a-level tips from a straight A* student

Summary

The speaker shares effective A-level study tips based on personal experience, having achieved 5 A* grades in subjects like Maths, Physics, and Computer Science. The advice covers essential habits like proper sleep, diet, and exercise, as well as specific strategies such as using past papers repeatedly, building good relationships with teachers, utilizing YouTube for learning, and focusing on coursework. The speaker emphasizes the importance of consistent effort, mastering your calculator, and using a syllabus-based approach to revision. Ultimately, they encourage perseverance through the challenges of A-levels, ensuring success through hard work.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on fundamentals like sleeping well, eating properly, and exercising regularly to maximize study efficiency.
• 📑 Past papers are invaluable for exam preparation; practice repeatedly and under exam conditions for best results.
• 🤝 Build good relationships with teachers for extra help and support, especially closer to exams.
• 🎥 YouTube is a highly effective learning tool, offering engaging and memorable content for revision.
• 📅 Be specific when scheduling study time, focusing on exact tasks rather than general subjects.
• 📚 Revise using the syllabus rather than the textbook contents to ensure you don’t miss any details.
• 🖥️ Coursework is crucial, and even if it feels like a burden, it can significantly impact your final grade.
• 🔢 Learn how to use your calculator effectively as it can save time and help check your answers during exams.
• 📋 Prioritize revision topics by likelihood of appearing on the exam, focusing on the most important first.
• 💡 Ask yourself 'why' and 'how' when stuck on concepts to shift perspectives and deepen your understanding.

Q & A

What subjects did the speaker take for A-levels?

The speaker took Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science, and completed an EPQ on Prime Conjectures.

What is the speaker's main advice for maintaining basic health while studying?

The speaker emphasizes the importance of getting eight hours of sleep, eating three meals a day, exercising regularly, and keeping a clean study space.

How does the speaker recommend using past papers for A-level revision?

The speaker recommends doing past papers repeatedly, ideally every third or fourth month, and reviewing them thoroughly to learn from mistakes. It’s important to simulate exam conditions as much as possible.

Why does the speaker think it’s important to establish good relationships with teachers?

Good relationships with teachers can lead to more support when needed, especially towards the end of the course. Teachers are likely to prioritize students who have been consistently polite, hard-working, and engaged in class.

What study resource does the speaker find more engaging than textbooks or notes?

The speaker finds YouTube videos more engaging because they provide audio-visual content, which helps with better retention compared to just reading from a textbook.

What is the speaker's advice for making an effective timetable?

The speaker advises being specific when making a timetable, such as stating 'integration by parts homework' instead of vague tasks like 'math revision.' Specificity helps avoid procrastination and ensures more productive study sessions.

What revision technique does the speaker mention, and what is its potential drawback?

The speaker mentions the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) revision technique, where topics are color-coded based on the level of understanding. However, a potential drawback is relying on textbook lesson titles, which might not cover all the important details, leading to gaps in revision.

What does the speaker suggest about coursework, and why is it important?

The speaker emphasizes that coursework is essentially 'free marks' and should not be neglected, as it can significantly impact final grades. For example, in Computer Science, coursework accounts for 20% of the final grade.

Why does the speaker think mastering the calculator is crucial for maths students?

The speaker advises spending time learning how to use the calculator effectively because it can help save time during exams, check answers quickly, and ensure accuracy in calculations.

What mindset does the speaker recommend for handling the difficulty of A-levels?

The speaker acknowledges that A-levels are intentionally difficult to differentiate top students. They recommend staying consistent and persevering, as continued effort increases the likelihood of achieving top grades.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to A-Level Study Tips

The speaker introduces the topic, addressing viewer requests for A-Level study tips. They share their experience of taking A-Levels in subjects like Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science, and an EPQ on Prime Conjectures. The speaker emphasizes their success, achieving 5 A* grades, and aims to provide study tips that could benefit students across different subjects, with a slight focus on Maths.

05:01

💤 Essentials for Optimal Study

The speaker highlights the importance of basic self-care habits, such as getting 8 hours of sleep, eating three meals a day, and exercising regularly. They stress that no matter how well you prepare, if you're not taking care of these fundamental aspects, your brain won't function properly. These are crucial for maximizing study effectiveness.

