Unpopular opinion alert : A Levels isn't as bad as you think.

Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking it's ghastly, like riding a bicycle in a park. Only that the bicycle is on fire and you're free roaming an uncontrolled Jurassic park.

Trust me, you'll survive. All you need is a whole lot of determination, passion and a survival guide. So voila! I've decided to compile tips, tricks, websites, links, and other sources that would be very useful throughout your time in the A-Levels programme. BUT REMEMBER, all sources even if given by me or seniors or teachers are just enough to get you halfway. The rest of the effort to ace your exams comes from you!

P.S With help from my fellow friends, I managed to compile tips for subjects I do not take. Kudos to them!

First thing you should know about A-Levels - last minute studying is a big no no. Don't even try. Sure you may pass, but that is not what we all really want, do we? It is best to start the ball rolling in your first semester itself, even though AS is relatively "less of a challenge". The transition from AS to A2 is HUGE. You will not survive if you were not practicing consistency from the beginning.

Also, attend classes. Try not to skip them unless for valid reasons. Your lecturer may provide extra notes which is much easier to comprehend or they may also verbally give extra pointers for your examinations. If your class is small, even better! You get personal attention while learning the syllabus. So don't just blatantly skip, make every close source useful.

When you have troubles understanding anything at all, ask without hesitation. At the end of the day, the exam is what you are going to face. So don't ever feel embarrassed if you said something wrong or asked something obvious. There is no shame in learning.

Make sure you complete all homework/assignments/exercises given. You learn how to do the questions by this way, and when the lecturer discusses it the next day, you won't feel entirely lost. Remember, consistency is key.

Do past year papers religiously. This will give you a good idea of how questions will be formatted and asked in the actual exam. It'll also help you recognise which topics/facts they tend to ask on. Make sure you start this habit early; however, don’t just rely on this to help you study! It appears that the level of questioning for examinations are becoming increasingly harder, and require you to think and apply your knowledge rather than just vomiting out whatever you’ve learnt.

Disclaimer: I am speaking from experience from my time in the CIE A-Levels. I have made this guide general to fit for all students from different examination boards, so I hope my guide will still help.

All I can say for these two are PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Dedicate at least an hour a day outside classes to practice math questions, and double it for further maths ones. With maths, you'll only REALLY need a scientific calculator (my preferred model: FX-570ES PLUS), loads of test pad/ a thick exercise book, a pen and perseverance. A-Levels Math and Further Math questions are tailored to be challenging, even though the concepts taught are rather doable. If possible, find ways to obtain questions from 2002 and earlier (my best bet is with your respective lecturers). Questions in this range have extra elements that can prepare you even more. It's not a must, but it's always acceptable to over prepare, especially if you plan to pursue a Mathematics degree.

First of all, reading is crucial. If you don't read, you won't know. For economics, you will need to read not just your notes but also real life articles. Follow the BBC News and The Telegraph, perhaps use their mobile apps for daily notifications. Reading the news will boost your general knowledge and also give you more quality to write in your essay.

For me, cannot study with just reading; make your own notes too! What I do is, I rewrite the notes given by my lecturer in a way I will understand more after each lecture. I also include extra verbal keynotes he has added as well some general knowledge he talks about (I usually write this in the handout first during class, then rewrite it later on). To be frank, so little time is given for a pretty high essay expectation. So do past year writing questions within the standard exam duration to give you much better preparation.

Do all the practice essays you're assigned. Even if you don't hand them in, at least you get an idea of your timing and it also reassures yourself about your skill level. Always do a little bit of personal research on the side, and share 90% of your knowledge with you classmates; keep a little bit to yourself so you have something to make your essay stand out. Take your lecturers comments into consideration, but don't make them the entire basis for your improvement. Also don't be afraid to experiment with different styles of essay formats, and talk to your seniors about how they did it. Make super detailed annotations, make your notes fun!

