Preparation for year 13

12

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

Reply 1

nwar

Study Forum Helper

14

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

Revise as you go!! If there’s a topic you’re not 100% sure on, deal with it now instead of thinking you’ll deal with it later. Work piles quickly in Y13 and I never got round to dealing with topics I was “a little bit unsure of” in Y12 because content for my subjects got a lot harder in Y13.

If you’re planning on applying to uni, finish as much of your UCAS application as you can in the summer, regardless of whether you’re an early applicant or not. When you go back to school in September, you can focus on school and the new content instead of UCAS. Same goes for December and January, when you’ll probably have mocks. You can make changes to it and add finishing touches in Y13, but having most of it done is a massive relief. Don’t be one of those people writing their personal statements two hours before the deadline — it’s your own future at stake.

Enjoy your time! It goes by very quickly. Best of luck for Y13 :smile:

Reply 2

Stupidwebsiegon

OP

12

Original post

by nwar

Revise as you go!! If there’s a topic you’re not 100% sure on, deal with it now instead of thinking you’ll deal with it later. Work piles quickly in Y13 and I never got round to dealing with topics I was “a little bit unsure of” in Y12 because content for my subjects got a lot harder in Y13.
If you’re planning on applying to uni, finish as much of your UCAS application as you can in the summer, regardless of whether you’re an early applicant or not. When you go back to school in September, you can focus on school and the new content instead of UCAS. Same goes for December and January, when you’ll probably have mocks. You can make changes to it and add finishing touches in Y13, but having most of it done is a massive relief. Don’t be one of those people writing their personal statements two hours before the deadline — it’s your own future at stake.
Enjoy your time! It goes by very quickly. Best of luck for Y13 :smile:

Thank you so much I appreciate it all

Reply 3

username7632895

9

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

I do biology and chemistry and for both these subjects generally, i would say making sure you've got all your revision resources made early on. Having flashcards for all the topics even if you haven't learnt the content will save you so much time for the mocks you'll sit next year and the real exams. Chemrevise is a really good website to use for getting reading made notes (for aqa and ocr).

Mentally, it's going to be a tough year but find ways to motivate yourself and don't overwork because burn out is very real. I also wouldn't compare yourself to others in your year especially when it comes to mock grades and university choices. It's really easy to but if anything it'll definitely impact your mental health in the long run and you want to be in a good headspace for the exams.

Reply 4

Stupidwebsiegon

OP

12

Original post

by 3rab

I do biology and chemistry and for both these subjects generally, i would say making sure you've got all your revision resources made early on. Having flashcards for all the topics even if you haven't learnt the content will save you so much time for the mocks you'll sit next year and the real exams. Chemrevise is a really good website to use for getting reading made notes (for aqa and ocr).
Mentally, it's going to be a tough year but find ways to motivate yourself and don't overwork because burn out is very real. I also wouldn't compare yourself to others in your year especially when it comes to mock grades and university choices. It's really easy to but if anything it'll definitely impact your mental health in the long run and you want to be in a good headspace for the exams.

Thank you very much, do you have any tips on what you did or wish u did during year 12 summer

Reply 5

username7632895

9

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Thank you very much, do you have any tips on what you did or wish u did during year 12 summer

you're welcome! for chemistry, i wish i focused on the maths skills that i wasn't confident on during the summer. you'll improve throughout the year but having that foundation is really important yk.

for biology, i wish i brushed up on the content (not fully revising all of it obviously) but just enough so that it was fresh in my mind because its so easy to keep active recall consistent especially with everything you need to remember. But to be honest, i didn't do much school work and just really enjoyed my summer.

Reply 6

Rosie.2222

5

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

I’d recommend to make flash cards or revision notes after each topic. Saves soooo much time in end of year 13 !

Reply 7

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

Hi there!

I did biology, chemistry and English lit. For the sciences, I would say the biggest thing you can do over summer is go through chemistry and biology year 12 content. Make sure you understand what was taught to you and start to memorize it. In year 13, start revising early. Build on top of your year 12 summer revision, this means that you will have less to revise around march/april/may for your A-level exams and feel a lot less stressed. My biggest lesson was to start early. It really helps you secure top grades.

