The biggest difference between GCSE and A-level is the amount of subjects you do. A-level limits you to three, sometimes four. Choosing the right subjects can be hard and as much as I like to tell you to choose whatever you like, this is not the case.
1. Think ahead
It’s never too early to start thinking about your university course. You should have a vague idea at least. Almost all universities have subject requirements and they are not something to ignore. You might have a passion for French and a love for history but they will not get you into a medicine course. Checking a university website for subject and grade requirements is easier if you have a specific course in mind.
2. Self-reflection
Say, you know what you want to study. Medicine. This is an extreme example, but some universities do look at your GCSE grades and for a course like Medicine or Dentistry they are requiring 5 A’s or more at GCSE level. Even colleges and sixth forms have grade requirements when choosing A-levels. Then again, they vary per college and at this stage you should be able to do the A-levels you want.
But what if a subject that you are not particularly good at is required, like chemistry.
If they let you do the A-level then you can surely do it but you have to work hard and give it 101%. A-levels require 3 hours study per week on top of homework and there is no point choosing a subject if you are not willing to put those hours in. Especially if it is not your strongest subject.
3. I don’t know what to do?
It’s not the end of the world if you still don’t know what you want to do at university. It is also not the only option after your A-levels but it is something that many do. If you are planning to go to university without a course in mind have a look at facilitating subjects. These are subjects that are mostly required by universities and they can open many doors. They are also a good third or fourth subject. Russell Group Universities (these are top universities) define them as:
• Biology
• Chemistry
• English literature
• Geography
• History
• Physics
• Modern and classical languages
• Maths and further maths
4. What does this mean?
You might think, “Where does the word fun fit in all of this?” These are A-levels and they should be taking seriously. Looking at university requirements does not mean that you are only choosing subjects you hate. The A-levels you choose based on what you want to do later are linked. You should never choose something because of family or friends, it is strange to want to study Medicine when you hate biology. It is your A-level and you are the one sitting those exams after two years.
Amandeep & Saiba: T'is the season to...
... Catch up with revision?!?
Everyone loves the idea of Christmas! Delightful smiles, warm hearted mortals and a ravishing atmosphere. Best of all, two splendid weeks off college.
Currently we’re half way into our college year, whether you’re a GCSE student, AS/A2 – you’re half way through your academic year!
Exciting right? You roughly have about five months until your end of year exams. Are you ready for them?!
As much as you want to spend your holidays doing nothing, it’s important to spend some of your time preparing for them exams. By preparing we don’t mean going all out and revising 24/7! We mean doing small things to get you on track for the next 5 months. Here are a few things we recommend for you to try during the holidays to kick start your revision! They’re not big tasks and are hardly time consuming so you can still 'chillax' without the guilty conscious of avoiding your work.
1. Make a revision timetable!
A revision timetable is a very good way to plan your time so that you don’t waste it. It doesn’t have to be overly detailed however if you just planned your time it will get you into a routine of revision so that when it gets closer to exam time, the idea of revising won’t come as a shock to you, it will be natural! As well as this, you’ll actually be revising meaning that you’ll be on top of your revision. It’s a win, win!
2. Catching up on classwork
Everyone has that one off day they miss due to being ill or maybe you just didn’t understand a bit of work one lesson; takes these holidays as an opportunity! An opportunity to catch up and go over notes and class work so that you know it, after all you DO need to know that stuff for your exams!
3. Buy revision guides!
Revision guides are brilliant. The CGP ones in particular, if you don’t already we recommend you going online and buy revision books for your subjects. An alternative can also be to go to the library, Birmingham central library especially; it’s full of revision guides and other revision material.
4. Create a checklist
All subjects have a vast amount of topics to cover. You need to know all of those topics! All the context. How to do it? Create a checklist. The checklist should have a list of the topics to cover so that when you’ve revised the topic you just tick it off and move onto the next one. If your teacher hasn’t given you one then we suggest you make one.
_
In summary, you need to get a move on with your revision! Starting early as possible is the key. Make sure you don’t neglect your studies! However, it is the Christmas break so make sure you do give yourself time to kick back and catch up on your sleep.
