The Student Room Group

Advice needed from A-level students

I just finished my exams and want to take Bio, chem and maths for a-level. As these are competitive a-level subjects I deffo think I should do some form of revision over the summer holidays like I have seen online that ofc a-level are obviously MUCH MORE challenging than a GCSEs, and I know I will have a lot of time to enjoy and also do some work.

Questions:
1) What should I do over the summer in terms of revision? (Please don't say nothing cuz I will enjoy too obvs not just revise)
2) How has a level maths/ bio/ chem been for u any tips or things to look out for?
3) Advice in general for a levels?
4) Should I take a part-time job I have seen a lot of year 11's wanting to do the same on reddit-> if so where?
5) What study techniques worked best for u in a levels, I know it varies between person to person, but I really wanna get an idea as difference in content from gcse to a level is deffo smth
6) Should I buy an IPAD-> I am considering this as I will be doing math and so a LOT of practice questions and not a bunch of sheet yk
7) Which textbooks or websites were most useful.
8) WHAT WOULD U DO DIFFERENTLY IF U COULD RETAKE UR A LEVELS?

Reply 1

Hi, I'm currently doing my A levels for Biology, Chemistry and Spanish
1) You may not like this advice, but frankly, try to do as little as possible during the Y11 holiday and enjoy yourself. This is your deserved time off after working so hard for the GCSE. If you want to do smth, maybe watch introductory vids ab the gap from y11 to y12 on Youtube if anything, but I wanna stress that this is a special time that you'll look back on so don't waste it.
2) Bio and chem (and math,s according to my friends say) are hell. The gap is crazy, but you eventually lock in with the flow of it. For the sciences tbh it starts off really easy, bc all its just new things added on the easiest topics, i.e you learn that there's like 5+ more structures in cells, and you start learning ab electron microscopes etc, chemistry again similar, you build on GCSE topic 1 knowledge, but then at some point, if you are not on top of your work, it all becomes a bit hectic to try to learn, so maybe plan ahead ig by revising just a little bit maybe an hour or 2 initially. Can't say much ab maths other than there are some topics that make my friends very, very sad.
3) As previously said, keep on top of ur work, your future self will be happy, as y13 content Is building on y12 content, so y12 content fs needs to be locked
4) TBH it is a good idea, get some money on the side, and it looks good for uni applications. If you aren't really interested in making money like that, do what I did and work like an hour or 2 on the weekend for a charity shop, also looks really good on uni application and less time working, I've had friends work hours for minimum wage and because of that did not do so well in class/mocks etc.
5) Because A-level content is so large, if you are a flashcard person, start from the first lesson, bc I'm not exaggerating when I say it is a LOT of content. I also find that teachers teach horribly/ don't teach what's on spec/ teach extra things on spec, so it's worthwhile either buying flashcards or making them. I used a lot of videos to help me, Miss Estruch for biology and Allery Chemistry for chemistry, feel free to explore them and other channels. The important thing is to do a lot of PPQs and question practice, which you can find on PMT and other websites, tbh. Don't just rewrite ur notes, make them effective by bullet pointing them, or blurting, etc. Idk what else there is tbh. ACTIVE RECALL is also great, the way u do it is by explaining a topic to ur family/pets like they're 5-year-olds.
6) I did consider getting an IPAD, but I didn't, idk why. I wrote on paper, and it was such a hassle trying to file them, so yeah, bring an iPad or a laptop, it helps with organisation a LOT.
7) CGP ofc is the goat, YouTube, Seneca, PMT, etc
8)TBH I might have to retake chem bc I'm doing so bad in it (hopefully I'm not but) I would fs just would understand the topics a lot more, do a lot more practice and not procrastinate until the day b4 the exams to revise.
9) Good luck with A-levels, and please don't stress rn, go enjoy ur holiday!

