y13; all 8/9 in GCSEs - ask me anything!

Reply 20

1

Original post

by sere3n4

Hi everyone!
I’m a year 13 a level student studying Maths, Economics, Geography, completed and achieved an A* in my EPQ. Aspiring to work in finance or consultancy.
Took my gcses in summer 2024, studying triple science, fine art, geography, french and business studies.
If anyone has any questions about either GCSEs or A level, or just wants some advice feel free to ask me anything by replying!

Hey, I'm in year 12 and I study Maths, Geography, German and EPQ so similar to you! I was just wondering if you had any tips for keeping on top of Geography work as its already feeling a bit overwhelming to me. Also do you know what degrees or things you want to do after year 13 to lead you to finance or consultancy? It might be something that I'm interested in, as I technically started Econ as a fourth but dropped it and I am trying to do some reading around it/learning independently. Thanks :smile:

Reply 21

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by permafrostt

yayy i also rlly like geography but theres just sm content 🙃
tysm for the tips i will definitely try them out!!
also one more question (not related) do you think its better to be revising one or max 2 subjects every day or to revise one topic each from 3 or 4 different subjects? bcs for me once i start revising a subject one evening i dont want to switch i'd rather do another topic from the same subject lol especially for sciences. sorry if this doesnt make sense but i wanted to ask do you have any tips for juggling all of the gcse subjects while making sure not to miss anything out? i also for some reason don't work well with timetables and i just find myself making a to-do list for the week of topics to revise but idk if thats good enough
tysm for the help and wishing you the best in ur exams

yes! i'm exactly the same... i like to stick to one subject a day, but 100% just down to personal preference and workload. to-do-lists worked for me but required time management across other commitments!

Reply 22

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by 𝕷𝖆𝖎𝖇𝖆

Hii!! Omg, we basically take the same subjects lol, I do Triple Science, French, Geography, Art and CS - any advice on Triple Science, French and Art? Thank you :smile:

hi laiba! triple science just go through the spec and make sure you've covered and understand all aspects. mark schemes are very particular so use these when doing ppq to ensure you're using the same wording (be harsh!).

i completely surprised myself with my french grade, but be aware that the listening exam is likely going to be horror if you're sitting your exam in an echoing hall (like mine was). don't get too hooked up on memorising scripts for speaking assuming you havent done it already, rather memorise a few easy-to-remember idioms/phrases as you'll find your memory might blank in the actual thing. writing is the easiest to perform well in-- for every topic, find a scenario you can write at length about, remembering to include key high level phrases. I found it to be easier to think of a scenario whereby you can apply to many topics: mine was running a marathon in the city which can be applied to what you do in your free time, holidays, how was your day, etc (it's been a while since i've done french, can't remember all topics!)... just find a nice overlap to save you fromm having to memorise much. reading comes with practice ppq.

Art becomes much more enjoyable when you have a passion for it.. go to art galleries and take reference pictures of everything to inspire your work. use these as reference photos for your topics and document EVERYTHING in your sketchbook...image moodboards from primary/secondary sources are amazing gap fillers and can help with generating more ideas. For reference, my GCSE topic was places and spaces, and I explored places/spaces that are ignored/not noticed or considered much, exploring homelessness (London and NYC, with NYC inspiring me, and reference pics being taken in central London). I had a unit of this topic also dedicated to tube stations (looking at Gail Brodholt), as the architechture tends to be gorgeous but not recognised much by daily commuters. In terms of time management, I would advise you to ge work done before it piles up, learning from my mistakes!

Thank you!

Reply 23

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by jaydaparamasivam

I've got 1 week until my actual maths GCSE and 3 weeks until the mock Exams for the rest of my GCSEs. I do Edexcel IGCSE for all my exams except sciences, so the content is different, but I wanted to know how you would approach studying for mocks. My plan is to study just for maths until I take the exam and then spend the remaining two weeks on the rest of my mocks. Spanish is scaring me because there are sooo many questions I have to memorise my answers to, but I have a feeling that the expectations for how long the responses should be are lower than I think. How did you go about studying for French, because Spanish is really stressing me out, although it's my best subject (I got 99% on my end of year exam).
Also any advice on how to study for English would be helpful because I'm not sure whether to focus on writing as much as I can until the end of the exam or to focus on quality.

hi jayda! so sorry didn't reply to this sooner, hope your exams are going/went well.

