OCR A-level Chemistry A Paper 1 - 10th June 2025 [Exam Chat]

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this might be a stupid question but does anyone got tips for not making silly mistakes? 😭 i’m always getting around 75% in papers which is a strong B but just below an A which is what I need for uni 😢

Reply 65

molly22562

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Original post by sxmqur10

this might be a stupid question but does anyone got tips for not making silly mistakes? 😭 i’m always getting around 75% in papers which is a strong B but just below an A which is what I need for uni 😢

what type of silly mistakes do you make?

Reply 66

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Original post by molly22562

what type of silly mistakes do you make?

like reading questions wrong/skim reading cuz i’m scared of time and rushing calculations 😭 defintions im mostly okay with, sometimes with application questions i overthink too much

Reply 67

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Original post by sxmqur10

like reading questions wrong/skim reading cuz i’m scared of time and rushing calculations 😭 defintions im mostly okay with, sometimes with application questions i overthink too much

Have you thought of highlighting important parts of the question? As for calculations, write down everything in chronological order, think about whether your calculations answers make sense and take as much space on the paper as you need (i.e. don't cram everything in a small amount of space)

Reply 68

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Original post by 5hyl33n

Have you thought of highlighting important parts of the question? As for calculations, write down everything in chronological order, think about whether your calculations answers make sense and take as much space on the paper as you need (i.e. don't cram everything in a small amount of space)

thank u so much 😭 i usually don’t highlight because i’m rushing but i think i’ll start doing it so i don’t miss out parts of the question

Reply 69

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Original post by sxmqur10

thank u so much 😭 i usually don’t highlight because i’m rushing but i think i’ll start doing it so i don’t miss out parts of the question

Out of curiosity, do you rush in an exam because you do run out of time or because you think you will run out of time?

Reply 70

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Original post by 5hyl33n

Out of curiosity, do you rush in an exam because you do run out of time or because you think you will run out of time?

funny you ask that! because i never actually run out of time i just think i will for some reason 😅🤣

Reply 71

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Original post by sxmqur10

funny you ask that! because i never actually run out of time i just think i will for some reason 😅🤣

Haha, well that’s definitely better than running out of time!

You could either:
1. Spend more time on the longer, wordier questions as you go.
2. Stick with your current approach and use the extra time at the end to carefully review everything.

But be sure to use a highlighter either way.

Good luck for your exam. You'll do amazing. And let us know if you have any other questions. :yep:

Reply 72

incidental-ruse

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I was exactly the same, rushing all my questions and finishing with 30 mins to spare. Just take ur time! There’s a reason they give us 2hrs 15 so make sure to not be afraid to take your time on the harder questions as you can also save time on easier questions and some
Mcq’s

Reply 73

Jjjjas

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Does anyone have any tips on getting to a b it ranges from d-high c but i need to get up to at least a B in chem and time’s running out

Reply 74

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Original post by Jjjjas

Does anyone have any tips on getting to a b it ranges from d-high c but i need to get up to at least a B in chem and time’s running out

Where do you find yourself losing marks?

Reply 75

Martinator331q

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Original post by 5hyl33n

Where do you find yourself losing marks?

Probs the questions

Reply 76

molly22562

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Original post by sxmqur10

like reading questions wrong/skim reading cuz i’m scared of time and rushing calculations 😭 defintions im mostly okay with, sometimes with application questions i overthink too much

Highlighting is what works the best for me

Reply 77