First of all, even if you didn't take Accounting in high school , you can still do it! For me, I told my lecturer I had no exposure to accounting before so after writing any notes or formats on the board, she would ask me if I was alright. Practice passionately. I learned how to do the questions by this way. If you couldn't get the answer, just ask how you should calculate it and make sure to take up your calculator and try it until you get the answer before closing the book. Don't just assume you will know how to do just by listening to the answer and not trying it. If you do not have enough time start past year questions from 2009 to the end. And when you think you want to feel more secure, do the older papers. Thoroughly understand the theory parts. If you are desperate, just flip to the mark scheme and read the answers to the theory questions. Those answers will definitely give you marks in the real exam, and don't ever think they will not repeat the questions because they usually will.

This subject requires a great deal of memorisation. How I have always studied it is through repetition-as much as possible. However, the content of the A level syllabus is too much for your poor brain to be expected to retain by just reading through a chapter a few times. I recommend making mini flow charts and mind maps for important processes that are difficult to remember. I myself only did that last minute but it’d be better for you to do that ASAP! Your coursebook might be a little hard to navigate, so it might be easier to use other sources including your lecturer's handouts or online notes. If you prefer using the coursebook however but feel that it’s a little too expensive to warrant buying the original, you can download a free pdf version/ buy a secondhand book!

Biology practical examinations are usually pretty manageable, so just make sure you’ve got your practical skills down. For microscope work, ensure your drawings are neat and labelled clearly if required. Read through questions so that you include everything they want. Check calculations to avoid silly mistakes. Some basic knowledge of certain topics may be required to answer questions, mostly on chapters like transport in plants, mitosis, transport in mammals.

For sections such as physical chemistry and organic chemistry, do pay attention to your lecturer and try to understand the topics as best as possible. If you’re still facing problems, I found that the videos on Khan Academy provide very thorough explanations. For inorganic chemistry, you really do have to sit down and study properly. It’s cold and hard facts and there’s no shortcut through it. Making short and brief notes for you to browse through before a paper is useful. For organic chemistry specifically:

• it’d be best to make a mind map connecting all the functional groups with the reactions, reactants and products to help you see the big picture
• understand thoroughly all the reaction mechanisms and how to draw them
• make sure you know frequently asked terms

For practical examinations, there’s really not much I can say but do pay attention during lab sessions and be very precise with your handling of equipment. Be careful with your calculations as well. Look through past year questions to get a rough guide on how to carry out calculations.

• for titrations, make sure you know the respective colour changes for each indicator
• for qualitative analysis, recognise the reactions and expected changes to your chemicals

Unlike Bio and Chem, you cannot study this subject with memorisation. Physics is all about concepts, understanding and accurate calculations. Hence, practice past years as much as you do for math. You'll gradually understand the theories/concepts for each chapter through repetition of various kinds of questions. Past years are very tricky, so learn to revise with past year questions even though you think you got the concept down.

As for practical examinations, familiarise yourself with the apparatus in the lab as well as questions in the paper. Crucial things include how to calculate percentage uncertainty, handling measuring instruments (vernier calliper, micrometer screw gauge, etc), and being able to identify problems and solutions for the conducted experiment. The main format never really changes so you should be able to score this paper if you concentrate during lab sessions. Reading will not get you anywhere, you have to make sure you have thorough hands on experience.

In terms of revising, it is not advisable to rely solely on your textbooks. While the internet is certainly a useful guide to flesh out some ideas you may have, sources are not always reliable (Wikipedia is not always your best friend!) Instead, try to read sources from well-known historians who have essentially devoted their lives to the subject, but as always take into consideration their backgrounds and possible bias. When writing your essay, time management is key!!! I generally use the PEEL method to structure my essays well and to ensure my essays do not become to descriptive, focusing on analysis instead.

For me, the best way to revise is to tackle a certain topic in various manners, and practicing writing essays for those areas. For example, say the subtopic is about the Bolshevik's rise to power. Practice writing essays arguing for different sides of the argument. (Ie. Lenin was the most important factor/Trotsky was the most important factor/The provisional Government's weakness etc). Always always always make sure you discuss both sides of the argument in your essay but conclude that one side of the argument is more convincing. It won't do to have a one-sided essay without a sustained judgement as you will definitely lose a lot of marks.

Notes/Revision/Past Years for multiple A-Levels examination boards (CIE, EDEXCEL, AQA, OCR)

CIE Past Year Papers

Economics Help

Tutor2U Economics

CIE Extra Notes (You may want to add a little info here and there though, as these aren’t too complete.)

