fb276’s gyg | s4 → s5 ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

hi everyone!
i’ve decided to start a gyg to keep myself accountable and give my studying some structure. i work better when things are written down and tracked, so this feels like the right place to do it.
about me
i’m currently in the scottish education system and studying for national 5s.
subjects i’m taking
• national 5 english
• national 5 maths
• national 5 biology
• national 5 chemistry
• national 5 physics
• national 5 computing
• national 5 business
• national 5 modern studies
current grades (pre-prelim averages)
• physics: 84%
• chemistry: 89%
• biology: 87%
• modern studies: 88%
• maths: 86%
• english: 82%
• business: 92%
• computing: 86%
overall, i’m doing quite well, but there are still a few areas i want to improve, so any advice would be appreciated.
subject reflections
computing
this is the subject i’m most concerned about. i consistently do very well in computer systems and databases, but software development is where my marks drop. i’m still getting As, but usually around 74–76%, which i want to improve.
if anyone has tips for revising software development or improving exam technique, i’d really appreciate it. i’m also unsure whether to take computing to higher, especially considering job prospects, so advice on that would help too.
biology
i generally do well in class tests and understand the content fine. my teacher isn’t great, which makes lessons frustrating, but it hasn’t affected my grades too much. i got 94% on my last class test.
chemistry
one of my stronger sciences. i enjoy it, my teacher is really good, and i’m definitely planning to take this to higher. i’m also considering chemistry-related careers.
business
my strongest subject at the moment. i find it quite straightforward and consistently score highly. i’ve thought about taking it to higher, but i’m unsure what opportunities it could open up.
maths
i’ve always been good at maths, so i’m not too worried content-wise. the pace is very fast since i’m in a top set, which can be stressful, but i’m managing. planning to take this to higher.
modern studies
i do well in class tests, but i find revising for it quite stressful. some tests feel easier than exam standard, so i want to improve how i revise. right now i’m using flashcards for exam-style questions, so i’ll see how that goes. definitely not planning to take this to higher.
english
english has always been on and off for me. i’m strong in critical essays (often 17+), but textual analysis and ruae are weaker. i’ve been getting around 70%, which i’m happy with, but improving consistency is my main goal.
upcoming prelims
my prelims are in january, with my first prelim on 12th january (modern studies). i’m aiming to use this gyg to stay organised and focused leading up to them.
looking for advice on
• effective revision methods for specific subjects
• improving software development in computing
• choosing highers (currently considering maths, physics, chemistry, possibly computing, engineering science, psychology or business. i’m very indecisive)
• career ideas linked to these subjects and possible routes
• honestly, anything that could help
i’ll try to update this thread weekly with progress and reflections. any advice is welcome and appreciated

Hi. My name's Jasmin, I'm in S5, and I have my own gyg (Jasmin's S5 Gyg).
In S4 I got straight A's at nat 5, including in English, maths, biology, and modern studies. This year I'm crash-highering business and I'm predicted an A1, so I can help with that too.
My highers this year are English, history, modern studies, classical studies, and business, so if you've got any questions about them at higher, feel free to ask.
After school today when I've got time, I'll write up some advice for each of our common subjects based on what you've asked about.
Welcome to the gyg community! 😊

Hii 😁for computing i found lochside academy computing site really helpful and the rgc computing site also yk computing scotland youtube channel.
For exam technique before hand i usually used past papers because they really don't change the software development questions that far also in class when we did any thing we needed to code i always wrote internal commentary and it was just easier to understand when looking back.
Also there are key words that hint at what to use in your code just have a watchful eye all in all you should be fine😄
There's also a really good Youtube video that goes over all the exam techniques you need to know
https://youtu.be/rqIEx09wDfw?si=HB4F87Lcup2Kph7P

hi jasmin!
thanks so much, that’s really helpful. congrats on all your a’s in s4, that’s amazing! and good luck with your highers this year too. i’d definitely appreciate any advice you have
looking forward to reading your advice later!

hey!!
for possible careers, you could have a look at chemical engineering!
Its a mix of chemistry, maths, and physics which you might like 🙂
4 universities in scotland offer this course - Edinburgh, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Heriott-watt!!!

