or clinics if they run them. After school, pick a topic you find hard and ask them for specific advice on the parts you don’t understand and ask for resources that will help you learn and practice those parts. Then do them. Show your work to your teacher and ask for more advice on what you have done and what you could do next. Use their help. Ask questions and get their help during lessons too. This is your learning and your A-levels, so push yourself to get the support you need. Ask and learn. Ask and learn. Ask and learn. Don’t be shy!
Past-paper questions are excellent and really trying to understand the mark scheme is invaluable - you need to be able to use the vocabulary and structure that the examiners need to see, to be able to give you points, so past papers and mark schemes are your best friend.
Make a revision product while (or as soon as you have finished) studying a topic, so it is fresh in your mind. Then file and store that product in an organised manner so you can access it again sporadically to review, and before exams. Products like mind maps, summarising, online or physical flash cards etc. Good luck
@always-anxious is in year 13 and has taken psychology and biology at A levels, @DerDracologe is in year 12 and has taken biology at A levels. They are certainly a good help for you.
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 3
ava223.5
OP
9
Original post
by Kallisto@always-anxious is in year 13 and has taken psychology and biology at A levels, @DerDracologe is in year 12 and has taken bioöogy at A levels. They are certainly a good help for you.
Thank you!! This is v helpful
Original post
by ava223.5Thank you!! This is v helpful
You are welcome. Maybe they give a reply here. You can also ask them questions in their gyg threads. I can tag you there, if you like.
Reply 5
ava223.5
OP
9
Original post
by KallistoYou are welcome. Maybe they give a reply here. You can also ask them questions in their gyg threads. I can tag you there, if you like.
yes could you tag me in their threads please? thank you
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
Hello, I study biology and psychology so I could give some advice
(for context I do aqa for both)To revise you should be doing active recall as this makes sure you remember the content. This can involve flashcards, mindmaps, blurting etc. I prefer blurting because it ensures you're focussing on the content you're struggling by writing down anything you forget in a different colour. I also use flashcards often as well- I prefer digital flashcards because both psych and bio are content heavy so it's useful to have the flashcards all in one place.
In terms of understanding content, I use YouTube videos to go over anything I haven't understood in class. For biology I recommend Miss Estruch Biology on Youtube- how I use these videos is I watch the video and then after the video I try to write as much as I can remember from it and then rewatch it and add anything I missed in another colour. If there's a process I don't understand (e.g. co-transport) I draw my own diagram of how it works which helps the process stick in my head.
With both psych and bio, make sure you're doing plenty of exam questions because the more questions you do the more you'll be prepared for the exams. Especially with biology because the mark schemes can be tricky so you'd want to do as many questions as you can to fully understand what you need to do to get the marks.
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'd be happy to answer the best I can
Reply 7
ava223.5
OP
9
Original post
by always-anxiousHello, I study biology and psychology so I could give some advice (for context I do aqa for both)
To revise you should be doing active recall as this makes sure you remember the content. This can involve flashcards, mindmaps, blurting etc. I prefer blurting because it ensures you're focussing on the content you're struggling by writing down anything you forget in a different colour. I also use flashcards often as well- I prefer digital flashcards because both psych and bio are content heavy so it's useful to have the flashcards all in one place.
In terms of understanding content, I use YouTube videos to go over anything I haven't understood in class. For biology I recommend Miss Estruch Biology on Youtube- how I use these videos is I watch the video and then after the video I try to write as much as I can remember from it and then rewatch it and add anything I missed in another colour. If there's a process I don't understand (e.g. co-transport) I draw my own diagram of how it works which helps the process stick in my head.
With both psych and bio, make sure you're doing plenty of exam questions because the more questions you do the more you'll be prepared for the exams. Especially with biology because the mark schemes can be tricky so you'd want to do as many questions as you can to fully understand what you need to do to get the marks.
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'd be happy to answer the best I can
(for context I do aqa for both)To revise you should be doing active recall as this makes sure you remember the content. This can involve flashcards, mindmaps, blurting etc. I prefer blurting because it ensures you're focussing on the content you're struggling by writing down anything you forget in a different colour. I also use flashcards often as well- I prefer digital flashcards because both psych and bio are content heavy so it's useful to have the flashcards all in one place.
In terms of understanding content, I use YouTube videos to go over anything I haven't understood in class. For biology I recommend Miss Estruch Biology on Youtube- how I use these videos is I watch the video and then after the video I try to write as much as I can remember from it and then rewatch it and add anything I missed in another colour. If there's a process I don't understand (e.g. co-transport) I draw my own diagram of how it works which helps the process stick in my head.