10:02

📄 Maximize the Use of Past Papers

The speaker emphasizes the importance of using past papers as a key study resource. They suggest repeatedly practicing these papers under exam conditions and pulling questions from different exam boards. The most important part of using past papers is reviewing mistakes, understanding where and why errors were made, and using exam reports and mark schemes for detailed feedback.

🤝 Build Positive Relationships with Teachers

Developing a good rapport with teachers is key, according to the speaker. They advise being polite, proactive, and engaged in class. This will lead to more personalized support when you need help later in the year, as teachers tend to prioritize students they believe are committed and deserving of assistance.

📺 Learn from YouTube Videos

The speaker suggests using YouTube videos as an effective learning tool. Watching explanations from real people with engaging visuals is more memorable than just reading from textbooks. Videos are recommended for deeper understanding and better retention of challenging topics.

📅 Be Specific in Your Timetable

The speaker advises creating specific, detailed study schedules rather than vague plans like 'Maths revision.' They suggest specifying exact tasks (e.g., revising a particular chapter) to avoid wasting time and to prevent the temptation of opting for easier, less beneficial tasks.

📝 Revise Using Your Syllabus

When revising, the speaker recommends using the syllabus as a guide rather than the contents of a textbook. This ensures that all topics, including exceptions and special cases, are covered thoroughly. The syllabus presents material in a way that helps students avoid missing critical details that could appear on exams.

📊 Don't Neglect Coursework

Coursework is often undervalued, but the speaker reminds students that it provides 'free marks.' Even if it's only a small percentage of the final grade, the difference it can make is significant. They stress the importance of putting effort into coursework as it can raise your overall grade.

🧮 Master Your Calculator

For students taking Maths, the speaker highlights the importance of learning how to fully utilize their calculator. Investing time in learning all of its functions can save time during exams, help check answers, and provide peace of mind. A calculator can handle many problems efficiently, so mastering it is crucial.

🔝 Prioritize Topics Effectively

The speaker advises creating a prioritized list of topics for each subject, focusing on the most likely exam questions. This method helps when you're short on time, allowing you to target the most important material and secure the highest number of marks per revision minute.

❓ Ask 'Why' and 'How' for Deeper Understanding

To tackle challenging concepts, the speaker suggests asking 'why' and 'how' questions. Understanding the reasoning behind a concept or how it applies to different situations makes it easier to grasp difficult ideas and could help in unfamiliar exam questions.

💪 Stay Consistent and Keep Going

In the final tip, the speaker reminds students that A-Levels are designed to be difficult, distinguishing the best students. They emphasize that perseverance and consistent hard work are the keys to success, even if results aren't immediately satisfying. Stick with it, and you'll be rewarded in the end.

Keywords

💡Past Papers

Past papers refer to previous exam papers used in earlier exam sessions. They are highlighted in the video as an invaluable resource for A-Level preparation. The speaker emphasizes their importance in practicing exam-style questions, understanding exam formats, and improving performance. Using past papers repeatedly helps students simulate the actual exam experience and identify weak areas.

💡Exam Conditions

Exam conditions involve replicating the setting and environment of an actual exam. The speaker advises students to complete past papers under exam-like circumstances—without distractions such as music or notes—because this helps prepare them mentally for the real exam. The aim is to make revision more realistic and effective.

💡Teacher Relationships

Building good relationships with subject teachers is identified as crucial for academic success. The speaker stresses that students who are polite, hardworking, and actively participate in class are more likely to get extra help from teachers when needed, especially as exams approach. Teachers may prioritize helping students who have shown commitment throughout the year.

💡Timetable Specificity

The speaker emphasizes the importance of making a detailed and specific study timetable. Instead of vague entries like 'Maths revision,' students should write exactly what they plan to study, such as 'integration by parts.' This prevents procrastination and ensures that revision sessions are productive and targeted toward the most beneficial areas.

💡RAG (Red-Amber-Green) Method

The RAG method is a color-coding technique used to assess understanding of different topics. Students mark topics as red (don’t remember), amber (okay), or green (confident) based on their knowledge. The speaker warns against using the textbook's contents page for this method, instead suggesting that students consult the official syllabus to ensure they cover every aspect of a topic.

💡Coursework

Coursework refers to assignments and projects that contribute to a portion of the final grade. In the video, the speaker warns against neglecting coursework, highlighting that it provides 'free marks' compared to the final exam. Even if it seems like a minor percentage, coursework can be the difference between grades, as seen in the speaker's example of Computer Science coursework.

