Category: A Levels

Posted in A Levels

How I Use My Notes

Posted on by Serena

I found Bio the hardest to study for because of the huuuuuuge amount of content we had to memorise. It took ages to finish making notes and took just as long to learn them by heart. Along the way, I’ve developed my own way of studying which made life slightly easier. At least I had a routine I could follow so I didn’t have the “where do I begin” feeling anymore. If you need to get over this feeling, read on! Hopefully these tips will help!

Step one: Make notes. (Check out my last post for details on how I make my notes!) I’d suggest to make notes as soon as you finish a chapter in class. Finish as in, when you complete all the exercises and move on to the next chapter. I used to make notes before we did exercises, but later I found out exercises have lots of useful information. I ended up having to add them to my already made notes which were nearly full to the brim, literally there was no white space left. Later I decided to wait until we completely closed the chapter before I made them. But don’t make them any later than that! My number one A Level tip: Never let work pile up!! Resist the urge to do it later!! Resist!

Step two: Underline the keywords in your notes. I like to treat this step like “light memorising”. I usually do this a few days after I make the notes. I’ll go over the notes and underline the keywords with a coloured pen. Sometimes I’ll also put a box around the sub topics, to add some visual interest #visuallearner. This step is like a nice reminder for the whole chapter, without requiring too much brain power.

Step three: Memorise! Honestly, I really don’t like using the word memorise. It makes me seem like I’m just stuffing things into my brain then regurgitating it. Though, for Bio its kinda true, that’s kinda what you have to do. (But make sure you understand what you are memorising! ) So what I’d do is go section by section. I’ll read the first section, which is the top left one, then cover it, and try to recite it from memory. I try to picture the diagrams, the underlined words to help me remember. After I remember it, I move on to the next section, and the next and the next until I know all of it by heart. Some people rewrite their notes from memory, #blurting. I’ve tried it before, but for me it just takes too long and I start to get impatient so I recite it instead. If writing helps you remember, you might want to try blurting instead of reciting, everyone has a different way of studying. I do this “heavy memorising” most probably a few days before a test, depending on the length of the chapter and how difficult I find it.

Posted in A Levels

How I Make My Notes

Posted on by Serena

I’ve mentioned before I use notes as my main revision resource, especially for Biology. My note making style is kind of a cross between traditional notes and mind maps. I like to use the mind map style to compartmentalise the info, I find it easier to remember that way. The colour helps me too. Like for respiration, I will recall information by thinking of what I wrote on the top left corner of the purple page. Today I’m going to share how I make my notes for anyone curious! Hope this helps!

So first of all, I like to make my notes “pretty”, because that motivates me to make them, since it is kind of like art for me, but you totally don’t have to be so extra like me if you don’t want to. First I choose a colour for the topic. For respiration, I choose purple, so for the titles and keywords, they’ll be in purple, while the main texts will be in black.

Then I get my plain paper and punch out holes, so I don’t end up punching out my writing after I’m done. I prefer plain paper to lined paper because I can fit more in a page and since I’m a visual learner, I don’t get distracted by the lines. Before I start note making, I read through the textbook to get an idea of what sub topics there are and how much information is in the topic, and I also get out my exercises that has information I want to add.

I start by writing the title of the chapter in the middle of the page. Then I draw my first arrow from the title to the top left corner and write the title of the first sub topic, in this case “ENERGY”. Then I start writing the contents in bullet points. It is helpful to have an “arrow system”, to keep things organised, this is mine, but feel free to make your own. (It’s ok not to stick to it exactly, as long as you stick to it most of the time and you know what you are writing)

Don’t be afraid to use symbols and short forms! They can help shorten your study time and make your notes easier to read. For me, @=at, cuz=because, ∴ =therefore. And don’t write full sentences! Just take the key points!

Then you repeat the process for the next sub topic, “ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE”. I use my arrows as separators for different sub topics. Try to always write the sub topics in the same direction each time. So for example, my sequence is, ENERGY, ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE, RESPIRATION, GLYCOLYSIS, then LINK REACTION, KREBS CYCLE, so anti clockwise, then clockwise. This is so you now what sequence to read your notes in. When you fill up the first page, just flip to the back and continue. The only difference is I write the page number below the center title, so ENERGY & RESPIRATION (2).

