How I got an A* for A-level biology | Revision tips, resources, notes, active recall and websites

Summary

Omama Bashir, a first-year medical student at King's College London, shares her secrets to achieving an A* in A-Level Biology. She emphasizes the importance of understanding content, asking questions, and using active recall techniques like creating flashcards. Bashir also advises on exam preparation, including doing topic-based questions and past papers, and utilizing teacher resources. Her structured approach and study tips aim to make the learning process more manageable and effective.

Takeaways

• 📚 Understand the Content: The key to a-level biology is leaving every lesson with a complete understanding of the material, asking questions when necessary, and not hesitating to seek clarity.
• 🤔 Active Recall: Utilize active recall techniques for revision, such as self-testing and peer-testing, which engage the brain more effectively than passive techniques like rereading or highlighting.
• 📝 Preparation for Exams: Prepare revision resources early, creating mini-questions after each lesson to reinforce learning and facilitate memorization of content.
• 📑 Flashcards: Develop a set of flashcards with questions covering all topics, which helps in recalling information and answering application and recall questions during exams.
• 🔍 Blurring Technique: Engage in the 'blurting' technique where you write down everything you remember on a blank paper, then review what's missed and learn it, repeating until all information is recalled.
• 📈 Exam Practice: Practice answering topic-based questions and past papers, marking them strictly and revising the areas where you made mistakes.
• 📅 Time Management: Start exam preparation well in advance, going through flashcards two months before exams and gradually moving to topic-based questions and past papers as the exam date approaches.
• 👨‍🏫 Teacher Resources: Make the most of teacher resources, asking for help when needed and understanding the marking scheme to improve exam performance.
• 🏆 A-Star Achievement: The speaker achieved an A-star in a-level biology by following these steps, which also contributed to their success in psychology and chemistry.
• 💻 Utilize Technology: The speaker used an iPad to make a plan, indicating the utility of technology in organizing study materials and strategies.
• 🗣️ Communication: Encourages viewers to ask questions in the comment section and offers to make more videos on requested topics, showing a willingness to engage and support the audience.

Q & A

Who is the speaker in the video script?

The speaker is Omama Bashir, a first-year medical student at King's College London.

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is how to achieve a high grade, specifically an A*, in A-level Biology.

What are the three steps Omama Bashir suggests for excelling in A-level Biology?

The three steps suggested are: 1) Understanding the content, 2) Preparation for exams using active recall, and 3) Exam practice.

Why is it important to understand the content after each lesson according to the speaker?

Understanding the content after each lesson is crucial because it is the foundation for answering application questions and ensures that the student is not left with gaps in knowledge.

What is active recall, and how does it help in studying for A-level Biology?

Active recall is a revision technique that engages the brain during learning by testing oneself or being tested by others. It helps in studying for A-level Biology by making learning more effective and easier, especially for memorizing a large amount of content.

How does Omama Bashir recommend creating revision resources for A-level Biology?

Omama Bashir recommends creating revision resources by making mini questions based on each lesson's content and compiling them into flashcards for active recall practice.

What is the 'blurting' technique mentioned in the script, and how does it aid in learning?

The 'blurting' technique involves writing down everything one remembers about a topic on a blank paper, then reviewing and learning what was missed. This active engagement with the material helps in reinforcing memory and understanding.

When should one start doing topic-based questions and past papers according to the video?

One should start doing topic-based questions about two weeks before the exam and move on to past papers about a week before the mock exam or actual exam.

How does Omama Bashir suggest marking and assessing practice questions and past papers?

Omama Bashir suggests marking practice questions and past papers in a different color and being strict with the marking process. This helps in identifying and learning from mistakes.

What additional advice does the speaker give regarding the use of resources and seeking help?

The speaker advises taking advantage of all resources provided by teachers and seeking their help to understand the mark scheme and any difficult concepts.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Mastering A-Level Biology: Understanding and Preparation

Omama Bashir, a first-year medical student at King's College London, shares her strategy for achieving an A* in A-Level Biology. She emphasizes the importance of understanding the content after every lesson and not hesitating to ask questions. Bashir also highlights the effectiveness of active recall techniques, such as self-testing and making flashcards with mini-questions based on the lesson content. This approach ensures a strong grasp of both application and recall questions, which are crucial for high marks in biology.

05:00

📝 Advanced Revision Techniques and Exam Practice

Continuing her guide to A-Level Biology success, Bashir introduces the 'blurting' technique, where students write down everything they remember about a topic and then review what they've missed. She then advises on the importance of exam practice, starting with topic-based questions and moving on to past papers. Bashir stresses the value of strict self-marking and revisiting incorrect answers to reinforce learning. She also encourages students to utilize all available teacher resources and offers to answer questions or create more content based on viewer requests.