Reply 2

Original post by HManFr123
Hi, I'm currently doing my A levels for Biology, Chemistry and Spanish
1) You may not like this advice, but frankly, try to do as little as possible during the Y11 holiday and enjoy yourself. This is your deserved time off after working so hard for the GCSE. If you want to do smth, maybe watch introductory vids ab the gap from y11 to y12 on Youtube if anything, but I wanna stress that this is a special time that you'll look back on so don't waste it.
2) Bio and chem (and math,s according to my friends say) are hell. The gap is crazy, but you eventually lock in with the flow of it. For the sciences tbh it starts off really easy, bc all its just new things added on the easiest topics, i.e you learn that there's like 5+ more structures in cells, and you start learning ab electron microscopes etc, chemistry again similar, you build on GCSE topic 1 knowledge, but then at some point, if you are not on top of your work, it all becomes a bit hectic to try to learn, so maybe plan ahead ig by revising just a little bit maybe an hour or 2 initially. Can't say much ab maths other than there are some topics that make my friends very, very sad.
3) As previously said, keep on top of ur work, your future self will be happy, as y13 content Is building on y12 content, so y12 content fs needs to be locked
4) TBH it is a good idea, get some money on the side, and it looks good for uni applications. If you aren't really interested in making money like that, do what I did and work like an hour or 2 on the weekend for a charity shop, also looks really good on uni application and less time working, I've had friends work hours for minimum wage and because of that did not do so well in class/mocks etc.
5) Because A-level content is so large, if you are a flashcard person, start from the first lesson, bc I'm not exaggerating when I say it is a LOT of content. I also find that teachers teach horribly/ don't teach what's on spec/ teach extra things on spec, so it's worthwhile either buying flashcards or making them. I used a lot of videos to help me, Miss Estruch for biology and Allery Chemistry for chemistry, feel free to explore them and other channels. The important thing is to do a lot of PPQs and question practice, which you can find on PMT and other websites, tbh. Don't just rewrite ur notes, make them effective by bullet pointing them, or blurting, etc. Idk what else there is tbh. ACTIVE RECALL is also great, the way u do it is by explaining a topic to ur family/pets like they're 5-year-olds.
6) I did consider getting an IPAD, but I didn't, idk why. I wrote on paper, and it was such a hassle trying to file them, so yeah, bring an iPad or a laptop, it helps with organisation a LOT.
7) CGP ofc is the goat, YouTube, Seneca, PMT, etc
8)TBH I might have to retake chem bc I'm doing so bad in it (hopefully I'm not but) I would fs just would understand the topics a lot more, do a lot more practice and not procrastinate until the day b4 the exams to revise.
9) Good luck with A-levels, and please don't stress rn, go enjoy ur holiday!

TYSM, this really helped a lot u r a ⭐, I will deffo take ur advice especially when I start sixth form, and u r right I need the break ngl, but I was tbh just worried after literally cramming all of my gcses and realising how TIME IS SO LIMITED and so wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistake again. ANYWAYS TYSM 💞

Reply 3

hi im doing a levels in bio chem maths
1) like the other person said i think just do nothing, maybe if u rlly want u can look over ur gcse notes but thats it bcs they'll assume u are comfortable w gcse knowledge esp stem subjects which build on gcse knowledge
2) maths is generally just about practice, bio is generally memorising + spotting patterns and chem is a mix of both, i think bio is the easiest a level out of the ones i do just bcs it is memorisation and chem is the hardest because it requires u to know a lot of content but also understand it and be able to answer difficult qs
3) make ur revision resources as u go along i made all of them in februray/march and had to use some pre-made ones as well so would highly recommend that at the end of every week (or even every lesson if u prefer), make revision resources based on what u learnt, id recommend anki flashcards for bio and chem and summary sheets for maths with example questions
4) if u want to make extra money id say yea bcs its not recommended to do a job during y12/13 since u rlly have to pay a bit more attention
5) flashcards + practice questions. thats literally it, a lot of people say that u shouldn't do past papers too early bcs ur wasting them and while i do agree and that u shouldn't do past papers from the first week of y12 (obviously), id recommend u start doing them in y13 like one a week or something like that and gradually build it up, and remember u can redo papers and id recommend u do this because it helps build ur understanding. for me i mainly started revising properly in march so it was quite late, and what ive done was have an excel spreadsheet that has a past paper tracker + pmt topic questions tracker as well where i write down the subtopics im struggling in. pmt topic questions are really good as well but again dont start doing this immediately, maybe a few weeks/months into a levels but id say make flashcards from the start yea. also if u dont want to get an iPad, get a whiteboard its honestly helped me so much with doing questions + blurting
6) yes get an iPad, its honestly so useful for past papers and u will save a lot of money from printing and space too
7) chemistry: chemrevise for written chem notes, allerychemistry + easymodeexams + thechemistrytutor for videos (topics and also question walkthroughs) i think machemguy is good for ocr as well
biology: biologywitholivia notes are worth the money tbh, videos id recommend miss estruch if ur doing aqa and a level cookbook has some past paper walkthroughs which r really good
maths: bicenmaths and tlmaths on youtube r amazing honestly, if u have a topic ur struggling in id recommend watching them esp bicenmaths since he has a google drive with loads of stuff. my school gave us some maths platform called integral that has loads of questions on it so idk if ur school would give this but id recomemnd using it in y12 especially when ur first getting used to a levels
pmt is obviously good for questions, id recommend using examiners reports as well when u start doing past papers regularly in y13
i have the textbooks for bio and chem and honestly i dont rlly recommend them, they overload u with information that u dont even need
8) i would make my revision resources as i go along
good luck!!