If you want to make a summary, you can add a box like I do on the side. For extra info just use an arrow to point to an empty spot. And that’s all there is to it!

Many of my friends told me they can’t do mind maps because they’ll mess it up, but for me actually, I don’t really mind. The “imperfections” actually stand out more and I tend to remember them, haha. So there’s no such thing as mess up I think. Just do it, you know, you’ve gotta write what you’ve gotta write. Stay tuned for the next post! I’ll be sharing how I actually use them for studying!

Posted in A Levels

A Level Mathematics

Posted on by Serena

Last but not least, part 4 of A Level honest reviews is here! So, Maths huh? The most commonly taken subject. The most straight forward one. The almost compulsory subject. The backbone of our studies (too far? ). Regardless of what you think of maths, you can’t run away from it. You’ll have to take it some point in your life. If that point includes your A Levels, well my friend, read on to find out more!

What can I expect?

If you took Add Maths in high school, AS Maths should be easy for you because lots of it was covered before, especially in the SPM syallabus. Things like normal distribution, differentiation, vectors etc are what you’ll be seeing. For me, I had the smoothest transition with maths, which was a relief actually, because my other subjects took up so much of my time. I think it’s safe to say, I found maths the easiest.

How many papers are there?

At both AS and A2 there will be 2 papers. Everyone takes different combinations so make sure you discuss this with your lecturer or counselor. Here’s my combination:

At AS,

  • Pure Mathematics 1 (P1) : 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Statistics 1 (S1) : 1 hour 15 minutes

At A2,

  • Pure Mathematics 3 (P3) : 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Mechanics 1 (M1) : 1 hour 15 minutes

How’s the workload?

Looking back, I don’t remember having any problems with the work (except at A2). We were given homework after every lesson but the amount was manageable so I usually finished it right after school then got crackin’ with the other subjects. When we were approaching exams, we did one past paper in each lesson. So I could do about 4 papers a week, without taking away time after lessons.

How’s the jump from AS to A2?

Ok, this is where the tough part is. The jump from P1 to P3 was a substantial one. I couldn’t finish the past papers in one lesson. I could only get to number 5 in our 1.5 hour lesson (there are 10 questions in total!) which was bad. That’s when I felt maths getting tough. As with every subject though, DO NOT let work pile up! Even if this happens to you, finish that paper on the day itself, because if you leave it till the next day, you’ll have to do the next day’s work AND yesterday’s work. Chances are you won’t finish it and the work starts to snowball. With maths I find if you stay disciplined and keep on going, one day, things just click. As for M1, it’s pretty similar to physics. We learned the 4 kinematic equations, Newton’s Second Law and stuff like that. So, the jump wasn’t too bad. Before choosing your A2 papers, I suggest to have a look at the past papers first to get a feel of what its like.

Do not worry too much about maths, it’s just a matter of doing lots of practice (a lot!) and time. Be sure to keep up with work and things will be okay ❤

Posted in A Levels

A Level Chemistry

Posted on by Serena

Welcome to part 3 of my A Level honest reviews! Today is about chemistry, not a subject I particularly love or hate, we just have a “meh” relationship. I find it easier than physics, but not as interesting as bio (I fell asleep lots of times oops…). Many people take chemistry though, no matter if you are team bio or team physics (or even team arts!) because chemistry is the foundation of science (as said by my teacher). If there are no atoms, what would make up the animals we study in biology? What would make up the things we push in physics? Whether you take it because you love it, or like me, you take it because you need it, read on to find out my experience with A Level Chemistry.

What can I expect?

I didn’t feel any significant jump between high school and A Levels. The first few chapters were slightly mind blowing, it totally changed my idea of the atom, but other than that I think it was fairly manageable. I did have an amazing lecturer though. We could ask her anything literally anytime and she would always make time to help us. So that really did help me adjust to the new course. One thing I did have trouble with was organic chemistry, especially in Paper 1. In class we learned really basic concepts but the questions, whoaaaa, they were kind of scary. Thankfully my lecturer was willing to help us, so many past papers later we got back on track.

