Are science A-levels really hard?

Scroll to see replies

im doing chemistry and biology and i must say there not that hard, as long as you buy the revision guide you will get a B or better :P

Its just recall, just have to memorise things, very little need to understand it.

Reply 21

sil3nt_cha0s

conorf199

Anything less than an A is a fail IMO

Reply 22

RTom

Problem is that GCSE Science is too easy, the jump can take some people a while to get used to.

Reply 23

Jooeee

To me it's what you want to get out of it. It's very easy to get an A in chemistry/physics by memorising facts and doing past papers, however to actually get a good understanding of the concepts and then be able to apply them to new areas is harder.

Reply 24

IndiePixie

Biology was very easy - just memorisation really. Chemistry and Physics are quite a bit harder.

Reply 25

Kinsula

AS AQA chemistry made me want to jump off a tall building, but thankfully once I revised it all it was a doddle.
Lucky for me, I'm taking it for A2 as well! *hooray*

Reply 26

maxfire

Subcutaneous

chemistry was interesting but i think i found it hard as i found it so boring..

Kinda contradicted yourself a bit there didn't you? Just a bit. A tiny little bit.

Reply 27

smiley:)

i only take chemistry. and i find it hard. the basic theories of what should happen when this happens and why that happens like it does etc is easy. i find its the how science works and applying it to individual reactions and instances that is difficult.

Reply 28

maxfire

I ******* hated biology, and dropped it after AS.
Physics was ok. The AS was pretty hard, but doable if you could understand it, and the A2 just seems to develop the AS stuff deeper. This is AQA btw.

Reply 29

Skye333

LizB

Biology itself was fine. It was interesting with the odd bit a bit challengeing. However, the exam board (AQA) are crazy sometimes, it seemed to be all about learning how they liked you to answer things and the questions often were quite vague and misleading.

Chemistry (Edexcel) was a challenge. I enjoyed parts of it, but it was just a difficult subject, memorising reactions gets boring quickly.

Bit random, but what as/a-levels did you take or are taking? Thanks :smile:

Reply 30

LizB

Skye333

Bit random, but what as/a-levels did you take or are taking? Thanks :smile:

AS=Critical Thinking.
A2=History, English Lit., Chemistry and Biology.

I've been told a few times how odd my combination of subjects is. :rolleyes:

Why did you want to know?

Reply 31

Champagne Supernova

I am currently doing Chemistry (AQA) and Biology (OCR), going onto A2 at the start of next year.

I find Chemistry challenging, however, it's understandable, then again, my teachers are fantastic. It is quite a step-up from GCSE, but I expected this, and am coping with it. Some people may find it hard, some easy, I suppose a lot of depends on your work ethic, i.e. how much work are you willing to put into it? If you're willing to put a lot into any subject, you'll do well, and whilst find it challenging, you'll still do very well. Whereas if you're a bit half-hearted, then it'll seem harder.

Biology - I have always found it easier, but it's still not easy itself. Again, it's challenging, but in a different way to Chemistry. With Biology there are more facts and such to soak up, to then spew out in exams, whereas Chemistry is more about developing understanding (in my opinion) and carrying that forward through to the other modules.

I would say you could bring a lot through from GCSE to A Levels, however, topics that have been previously unexplored seem like a big jump up and can be overwhelming, depending on your interest in it.

Reply 32

notanytimesoon

it's certainly not easy but nevertheless it is doable.

Reply 33

Skye333

LizB

AS=Critical Thinking.
A2=History, English Lit., Chemistry and Biology.

I've been told a few times how odd my combination of subjects is. :rolleyes:

Why did you want to know?

Thanks for the reply. I'm thinking of doing history at uni later on too, and I saw you had some of the same courses I'm choosing for AS: biology, chemistry, maths and history. I'm trying to find out if that's a good combo for history later :smile:

Reply 34

Emperor

For me physics(edexcel) was the most challenging
this is what u need to excel in them:

Biology (very good memory and ability to recall and apply concepts to new situations)
Physics (good understanding of the concepts, application and manipulation of formulas)
Chemistry (very good memory, understanding and application of concepts)
mathematics ( application and manipulation of formulas, U'll excel if ure gifted in maths)

Reply 35

HAIR14

I found Chemistry (AQA) and Biology (OCR) fine, not hard, but not easy. Physics (Edexcel) was by far the worst. I just found them all so boring.