Reply 4

Original post by 🌹Aumi🌹
I just finished my exams and want to take Bio, chem and maths for a-level. As these are competitive a-level subjects I deffo think I should do some form of revision over the summer holidays like I have seen online that ofc a-level are obviously MUCH MORE challenging than a GCSEs, and I know I will have a lot of time to enjoy and also do some work.
Questions:
1) What should I do over the summer in terms of revision? (Please don't say nothing cuz I will enjoy too obvs not just revise)
2) How has a level maths/ bio/ chem been for u any tips or things to look out for?
3) Advice in general for a levels?
4) Should I take a part-time job I have seen a lot of year 11's wanting to do the same on reddit-> if so where?
5) What study techniques worked best for u in a levels, I know it varies between person to person, but I really wanna get an idea as difference in content from gcse to a level is deffo smth
6) Should I buy an IPAD-> I am considering this as I will be doing math and so a LOT of practice questions and not a bunch of sheet yk
7) Which textbooks or websites were most useful.
8) WHAT WOULD U DO DIFFERENTLY IF U COULD RETAKE UR A LEVELS?

1) I'll be so honest theres no point enjoy your summer because the next stress free summer will be in 2 years if you want to do anything just get organised - order all the text books print the specs etc. The real preparation should start in year 12 not many people work consistently over the 2 years but if you're driven enough to start thinking about revising before they have even started im sure youll be on the ball as soon as September comes
2) I do bio and chem they've been fine - lots of content tip wise after every topic you do make notes and flashcards this was by the time youre exams come you have everything prepared, once you do a topic just go through some papers and pick 1 or 2 questions on that topic this allows you to test how well you understand and also gives you insight to mark scheme specifics which is vital for bio and chem if you have worded something in your notes that is worded much differently in the mark schemes amend your notes and learn the mark scheme version or at add in a different colour "paper ___ year ____ mark scheme"
3) I cannot emphasise this enough work consistently you do not want to have to cram at the end, a bit of study most days out of the week truly builds up again ensure you got your resources stacked I dont do maths but my friends making method sheets and past paper questions after you complete a topic seems to be what everyone does so do that
4) yes I started working in year 11 summer and absolutely loved it met people, filled time and a bit of money is always nice just try anything retail/hospitality see if your friends have jobs and if their place of work is hiring or go around your town and ask. Wouldn't recommend working during exam season but some people do and are fine.
5) if you start revising early like I recommend youll figure out what works for you if you've achieved highly at GCSE then maintain similar techniques just scale up personally Im very simple I make notes using textbooks class slides and mark scheme I then make flashcards and do active recall as well as past papers (I recommend saving a few past papers untouched until closer to your final exams) also making summary sheets helps closer to exam season - try videos, blurting etc etc until you know what you like and stick with it. I also recommend that before exam season in which you revise subjects in turn (e.g revising only bio 3 days before the bio exam) be varied dont stick to one subject a day I found that id get memory overload but again you might prefer doing one subject only each day. Whatever works for you the one thing everyone should do is practice especially for STEM.
6) I have a laptop and do all my practice on paper (sorry trees) if it'll be easier for you to keep it on an iPad then sure invest but remember you do exams on paper might be worth getting used to this
7) depends completely on the exam board - textbooks just get the most recent one the exam board has to offer generally speaking quizlet is good to make online flashcards (again I preferred paper but up to you) and maths DIY is good for old spec maths questions for practicing specific topics further away from exam season.
8) if im honest I worked consistently so I cant think of anything id do differently just remember to be kind to yourself and be realistic when you need a break. still do things you enjoy and also if ur planning on uni I would actually spend summer trying to do little things for a personal statement if you have a general idea of what you want to do however most people do this over year 12
Hope this helped im more then happy to answer any questions

