Reflecting back at AS.

Exactly this time 12 months ago, I started my AS levels. Not knowing what to expect, below is the advice I would give out to those who have just started, and regretfully, some of the things I wish I had known before.

1.     A-Levels are HARD.

This is by no means an exaggeration. If you thought that GCSEs were hard, think again. There is a huge gap between GCSE and AS and it will take time to bridge it, possibly weeks maybe even months; so my BIG advice is don’t let the initial fright take hold of you. At first, I found Biology the hardest and within two weeks I was seriously contemplating whether I should get rid of the subject or not. Subjects such as the sciences and mathematics will be big when content is considered; whereas for humanities and English, it’s the essay technique that’s the challenge. So, expect to be thrown into the deep end for the first few weeks, and once you gain strength, you’ll rise once more!

2.     Time Management

Taking A-Levels will test your technique of time management to the limit. With the increased workload, finding your feet could seem like an immense task. So for this, I would strongly encourage drawing up a timetable/schedule. I know I know, this didn’t work for GCSE right? Well I can guarantee that it will help you out by a huge mile for the next 2/3 years because balancing your work will prove quite a challenge. Also, include some BREAKS in your timetable! Don’t bother with three hours of straight revision and not getting anything out of it. Remember, it’s the quality of your revision that counts- not the quantity!

3.       “I got an A* in this subject at GCSE without much effort, that means I’m definitely going to get an A at AS Level.”

NO NO NO! An A* at GCSE does not mean an A at AS Level. In fact an A* is equivalent to a C grade at AS so you can imagine. I remember writing my first History AS essay and I got a C, but if it had been a GCSE essay, it would have been graded an A*. After ripping my hair out during revision sessions and having a nosebleed in the exam- I managed to get an A overall in my AS History…and that came with super hard work. At GCSE you can get away with revising lastminute.com and getting a decent grade. I did that with my RS GCSE, literally highlighted the entire textbook the night before the exam and I managed to achieve the unimagineable (is this even a word?!). You should aim for at least 5 hours per subject per week, and this links to my next point.

4.       Revise consistently.

You need to be revising throughout the entire year, keeping on top of notes etc. Also, I believe that successful revision comes with great organisation. If you are not organised, your revision will be an absolute mess. I will be blogging about my tips for organisation soon, so stay in tuned! The very last thing you want is to be in the exam hall like this:  

So yeah, revise earlier and sleep well  and you'll be a LOT more productive!

5.       Can I get an A* at AS Level?

No. There is no A*grade awarded at AS level; but it’s awarded at A2, provided that you achieve 90% average across your A2 modules (it’s different for Maths so you might want to check this out with your teacher etc) and 80% average across your AS modules (so that’s an A). However, if you get 70% average across your AS modules, you can still get an A*. The highest grade you can get at AS is an A.

6.       For the Sciences and Maths…

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. Do every single past paper there is available and do them twice or thrice even. I can only speak for Biology over here, and if you want to scrape at least a C, you really do need to practice answering the questions and strictly abide by the mark scheme.

7.       For the Arts and Humanities…

I follow a simple rule for this: ATDQ. ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION.  And start practicing the exam technique early (ideally 4 months prior to the exam) and once again, do all past papers and most crucially, under exam conditions. By doing this, you’ll get used to the pressure imposed on you in the exam.

Best of luck AS-Levellers! :D

September Resolutions...

Well back to school it is, and below is a perfect replicate of how I look every morning:

Another year of craziness, procrastination, running for the bus and subsequently missing it (bus drivers really do hate me) and spontaneous hilarity. But since it's also the first month back, it's a great time to set yourself some targets for the year (or resolutions even) to give yourself a boost of confidence to dispel all those looming clouds of laziness away.

1. STOP procrastinating.

My procrastinating levels are downright delirious. It’s so BAD. Everytime I sit down to do some decent revision, 90% of the time I’m procrastinating. It really is a thief of time. So my target for this is not to procrastinate much- or to stop it completely if I can. Waaaay easier said than done! This does seem like a ridiculous expectation right now, but never say never (NO! There isn’t a Justin Bieber intended pun here…just no).

2. Be Healthy!

As much as I hate to admit it, I snack a lot. But I’m slowing becoming put off by crisps and chocolate (they remind me of my crazy revision moments right before exams start). I’ll try some fruit this time round; so more oranges, apples and cherries. Oh I just adore cherries. Also, both grapes and bananas help with concentration levels immensely so I need to stock up fast!

3. Take time off studying.

For all those who know me well enough, I am one study freak. Yep, those exact words. I don’t there’s a day that goes past in the whole academic year that I don’t study for at least one hour. The only day I can remember I did no revision at all was my birthday. I think you get the message…I have no social life. A-LEVELS CORRUPTED MY SOCIAL LIFE! That does make me sound like an emo.

But I’m not one…promise! *insert innocent face*

So this year, I will TRY to take some time off studying. Maybe making an effort to attend parties rather than saying “Sorry, I’m doing my science coursework so I can’t attend” or “OMG I’ve got so much revision to do!” .But I obviously won’t get carried away with all this shizz…studying will still be my priority. I just think that I need to vastly improve my work-life balance.

4. Planning my gap year.

Since I got back, everyone in the world has been asking me why I’d decided to embark on a gap year, and when I told them the most common reply was “Your English grade isn’t even that bad!?” *insert the boisterous voice of Patti Stanger* Are you kidding me? Not bad??? It was the worse grade I’ve ever seen in my entire life…which at the time was quite hard to take in since I’m pretty used to seeing pleasant grades. Days after results day I was pretty depressed. I was meant to celebrate the fact that I did well in three of my other subjects…but English just pulled me down.