Keywords

💡A-level

A-levels are a set of subject-based qualifications in the UK that are typically taken by students in their final two years of secondary education. In the video, the speaker mentions achieving a 'star' for A-level Biology, indicating a high grade, which is a central theme of the video as it discusses strategies for academic success.

💡Biology

Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is the subject in which the speaker achieved a high grade at the A-level. The video focuses on strategies for excelling in A-level Biology, which is characterized by a significant amount of content to understand and memorize.

💡Understanding

In the context of the video, 'understanding' refers to the comprehension of the subject matter, which is the first step the speaker advises for academic success. The speaker emphasizes the importance of leaving every lesson with a full understanding of the content, which is crucial for answering application questions in exams.

💡Active Recall

Active recall is a learning technique that involves actively testing oneself to remember information, as opposed to passively rereading or highlighting. The speaker credits active recall techniques for their success in A-level Biology, as it helps with memorizing a large amount of content.

💡Revision Techniques

Revision techniques are methods used to review and consolidate learning before an exam. The video discusses the importance of using active recall over passive revision techniques, such as rereading or highlighting, for more effective learning.

💡Application Questions

Application questions are a type of exam question that requires students to apply their knowledge to solve problems or analyze scenarios. The speaker mentions that understanding the content is key to answering these questions effectively, which is a significant part of achieving high grades in A-level Biology.

💡Exam Preparation

Exam preparation refers to the process of studying and organizing information in anticipation of an exam. The speaker outlines a specific method of exam preparation involving active recall and creating flashcards with mini-questions based on the lesson content.

💡Flashcards

Flashcards are a study tool consisting of a set of cards, each containing a question or a piece of information on one side and the answer or further information on the other. The speaker uses flashcards as part of their exam preparation strategy to reinforce memory and understanding of the material.

💡Blurring

Blurring, as mentioned in the video, is a technique where one writes down everything they remember about a topic on a blank piece of paper and then reviews what was missed to reinforce learning. It is a form of active recall and is part of the speaker's recommended exam preparation process.

💡Past Papers

Past papers are previous years' exam papers that can be used for practice. The speaker advises using past papers towards the end of the preparation period to simulate exam conditions and to identify and rectify any areas of weakness.

💡Resources

Resources in the context of the video refer to the materials and support provided by teachers, such as handouts and notes, which the speaker advises students to take full advantage of in order to aid their learning and exam preparation.

Highlights

Omama Bashir, a first-year medical student at King's College London, shares her strategies for achieving a star in A-level biology.

She emphasizes the importance of understanding the content of each lesson and not hesitating to ask questions for clarity.

Bashir suggests using active recall techniques for revision, such as self-testing and peer-testing, which are more effective than passive methods like rereading.

Creating mini questions after each lesson helps in reinforcing the understanding of the content and preparing for application questions.

The use of flashcards with questions based on the handouts is recommended for effective recall and memorization.

Bashir explains the process of creating a stack of flashcards for each topic, enhancing knowledge retention.

She advises starting revision early and going through flashcards regularly to avoid last-minute cramming.

The 'blurting' technique is introduced as a method to engage the brain actively by writing down everything remembered on a topic and then reviewing what was missed.

Bashir recommends doing topic-based questions before moving on to full exam papers to ensure a strong foundation.

She stresses the importance of strict self-marking and revisiting areas of weakness after completing practice questions.

Past papers should be used towards the end of the revision period, with a focus on daily practice and immediate feedback.

Utilizing teacher resources and seeking help when needed is highlighted as a key to success in A-level biology.

Bashir also mentions her achievements in psychology and chemistry, indicating her strategies are applicable across subjects.

She invites viewers to ask questions in the comments section and offers to create more videos on requested topics.

The video concludes with an invitation to follow Bashir on social media for more educational content.