How many papers are there?

At AS, there’s Paper 1, 2 and 3.

  • Paper 1: 40 MCQ questions, 1 hour
  • Paper 2: Structured questions, 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Paper 3: Practical paper, 2 hours

At A2, there’s Paper 4 and 5

  • Paper 4: Structured questions, 2 hours
  • Paper 5: Written practical, 1 hour 15 minutes

How’s the workload?

It’s not as much as biology, but a little more than physics. I’d say its a moderate workload. There’s quite a good balance between chapters on calculations and on memorisation, so it’s not so draining to revise. The memorisation is mostly for organic chemistry (check out my organic chem notes here!). For chemistry I find past papers to be very useful because the questions in exams tend to twist and turn so you have to do more to be familiar. In AS we had a big question on a topic that was seldom asked, so don’t skimp on revising, even if it seems it won’t come out (trust me it does TT) Oh, be sure to remember the AS content. A2 content is AS content but more in depth so make sure your foundation is strong!

What’s the practical paper like?

Also easier than bio, harder than physics! The questions aren’t as predictable as physics, but I find them more doable than the bio papers. In Paper 3, the first part is an experiment where you’ll plot a graph, the second part is qualitative analysis. You have to be fast in Paper 3! Read the entire paper before you start anything so you can plan out your time. Maybe work on calculations while you’re waiting for the water bath to boil, do the experiment that requires cooling first etc. QA for me was pretty challenging, it gets confusing sometimes. Try your best to pay attention anytime you do QA questions in class so you know what each result should look like. Make sure you know the QA table at the back well so you don’t waste time looking for results. My lecturer told us, it’s not about who’s smarter, but who can work smarter! For Paper 5, practice practice practice and you’ll be fine. It’s also a moderate paper, not too hard, not too easy. But don’t waste time doing the old style past papers because they recently changed the format. We don’t have to write entire procedures anymore. The most challenging part for me was when they asked why a result was anomalous. Till this day I’m still blur about that, so if you are too, clarify it with your lecturer!

How’s the jump from AS to A2?

A slight jump I would say due to the time constraint. There are only a few completely new chapters, the rest are AS topics in more depth. Baisically it’s the same as AS, do past papers, revise consistently, and you’ll be a-okay.

Posted in A Levels

A Level Biology

Posted on by Serena

Ahh Biology, my favourite subject. But my least favourite to revise (oh the irony…). Going into A Levels I knew I wanted to take biology because it’s necessary for my course at university, so I never doubted my choice of taking it. Though I have some friends who didn’t enjoy it and ended up dropping biology. I think everyone has a love hate relationship with bio, keeping it is a matter of loving it more or hating it more (I love it more hehe). So, what was my experience with A Level Biology? Read on to find out.

What can I expect?

For the jump between high school and A Levels, personally I didn’t find it very big at all. Our first chapter was about cells so it was a nice warm up chapter to recall the things we learned before. We learned many similar topics as in IGCSE just in greater detail. But… well, I’m not gonna sugar coat this. Expect loads of stuff to memorise. Loads. That’s probably the most significant difference between high school and A Levels. Don’t mean to scare you or anything, just being honest. I found it quite overwhelming at first. The notes I made for each chapter was literally so packed with information, there was barely any white space left. After I found a study method that worked for me, things did become more manageable so it wasn’t all that bad. Just make sure to keep up with work so things don’t pile up!

How many papers are there?

At AS, there’s Paper 1, 2 and 3.

  • Paper 1: 40 MCQ questions, 1 hour
  • Paper 2: Structured questions, 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Paper 3: Practical paper, 2 hours

At A2, there’s Paper 4 and 5

  • Paper 4: Structured questions, 2 hours
  • Paper 5: Written practical, 1 hour 15 minutes

How’s the workload?

