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Getting The Best Outcome In Your A-Levels

Everyone studies differently and has their own techniques which work best for them. Studying effectively will not only help reduce stress but will also save you more time overall, which could be used for another activity. However, here I would like to mention a few study tips that worked best for me or that I wish I would have done, in order to help you do the best in your studies.

Try doing work when it’s set

Doing work when it’s set, not only makes your life easier in terms of less stress but also gives you more time to do extra-curriculars or revision. The longer you put off your work, the more you are likely to procrastinate and so the more stressed you would become, which can easily be avoided. Even if you have a lot to do, splitting it into smaller manageable portions may be more effective.

Stay on top of your revision

I know that everyone will probably tell you this, but this is very important. Revising consistently not only means that you don’t need to cram and stress closer to the exam, but also enables you to have longer to do past paper questions. Trying to learn 2 years worth of content last minute, will affect your result not only for the specific subject but all of them, since it will cause less confidence and more panic. Also, constantly revising means that when the exam period does come, you will already know most of it and can just brush up on final details instead of learning everything from scratch.

If you don’t understand something make sure to clarify straight away

This may seem straightforward but a lot of people don’t ask if they don’t understand, either because they don’t want to seem less smart or they feel like it would be a waste of time but that is not the case. I can definitely say that I was one of the people who didn’t want to ask questions but this meant that all the gaps in my learning built up and made it harder for me later during my revision. Making sure to clear anything immediately will save time in the future. By understanding a concept first, you can then consolidate your learning further by topic specific past paper questions.

Do past papers

Past papers are so important in your revision and the earlier you start them, the longer you will have to make sure you understand everything and learn the exam style of questions. Even if initially you don’t do entire past papers, when consolidating a topic, it is important to do past paper questions so that you will also be able to identify if anything needs more work in a particular topic. By doing entire past paper, not only will you know which areas to cover more but also understand working in a time limit. In subjects such as maths, although you may understand a topic, the types of questions that come up may vary and in doing papers, you will be able to explore and understand what may come up in exams better.

Understand mark schemes

In subjects like biology, it is extremely important to learn what the mark schemes are looking for. Specific points will need to be mentioned in order to gain marks and learning what the examiners will be looking for by doing rnore questions will help you get a better result.

Time management

Doing A-levels alongside your applications can be stressful and difficult to cope with if not done effectively. Time management is important and useful since it will not only help you do things on time but also allow you allocate time for extra curricular and help you understand how you would work best. Organising a routine and planning your days also means less time will be spent procrastinating and that you can start doing work without having to spend a while considering what to do.

Make your work more manageable

By splitting you work into more smaller, manageable parts, you are more likely to end up doing it since it will feel less overwhelming. Also, breaking it down will make it easier to finish a topic and you will also be able to set more realistic goals when planning a schedule.

Don’t panic

When you feel too overwhelmed by the amount of revision you have left or if you don’t do as well in an assessment, it is easier to start to panic and worry. But what is important here is to take a break and think about either what you could have done better and adapt accordingly or you can try a new study technique if you had a lower result in a test. But what is important is to still relax and make sure to maintain the work-life balance so that your A-levels and wellbeing aren’t impacted.

Academic Support and Resources
Lorna
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