Cambridge International AS and A Level Chemistry Coursebook (2nd Edition)

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology Coursebook

AS Level Biology Revision Videos (2016 Syllabus)

A2 Level Biology Revision Videos (2016 Syllabus)

I'll keep updating this post as I find more subjects to help out with. With A-Levels, it's go big or go home. Study hard and don't waste this oppurtunity to pursue your dreams! What are some of the subjects that you need extra tips for? Let me know in the comments below!

Happy New Year, fellow readers! Hope your first two weeks were interesting and lively.

Fun fact : I am not-so-secretly obsessed with my BuJo. Just when I thought I have no more things to find absolute interest in, the Internet brings another into my life. (Damn you Tumblr.)

But let’s talk about this. I’m sure you have come across the phrases “Bullet Journal” or “BuJo” floating around the Internet. It could be from your creative/stationery-enthusiast friends or those Twitter aesthete profiles. Bullet Journalling is one of the top trends nowadays amongst Pinterest users, Tumblr users, or regular people who just aspire to get their life together with some personal style. In this case, I’m all of the above (teehee).

I am all for getting my tasks and life together, but I don’t click with standard planners. They never seem to motivate me to use it long-term or they don’t have all the aspects I expect. So when I discovered the BuJo trend, I was hooked like a worm on a bait.

Why is it a trend you ask? Well let me enlighten you young grasshopper, along with a fellow BuJo enthusiast and dear friend - Christal Clyde (Internet alias : Tokiiros). She is low-key passionate for constellations, colourful things and stationery.

Christal's BuJo layout.

This is the most crucial characteristic that made the BuJo so popular. All you need is your choice of stationery, favourite notebook, and a drive to organise effectively. Most layouts and page ideas which you design and include in your BuJo are to your preference. Hence, you will find it easy to keep up with it on a daily basis. Plus, you have the power to change whatever layouts and page choices anytime you want.

Note (by Christal) : You don’t have to have all those fancy stationery to make your bujo nice! Just gotta use your imagination & creativity.

Your stationery could range from one black pen and a ruler with a few other coloured pens (my preferred choice) to a whole collection of Artline Stix Brush Pens, washi tape and Zebra Mildliners (Christal’s collection). I will place a list of stationery we use at the end of the post!

Christal's stationery collection.

My BuJo daily log layouts.

Basically, your BuJo will have everything and anything you need. It could be shopping lists, class assignments and trackers. Again, a BuJo is to fit you and your daily life.

Note (by Christal) : Just roll with whatever ideas you have when making a layout, don’t overthink it hahaha.

A BuJo is pretty much a great option for everyone - especially students. I emphasise the student demographic because a BuJo will not just be their tip-top organiser, but it will also train them to multitask like a pro and have a strong passion to excel in all of their tasks. We BuJo users can totally confirm this.

My studying layout (according to subject.)

As a college student, heavy workload is unavoidable. There are also many hours of lectures a week back-to-back for several subjects. Hence, I include my subject planner for the month, having each subject take up one page each. I like to include the lectures, past year questions which I completed, self-practice tracker, extra assignments and a column for pop quiz grades. If necessary, I would also add in the upcoming test date so that I don’t forget.

I feel this layout is very useful for students, especially for those who are active in extracurricular activities or have assignments as a part of their total grade (Foundation and American Degree Programme). I am always active with something other than academics, so a personal BuJo would be very fit to manage your time and keep updated with your daily tasks.

Note (by Christal) : However, you need to have the motivation to do it and not forget to do it. Otherwise, your BuJo becomes redundant.

Christal's studying layout.

And there you have it! With the start of a new year just over two weeks ago, I highly recommend your reset starting with a new and improved way in getting your student life in order. If you want more information on the fundamentals of BuJo, go here and here! These links are very useful for teaching the basics in the meantime. Be sure to check out Christal's social media (Tumblr) (Instagram) to see more of her BuJo and study aesthetics!

Be sure to stay tuned for the next post on THE (BUJO)urney, and comment below your feedback!

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