Gyg year 12 (geography ,maths, politics )

I’m determined to make an academic comeback from my GCSEs, not that they were bad but I but little to no effort and believe that I can achieve more in my a levels. Any tips will be appreciated!!

Reply 1

BibbidyBobbidyBu

Hiya! I love this time of year when all the new GYG blogs come out 🥰
I don't do maths or politics, but I can give you some advice for geo...
My biggest advice would be to keep on track with your revision resources; make them as you go. I did this throughout the entirety of Y12, but admittedly started to slack off after mocks in April. This really began to show in the summer holidays when I had to make all my Quizlet cards and notes for the whole of the disease topic, taking me 2x as long as it would have done if I had just made them after the lesson/school. Geo's content is pretty easy but it's realllllllyyyyy heavy on the case studies, so make sure you have all your notes for these written once you've learned them so that all you have to do is memorise them.

Some general Y12 advice would be...
1.There is a lot of content, so only note down stuff that ACTUALLY matters. There's no need to remember something so specific and niche to a tiny topic when you could use that brain storage to remember the facts that will actually, with no doubt, show up on the exam. It's okay to round up figures in geography, for example, instead of memorising the statistic to the exact decimal point 😅
2.Use this year to get any enrichment done. The teachers are telling the truth when they say you won't have time in Y13 - I have only just returned and already my timetable won't allow me to do some of the 20 minute after-school activities that I used to!
3.DO NOT STRESS, you know more than you think! I made the mistake of treating every mini class test as though it was my actual mock, meaning my friends enjoyed their year happily whilst I faced burnout so quickly and got my emotions heightened and such trivial, irrelevant tasks. Sure, class tests matter because they show your teacher how invested you are in the course, but missing a couple marks in these tests are nowhere near the be-all and end-all. They a re brilliant resources for knowing where you need to improve!

You can do this!!

Reply 2

weap

Original post

by BibbidyBobbidyBu

Hiya! I love this time of year when all the new GYG blogs come out 🥰
I don't do maths or politics, but I can give you some advice for geo...
My biggest advice would be to keep on track with your revision resources; make them as you go. I did this throughout the entirety of Y12, but admittedly started to slack off after mocks in April. This really began to show in the summer holidays when I had to make all my Quizlet cards and notes for the whole of the disease topic, taking me 2x as long as it would have done if I had just made them after the lesson/school. Geo's content is pretty easy but it's realllllllyyyyy heavy on the case studies, so make sure you have all your notes for these written once you've learned them so that all you have to do is memorise them.
Some general Y12 advice would be...
1.There is a lot of content, so only note down stuff that ACTUALLY matters. There's no need to remember something so specific and niche to a tiny topic when you could use that brain storage to remember the facts that will actually, with no doubt, show up on the exam. It's okay to round up figures in geography, for example, instead of memorising the statistic to the exact decimal point 😅
2.Use this year to get any enrichment done. The teachers are telling the truth when they say you won't have time in Y13 - I have only just returned and already my timetable won't allow me to do some of the 20 minute after-school activities that I used to!
3.DO NOT STRESS, you know more than you think! I made the mistake of treating every mini class test as though it was my actual mock, meaning my friends enjoyed their year happily whilst I faced burnout so quickly and got my emotions heightened and such trivial, irrelevant tasks. Sure, class tests matter because they show your teacher how invested you are in the course, but missing a couple marks in these tests are nowhere near the be-all and end-all. They a re brilliant resources for knowing where you need to improve!
You can do this!!

Your tips are so useful thank you!!When making resources should I stick with using the specification or use it with the text book

Reply 3

weap

Forgot to also say that I’ll update every Wednesday night in terms of progress

Reply 4

BibbidyBobbidyBu

Original post

by weap

Your tips are so useful thank you!!When making resources should I stick with using the specification or use it with the text book

I would say to use the specification to understand the general points, i.e. what you actually need to know, and use the textbooks as a starting point to gather your information. So much of the info in textbooks is waffle and floral filler language that you don't need. Honestly, the books are so long, but only 60% of it is actually useful. Both resources are useful, but, personally, using the spec will get you further than the textbook :smile:

)

Reply 5

YSJ_Koen

So year 12 is starting, and the first thing you will probably realise is how much time you suddenly have!

The best tip I always hear from sixth form students in particular is to always make sure you use your time wisely. Now, year 12 is always a good year to get into the swing of things and you will want to spend time with friends and chill out etc. This is absolutely fine, but make sure you don't push everything back into Year 13 because, as mentioned already, it will come quickly.

Bearing in mind a lot of schools will attend UCAS or careers fairs nearer to the end of Year 12 which will get you to start having a look at your next steps with university, jobs etc. This gives you time over the summer to have a look at what you want to do next, meaning everything you can get done before year 13 (for example, starting your NEA on Geography if you have one) will be a massive help.

On the other hand though, keep a track of your assessments/areas for improvement, and I am sure you will do great. I'll list some other tips here as well:

Geography:

•

Get used to writing A LOT, trust me, your hands will feel how much you have to write. So get some comfortable pens.

•

Depending on your exam board, I found that linking a lot of factors, including physical and human, was a great way to get top marks.

•

Rather than condensing into one book, I found that separating work into folders (one on physical geography the other on human) is a lot better to revise later down the line with.

Maths:

•

For revision, I found using past exam papers in a mock test scenario was a great way to practice - you will quickly learn away from GCSE maths that it isn't just about remembering formulas, it is now about understanding how to logically solve problems.

•

On the other hand though, I recommend leaving exam papers for later in year 13. If you use the exam papers too early you will struggle to find new ones that are completely new to tackle. Bearing in mind, teachers will most likely use them as well. I highly recommend using textbook questions to get around this.

Politics:
As a footnote, I didn't do A Level Politics, but I have just graduated from university studying it.

•

Keep up with the news, politics constantly change a new arguments are made everyday as things change. Its good for getting into a routine to see the latest news everyday. But remember, be careful on your sources, not all news is good and it may again change as more information comes to light.

•

Politics affects everything, while at A level you probably won't go as in depth into other areas, having a decent understanding in economics and law I would imagine, will help you to achieve higher marks.

•

Finally, if your not sure on what the parties in the UK (or if you have any international ones that are studied too) represent, make a list of their policies and what philosophical ideologies they relate to. I found it is the best way to understand the thinking that goes on and why people relate to them.

Hope this helps, let me know if there's anything you're unsure about!
Koen.

(edited 6 months ago)

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