Reply 5

Original post by imcr1122
hi im doing a levels in bio chem maths
1) like the other person said i think just do nothing, maybe if u rlly want u can look over ur gcse notes but thats it bcs they'll assume u are comfortable w gcse knowledge esp stem subjects which build on gcse knowledge
2) maths is generally just about practice, bio is generally memorising + spotting patterns and chem is a mix of both, i think bio is the easiest a level out of the ones i do just bcs it is memorisation and chem is the hardest because it requires u to know a lot of content but also understand it and be able to answer difficult qs
3) make ur revision resources as u go along i made all of them in februray/march and had to use some pre-made ones as well so would highly recommend that at the end of every week (or even every lesson if u prefer), make revision resources based on what u learnt, id recommend anki flashcards for bio and chem and summary sheets for maths with example questions
4) if u want to make extra money id say yea bcs its not recommended to do a job during y12/13 since u rlly have to pay a bit more attention
5) flashcards + practice questions. thats literally it, a lot of people say that u shouldn't do past papers too early bcs ur wasting them and while i do agree and that u shouldn't do past papers from the first week of y12 (obviously), id recommend u start doing them in y13 like one a week or something like that and gradually build it up, and remember u can redo papers and id recommend u do this because it helps build ur understanding. for me i mainly started revising properly in march so it was quite late, and what ive done was have an excel spreadsheet that has a past paper tracker + pmt topic questions tracker as well where i write down the subtopics im struggling in. pmt topic questions are really good as well but again dont start doing this immediately, maybe a few weeks/months into a levels but id say make flashcards from the start yea. also if u dont want to get an iPad, get a whiteboard its honestly helped me so much with doing questions + blurting
6) yes get an iPad, its honestly so useful for past papers and u will save a lot of money from printing and space too
7) chemistry: chemrevise for written chem notes, allerychemistry + easymodeexams + thechemistrytutor for videos (topics and also question walkthroughs) i think machemguy is good for ocr as well
biology: biologywitholivia notes are worth the money tbh, videos id recommend miss estruch if ur doing aqa and a level cookbook has some past paper walkthroughs which r really good
maths: bicenmaths and tlmaths on youtube r amazing honestly, if u have a topic ur struggling in id recommend watching them esp bicenmaths since he has a google drive with loads of stuff. my school gave us some maths platform called integral that has loads of questions on it so idk if ur school would give this but id recomemnd using it in y12 especially when ur first getting used to a levels
pmt is obviously good for questions, id recommend using examiners reports as well when u start doing past papers regularly in y13
i have the textbooks for bio and chem and honestly i dont rlly recommend them, they overload u with information that u dont even need
8) i would make my revision resources as i go along
good luck!!