I personally followed the same way you planned to in terms of prioritising workloads, but just ensure that where you feel you're confident in maths and can't physically practice anymore, introduce variation with other subjects. I'm sure you'd be fine with spanish! but for French i relied more on understanding what i'm doing rather than memorising stuff, especially for reading, not so much writing.

English definitely have a bank of quotations memorised with supporting analysis that you can develop yourself without a plan: use blurting for this with an unplanned question. Focus on quality and quantity equally I'd say. Structure yourself well with a clear chain of reasoning/analysis, and link these to the next paragraphs. Structuring with PEAEAL helped a lot for me, and I still use it to this day with report writing.

Thanks! Best of luck with your results!

Reply 24

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by PKenedi

I got my mocks in 2 days, How do you maximise the most of your revision and stay motivated to actually revise.

hey! hope your mocks are going well, sorry for the delayed reply! prioritise with balance is my biggest tip. at this point, past paper questions instead of content revision, as it'll easily show where you have gaps in knowledge. I stayed motivated by surrounding myself with my friends! group study sessions, and being in an environmnet where everyone has the same locked in mindset was so motivating. i now use ypt, but then i used flora to track my revision, which was also motivating! best of luck with your mocks!

Reply 25

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by ailmaa12

hi i really want to achieve high grades but so far im doing barely any rev.. when did u start revising and how many hours a day did u revise for?

hi alima! I don't spend hours a day revising at home, as such. I just made sure I put in the effort at school. Actually understanding what's going on in classes and asking questions is something I found to be invaluable when it came to revision. where i needed to self teach things, youtube videos/cognito were amazing, and making use of my friends to explain concepts. after school, i wouldn't do more than 2-3h if i had an exam, and that would be pure ppq practice. on a regular day, it would be 1-2h after school on most days on the lead up to exams, ensuring that homework was complete/spaced repetition of a topic i haven't covered in a while/ understanding concepts covered in school that day. otherwise, don't stress too much! just know when you have to have teh self dicipline to lock in.

Reply 26

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by girlblogging

hii 🙂 genuine question - how does one study for triple science? i like science, but the problem is i don't know how i'll get the top marks... in my y10 end of year finals i got 5s in all of them, and i really want to get 9s. my main problem is how i structure my answers, especially long answers, since the stuff i say is "correct" but it never aligns with the markscheme so i lose marks. it's really frustrating honestly. pleasee help !! thank you xx

hi girlblogging!

see one of my replies to an earlier post on this stream for a more in depth reply to this.
in short, learn to use the mark scheme to structure your answers. examiners (esp for bio) like to see exact phrasing. for some questions, its usefull to literally copy across the mark scheme answers onto the question paper so you associate that question with a certain answer that you already know is right. then later (ie, 5 days or so), try the paper again seeing what you remember, then reference against the mark scheme to spot the areas you're really not getting the wording of. be harsh with this! you'll thank yourself later if you put yourself in the shoes of the examiner. also be clear with how you write in longer answer questions, using sentence starters and clear, concise sentences make the examiner's job easier!

thanks!

Reply 27

pheobesian

2

Do you have any revision tips for GCSEs? I’m a year 9 who is going to pick French, Drama, Music, History 😨🔫

Reply 28

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by VaBook78

Hi - I’m in y12 and taking the same subjects as you for A-level! (+ fm). I was just wondering whether you’d recommend I keep fm or drop to 3 A-levels instead? I’m also looking at finance but not sure if fm would be helpful. Also, do you have any advice for geo/econ? The geo NEA sounds bad…
thank you!

