Use the specification (available on the exam board website) to make sure that you know everything you need to. Many students fail to appreciate that A-levels are a huge step up from GCSEs. Even if you got As and Bs at GCSE by only revising the month before, don’t expect the same to work now. You need to dedicate much more time and effort to your studies if you want even the slightest chance of earning those elusive A* grades.
Use the specification (available on the exam board website) to make sure that you know everything you need to. Many students fail to appreciate that A-levels are a huge step up from GCSEs. Even if you got As and Bs at GCSE by only revising the month before, don’t expect the same to work now. You need to dedicate much more time and effort to your studies if you want even the slightest chance of earning those elusive A* grades.
If your school or college allows you to take a mobile phone to class, record your teacher’s lecture so you can write extra notes from it later.
Make sure your existing notes are of good quality. If you have already attended some classes, rewrite all the notes you have in a more organized way, adding in more information that you have learned since then. Remember, the more you know about a subject the better. You could also make colourful posters for topics, including features such as key words, definitions, equations, mind maps, diagrams and flowcharts. Stick the posters to the wall in a place where you will be able to see them every day.
Keep in mind that some situations, such as coursework deadlines approaching or tests being announced, will need you to spend more time doing work for particular subjects. For example, if you have a Biology test next week, devote at least an extra 30 minutes daily to revising and practicing questions for it. If you are in your second year of studying new reformed A-Levels, be sure to put extra time towards revising content for these courses that you covered in your first year. It’s essential to keep this material fresh in your mind - no matter how well you know it now, you won’t remember it so clearly come exam time if you don’t revise it regularly.
Aim to start every piece of homework on the day it’s assigned. It’s hard to produce work that reflects the best of your ability if you procrastinate and carelessly whizz through it the night before it’s due in.
Use green for topics you would be confident answering questions about in the exam. Skim over them regularly to make sure things stay that way. Use yellow for topics you have some understanding of but haven’t completely mastered yet. Spend a bit more time on these - practice questions on them and focus on the parts you’re having trouble with. Use red for topics you find very difficult or confusing. Put the bulk of your revision towards understanding these, especially if questions about them are often worth a ton of marks in the exam. Ask your teacher for help if you’re really struggling. Reassess the topics every week. Try to improve as many yellow and red topics to green as you can.
You can also challenge yourself by tackling papers from other exam boards. Content varies between boards, so stick to questions that are relevant to your specification.
Set yourself goals to bring your grades up gradually. For example, if you’re working at a grade D in a subject, practice that subject more regularly to reach grade C, then work towards grade B, and so on.