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

Reply 8

klafow

14

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

if you have admissions tests study for those, but if not then make sure you properly understand your year 12 topics. in year 13 you hit the ground running with school and if you don't understand year 12 content it's easy to fall behind. if you haven't done all of the AS papers yet i'd space out the ones you have left to do over the summer.
also try and get a first draft of your personal statement done. it doesn't have to be polished to perfection, there'll be time for editing later, but you'll thank youself if you have something down on paper especially if you're october entry for ucas

Reply 9

LancashireRep5

Official Rep

9

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Is there anything year 13s wish they did in year 12 to prepare better and be less stressed, I'm done with my year 12 mocks and have a few topic tests probably but nothing crazy so I'm just wondering is theres anything I should be doing now so that year 13 isn't as hellish as it could be. I do chemistry, biology and philosophy btw

Hey there,

My name is Siobhan and I'm a third-year student at the University of Central Lancashire. This is a great question and it's great to see that you're taking the initiative and being proactive in this!

I did Chemistry and Biology A-level so I can understand the stress that comes with that, and from what I know, philosophy can be quite full on too. So, here are some tips and tricks that I would recommend:

Keep all your year 12 info and learning organised and easy to find: I used binders to help sort out my subjects into categories and colour coordinated this so that when i needed to look back over something specific then I could easily find it and jog my memory.
Make revision tools when you have spare time: Whilst all the year 12 info is still fresh in your mind, I would make mind maps or flashcards when you have time. If you do this now in a strategic way then you’ll be prepared when exam season comes, which gives you more time for revision rather than planning! If you don’t have time then I would always see what is available online and save this somewhere, such as Quizlet flashcards. Make sure it's the right exam board and topic though.
Try and get into habits of revision as soon as possible: Time will fly by in these next few months with UCAS applications, step up in learning and so on. So, if you can, I would try and fit a day a week or a set time during the day to dedicate revision time and do flash cards or past papers so that you can get familiar with being in that mode. It might take some adjusting at first, but it will help you feel less overwhelmed later.

Make sure you are taking breaks and prioritising your health over everything else though! It sounds like you’re on the right track 😊

Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck

Siobhan (Student Ambassador for the University of Central Lancashire)

Reply 10

Stupidwebsiegon

OP

12

Original post

by klafow

if you have admissions tests study for those, but if not then make sure you properly understand your year 12 topics. in year 13 you hit the ground running with school and if you don't understand year 12 content it's easy to fall behind. if you haven't done all of the AS papers yet i'd space out the ones you have left to do over the summer.
also try and get a first draft of your personal statement done. it doesn't have to be polished to perfection, there'll be time for editing later, but you'll thank youself if you have something down on paper especially if you're october entry for ucas

Should you be preparing for your interviews now or later like at the start of year 13

Reply 11

Stupidwebsiegon

OP

12

Original post

by UCLan_Siobhan

Hey there,

My name is Siobhan and I'm a third-year student at the University of Central Lancashire. This is a great question and it's great to see that you're taking the initiative and being proactive in this!
I did Chemistry and Biology A-level so I can understand the stress that comes with that, and from what I know, philosophy can be quite full on too. So, here are some tips and tricks that I would recommend:
Keep all your year 12 info and learning organised and easy to find: I used binders to help sort out my subjects into categories and colour coordinated this so that when i needed to look back over something specific then I could easily find it and jog my memory.
Make revision tools when you have spare time: Whilst all the year 12 info is still fresh in your mind, I would make mind maps or flashcards when you have time. If you do this now in a strategic way then you’ll be prepared when exam season comes, which gives you more time for revision rather than planning! If you don’t have time then I would always see what is available online and save this somewhere, such as Quizlet flashcards. Make sure it's the right exam board and topic though.
Try and get into habits of revision as soon as possible: Time will fly by in these next few months with UCAS applications, step up in learning and so on. So, if you can, I would try and fit a day a week or a set time during the day to dedicate revision time and do flash cards or past papers so that you can get familiar with being in that mode. It might take some adjusting at first, but it will help you feel less overwhelmed later.
Make sure you are taking breaks and prioritising your health over everything else though! It sounds like you’re on the right track 😊
Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck
Siobhan (Student Ambassador for the University of Central Lancashire)

Thank you very much I appreciate it all

Reply 12

pspspsp

13

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Should you be preparing for your interviews now or later like at the start of year 13

start intwerview prep way after, probs in like end of november/start of december for med and dent as interviews are held december onwards, depending on the uni. focus on a levels until then

Reply 13

klafow

14

Original post

by Stupidwebsiegon

Should you be preparing for your interviews now or later like at the start of year 13

definitely later! i had four med interviews and started prep in november yr 13, i’d say that was definitely a good time to start.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 14

oriio

14

Hiii, I was wondering if anyone was still around to give advice on balancing essay competitions, writing an EPQ, personal statement and revision? Thank you!!

Preparation for year 13

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated