I need help with A levels.

I study maths, chemistry, and psychology. In year 12 i studied endlessly, i would do so many past papers, study on holiday, cancel plans and i would study for hours. when i completed my mocks i realised that i had failed maths and chemistry although i tried so so hard and honestly now i feel hopeless. it’s snatched my confidence from me and damaged my mental health. does anyone have any tips on how to improve in one year? i want to get atleast a B in chemistry and a C in maths. Psychology isnt a worry.

Reply 1

kitty15

Study Forum Helper

Original post

by tatianafebr

Hi, my tips for maths would be:
. Scaffold your sessions e.g start off with a starter question in your textbook, then progress to the more challenging ones. You don’t have to do every single question in the textbook, but it helps to ensure you can do all questions, move on to harder ones e.g extension questions if you feel you are not getting anywhere.
. I would recommend the YouTuber TL Maths. For stats, the best way to learn was I found from the textbook and hypothesis testing takes a lot of practice but you will get there so stick with it.
. Do also study the large data set (edexcel I think ocr might also have one too) but maybe closer to exams, as you can pick up around 2 marks from that every year (based on edexcel). I would recommend Bicen Maths, he has a video and notes you can print on the large data set.

For chemistry:
. I would recommend Allery Chemistry videos regardless of your exam board
. For topic-based questions I would recommend Dalton Chemistry Tuition and Cognito.
. For physical chemistry, flashcards are your best friend for memorizing formulas and unit conversions. particular topics like acids and bases take some time to learn but they are highly tested so are worth it.

Unfortunately I do not have any tips for psychology as I didn’t do it, I will try to find you someone on TSR that does if you want.

But what I would advise is that your mental health seems quite strained right now, I would recommend that you set yourself a deadline to stop working every night. For me, this was a 9pm rule and it meant I could sleep easier as turned off my iPad screen. Certain subjects you will revise better at different times of the day e.g maths in the late morning. Try around with different schedules.

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 2

CherryBlossoms1

I would learn what the exams reward, if you haven't

What works for me is staying hydrated during revision. I drink water or lemon water (squeezed lemon in water). I also need to take breaks to exercise. It increases my blood flow to my brain and makes me feel energised, ready to absorb learning material.