OMG thankyou so much for all of this info! Im srry I replied so late, like normally I reply on the day... but anyways this was REALLY helpful and I can't wait to implement these techniques when I start my a levels. Good luck with your studies and thanks for the help✨🤗

Reply 6

Original post by elliott183724
1) I'll be so honest theres no point enjoy your summer because the next stress free summer will be in 2 years if you want to do anything just get organised - order all the text books print the specs etc. The real preparation should start in year 12 not many people work consistently over the 2 years but if you're driven enough to start thinking about revising before they have even started im sure youll be on the ball as soon as September comes
2) I do bio and chem they've been fine - lots of content tip wise after every topic you do make notes and flashcards this was by the time youre exams come you have everything prepared, once you do a topic just go through some papers and pick 1 or 2 questions on that topic this allows you to test how well you understand and also gives you insight to mark scheme specifics which is vital for bio and chem if you have worded something in your notes that is worded much differently in the mark schemes amend your notes and learn the mark scheme version or at add in a different colour "paper ___ year ____ mark scheme"
3) I cannot emphasise this enough work consistently you do not want to have to cram at the end, a bit of study most days out of the week truly builds up again ensure you got your resources stacked I dont do maths but my friends making method sheets and past paper questions after you complete a topic seems to be what everyone does so do that
4) yes I started working in year 11 summer and absolutely loved it met people, filled time and a bit of money is always nice just try anything retail/hospitality see if your friends have jobs and if their place of work is hiring or go around your town and ask. Wouldn't recommend working during exam season but some people do and are fine.
5) if you start revising early like I recommend youll figure out what works for you if you've achieved highly at GCSE then maintain similar techniques just scale up personally Im very simple I make notes using textbooks class slides and mark scheme I then make flashcards and do active recall as well as past papers (I recommend saving a few past papers untouched until closer to your final exams) also making summary sheets helps closer to exam season - try videos, blurting etc etc until you know what you like and stick with it. I also recommend that before exam season in which you revise subjects in turn (e.g revising only bio 3 days before the bio exam) be varied dont stick to one subject a day I found that id get memory overload but again you might prefer doing one subject only each day. Whatever works for you the one thing everyone should do is practice especially for STEM.
6) I have a laptop and do all my practice on paper (sorry trees) if it'll be easier for you to keep it on an iPad then sure invest but remember you do exams on paper might be worth getting used to this
7) depends completely on the exam board - textbooks just get the most recent one the exam board has to offer generally speaking quizlet is good to make online flashcards (again I preferred paper but up to you) and maths DIY is good for old spec maths questions for practicing specific topics further away from exam season.
8) if im honest I worked consistently so I cant think of anything id do differently just remember to be kind to yourself and be realistic when you need a break. still do things you enjoy and also if ur planning on uni I would actually spend summer trying to do little things for a personal statement if you have a general idea of what you want to do however most people do this over year 12
Hope this helped im more then happy to answer any questions

AHHHH tysm this was great ✨❤️, srry for the late reply and thx for taking the time to write all of that ⭐. NGL i am a bit worried before a levels cause all I hear is "THEY ARE SUCHH A BIGG JUMP FROM GCSES" etc, BUT ur answers really help me de-stress. Anyways tysm and good luck with your studies, I hope u achieve the highest of grades 🤗🎉

Reply 7

Original post by 🌹Aumi🌹
AHHHH tysm this was great ✨❤️, srry for the late reply and thx for taking the time to write all of that ⭐. NGL i am a bit worried before a levels cause all I hear is "THEY ARE SUCHH A BIGG JUMP FROM GCSES" etc, BUT ur answers really help me de-stress. Anyways tysm and good luck with your studies, I hope u achieve the highest of grades 🤗🎉


it is a big jump but thats not something to be worried about in my experience u get used to it very quickly if im honest i found the year 12 to 13 jump more surprising u seem like a very intelligent and hard working person so any jump will not be an issue for u it is only an issue for those who have a harder time with school from what ive seen :smile:

Reply 8

Original post by elliott183724
it is a big jump but thats not something to be worried about in my experience u get used to it very quickly if im honest i found the year 12 to 13 jump more surprising u seem like a very intelligent and hard working person so any jump will not be an issue for u it is only an issue for those who have a harder time with school from what ive seen :smile:
ahh yay tysm that was really helpful 🤗
Original post by 🌹Aumi🌹
I just finished my exams and want to take Bio, chem and maths for a-level. As these are competitive a-level subjects I deffo think I should do some form of revision over the summer holidays like I have seen online that ofc a-level are obviously MUCH MORE challenging than a GCSEs, and I know I will have a lot of time to enjoy and also do some work.
Questions:
1) What should I do over the summer in terms of revision? (Please don't say nothing cuz I will enjoy too obvs not just revise)
2) How has a level maths/ bio/ chem been for u any tips or things to look out for?
3) Advice in general for a levels?
4) Should I take a part-time job I have seen a lot of year 11's wanting to do the same on reddit-> if so where?
5) What study techniques worked best for u in a levels, I know it varies between person to person, but I really wanna get an idea as difference in content from gcse to a level is deffo smth
6) Should I buy an IPAD-> I am considering this as I will be doing math and so a LOT of practice questions and not a bunch of sheet yk
7) Which textbooks or websites were most useful.
8) WHAT WOULD U DO DIFFERENTLY IF U COULD RETAKE UR A LEVELS?

Hi there!

I hope you are doing well. First of congratulations on finishing your exams! 🙂 to answer your questions:

1) i personally would not stress about doing a lot / any work for upcoming a levels because you want to enjoy your Y11 summer as much as possible. If you are keen to look at anything, it may be worth looking at the examination boards 2 weeks prior to when you begin just to get an idea of what you will be doing but I genuinely wouldn't worry about this!
2) I can only speak for A Level Maths but it was an interesting subject! It definitely wasn't my strongest subject by any means but the biggest thing that helped me was practice papers and questions - I did a lot of this during Y12 summer onwards so I could really solidify my knowledge ahead of year 13.
3) try and stay as organised as possible (daily timetables that varied really helped me!) and having a good balance between socialising and working.
4) it is a good idea in order to get some money through the door but it is important to fully look at your job details (specifically hours) because you don't want to overwork yourself.
5) blurting!! this was an absolute live saver for my subjects, particularly for psychology. i would write down all knowledge i knew in one colour then would check after and write all new information additionally in a different colour, and would keep going until all knowledge i was in the same colour.
6) i think it is definitely something to consider!! i didn't get one until university but i wish i got it before. mainly because it was so easy to download past papers and to write / store everything. (they do student discounts around september to keep an eye out for that!)
7) youtube clips were particularly useful for me as i am a very visual learner - i would watch academics go through past papers and would relay the knowledge to when i would complete a paper.
8 ) i would do more questions for maths to be honest consistently (i studied music and psychology in addition maths that was much more up my street:smile:.

best of luck with everything!!
rachel (uos student room rep) 🙂

Reply 10

Original post by Uni of Southampton Students
Hi there!
I hope you are doing well. First of congratulations on finishing your exams! 🙂 to answer your questions:
1) i personally would not stress about doing a lot / any work for upcoming a levels because you want to enjoy your Y11 summer as much as possible. If you are keen to look at anything, it may be worth looking at the examination boards 2 weeks prior to when you begin just to get an idea of what you will be doing but I genuinely wouldn't worry about this!
2) I can only speak for A Level Maths but it was an interesting subject! It definitely wasn't my strongest subject by any means but the biggest thing that helped me was practice papers and questions - I did a lot of this during Y12 summer onwards so I could really solidify my knowledge ahead of year 13.
3) try and stay as organised as possible (daily timetables that varied really helped me!) and having a good balance between socialising and working.
4) it is a good idea in order to get some money through the door but it is important to fully look at your job details (specifically hours) because you don't want to overwork yourself.
5) blurting!! this was an absolute live saver for my subjects, particularly for psychology. i would write down all knowledge i knew in one colour then would check after and write all new information additionally in a different colour, and would keep going until all knowledge i was in the same colour.
6) i think it is definitely something to consider!! i didn't get one until university but i wish i got it before. mainly because it was so easy to download past papers and to write / store everything. (they do student discounts around september to keep an eye out for that!)
7) youtube clips were particularly useful for me as i am a very visual learner - i would watch academics go through past papers and would relay the knowledge to when i would complete a paper.
8 ) i would do more questions for maths to be honest consistently (i studied music and psychology in addition maths that was much more up my street:smile:.
best of luck with everything!!
rachel (uos student room rep) 🙂