hi vabook!
fm definitely will help you A LOT in standard maths, and i have an eensy regret of not doing at least AS fm (although i know i'm not the greatest at maths, and definitely can't handle the workload of an AS). if you're mathematically competent and pick up things in maths very quickly, i'd highly recommend sticking with it. when it comes to uni (assuming you're applying), fm WILL help you if you're keen to apply to econ at a top uni. unis like lse so tend to have preference to those that do fm as a 4th a level for competitive mathematics intense courses. you'll find that pure econ courses typically require an admissions test called TMUA, which is more or less like a SMC style exam (i think??) using content from a level maths. however, you'll find that if you continue with fm, you'll be taught quicker/easier ways to work out standard maths a level questions, which can then also be used in standard a level maths exams and in these high pressure admissions exams. my maths class is 70% a level fm students, and they all preach these quicker ways of working, though it's harder to pick up for me, as someone that doesn't study it. although not necessary to answer standard questions, this can save you valuable time in exams/tmua, and might be able to get you out of sticky questions when you don't know how to approach. also, a level fm students finish year 2 pure content for standard maths within y12, so you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to y13 standard pure topics, ie differentiation/integration (which i'm just moving onto now!).

ultimately, keep it if you're not struggling and keen to apply to top unis for mathematics intensive courses. i've applied for joint geog and econ to rid myself of tmua requirement simply down to not being a fm student/new content. you can always drop it later if it becomes a struggle!!!

For geog, i'm in the middle of writing my nea after collecting my data at the end of last academic year (late june-july). don't bother stressing about it now in y12! it's very similar to epq just with primary data... think y11 fieldwork if it actually were to mean something. my topic/location is different to everyone else's in my class due to me genuinely having a passion for my chosen theme and location (gentrification in shoreditch) and proactive data collection in my own time, with my class basing theirs on where they had our fieldwork trip to save extra data collection time. big tip for this is organise your data collection methods first. your findings likely won't be accurate due to many varying factors, so be honest about this in your report evaluation. make it look pretty with data presentation/report structure! vary your data collection methods to show a well considered approach to addressing your subquestions within your overall questions. have a link to the specification... as i said, no need to worry about this now, but it also gives you a benchmark of areas to discuss in your personal statement later on if relevant, so make it interesting! (shh econ is cooking me)

any other questions feel free to follow me up on them.
thanks!

Reply 29

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by Hiddsen

Heyy! Do you have any advice for revising French (Speaking/Listening especially)? I'm finding it kinda hard to find online resources I can refer too or just starting on making resources which aren't word meanings, as everything feels like it's all over the place. Also, how does one 'properly' prepare for the speaking exam? As active listening and speaking is what I really struggle in.

hi hiddsen, see an earlier response to a similar question for a more detailed response/my experience in this thread. mindmaps/blurtmaps worked well for me when consolidating areas of a topic you can discuss in writing/speaking. yeah, i found there to not be many online resources... back of textbooks sometimes have key phrases? though i'm not a fan. Luckily, my teacher was great in preparing a bank of 15 impressive phrases/structures over 52 weeks that we would get tested on weekly covering all topics. i would share it however I believe i burnt it along with all my other french revision materials... make use of your teachers and the resources/banks that they're able to provide you with, and prepare using these. For speaking/grammar, I found practising with actual french-speaking people much better for revision (on the phone), so see if you can connect with any! many people look for penpals to practice their english skills, and don't mind helping you out with french also! listening is all practice unfortunately, and be aware of the echoing hall. practice with transcripts alongside listening. french exams like using different dialects/francophone countries for listening exams, so be aware of the variations and how they phrase sentences differently/sound different (ie, Morocco, Quebec, mainland france, mali).. just get familar with practice. use different exam bodies to practice if needed as the french is all the same. I did AQA but used WJEC to practice sometimes.
hope this helps? feel free to follow up with any questions

Reply 30

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by kixdhed

does it matter if you do bad in your mocks

learn from your weak points! my mocks weren't amazing, i just used it to leverage my motivation to do better in the real thing