💡Calculator Skills

The speaker advises students, especially in subjects like Maths, to master their calculators. Many functions on calculators can save time and help check answers during an exam. Developing proficiency with calculators can significantly enhance efficiency during the exam and reduce the time spent navigating functions.

💡Priority Topics

This concept refers to identifying and focusing on the most important and frequently tested topics for each subject. The speaker suggests making a priority list where the most likely-to-appear topics are placed at the top, allowing students to allocate more time and effort to the subjects that will yield the most marks in the exam.

💡Consistency

Consistency is framed as the key to long-term success in A-Level studies. The speaker reassures students that while A-Levels are tough, staying consistent in their study habits, even during periods of discouragement or fatigue, will lead to rewards. The message encourages resilience and perseverance throughout the two-year course.

💡YouTube Learning

YouTube is recommended as a powerful learning tool. The speaker explains that videos are more engaging and memorable than simply reading textbooks or notes. By watching educational videos, students can benefit from visual and auditory learning, which can help with understanding complex concepts and retaining information better.

Highlights

Presenter shares that they've received 5 A* in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science, and an EPQ on Prime Conjectures.

Emphasizes the importance of getting 8 hours of sleep, eating 3 meals a day, and exercising regularly for optimal performance.

Highlights that past papers are the best resource and should be done multiple times, even from other exam boards like AQA, OCR, and Edexcel.

Encourages completing past papers under exam conditions and thoroughly analyzing mistakes using mark schemes and examiner reports.

Builds strong relationships with teachers to secure extra help when needed and improve chances of getting prioritized attention.

Suggests using YouTube for learning difficult topics as it’s more engaging than textbooks, combining audio and visuals.

Be specific when creating revision timetables to avoid wasting time; plan exactly what topics to study during each session.

Recommends revising using the syllabus rather than textbooks because syllabus is more detailed and helps catch exceptions that can appear in exams.

Stresses the importance of coursework as it contributes free marks to the final grade and shouldn't be neglected, especially in subjects like Computer Science.

For Maths, advises students to learn how to use their calculators efficiently by watching tutorials on YouTube to maximize efficiency during exams.

Create a priority list of topics for each subject to focus revision time on the most likely exam content, such as differentiation in Maths.

To understand difficult concepts, ask yourself ‘why’ or ‘how’ something works to gain deeper insight and retention of the material.

A-levels are challenging by design, and consistent effort is the key to success even when results may not immediately reflect hard work.

Suggests that keeping a consistent routine over the two-year A-level course will result in long-term rewards, even if the process feels difficult.

Urges students not to rely on memory alone for past papers, as it's easy to forget content; instead, re-do them periodically to reinforce learning.