Transcripts

hi everyone my name is Omama Bashir and

I'm a first year medical student at

King's College London I've been getting

a lot of requests on Tick Tock to make a

video on how I got a star for a level

biology so yeah I've even made a plan on

my iPad so you know this is about to get

serious a lot of people are very

hesitant to even do a-level biology or

carry you on but I can assure you it's

not as hard as it seems and by watching

this video you will definitely be on the

right steps to get an a star or an A I

followed three steps

um to get myself an a-line a liberal

biology and these steps really did give

me an advantage compared to other

students and put me in a position where

I didn't have to work as hard while

achieving the same results let's get

started with step number one which is

understand it this is basically me

telling you to understand the content

and as obvious as it seems you would not

believe how many students walk out of

lessons not understanding the content

thinking to themselves oh I'm just gonna

you know learn it later myself or I'll

try and understand it but the key to

getting a starting a-level biology which

is very content based is leaving every

lesson understanding the content so what

I did is after each lesson I made sure

that I understood every single aspect of

biology that we learn in that particular

lesson and if I didn't I would stay

behind and ask questions I wouldn't

hesitate to ask questions during the

lesson and in the rare cases actually

not right it was pretty annoying it was

pretty normal for me to work out

clueless

um and in those cases I would literally

watch a video

um and understand the content itself

understand the processes why does this

happen because once you've understood

the content honestly the application

questions will be so much easier to

answer and if you're a biology student

you would know that application

questions are where most people lose

marks so please please please start off

by understanding the content ask

questions as the teachers are there to

help you at the end of the day step

number two is preparation for the exams

this involves active recall so what is

active recall active recall revision

techniques involve revision techniques

that engage your brain during learning

so for example testing yourself and

testing your friends making your friends

test you blurting methods whereas

passive revision techniques include

rereading highlighting making notes and

you always want to be on the active

recall side of the spectrum because

there's a lot of research that has

backed up the importance of active

recall in learning and how much easier

it makes learning and I genuinely give

credit to my active recall techniques

for my a-star and a level biology

because there is so much content to

memorize and the best way to do that is

via active recall processes and this is

where preparation takes place you

prepare your revision resources early on

after each lesson so that it doesn't

pile up months before the exam or your

mocks in my sixth form we got notes for

every single topic that we did in a

level biology so we would have one

handout for example transportable gases

for about five lessons what I would do

is I'll make many questions on

all the content that we went through in

that lesson so for example people going

through the adaptation of Transport for

Animals handout which will take about

five lessons

um what I would do is after each lesson

I would make mini questions based on the

content that we had been through in that

particular lesson

so for example if we did one lesson on

the control of the heartbeat and

analyzing the electrocardiogram right

after that lesson I would make a

subheading that would say the control of

the heartbeat under it I would write

many questions based on the information

given in the handout so for example if

the handout said the heart is myogenic

and myogenic means this is this what I

would do is I would write a question

which would say what does myogenic mean

and just to give you a little bit more

context on how I would do this I will

give you some examples of other

questions so what is the sinoatr node

what causes the Atria to contract

simultaneously and I would make many

questions like this until I've got a

pack of flash cards full of mini

questions for the whole topic this whole

stack of flash cards is purely on the

adaptations of Transport animals

and this really works on strengthening

your knowledge by following step one

which is understanding the content and

step two which is preparation you are

already in line to get good grades

because now you know how to answer the

application questions because you

understand the content but you also know

how to answer the recall questions

because you have literally so many

different recall questions right here in

terms of how often I would go through

the flashcards I would go through this

flashcards two months before my exam

before my exams I would look at what

topics I am being assessed on and I

would go through all of those flashcards

and I would suggest that from the

beginning make these revision resources

and go through them at the end of the

week if you don't have enough effort for

that start revising as soon as you get

told about The Mark with the another

technique that helps a lot of people

which involves engaging your brain is

blurting now what blurting is

you take a blank piece of paper take a

black pen and write down everything you

remember about

um transport of gases for example then

you take a red pen and you write down

everything that you've missed out once

you've done that you look at everything

that you've missed out and you go back

and learn that

test yourself on it do the blurting

technique again repeat this blurring

technique until you have all black and

you remember everything now the final

step is exam practice this step is now

like a cherry on top you have done your

understanding aspect you understand why

the concepts work because you've asked

your teacher you've stayed behind you've

made the most of your resources but not

only that you now remember all the

content because you've made flash cards

with many questions you're constantly

going through these flashcards what's

left now is answering the questions

themselves and this is a very very last

don't do this step until you've done the

understanding aspect and the preparation

aspect this is starting off with doing

topic based questions on physics and

math tutor for example I just showed you

the example of transport of animals and

transport of gases so say I have an exam

in two months time

I would start going through these

flashcards and once I'm confident enough

that I'm getting all these questions in

the flash cards right I would move on to

this step maybe two weeks before the

exam for every topic that's in the exam

I would do all of the physics I'm off to

uh topic based questions so

um I would do questions on transport of

gutters transport of animals then I

would Mark these questions do not move

on to exam papers until you've marked

and assessed your markings Mark the

questions in a different color and be

strict with the marking okay because

you're not losing anything you're not

getting a grade out of what you're doing

so be straight to the marketing anything

that you've missed marks on or got read

or back to your handouts learn it again

until you understand it once you've done

that the last step is the past papers

you would probably have about a week

left for your mock exam or maybe two and

now this is where every single day you

should be doing past papers you should

be doing a past paper then marking the

past paper in a different color and then

revising the topics that you got wrong

in the past paper and going to your

teachers if you don't understand the

mark scheme one final thing make sure

you take advantage of all the resources

that your teachers have so that's

everything that helped me getting a star

for a level biology and I hope it helps

you

um if you have any questions please

leave them in the comment section and if

you want me to make videos about

anything else let me know I did also go

on a star for

um psychology and an a for chemistry

yeah if you have any questions regarding

applying to University anything else

that you want me to make a video on

please let me know in the comment

section thank you so much for watching

my video or don't forget to add my

socials which I have linked below and

yeah thank you for watching our video