Biology took the most time compared to my other subjects just because there’s so much to memorise. For me, making notes for a chapter would take +/- 4 days, memorising it would take maybe half a day. Then I would have to go over my notes a few more times after that to make sure I really remember it. Past paper wise, I find they help jolt your memory rather than help you learn the content as with other subjects. They are still very important though because in Biology there are some really interesting(?), out of the box(?), funny(?), questions, so you’ve gotta train your brain to be flexible in that sense. Oh, a tip for revision: Make your notes/flash cards ASAP after you finish learning a chapter, even if you don’t plan on memorising right away. That way you can just focus on memorising them when exams roll around.

What’s the practical paper like?

So in Paper 3, I almost had a break down because my enzyme solution wouldn’t change colour! It was supposed to turn clear but nothing happened???? (I almost cried haha) After I came out of the lab my teacher told us that the way we present the data carried the most marks so we shouldn’t worry too much. In Paper 5, I had another mini heart attack. The question of planning an experiment was about a computerised reaction test, which we never learned before! Then the second question was about sperm count…which we also never done. In my opinion, bio practicals can be very out of the blue. They can ask what seem to be out of syllabus but they actually aren’t. What to do? Step one, do not panic like I did. Step 2, make sure to know all the possible experiment methods, even if they seem unlikely to come out, like quadrat sampling etc. Step 3, try to link those funny questions to what you know. It’s in your brain somewhere!

How’s the jump from AS to A2?

I felt the jump was bigger than from high school to A Levels. Our first A2 chapter was on respiration which involved a lot of biochemistry. I wasn’t used to it so I found it really difficult. Though as things always do, after awhile I got the hang of it and things were back on track.

Biology may be very intimidating (just look at my mountain of notes), definitely not for the faint of heart. But if you really want to, go for it! Workload aside, I really loved the content, the topics were all so interesting, my favourite was on genetic engineering and conservation. To be honest, A Level Biology helped me get a feel of the different branches of biology, which I am really grateful for! It helped me decide on my university course. For anyone with an interest in biology, I 10/10 recommend A Level Biology (though with a warning sign about the workload!).

Posted in A Levels

A Level Physics

Posted on by Serena

Should I take physics? Is it hard? That’s what a lot of students ask. Physics is known for its many complicated and confusing formulae, and its difficult and abstract concepts, hence making it the killer subject of many. It was undoubtedly my killer subject. So should you take it? Let me share my honest review of A Level Physics.

What can I expect?

Okay before I say anything, if your dream course requires you to take physics, take it. It’s not worth giving up a dream because you don’t want to take an A Level subject. Physics may be hard, but it’s definitely doable. For me personally, I found the jump between high school and A Levels very big. For example, in high school, the formulae you learn are what you use. Just sub in all your variables and you’re good to go. But at A Levels, you’re expected to know how to manipulate the formulae into the forms you need. One of them that sticks out in my mind is mgh/t, you can group h/t together into speed to give mgv. But don’t worry too much, you will come across many common methods so you’ll eventually get used to it. With such a big jump, don’t expect to get the hang of it ASAP (if you can though keep it up), it may be difficult at first but I promise it will get better. At AS, my friend and I both got 2 grades above our semester exam. So, for physics, expect to put in the usual hard work and effort, but also time.

How many papers are there?

At AS, there’s Paper 1, 2 and 3.

  • Paper 1: 40 MCQ questions, 1 hour
  • Paper 2: Structured questions, 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Paper 3: Practical paper, 2 hours

At A2, there’s Paper 4 and 5

  • Paper 4: Structured questions, 2 hours
  • Paper 5: Written practical, 1 hour 15 minutes

How’s the workload?

As all A Level subjects, there’s quite some work to do, but for me Physics wasn’t the subject that took the most time. Compared to my other subjects, I’d say the workload is moderate. Mostly you’ll be doing lots of past papers or practice questions because these questions aren’t straightforward, so they can help you become more flexible in thinking. Memorisation wise, there is a little for the sections on medical physics and telecommunication. Overall you just need lots of practice as the questions do tend to be tricky but also quite repetitive.

What’s the practical paper like?