Yaah. But I’m really looking forward to my gap year! Some of the stuff I plan to do include: the Julia Wood essay competition, DofE award, learning new languages, EY scholarship and going abroad. Work and internships are also inserted into the equation. And apply to university of course, hopefully my dream university. I need to stop dreaming so much, it’s pathetic. I always get over excited.

5. ENJOY MY LAST EVER YEAR AT SCHOOL.  

It’s finally come, but rather quick. This time next year I won’t be a schoolgirl anymore which makes me feel quite old. I’ll be an adult so no more Tracy Beaker or Hotel Trubble…or that’ll just be weird. But I’m still permitted to run for the swings at the park, it really isn’t against the law. Alongside working my absolute hardest, I will really relish the last few months I’ll be staying with my friends. All our craziness and laughter, awkward dancing and horrendous singing, it really does seem to me right now that Year 13 will be a YOLO, carpe diem kind of an experience. Before you know, we’ll all become ‘Class of 2014’ and fall into the school’s alumni, show off our leavers’ hoddies and the last ever time I’ll be in an all-girls environment. For those who don’t know, I go to an all-girls independent school. Not as fancy as you may think, and DEFINITELY NOT like Eton at all…no no no.

So there you have it. Those are my big fat five September resolutions and I'm ready to accomplish them all!

Hopefully, next year should entail scenes of euphoria like this:

Go Gryffindor!

Stationary Bender #1

If there's anything about me that I haven't told you yet (if it's worth noting), is that fact that I love going school shopping! I don't know why actually, I just like buying new stationary. It's so clean...

So since I start my LAST ever year at school on Thursday (I still cannot believe this), I went shopping to Wood Green yesterday, and here are some of the things I bought to get me going for Year 13 and the A* Grade Challenge respectively. Just to add, if you want out find out more about 'The A* Grade Challenge' scroll down below, or even better, visit the blog achiclifestyle.com by the lovely Sanam. :)

So here we go:

First up, two magazine files:

Last year, nearly half of my History and RS essays went missing due to the fact that I didn't bother putting them in my folder. So as you can probably guess, when revision came along, it really didn't do me any favours which is why I brought this. It's actually buy one get one now and they cost £4.99 each.

Next, my folders:

I usually buy one leaver-arch file per module. So this year, I have one History paper, one English paper (well technically two since I'm retaking last years exam) and two RS modules. As a consequence, I bought 4 different coloured files. Since my subjects are predominantly essay based, there will be LOADS of loose paper which a ringbinder wouldn't be able to accommodate. They are currently 40% off which is quite something if you're going to buy it in bulk!

And inside them are:

THESE BEAUTIES! Yep, I'm referring to those vivdly coloured subject dividers. Now here is something I will immensely recommend; make sure you read what the pack says! I thought that in one pack it only had one set of dividers...well it's turns out that it actually had three. Clumsy me I suppose. I mean, I bought FOUR of these packs and only needed two.

And these:

This may be interpreted as some sort of OCD type behaviour, but I have to write on the same type of paper each an every time- and my ultimate favourite is Pukka Pads. They have amazing quality and aren't that expensive (you may just see the price sticker up there in the corner). Also, rather than carrying these books to school alongside my folders, I just rip them out and place them in my folder. One, my bag wouldn't be agonizingly heavy and two, it's easier. Everything will be nicely organised.

Another must for students taking anything essay related:

Need I say? Never the disgraceful nature of mine (I've had it for nearly 6 years now...), if you want to show off some ambitious vocabulary or the fact that you know some fancy words rather than the simplistic ones, then logic does say you should have one *duh*. Or if you just want to double-check your spelling, it's your saviour!

Now, some books:

The amount of literature I have to read this year is borderline ridiculous, but it's not all English. Here are some of the titles shown in the pic (some not clearly):

• Othello, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra by the great William Shakespeare.
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (I've read A Thousand Splendid Suns and it's just breathtaking- one of the best books I've ever ever read).
• Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory (If you love Merlin, buy this 900 page epic).
• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 
• A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde
• Lyrical Ballads by William Wordsworth & Samuel Taylor Coldridge
• Exploring Literature (the textbook for both AS and A2 literature, covering the spec of AQA A)
• France in Revolution (Access to History)
• Islam- A very short introduction by Malise Ruthven

I didn't take a trip for the bookstore for this- just ordered from Amazon at ridiculously low prices to my delight.

How to keep a schedule: 

Even though it's meant for university students, IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! I dislike my schools planner, so I bought this first back in Year 11 and for a control freak like me, it's everything you ever want in a planner. It even has some recipes you can try out. Apart from that, tips on revision, exam stress, budgeting, reducing alcohol consumption (not that I drink or even intending too) make an appearance.

Other 'necessary' supplies:

Yep, just woman things in here alongside my headphones and Oyster card. Having said that, I would recommend buying 'Baby Lips' by Maybelline New York- they're a delight! Quite funny how my USB is there too...

Things to write with:

I already have some pens from last year which I'm going to reuse (alongside my pencil case) so I just brought this stuff above; and best of all, Mr Pritt (aka a typical gluestick) is back in force!

And lastly, bags:

Once again, I'm re-using some of the bags I was using last year and these three are the ones I will be using most likely. So from the left we have a bag from a nameless shop, a seemingly large bag from Primark and a lovely 'everything in the world can fit in' bag from USA.

So yeah. That's pretty much it really. All this for Year 13 (the thought of it is already exhausting me). It better be worth it.