TYSM for replying I will make sure to take the very well deserved break but also implement ur useful advice💞💖. AGAIN TY for answering my a billion questions 🤗✨ and good luck with ur studies🎉

Reply 11

Original post by 🌹Aumi🌹
I just finished my exams and want to take Bio, chem and maths for a-level. As these are competitive a-level subjects I deffo think I should do some form of revision over the summer holidays like I have seen online that ofc a-level are obviously MUCH MORE challenging than a GCSEs, and I know I will have a lot of time to enjoy and also do some work.
Questions:
1) What should I do over the summer in terms of revision? (Please don't say nothing cuz I will enjoy too obvs not just revise)
2) How has a level maths/ bio/ chem been for u any tips or things to look out for?
3) Advice in general for a levels?
4) Should I take a part-time job I have seen a lot of year 11's wanting to do the same on reddit-> if so where?
5) What study techniques worked best for u in a levels, I know it varies between person to person, but I really wanna get an idea as difference in content from gcse to a level is deffo smth
6) Should I buy an IPAD-> I am considering this as I will be doing math and so a LOT of practice questions and not a bunch of sheet yk
7) Which textbooks or websites were most useful.
8) WHAT WOULD U DO DIFFERENTLY IF U COULD RETAKE UR A LEVELS?

1) Research your subjects' specifications (from the exam board's website), maybe make a spreadsheet or topic tracker on this so you don't have to later into sixth form. This isn't necessary but it's helped me organise things. For maths, just get really good at algebra and quadratics. Your GCSE knowledge is fine just don't get "rusty".

2) Maths was pretty free (I do FM), and given what others have said I'm very thankful I didn't take bio or chem. As others have said, using anki should help. I'd recommend writing notes/cards based off actual mark schemes as they can be very picky for sciences.

3) Lock in moderately in year 12 and you'll have a lot less problems in year 13. It's a marathon, not a sprint. (perhaps contrary to GCSEs)

4) If you desperately need the money, or have something you really want to do, yes. Otherwise no. You at least shouldn't be working in the months before A-Level exams.

5) Do practically all of the exam style questions of a topic, read notes and then mark schemes as you answer questions. For maths, if you can practice from difficult questions (e.g. 3+ star questions on madasmaths), the exam should be a cakewalk. At mock exams, I did the past papers in the days before, and then crammed all of the notes on the worst topics just before the exam. This should be revision, not learning new content, which should be done throughout the year for topic tests.

6) Yes, everyone I know switched to it immediately instead of writing on paper.

7) Don't pay for textbooks, your school should have the most useful ones and if they don't have any, you have another option. madasmaths is basically all I've used for maths and it's been fine. Make sure your bio/chem resources are targeted to your exam board, this doesn't matter so much for maths because it's just... maths.

8) Nothing

Reply 12

Original post by Phelena
1) Research your subjects' specifications (from the exam board's website), maybe make a spreadsheet or topic tracker on this so you don't have to later into sixth form. This isn't necessary but it's helped me organise things. For maths, just get really good at algebra and quadratics. Your GCSE knowledge is fine just don't get "rusty".
2) Maths was pretty free (I do FM), and given what others have said I'm very thankful I didn't take bio or chem. As others have said, using anki should help. I'd recommend writing notes/cards based off actual mark schemes as they can be very picky for sciences.
3) Lock in moderately in year 12 and you'll have a lot less problems in year 13. It's a marathon, not a sprint. (perhaps contrary to GCSEs)
4) If you desperately need the money, or have something you really want to do, yes. Otherwise no. You at least shouldn't be working in the months before A-Level exams.
5) Do practically all of the exam style questions of a topic, read notes and then mark schemes as you answer questions. For maths, if you can practice from difficult questions (e.g. 3+ star questions on madasmaths), the exam should be a cakewalk. At mock exams, I did the past papers in the days before, and then crammed all of the notes on the worst topics just before the exam. This should be revision, not learning new content, which should be done throughout the year for topic tests.
6) Yes, everyone I know switched to it immediately instead of writing on paper.
7) Don't pay for textbooks, your school should have the most useful ones and if they don't have any, you have another option. madasmaths is basically all I've used for maths and it's been fine. Make sure your bio/chem resources are targeted to your exam board, this doesn't matter so much for maths because it's just... maths.
8) Nothing

You probably don't know this, but the founder of MadAsMaths, Trifon Madas, was a very prolific user of TSR several years ago, under the userneame of TeeEm, and helped a huge number of people on here. He is still very much missed by those who remember him. It's lovely to see people still benefitting from his generosity in terms of resources.