Physics has the easiest practical papers! (At least I think so) For Paper 3 question 1, as long as you manage to plot a straight line you’re A-okay. For question 2, don’t freak out about weird results, they’re supposed to be like that. Make sure you know lots of the improvement methods, (your lecturer will teach you this) the last part is a great place to score marks! For Paper 5, it’s also relatively easy compared to other sciences. Question 1 requires lots of practice so you can get familiar with the apparatus. Question 2 is an uncertainty question. Make sure you know the uncertainty formulae by heart so you can answer confidently. Oh, but make sure you remember the uncertainties of the apparatuses from AS! In my exam they didn’t give us the uncertainty for the stopwatch! #panic. And here’s a bonus tip : When you draw the worst and best line in question 2, draw one darker and one lighter so they’re easier to differentiate.

How’s the jump from AS to A2?

Honestly, it felt as big as the jump from high school to AS. So same thing, put in your hard work, effort and time. Though at A2, time is quite limited. You might wanna try doing topical past papers as you revise to help you.

There was a period where I was seriously considering dropping physics. In the beginning I found it so hard. I told my mom but she said a bump in the road isn’t a good enough reason to drop it. So I hung in there and I’m glad I did. Out of all the sciences, I scored the highest in physics at AS. If you are taking physics and finding it hard, I totally get it. It feels like once you get a question right, you get the next one wrong. I’ve been there. Trust me though, this is temporary. Give your self time to adjust and keep working hard, you will get better! If you are planning to take physics, don’t let seniors’ stories freak you out okay? Physics is doable! All the best and may the mass times acceleration be with you 🙂

Posted in A Levels

Biology Notes

Posted on by Serena

Next up in my A Level notes series: Biology notes! I made notes for all of the topics since there’s sooooo much to memorise for bio. I did not upload all of them though, because for the first few topics, my lecturer gave us a key points sheet to fill out, so I used that as my revision resource. After awhile, I realised that wasn’t really working for me so I made notes in my own way (which is the same way I make my Chemistry notes><). Once again feel free to use these notes to help with your revision! Best of luck with your studies !! ❤

*I did CIE A Levels in 2018-2019 so the content may not be the same for other exam boards / syllabuses.

Cell Structure ASDownload
Mitotic Cell Cycle ASDownload
Nucleic Acids ASDownload
Transport in Plants ASDownload
Transport in Mammals ASDownload
Gas Exchange ASDownload
Infectious Diseases ASDownload
Immunity ASDownload
Respiration A2Download
Photosynthesis A2Download
Homeostasis A2Download
Coordination A2Download
Inherited Change A2Download
Selection and Evolution A2Download
Biodiversity A2Download
Genetic Technology A2Download
Posted in A Levels

Chemistry Notes

Posted on by Serena

Here are my Chemistry notes I made for my AS and A Level. I don’t make notes for all of the topics, only for the ones that require lots of memorisation, or ones that I struggle to understand. I’m quite a visual learner, so I find the information easier to remember if it is compartmentalised and colour coded. For topics with much more calculations, I like to learn it by doing exercises and examples. Hope these will help! All the best ❤

*I did CIE A Levels in 2018-2019 so the content may not be the same for other exam boards / syllabuses.

Alcohols ASDownload
Alkanes ASDownload
Alkenes ASDownload
Carbonyl Compounds ASDownload
Carboxylic Acids ASDownload
Chemical Bonding ASDownload
Group 2 ASDownload
Group 7 ASDownload
Halogenoalkanes ASDownload
Intermolecular Forces ASDownload
Nitrogen ASDownload
Organic Chem BasicsDownload
Periodicity ASDownload
Shape of Covalent Molecules ASDownload
States of Matter ASDownload
Sulfur ASDownload
Aromatic Hydrocarbons A2Download
Carboxylic Acids & Acyl Chlorides A2Download
Polymers A2Download
Transition Metals A2Download
Organic Nitrogen Compounds A2Download
Posted in A Levels

A Level Survival Tips

Posted on by Serena

So you’ve decided to do A Levels? I bet you’ve heard that it’s one of the toughest if not the toughest of all pre-U courses out there. A Levels is actually a 2 year course, but most colleges shorten it to 1.5 years. No wonder its intense. Feeling scared? Worried? Anxious? Well don’t be, I’m living proof that you can survive this, and hey, if its difficult now, it’ll be easier later. To help you out, here are 5 of my A Level survival tips.

