Let
me be the first one to admit that A levels is hard. It will drive
you to stay up all night before CIEAS on end and have you continuously think
about the threshold level. To sum it all up, it can really bust that last
molecule of serotonin you’ve been running on from the prior two weeks. But
trust me when I say, once you’re done with your final A2 exams and have those
straight A*s on the result day, all the effort you put in will start to seem
like it was worth it (which it is!).
Having said that, let me walk you through a number of effective
tips that walked me through my A levels journey and will surely help you as
well. Believe me, you don’t want to miss these! On that not, let’s get right
into them!
This article is copy protected!
|
1.
Don’t Forget to Make Handwritten Notes
When you sit down to begin your final preparation, you’re going to
want to know the course beforehand. The last thing that you should be doing in
your prep leaves is making handwritten notes from the very start of your
syllabus. To illustrate the concept further, for a subject like A2 Applied
Psychology or Sociology, a good understanding of your topic and background
knowledge is absolutely necessary, and these my friend, you will only be able
to develop if you have your detailed notes ready to assist you.
P.s. you’ll also find yourself comparatively more motivated to
study when the exams are when you are already 50% through with your
preparation. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your notebook and get started!
2.
Be Well Aware of The Paper Pattern
As you may already know, Cambridge is well known for changing and
improvising its paper patterns. What you have to do on your part, is keep up
with them. Be educated about any last-minute changes Cambridge decides to make
in your subjects of choice. This will not only help you be a step ahead in your
exam preparation but will be a hidden guide for you within itself. Allow me to
explain, once you are conscious of a change in the exam pattern, you will have
ample time to practice doing questions of that particular sort.
3.
Don’t Ignore the Criterions for Level Marking
I believe, level marking is what gives A levels it’s charm. You
don’t have to write a lot of content or a detailed, annotated three-page
lined answer, you just have to write an improvised and well-developed
answer even if it is concise. As a matter of fact, this a mistake we often
tend to make, we end up writing prolonged but irrelevant answers to questions
that have a high marking range. Instead, what you should do is study the tables
of level marking with great concentration and develop your answer according to
Level 5 guidelines. You can’t go wrong with this!
4.
Past Papers Are Your Best Friend!
I cannot emphasize this enough; past papers are your key to getting
good grades! I know what most of us think, if we know the content well
enough, why do past papers even matter? That’s where we’ve got it all
wrong.
The difference between a student who scores a C, and an A might only
be of past papers. While the C’s student might know the content as well as
one can, the A’s student would be well acquainted with the past papers as well
as the content and that is exactly who’s winning.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say, A levels (and O levels for that
matter) is at least 50% the name of knowing the art of solving a paper
tactfully. I have seen students ace their science subjects CAIES with only
surface level knowledge of the subject and tons of past paper practice. For
this reason, as an A levels student, I would advise you to keep past papers in
your radius at all times from the beginning. If you haven’t yet finished your
syllabus content, you can make use of past paper topicals instead.
You can thank me later!
5.
Give Yourself Time to Breath
Last but not least, I know you’re stressed and anxious about the
hastily approaching exams, I was just as stressed myself too. However, take it
from someone who suffered greatly at the hands of academic stress, you’re going
to be just fine. You’re going to achieve all your goals and aims in life, and A
levels is not the end of the world (no matter how much it might seem like it
is). Allow yourself guilt free rest, take off days from studying, do what eases
your mind every once in a while.
You may have already heard this several times before, but stress is
not going to help you succeed. If anything, it will pull you further down instead.
Health comes before anything else does, even the grades you’ve worked for all
year long.
With that being said, if you are a student who is nearing exam
season, I wish you utmost success and triumph in your exams. I know you’re
going to outperform yourself!
The article is produced by Asma Irfan, one of the contributors to the School of Literature.
