advice for year 12

10

hi im starting year 12 in september and i just want advice abt revision and how often i should be revising. also how different is sixth form from secondary bc i had some of my teachers told me that you get less help in sixth form and you are expected to be completely independent, is this true?
also anything that anyone regrets doing or not doing in year 12 would be much appreciated thanks!!

Reply 1

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

18

Hi There!

It's great that you are reaching out and starting to think about starting Year 12. My main piece of advice would be to enjoy it- please try not to worry too much just yet. Yes it is more independent than GCSEs, but that is only to try and prepare you for what it is like at university. All classes will still be taught by teachers, and if you are struggling with anything at all, they should be there to support you.

In terms of studying and revision, I'd say to start making revision notes after each lesson. There is A LOT of content that they expect you to learn, so the earlier you start to get your revision notes together, the easier it will be when it comes to exams.

It depends on what you are going to study, but I did History, Geography, R.E and Media, and I had a different way of studying for each subject. For example, with History I found it easier to revise by making lots of little timelines, whereas in R.E I found it easier to create mind maps just filled with quotes supporting and opposing a particular argument. It really depends on you, how you prefer to study and the subjects you have chosen.

Try not to worry about it, I'm sure you'll do great, especially as you are reaching out this early.
I hope this helps
From Josh
Official LJMU Student Representative

Reply 2

BankaiGintoki

21

Original post

by xoaishaa

hi im starting year 12 in september and i just want advice abt revision and how often i should be revising. also how different is sixth form from secondary bc i had some of my teachers told me that you get less help in sixth form and you are expected to be completely independent, is this true?
also anything that anyone regrets doing or not doing in year 12 would be much appreciated thanks!!

In sixth form, your timetable for a given day may have 1 session, 2, 3 or none, so you have ‘frees’ (independent study time, in fact our biology teacher told us to think of them as independent study, not frees) filling up any remaining time before, after or between sessions.

It is up to you to stay focus and revise during this time (useful to revise what you went over in class, and do practise question ).

I did biology OCR A, chemistry OCR A, maths AQA. The text books we were given from the library for our exam board and subject is what I mainly used during this time.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 3

username7632250

OP

10

Thank you both!!!

Reply 4

Kingston Jenifer

Official Rep

11

Original post

by xoaishaa

hi im starting year 12 in september and i just want advice abt revision and how often i should be revising. also how different is sixth form from secondary bc i had some of my teachers told me that you get less help in sixth form and you are expected to be completely independent, is this true?
also anything that anyone regrets doing or not doing in year 12 would be much appreciated thanks!!

Hi there!

My main piece of advice, regardless of the subjects, is to expect that GCSE and A-Level is a huge step up. You may struggle initially - and that is okay! In my first tests for A-Level Chemistry, I got a U. My teacher said this was completely normal - the step up is huge and you will eventually adjust.

Secondly, regarding help - while you are expected to be more independent in some areas your teachers will still help you - you are most certainly not on your own.

You will be given free periods - hours in the day where you have no lessons. In your first couple weeks, you will most likely be bored because you will have no work to do however this will start to ramp up. I would use that time to prepare.

I personally do not have any regrets for year 12. While at the time, I was harsh on myself for not getting work experience, it is because a lot of the time employers would rather work with those that are 18+ or undergrads. I ended up volunteering for 4 hours a week during summer which helped in my personal statement. Please also be aware of burnout - I did not give myself a break between GCSE and the beginning of A-Levels and I ended up burning out because of it, which can effect your grades negatively.

Good luck!

Kind regards, Jenifer (Kingston rep)

advice for year 12

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