Transcripts

hey guys um some slightly different

content today because over the past

couple of months I've had people

messaging me asking me if I can make a

video on some a-level study tips which

of course I can here I am I live to

please I'm sorry about the slightly

delay I wanted to make sure I'd actually

passed my exams before I was disheart

information but thankfully I did I took

maths further maths physics computer

science and I did an ebq on Prime

conjectures and I was lucky enough to

receive 5A Stars so hopefully there's

some more proof in the pudding um

obviously there are so so many things

you can do that are going to help the

way that you're studying but these are

some of the things that I think are

going to make the biggest change

obviously they're slightly Mass focused

based off the subjects I took but

everyone's welcome here there's

something for everyone hopefully I can

help you all

okay I mean we can quickly run through

the obvious ones like you want to make

sure that your sleeping eight hours a

night eating three meals a day

exercising regularly you need to make

sure you've got a clean study space so

you bring the right stuff to suit form

my support one is that your phone is

your worst enemy and it should be off

whenever possible you know these things

are quite annoying because you hear them

all the time but also they're true you

know these are the fundamentals in terms

of how well you're going to function as

a person and if you're not nourishing

your brain in the right way then it

doesn't matter how well you studied your

flashcards if you haven't slept in three

days your body just simply isn't going

to work and so I'd say that you need to

make sure you've got these core things

under control because changing one of

these is definitely the way that you're

going to see the biggest result in the

shortest of our time

my first tip would be that past papers

are your absolute best friend they are

the best resource out there lots of

people know this but unfortunately

there's not that many of them because of

a syllabus changed a couple of years ago

and this means that for every part maybe

you can get your hands on you want to

make sure that you're using it to its

absolute fullest potential which is not

doing it once and then finding a way you

know you should be doing these past

papers over and over and over again I

would say that I did the same paper

probably every third or fourth month and

I think it's a common misconception that

people think they're going to remember

what was on the paper but you really

aren't at least not from my experience

and experience of people around me you

know even if you do take a paper again

you get 100 that's that's great you've

got an excellent memory but you probably

won't even though your exam is going to

be example specific there's nothing

stopping you from pulling questions or

papers from other examples you know

there's AQA at Excel OCR wjc there's

loads of different papers out there and

what's taught in physics a level is very

similar across the mall and so if you're

looking for some extra questions or

papers to do if you sort of run out of

resources that's definitely a really

good place to go you should definitely

be doing your past papers in exam

conditions which doesn't necessarily

mean you need to allocate three hour

slot and do it all at once even though

that would sort of be ideal you can

break down into our chunks if that fits

into your timetable better but make sure

that when you're doing it you don't have

sort of music or YouTube on in the

background you're not looking at your

textbook you want to try and emulate

that sort of end available exam

experience as much as possible because

that's sort of the best measure of how

well you grasp what you've learned so

far funny thing I'd say on past papers

is that you learn the most from what you

get wrong and so you need to allocate a

good amount of time in marking your

paper and you want to make sure that

you're doing it properly you know don't

just gloss over your answer and give

yourself a mark basis of what you think

really look through the Mars game look

through the comments on the side you can

look through the examiner's report which

is a separate document you know really

make sure that you understand what you

did wrong and why and then what I like

to do is when I finish put a post note

on the front check through the paper and

look for any sort of big topics or

lessons that I didn't perform very well

in for example if you've got two out of

13 on electricity in a physics paper

look at it and go oh yeah this was on

potential misses not very strong write

it down and then if you've got you know

15 minutes at the end of the day you

know you need to go back and look at

that topic on potentiometers

my second tip is to establish good

relationships with your subject teachers

or just generally the staff of your

sixth form it doesn't really matter if

you don't like them or you find them

annoying what matters is that when a

teacher thinks of you they think of

someone who's polite who works hard who

is committed to doing well in a subject

and these things are really really easy

to implement every day you know put your

hand up in class often to hand out

sheets say good morning say thank you

write nice emails and you're homeworking

on time all these little things that

sort of show your teacher that you're

active in the lesson that you want to be

sort of part of the team and it it won't

really matter in your trial but what's

going to happen is at the end of year 13

everyone is going to suddenly realize

that there are topics that you've

learned over the past two years that

they understand and they're going to be

emailing your teacher asking them to

dedicate some time to helping them and

teachers don't have infinite amount of

time after school and so what they're

going to do is they're going to

prioritize the students that they think

deserve to do well and that's going to

be you obviously the student that's sort

of been present throughout the two years

you're going to get most of the teachers

help and that is one very big step ahead

that you can get over everybody

my third tip is if you want to learn

something now the best way to do it is

to go onto YouTube I think this is much

better than reading your textbook or

your notes or a mark scheme because even

though it takes a little bit longer when

you watch a video on YouTube you're sort

of being retaught by a person you're

engaging with somebody you've got audio

you've got visual you've got you know

cute cartoons that's much more engaging

than just reading a paragraph on your

textbook and I think for that reason

you're much more likely to remember it

my fourth tip would be if you're making

a timetable but you're not being

specific about it you're actually just