@Notnek, @thebear @CoolCavy @davros @Mr M

Reply 13

Original post by Phelena
1) Research your subjects' specifications (from the exam board's website), maybe make a spreadsheet or topic tracker on this so you don't have to later into sixth form. This isn't necessary but it's helped me organise things. For maths, just get really good at algebra and quadratics. Your GCSE knowledge is fine just don't get "rusty".
2) Maths was pretty free (I do FM), and given what others have said I'm very thankful I didn't take bio or chem. As others have said, using anki should help. I'd recommend writing notes/cards based off actual mark schemes as they can be very picky for sciences.
3) Lock in moderately in year 12 and you'll have a lot less problems in year 13. It's a marathon, not a sprint. (perhaps contrary to GCSEs)
4) If you desperately need the money, or have something you really want to do, yes. Otherwise no. You at least shouldn't be working in the months before A-Level exams.
5) Do practically all of the exam style questions of a topic, read notes and then mark schemes as you answer questions. For maths, if you can practice from difficult questions (e.g. 3+ star questions on madasmaths), the exam should be a cakewalk. At mock exams, I did the past papers in the days before, and then crammed all of the notes on the worst topics just before the exam. This should be revision, not learning new content, which should be done throughout the year for topic tests.
6) Yes, everyone I know switched to it immediately instead of writing on paper.
7) Don't pay for textbooks, your school should have the most useful ones and if they don't have any, you have another option. madasmaths is basically all I've used for maths and it's been fine. Make sure your bio/chem resources are targeted to your exam board, this doesn't matter so much for maths because it's just... maths.
8) Nothing

Wow I love the advice u gave, most of which I haven't seen before from other students I have asked, it was super creative and well put✨. TYSM for taking the time to answer all those questions🤗💖💞.

Reply 14

Original post by Reality Check
You probably don't know this, but the founder of MadAsMaths, Trifon Madas, was a very prolific user of TSR several years ago, under the userneame of TeeEm, and helped a huge number of people on here. He is still very much missed by those who remember him. It's lovely to see people still benefitting from his generosity in terms of resources.
@Notnek, @thebear @CoolCavy @davros @Mr M

Woah I know this message wasn't to me and I haven't used MadAsMaths yet (i will tho) but I couldn't help reply cuz it is sooo sick! What does Trifton Madas do now out of curiosity? Makes sense he was on TSR and then left his legacy in MadAsMaths. Will deffo be missed 🥲🥹

Reply 15

Original post by 🌹Aumi🌹
Woah I know this message wasn't to me and I haven't used MadAsMaths yet (i will tho) but I couldn't help reply cuz it is sooo sick! What does Trifton Madas do now out of curiosity? Makes sense he was on TSR and then left his legacy in MadAsMaths. Will deffo be missed 🥲🥹

Unfortunately Dr Madas died in October 2021. His website was left so that others could benefit from his work.

Reply 16

Original post by Reality Check
Unfortunately Dr Madas died in October 2021. His website was left so that others could benefit from his work.

Im sorry to hear that. His work clearly had a lasting impact and I am grateful his website is still available to help others including me. May he rest in peace 🕊️, and thanks for spreading word abt the efforts he has made

Reply 17

Original post by Reality Check
Unfortunately Dr Madas died in October 2021. His website was left so that others could benefit from his work.

He may have died but his legacy lived on ✨-> he will be remembered by us all-> thx for telling me abt him btw, now I will remember the effort he put in every time I go on to MadAsMaths💖

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