Reply 31

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by 0heellis

Hey, I'm in year 12 and I study Maths, Geography, German and EPQ so similar to you! I was just wondering if you had any tips for keeping on top of Geography work as its already feeling a bit overwhelming to me. Also do you know what degrees or things you want to do after year 13 to lead you to finance or consultancy? It might be something that I'm interested in, as I technically started Econ as a fourth but dropped it and I am trying to do some reading around it/learning independently. Thanks :smile:

hey 0heellis!
i get what you mean.. geography content moves so fast. spaced repetition will be your best friend, and make sure you start to create case study maps as you go to save you the hassle later. build in regular essay questions into your revision if you don't atm (i'm lucky we do these as homework)- nails exam practice before you truly get in a muddle. human geography has a huge overlap with y2 macroeconomics!!

in terms of my next steps, i'm applying to both university and degree apprenticeships (DAs) so my avenues remain open later on for me to make those decisions. be proactive in taking all opportunities in y12. Finance companies have so many insight days/aceess programmes that can fast-track you to their apprenticeship programmes, of which I've been a part of for several companies, which has helped open so many doors just from my actions in y12 (inluding securing one already in canary!). They open from now to jan/march time. I've applied joint honours geography and economics at universities, with my priority being to apply to target/semitarget unis that offer my course. I genuinely have a passion for the intersection between geog/econ hence why i applied for this over pure econ degrees, as i know theyre topics that i would thrive in to ultimately get a good grade. of course, make sure you like the universities also over their status as a taget/semitarget!! High finance graduate roles tend to have preference to these target unis, hence why everyone always talks about them!

Biggest bit of advice would also be to make sure you've developed your soft skills with your ability to network/build relationships with people effectively and appropriately, as these are what are assessed at assessment centres when applying for DAs, and what will set you apart in consultancy especially. Work experience throughout the year is amazing for this. aim to get something secured for Feb half term and/or July if you haven't done much this year already.

Ultimately, you go for whatever you feel is right for you, and if you're more inclined to going to university, still remain proactive in seeking out y12 insight/wex opportunities as these may help you later with SpringWeek applications.

Hope this helped! any othe questions don't hesitate to ask.

Reply 32

VaBook78

10

Original post

by sere3n4

hi vabook!
fm definitely will help you A LOT in standard maths, and i have an eensy regret of not doing at least AS fm (although i know i'm not the greatest at maths, and definitely can't handle the workload of an AS). if you're mathematically competent and pick up things in maths very quickly, i'd highly recommend sticking with it. when it comes to uni (assuming you're applying), fm WILL help you if you're keen to apply to econ at a top uni. unis like lse so tend to have preference to those that do fm as a 4th a level for competitive mathematics intense courses. you'll find that pure econ courses typically require an admissions test called TMUA, which is more or less like a SMC style exam (i think??) using content from a level maths. however, you'll find that if you continue with fm, you'll be taught quicker/easier ways to work out standard maths a level questions, which can then also be used in standard a level maths exams and in these high pressure admissions exams. my maths class is 70% a level fm students, and they all preach these quicker ways of working, though it's harder to pick up for me, as someone that doesn't study it. although not necessary to answer standard questions, this can save you valuable time in exams/tmua, and might be able to get you out of sticky questions when you don't know how to approach. also, a level fm students finish year 2 pure content for standard maths within y12, so you'll be ahead of the game when it comes to y13 standard pure topics, ie differentiation/integration (which i'm just moving onto now!).
ultimately, keep it if you're not struggling and keen to apply to top unis for mathematics intensive courses. i've applied for joint geog and econ to rid myself of tmua requirement simply down to not being a fm student/new content. you can always drop it later if it becomes a struggle!!!
For geog, i'm in the middle of writing my nea after collecting my data at the end of last academic year (late june-july). don't bother stressing about it now in y12! it's very similar to epq just with primary data... think y11 fieldwork if it actually were to mean something. my topic/location is different to everyone else's in my class due to me genuinely having a passion for my chosen theme and location (gentrification in shoreditch) and proactive data collection in my own time, with my class basing theirs on where they had our fieldwork trip to save extra data collection time. big tip for this is organise your data collection methods first. your findings likely won't be accurate due to many varying factors, so be honest about this in your report evaluation. make it look pretty with data presentation/report structure! vary your data collection methods to show a well considered approach to addressing your subquestions within your overall questions. have a link to the specification... as i said, no need to worry about this now, but it also gives you a benchmark of areas to discuss in your personal statement later on if relevant, so make it interesting! (shh econ is cooking me)
any other questions feel free to follow me up on them.
thanks!

thank you so much for this!