With both psych and bio, make sure you're doing plenty of exam questions because the more questions you do the more you'll be prepared for the exams. Especially with biology because the mark schemes can be tricky so you'd want to do as many questions as you can to fully understand what you need to do to get the marks.
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'd be happy to answer the best I can
Thank u sm!!
Reply 8
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
My main ways of revising atm are flashcards and blurting.
The flashcards ive been studying are on studysmarter (i made them from my class notes but platforms like quizlet, anki and studysmarter have loads of pre-made sets!) and it uses spaced repetition so i study about 40 cards per day every day. If i have a test i use flashcards to quickly review memory content and also to generate quizzes which i can use.
With blurting i blurt on a topic and then refer to my notes to add. Ive been making notes since the start of year 12 and do find it helpful to have everything i need in one place written in a way i understand without having either too little info like CGP books or too much like the oxford textbook i have! Once ive added any extra info to the blurt i either do another blurt and/or i add mistakes to a blooket ive made on that module and review that.
I do textbook and exam style questions too but generally those are for homework so i dont focus on them that much but if you struggle with exam tech its a must. I use the ones of out my CGP revision guide, oxford textbook and off of Cognito.
Btw if you need to review a topic quickly then i recommend Seneca. If you want something a bit more fun then blooket or kahoot can be good 🙂
Reply 9
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
Hii I’m also in year 12 and studying biology (but Edexcel). A-level and gcse biology are very closely related so I think it’s important for you to have a strong foundation of your biology igcse knowledge. Definitely use revision recourses like SaveMyExam but rewrite the information into your own words (to save time, use your existing notes and further annotate them with the new information).
Hope this helps. Thank you
Reply 10
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
For psych I would definitely recommend practice essays, flash cards and making essay plans. As long as you know what to include in your essay you're golden. And for English lit it about the same, just keep doing essays and make flashcards of quotes and context, make pages of critical readings and anything else you feel like you need to work on. But overall just do what you think works best for you.
Reply 11
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
I would try learn A01 off by heart and try to make smaller bullet points for A03 so you are not trying to chunk learning paragraphs. This is what really helped me, hope this helps and good luck!
Reply 12
Original post
by Lister12I would try learn A01 off by heart and try to make smaller bullet points for A03 so you are not trying to chunk learning paragraphs. This is what really helped me, hope this helps and good luck!
This is for psychology
Reply 13
11
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
Hi, I study AQA biology, literature and law.
I agree with everyone else saying blurting, exam papers and videos help revise for biology. Sometimes I will just write an answer to a 6 marker for each little thing to make sure I have all the knowledge for it.
Literature approach can also be very similar: blurting, exam questions, essay planning, PMT, Quizlet (for critics and analysis). Reading around your texts is really helpful, but not so much you go overboard and neglect your set texts. I've read about 50-60 books towards my lit A level in the last year; I can tell you, you don't need to read so many. You want to have the general understanding of typicality and how authors explore themes (for me classical love texts were really good for paper 1 (I do Love through the Ages) and dystopia for paper 2 (I do modern times 2B).
Reply 14
ava223.5
OP
9
Original post
by Gabi26Hi, I study AQA biology, literature and law.
I agree with everyone else saying blurting, exam papers and videos help revise for biology. Sometimes I will just write an answer to a 6 marker for each little thing to make sure I have all the knowledge for it.
Literature approach can also be very similar: blurting, exam questions, essay planning, PMT, Quizlet (for critics and analysis). Reading around your texts is really helpful, but not so much you go overboard and neglect your set texts. I've read about 50-60 books towards my lit A level in the last year; I can tell you, you don't need to read so many. You want to have the general understanding of typicality and how authors explore themes (for me classical love texts were really good for paper 1 (I do Love through the Ages) and dystopia for paper 2 (I do modern times 2B).
I agree with everyone else saying blurting, exam papers and videos help revise for biology. Sometimes I will just write an answer to a 6 marker for each little thing to make sure I have all the knowledge for it.
Literature approach can also be very similar: blurting, exam questions, essay planning, PMT, Quizlet (for critics and analysis). Reading around your texts is really helpful, but not so much you go overboard and neglect your set texts. I've read about 50-60 books towards my lit A level in the last year; I can tell you, you don't need to read so many. You want to have the general understanding of typicality and how authors explore themes (for me classical love texts were really good for paper 1 (I do Love through the Ages) and dystopia for paper 2 (I do modern times 2B).
Thank you so much!