English-
For English, I recommend revising my making and looking over quote + technique + analysis flashcards (or typed-up revision booklets which are basically just flashcards on a document).
If one of your texts is poetry then I would make flashcards for every single annotation. However, for any longer texts I would just figure out what the likely 8 marker/critical essay questions could be based on key themes and past papers and then just do around 6+ flashcards for each possible question.
I then revised these flashcards and applied them by answering past paper questions. If you want more specific advice like how to structure a full mark SST question or critical essay then let me know.
RUAE is something that I find a bit more difficult, and I think that's because the SQA are very specific in what they want you to say. I often will write something that is technically correct but I won't get the mark because it's not in the marking scheme.
To combat this, I did a lot of studying the marking schemes to figure out what the SQA want to hear, and then when answering questions I try to think about what the SQA would see as being the easiest quotes (they'll typically be the ones in the marking sheme).
From there, make sure you know how to answer the different types of RUAE questions. The more you practice the more you'll remember.
Maths-
I'm going to be completely honest, I failed my maths prelim, but I came out of the final exam with 87%. It was a lot of hard work.
I did a lot of looking at the marking schemes in order to teach myself what to do and learning the steps.
I used this website called Dynamic Maths a lot. It has every nat 5 maths past paper (and older past papers from standard grade, ect) separated by topic. It meant that it was much easier to focus on and apply just what I was learning at any one time.
Modern studies-
Another moment of honesty here, I didn't use flashcards to remember modern studies examples (sorry to my teacher).
My modern studies revision consisted of doing past paper questions and going back to look at examples if I was stuck, and regularly reading the news. I actually found that the examples that I had come across whilst casually reading/watching the news were the ones that stuck with me the best because I made that connection between the article and what I had learnt in class.
Biology-
I found that flashcards and blurting were the best ways to revise for biology (bonus points if I could get someone to go over my flashcards with me because then I'd be doing both).
I feel like I don't have tons more advice for biology as I got quite a low A in it and it's definitely not my strong suit.
Business-
Flashcards are your best friend in business. It's a lot of flashcards, but it's so worthwhile.
Once you've written and started looking over your flashcards, applying them is a good idea. I typically do this through past paper questions, but you could also do blurting or make mindmaps - whatever works best for you.
I also find that applying what you're learning to real life situations or businesses really helps me to remember it. For example, in higher one of the sources of finance is debentures, so I remember it as an individual called Ben giving my business a loan (because it's a deBENture - I find it quite funny personally).
Then, in terms of picking higher subjects I think one thing to consider is how much you would miss a subject (although you can't do this if you've never taken it before).
Another factor to consider is whether the content is similar at nat 5 and higher, and if it is would this bore you? I know that the content in nat 5 and higher business is pretty similar, and I think that I would be finding higher really boring if I had taken it at nat 5 as a result.
With a lot of the subjects you're considering you could go into chemistry/maths/physics/engineering degrees. You could also go into psychology or business though, too. One thing to consider is that (at least in my opinion), psychology and business can be linked (due to marketing, promotion strategies, price, ect).
If you're really unsure as to what you want to study in the future, I would look to see if any of the courses you have in mind have specific entry requirements. I would try to fit as many of those as possible whilst also trying to keep your options open. For example, if you were thinking about a STEM degree, maths, physics, and chemistry would meet those entry requirements, and you could take business and psychology to keep your options open in case you changed your mind.
I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊

gyg update - 16th january
so far, i’ve done my modern studies, computing, biology, business, and chemistry prelims, and they all went pretty well. chemistry yesterday felt especially good because most of the questions were past paper ones and i had done loads the day before, so i lowkey reached flow state in the exam and left early 🥹 the open-ended questions were on the chemistry of water and rates of reaction, which was such a blessing.
up next are english on monday, maths on thursday, and physics on the 27th. right now i’m focusing on english revision. we had a practice critical reading paper before study leave, so there isn’t much new material, but i’ve been making extra flashcards for my scottish set text and revising my macbeth essay, which i’m about halfway through.
plan for the next few days:
• finish memorising macbeth essay
• revise TA flashcards
• do textual analysis practice with 8-markers
• practice essays under timed conditions
• RUAE revision on sunday
RUAE is still tricky because no matter how much i revise, i seem to get stuck around 23–24 marks. still an A, but a bit frustrating.
i’m so tired of prelims honestly, i just want them to be over 🙏🙏
how is everyone else finding prelims or school right now?

Prelims have went alright so far, I’m surprised I even made the jump (skipping S4) without failing yet. School has been pretty lame, it’s just been:
Not interesting but oh well
I’m also surprised that I barely study for the prelims yet I still remember most stuff. Anyway, hope your prelims are going well!!!

honestly skipping s4 is huge, you should give yourself more credit. prelim season really does suck the life out of school though, it doesn’t even feel like normal lessons anymore. hopefully once they’re done it feels a bit more worth it. good luck with the rest of them 🤍

Tbh, I’ve practically skipped S5 too as I’ve doing my advanced highers rn. It’s not fun, I’ll that you that much. But either way, I just wished my school teachers would stop nagging me about my highers as they don’t trust that I can learn my advanced highers :/