wasting your time and throughout sixth

form you'll probably be encouraged to

make weekly plans and then a to-do list

for the day and that's a great idea I

love scheduling my days it's the way

that I find helps me to best optimize my

time but if at the beginning of the day

you've written a mass revision four till

six you're actually doing absolutely

nothing because what's going to happen

you're going to come home from school

you're going to be naked and tired and

you're gonna think oh what do I want to

revise and you're going to pick

something easy that's not very

beneficial to you in the long run so

what you should do is at the beginning

of the day be specific about what you're

going to do exactly you know integration

by parts homework revised chapter 8.3

these things are specific and it means

that when it comes to it you're not

going to be tempted to just pick the

easiest option for you

my fifth tip is that you should always

be revising by going through your

syllabus rather than going through your

textbook or more specifically the

contents page of your textbook and

there's this really popular color coding

scheme called rag it's revision

technique where you sort of go through

everything you've learned so far look at

the lesson titles you highlight red for

don't remember and before okay and then

you do green for like I remember this

lesson it was great I'm not revising it

again and this scheme works it's great

it's easy it's quick but the issue is is

that people often turn to the contents

page of their textbook to do so and this

is a problem because firstly lesson

titles don't fully reflect everything

that's covered in that lesson and

secondly because you might see a lesson

title think oh yeah this theorem I

remember it was great it was easy you've

forgotten about a special case an

exception when it can't be used you know

and then naturally what's going to come

up in the exam is that the exception

case of that theorem is going to come up

and you're going to be very very

confused now the syllabus is organized

differently from this and that the

theorem and then the exception will be

written separately and so even though

the syllabus is a little bit longer it's

going to help you make up those

differential marks other people aren't

getting because they've forgotten about

these little discrepancies and you're

the one that's catching them up is quick

revision one case where it can't apply

you might be getting you know some cases

eight marks from it if no one else can

do it

my sixth tip is that if you're lucky

enough to take a subject that features

coursework as part of your final grade

you're definitely pretty early on to be

honest going to get to a point where you

feel like coursework is a waste of time

it takes too many hours it's too much

stress it's not worth it people tend to

get into this mindset that they're going

to fail their coursework you know

completely waste of time not gonna do

that and they're going to make up the

marks their final exam and that is a

terrible idea the way that you should be

seeing it is that coursework is

basically free marks you know in

computer science coursework is only

worth 20 of the grade which seems pretty

insignificant but looking at last year's

grade boundaries the difference between

an a star grade and a c was 70a okay if

I hadn't done my coursework I would have

dropped three grades and so you really

really need to put that time into

coursework just remind yourself that a

lot of other people can't be bothered

you need to be the person that can

my seventh tip is mass specific and then

I said you need to learn how to use your

calculator well you know set aside three

or four hours of time on YouTube looking

at all the things your calculator can do

because the charters are it's going to

be able to do the majority of your exam

for you and obviously this isn't useful

in the actual exam you do actually need

to answer questions yourself but you can

plug it in your calculator in 10 seconds

it'll tell you the answer and you can

use that to check how well you've done

to check the questions you've got wrong

you know also give yourself a little bit

of peace of mind you know you've got

so-and-so many marks you know you need

to be able to use your calculator

because there's no bigger waste of time

in an exam than someone who's faffing

around with the menus when you could

easily fix that problem in 10 minutes if

you just watch one YouTube video the

week before

my eighth tip is to for each subject

make a list of all the topics in

priority order where you put the things

that are most likely to come up at the

top and the things that don't really

come up at the bottom for example a mass

differentiation integration absolutely

huge topics things like index laws don't

come up very often and this is important

because right before an exam or if

you're a bit behind with your revision

you can pull out the list and go

straight for the things at the top

because these are going to be the things

that most likely to come up and so

you're sort of securing yourself the

most marks per minute of revision time

my ninth tip is if you're looking an

idea and you just can't wrap your head

around it two questions that I like to

ask myself to try and Shift Into A New

Perspective is why and how I think the

easiest way to remember something is if

you know why it works so ask yourself

where does this come from why is it true

try and draw on other things you know

and this sort of might take a bit of

time but once you understand why it's

very very likely that you'll actually

understand the New Concept that you're

learning itself

the other thing you can ask yourself if

maybe the Y is a bit iffy is how how can

this be applied how does this work where

does it go and this means that even if

you don't have a full understanding by

looking at some other exam scenarios if

it does come up in your exam you at

least have a pun at using the idea and

maybe you'll be able to stag yourself a

couple of extra marks

my 10 tips my final piece of advice is

that a levels are meant to be hard

because they're the only way of

academically differentiating between the

absolute best of the best and even

though this difficulty can be

discouraging it does mean that you

cannot get through an a level without

working hard and so even though you

might not be getting results you've won

at certain times or you may feel very

tired or feel like you're gonna fail if

you continue to be consistent there is a

very strong likelihood that you will be

the person that comes out with the top

grade you know some people need to get a

stars watching it be you as I'd say the

most important a-level tip is to keep

going is to stick at it you know two

years seems like a very very long time

but if you push through as much as you

can you will be rewarded in the end