Reply 15
Original post
by ava223.5I’m in year 12 studying aqa biology, english lit and ocr psychology and i need study tips for biology in particular. I’m currently working at a D and i need at least a B for any of the courses i want to study at uni. If anybody has any tips, advice, notes or anything worth sharing i would be so so grateful if you would share. Thank you!!!
Hey! Here are some tips to help I found help me before exams:
Firstly, I used the app Flora which really motivated me, its a great tool to use to motivate you and track your tasks!
•Focus on the tough stuff first: Pick the subjects or topics you're struggling with the most and tackle those first. It’ll give you a confidence boost once you get them out of the way.
•Do past exam papers: They’re a goldmine! You’ll get used to the format and find out what kind of questions come up often
.•Active recall > passive reading: Instead of just reading notes, quiz yourself. Try to recall the info from memory – it helps lock it in way better. Plus this is way more fun!
•Study with friends: If you can, get together with classmates or friends. Explaining things to others helps reinforce your own understanding.
•Ask for help if you’re stuck: Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers or tutors for clarification. Most universities (like Bournemouth Uni!) offer extra support, whether it’s workshops, office hours, or online resources.
•Stay organized: Keep your notes tidy and create a study plan. It’ll help you stay on track and avoid last-minute panic.
•Look after yourself: Sleep, eat well, and take breaks. If you’re well-rested, your brain will work way better. Don’t burn yourself out!
•Stay positive: It’s all about mindset. Take things one step at a time, and celebrate the small wins. You’ve got this!And hey, if you're ever thinking about uni down the line, Bournemouth University has a ton of great support systems in place to help students succeed – just saying! 🤭
Good luck, and go smash those exams!
Reply 16
ava223.5
OP
9
Original post
by kellyBUHey! Here are some tips to help I found help me before exams:
Firstly, I used the app Flora which really motivated me, its a great tool to use to motivate you and track your tasks!
•Focus on the tough stuff first: Pick the subjects or topics you're struggling with the most and tackle those first. It’ll give you a confidence boost once you get them out of the way.
•Do past exam papers: They’re a goldmine! You’ll get used to the format and find out what kind of questions come up often
.•Active recall > passive reading: Instead of just reading notes, quiz yourself. Try to recall the info from memory – it helps lock it in way better. Plus this is way more fun!
•Study with friends: If you can, get together with classmates or friends. Explaining things to others helps reinforce your own understanding.
•Ask for help if you’re stuck: Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers or tutors for clarification. Most universities (like Bournemouth Uni!) offer extra support, whether it’s workshops, office hours, or online resources.
•Stay organized: Keep your notes tidy and create a study plan. It’ll help you stay on track and avoid last-minute panic.
•Look after yourself: Sleep, eat well, and take breaks. If you’re well-rested, your brain will work way better. Don’t burn yourself out!
•Stay positive: It’s all about mindset. Take things one step at a time, and celebrate the small wins. You’ve got this!And hey, if you're ever thinking about uni down the line, Bournemouth University has a ton of great support systems in place to help students succeed – just saying! 🤭
Good luck, and go smash those exams!
Firstly, I used the app Flora which really motivated me, its a great tool to use to motivate you and track your tasks!
•Focus on the tough stuff first: Pick the subjects or topics you're struggling with the most and tackle those first. It’ll give you a confidence boost once you get them out of the way.
•Do past exam papers: They’re a goldmine! You’ll get used to the format and find out what kind of questions come up often
.•Active recall > passive reading: Instead of just reading notes, quiz yourself. Try to recall the info from memory – it helps lock it in way better. Plus this is way more fun!
•Study with friends: If you can, get together with classmates or friends. Explaining things to others helps reinforce your own understanding.
•Ask for help if you’re stuck: Don’t be afraid to ask your teachers or tutors for clarification. Most universities (like Bournemouth Uni!) offer extra support, whether it’s workshops, office hours, or online resources.
•Stay organized: Keep your notes tidy and create a study plan. It’ll help you stay on track and avoid last-minute panic.
•Look after yourself: Sleep, eat well, and take breaks. If you’re well-rested, your brain will work way better. Don’t burn yourself out!
•Stay positive: It’s all about mindset. Take things one step at a time, and celebrate the small wins. You’ve got this!And hey, if you're ever thinking about uni down the line, Bournemouth University has a ton of great support systems in place to help students succeed – just saying! 🤭
Good luck, and go smash those exams!
Thank you this is very helpful!
Reply 17
Original post
by ava223.5Thank you this is very helpful!
Best of luck with everything!
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