Reply 36

lets_make_some_music

physics (ocr) i've just finished
it was challenging, but not hard (in the fact that i could do it, but it took a little working out to get there)

however i had great teachers so that helped alot :smile:

there is such a big step up from GCSE to A-Level sciences that it seems alot harder than it actually it

Reply 37

Katermerang

I have completed the chemistry, physics, maths and further maths AS levels and have started the A level in all of these.

Chemistry-

Overall the AS year has been relatively straight forward, the foundation topic was simple but the organic stuff is more tricky. Chemistry is the in-between science in that you need to have a good understanding of the content as well as have a good memory to do well in it.

Maths-

If you like maths, then like me you will find it piss easy, otherwise its relatively mediocre in difficulty. In fact in my opinion one of the easiest “respected” A levels there is, that is of course if you are reasonably numerate, if not you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.

Physics-

Hmm.. well they don’t call it the hardest A level for no reason. I love the subject but even for me (some one who you would probably class as good at it) I can find it extremely difficult at times. The trick to it from my understanding is to UNDERSTAND the physics and not try and memorize the book as you will almost certainly receive a poor grade, for this reason it is much harder than other A levels.

Further maths-

The AS course can be relatively simple for good mathematicians (depending on the modules you take), but the A level stuff is a big step up and should only be taken by those serious about maths.

Hope that helps.

Reply 38

TylerDurden

sil3nt_cha0s

I did Physics A Level and Chemistry AS Level.

AS Level is a challenging GCSE really, building on the ideas of A* material and if you found GCSE Science relatively straightforward, there's no reason you can't do well on AS Level Science.

A2 Level was surprisingly and shockingly difficult. Chemistry has way too much learning and Physics has difficult concepts that were never properly taught to us. I don't think I fully understand some topics from units 4, 5 and 6 Physics - I was learning them just for the exams in the end.

Prepare for a shock on A2 Level Science, if you decide to do it.

The WORST thing about Chemistry is that EVERY year, they told us that the stuff taught in the previous year was, put bluntly, a lie (not a lie, but not the whole truth). You had to learn completely new concepts for the same things that had been drilled into you before. Chemistry never seemed free-flowing in that sense. Physics, like Maths, just flows nicely. I imagine the same is true for Biology.

However, to have a true appreciation of Physics or Biology or both, Chemistry is required. Chemistry is the subject which links the two together, which probably puts people off taking science, knowing that you ideally need to take TWO sciences to have a solid understanding of the material.

Physics really needs Maths for thorough appreciation and understanding. One guy who had Physics but not Maths in our set had to learn, in his own time, differentiation and integration so that he understood things like circular motion and exponential decay.

Having to take a "binding subject" with a science probably puts a lot of people off. Take Physics and immediately you need Maths and to an extent Chemistry to see where everything comes from and links together.

I disagree with your point with AS science being an extension, so to speak, of GCSE science. We did Edexcel 360 which was the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my life. Even a retarded monkey could nail an A*. However, in my pretty decent/smart-most people get As at A2 level- college, this we have found that many people have chosen sciences due to their newfound confidence due to this Edexcel 360. They then failed their AS science as they possessed no real flair for any of the sciences (chemistry in particular)

But yeah for those who are all right with AS I guess it depends on which science you do. Bio is a breeze. It all about knowledge, not so much understanding as much.

Reply 39

DCSF

Science and maths are sometimes thought to be harder than other subjects, however, they are fascinating subjects that enable us to understand and make sense of the world around us. The rewards of studying science and maths are also very good indeed since qualifications in these subjects will increase your options and will open up the job market for you. Companies regard science subjects very highly, so they are certainly worth any extra work. It is also worth bearing in mind that achieving further qualifications in science or maths subjects may bring greater financial rewards in future employment when compared to other subjects, so you could even view your hard work as an investment.

But there is really no such thing as an easy A level. Sciences offer an excellent combination of practical based work and theory and open up doors in terms of higher education and career choices. The numbers of students taking A level science is rising and you will get good support from your teachers. There are many routes available after GCSEs. These include taking Sciences to A level, Diploma courses (in subjects such as science and environmental and land based studies) and apprenticeships in areas such as engineering and health. The local online 14-19 prospectus will provide comprehensive information on all of the pathways open.