1.Enjoy your first semester

Yes, you’ve got that right. I’m telling you to go out and have fun in your first semester. A Levels is divided in to 3, 6-month long semesters, with the AS exam in the second and the A2 exam in the third. Honestly, there is not much time in the last two semesters because you’ll be busy with revision. So, if you want to hangout or if you are studying in a new city and want to explore, I’d say do it in the first semester. You can go out without exams lingering at the back of your mind. After all, learning is a constant process. It’s not just limited to the classroom. Get to know your new friends and new surroundings, don’t lock yourself in the library straight from the beginning . You’ve gotta keep yourself happy to be productive! Of course, even too much of a good thing isn’t good, so be sure to also have your designated study time.

2. Topical past papers are your friends

Here’s how I realized the power of topical past papers: My physics lecturer was a gem. He arranged the past year questions by topic and made it into a booklet for us. Let me tell you, that booklet Saved. My. Life. I was still trying to grasp the concepts of many topics with just a few weeks to my A2 trial exams. So I did the booklet as I studied and it made things so much easier. I could directly apply the concepts as I learned them, plus I could kind of know what style of questions are usually asked for that topic. I’d suggest to do some topical questions after you complete every chapter to make sure you understand it, because sometimes, at least for me, I think I know my stuff but when I do exercises…yeah…not so good. I got most of my topical papers from https://www.gceguide.com/

3.Ask your teachers for help

If you take away anything from this post, let it be this: Do not let work pile up. A levels is really fast paced so if you don’t get something, clarify it ASAP. It’ll be hard to catch up if you let too much pile up. My lecturers have consultation hours so we could meet up with them if we needed extra help. I attended the most consultation sessions for AS organic chemistry. My friend and I would carry our jumbo sized multiple choice book up to the staff room to meet with our chemistry lecturer and she would go through the ones we didn’t understand, sometimes multiple times so we could get them (my lecturer’s patience blows my mind). Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone in your college wants to help you, never hurt you. I was lucky to be in a smaller college so our lecturers had more time to help us individually. If you find it difficult to schedule one on one time with your lecturer, try asking them if you could ask them via Whatsapp or email, or try using online resources. Personally I like https://www.chemguide.co.uk/ and Youtube.

4.Use your phone

For most of us, college will be the first time we get to use our phones in the classroom. I really enjoyed it because it actually helped me with studies, and if I got a bit sleepy during class I could scroll on social media for a few minutes (oops sorry…). I used my phone to snap pictures if I couldn’t copy what’s on the board in time. I did quick Google searches if I didn’t understand something, or used the dictionary app because CIE uses fancy words sometimes. Most importantly, I used it for scanning my notes. My notes were my main revision resource so I referred to them constantly, which meant I had to always keep them in my bag and my bag got soooo heavy… There was also the problem of bring my notes home. I stay in the hostel so every time I go home, I have to decide which ones to bring. Somehow I always end up needing the ones I left behind, and I’m always afraid I’ll forget my notes at home. So, I started using Notebloc to scan my notes and save them as PDF files in my phone. It scans clearly, the arrangement is neat and you can share notes easily with friends. Whenever you need your notes just whip out your phone. No need for extra weight in your bag and no worries of leaving them behind. You can also study on the go. Problem solved.

5.#YOLO

You only live once, you only go through A Levels once. I find many A Level students tend to close themselves into a study bubble and do nothing else but study, myself included. People tell you to work hard so you can score well. That’s undoubtedly true, you have to work hard, but that doesn’t mean you should restrain yourself from doing what you want. As long as you leave enough time for revision, don’t be afraid to join clubs, do job attachments, work on personal projects perhaps reading more or learning a new instrument, or anything you feel like doing. Contrary to popular belief, activities outside the classroom give a boost to your CV, not take away your study time and hurt your chances of getting into university. Time management doesn’t necessarily mean cutting out all non academic activities, but rather finding ways to fit them all in. Though be sure not to spread yourself too thin! Make sure there’s still ample time for studies and relaxing so you don’t get stressed out.