Reply 33

maaaarriamm

Original post

by sere3n4

Hi everyone!
I’m a year 13 a level student studying Maths, Economics, Geography, completed and achieved an A* in my EPQ. Aspiring to work in finance or consultancy.
Took my gcses in summer 2024, studying triple science, fine art, geography, french and business studies.
If anyone has any questions about either GCSEs or A level, or just wants some advice feel free to ask me anything by replying!

yr 11 here!! how do u like genuinely revise for maths like ik past papers n stuff but everytime i do past papers the knowledge completely slips out my head the day of the exam so how did u revise for it effectively and same w science esp chem

Reply 34

Envexity

1

Original post

by sere3n4

Hi everyone!
I’m a year 13 a level student studying Maths, Economics, Geography, completed and achieved an A* in my EPQ. Aspiring to work in finance or consultancy.
Took my gcses in summer 2024, studying triple science, fine art, geography, french and business studies.
If anyone has any questions about either GCSEs or A level, or just wants some advice feel free to ask me anything by replying!

yr 11- im thinking of doing maths econ physics, or maths econ geo, im not sure which one. i talked to my geo teacher and he said that him and the economics teacher were talking about how geo and econ are good cuz the case studies and human geography you do in geo can be transferred to econ. thing is im not that good at human geography gcse (AQA), but if i lock in id prolly do well tbh- prolly grade 8/9 . also i heard geo a level is stressful cuz you get lots of hw. im also trying to go into finance and business and perhaps get a degree apprenticeship, do u have any tips for work experience, what websites are useful, companies that i need to research, extra curricular, super curricular, any programs or events,etc. much appreciated

(edited 5 days ago)

Reply 35

aotrom

7

y12, considering dropping EPQ. I feel like I could be spending my time on something more specific that I’m interested in that could earn me experience or UCAS points. Any advice on collecting experience and UCAS points in other ways to build a strong profile??

Reply 36

sere3n4

OP

7

Original post

by Envexity

yr 11- im thinking of doing maths econ physics, or maths econ geo, im not sure which one. i talked to my geo teacher and he said that him and the economics teacher were talking about how geo and econ are good cuz the case studies and human geography you do in geo can be transferred to econ. thing is im not that good at human geography gcse (AQA), but if i lock in id prolly do well tbh- prolly grade 8/9 . also i heard geo a level is stressful cuz you get lots of hw. im also trying to go into finance and business and perhaps get a degree apprenticeship, do u have any tips for work experience, what websites are useful, companies that i need to research, extra curricular, super curricular, any programs or events,etc. much appreciated

Hi Envexity,
I may be extremely biased in this when I recommend maths econ geog but I genuinely believe having that case study knowledge from geog has helped me immensely when it comes to longer answer questions in econ, as you said your teacher had mentioned. Also the content from globalisation in geography Y1 has a huge overlap with Y2 macroeconomics so it will definitely save you time with actually having that basic understanding already of topics, and with being able to develop that understanding looking at the wider picture (especially as you go into talking about superpowers in geography— though more geopolitics). In economics, for reference, you’ll develop this understanding with diagrams to support certain theories, ie tariff impacts on domestic supply/demand, so having an awareness of the real world application, ie Trump’s tariff decisions/implications, clearly will help when building an argument (25 markers). If you genuinely like that overlap between the subjects and don’t feel like it would be too monotonous covering the similar aspects of the course, I'd recommend it.

You do get a lot of homework, but more often than not it’s there as guidance to help build that case study knowledge from the start and sustain that existing understanding to later build on as the course progresses. You’ll find that sixth form relies on you becoming more proactive in your work and what you spend your time learning/ revising, to develop that prioritisation mindset… top tip, leverage on this as a skill you have developed when it comes to Degree Apprenticeship interviews!

If you value more variety in your work, or may potentially be more inclined into going into something a bit more engineering based (also lots of DA in this, especially opportunities for women) physics might then be a better option, assuming existing good performance. Be aware that physics is tough, as assumed !!

Generally geography at A level explores topics in much more in depth compared to GCSE (also did AQA), though typically developing from GCSE concepts, making it a lot more thought provoking with exploring your own opinions in regards to certain topics. It’s built my awareness about the world globally, which has helped with DA interviews also when looking at market trends… but again, could just be my bias.

In terms of Y12 programmes and opportunities, GET TO APPLYING ASAP!! apply for as many as you can, and dedicate the time and effort into getting these access opportunities. You want to have exposure into different areas of finance now rather than later so you have a better idea of where your passions lie, which can support your future applications. I found a lot of mine on TikTok/Linkedin/Company Websites.. having an idea of the type of company you can see yourself in, looking at the working environment and culture should ultimately be as important as the role itself. Honestly you’ll find out more about companies as you see who offers different programmes… Big 4 (EY, Deloitte, PwC, KPMG) in professional services offer a lot for y12/school leavers, and mid tier firms that are slightly smaller but still have that large reach (Grant Thornton, BDO, RSM etc) as a starting point. Ps, Young Professional events are great, but the larger networking ones aren’t worth it imo— way too many people compared to the smaller events of 30-50 people.

It is time consuming but so worth making the most of the opportunities. Look out for company specific y12 programmes/ schemes that offer fastrack especially.. it can lead to you potentially getting your offer ahead of the game— I secured my first Big 4 offer in June of Y12! Otherwise, exposure is great. Personally, I was on a couple of company fastrack programmes, despite having to reject some due to date clashes. This has saved me so much hassle now as applications started opening/closing in sept/oct during y13 mock season. I applied for all y12 opportunities on company websites, but there are also platforms like Uptree that organise insight days. The recruit is a good website also, but just type up y12 opportunities in finance/etc and you’ll naturally find them.

Also apply for university subject summer schools/ masterclasses/ support programmes , opening around now through to January time. Such amazing experiences give you the opportunity to meet new likeminded people from across the country. A big tip would be to keep in contact via socials/Linkedin especially! Access programmes are typically fully funded if eligibility is met, and may come with guaranteed contextual offers (lower entry requirements). TikTok or just looking on university websites that interest you for these.

Overall use y12 to focus on developing your soft skills to come across as people oriented and approachable. Make sure you have that real world work experience and have developed your relationship building skills in a professional setting— this will really help you. Make the most of all opportunities and put in the work now to save you later!!

Any other questions/ need clarity feel free to reach out.

Reply 37

aisha🎀

8

Original post

by sere3n4

Hi everyone!
I’m a year 13 a level student studying Maths, Economics, Geography, completed and achieved an A* in my EPQ. Aspiring to work in finance or consultancy.
Took my gcses in summer 2024, studying triple science, fine art, geography, french and business studies.
If anyone has any questions about either GCSEs or A level, or just wants some advice feel free to ask me anything by replying!

Hi, I’m in year 12 and I’m doing maths. How did you find it and is there anything that I should be worried about in particular. I’m doing it with biology and chemistry.

Reply 38

Netu

3

Original post

by sere3n4

Hi everyone!
I’m a year 13 a level student studying Maths, Economics, Geography, completed and achieved an A* in my EPQ. Aspiring to work in finance or consultancy.
Took my gcses in summer 2024, studying triple science, fine art, geography, french and business studies.
If anyone has any questions about either GCSEs or A level, or just wants some advice feel free to ask me anything by replying!

Hi, Im doing my Gcse next year and i wanted to have some advice from you as a Y10 student, and well done for achieving such high grades, my goal is to achieve a 9 in all my subjects, i am doing geography early entry exam this may, this means im doing the exam early, im just finding hard to study like the river topic and coastal erosion in geography the amount of key words in it, and to be specific when answering the question to gain full marks , do you have tips about how i should study geography. Thank you, and best of luck in your future 😊

y13; all 8/9 in GCSEs - ask me anything!

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