Everyone loves the idea of Christmas! Delightful smiles, warm hearted mortals and a ravishing atmosphere. Best of all, two splendid weeks off college.
Currently we’re half way into our college year, whether you’re a GCSE student, AS/A2 – you’re half way through your academic year!
Exciting right? You roughly have about five months until your end of year exams. Are you ready for them?!
As much as you want to spend your holidays doing nothing, it’s important to spend some of your time preparing for them exams. By preparing we don’t mean going all out and revising 24/7! We mean doing small things to get you on track for the next 5 months. Here are a few things we recommend for you to try during the holidays to kick start your revision! They’re not big tasks and are hardly time consuming so you can still 'chillax' without the guilty conscious of avoiding your work.
1. Make a revision timetable!
A revision timetable is a very good way to plan your time so that you don’t waste it. It doesn’t have to be overly detailed however if you just planned your time it will get you into a routine of revision so that when it gets closer to exam time, the idea of revising won’t come as a shock to you, it will be natural! As well as this, you’ll actually be revising meaning that you’ll be on top of your revision. It’s a win, win!
2. Catching up on classwork
Everyone has that one off day they miss due to being ill or maybe you just didn’t understand a bit of work one lesson; takes these holidays as an opportunity! An opportunity to catch up and go over notes and class work so that you know it, after all you DO need to know that stuff for your exams!
3. Buy revision guides!
Revision guides are brilliant. The CGP ones in particular, if you don’t already we recommend you going online and buy revision books for your subjects. An alternative can also be to go to the library, Birmingham central library especially; it’s full of revision guides and other revision material.
4. Create a checklist
All subjects have a vast amount of topics to cover. You need to know all of those topics! All the context. How to do it? Create a checklist. The checklist should have a list of the topics to cover so that when you’ve revised the topic you just tick it off and move onto the next one. If your teacher hasn’t given you one then we suggest you make one.
_
In summary, you need to get a move on with your revision! Starting early as possible is the key. Make sure you don’t neglect your studies! However, it is the Christmas break so make sure you do give yourself time to kick back and catch up on your sleep.
We wish you a very peaceful break a Merry Christmas and a very happy new year! Until next time…
Isobel: December and Digital Arts
Hi everyone,
December seems to have come around incredibly quickly – we’re at the end of our first term already! I have to admit though; this is my favourite time of year, so I’m definitely not complaining!
But, similar to last month, I thought I’d use this blog post to talk about another subject that I am particularly enjoying at the moment: Digital Arts.
Digital Arts is a BTEC course, something I wasn’t all that familiar with when I started college. This means that our course is 100% coursework, which personally I really enjoy. Many people think that BTECs aren’t as worthy as A-Levels or that they don’t require as much work, but it’s like anything – you only get out what you put in. I have the same amount of work for this subject as I do for my others, but it is very different to my other subjects as it is computer-based. I strongly believe that studying a range of subjects that you enjoy makes your time in education a lot more fun and interesting.
With one of my other subjects, Geography, it is exam based; studying from textbooks and doing written work. With Textiles, it is creative and analytical; creating things using a range of methods and analysing my work as I go. With Digital Arts, it is also creative and there are elements of written work, but it is done in a very different way.
We have a digital sketchbook instead of a physical one where we present all of our work. The first project we are doing revolves around creating a logo for a fictional company. We have almost finished this project, but it has been so much fun! I’ve learned a huge amount of new skills, including how to use Photoshop and how to explore and take inspiration from artist’s and designer’s work. I was a little bit apprehensive about starting this course at first as I didn’t take a digital arts subject at GCSE and I had never used Photoshop before. However, the support has been amazing and we’ve had multiple tutorials on how to use the software. This has been a great help, and the majority of my class started out on the same level so we’re all learning these new things and progressing together.
If you enjoy creative subjects and are considering studying some here at Cadbury, then I would highly recommend that you research digital arts as it allows you develop your computer, photography, drawing and creative skills too. I think it is an amazing subject and I am so happy to be on the course.
On that note, I will finish off here, saying a goodbye to you and to 2015. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and new year, and I will be back in 2016 with a new post!
Bye for now,
Isobel
December seems to have come around incredibly quickly – we’re at the end of our first term already! I have to admit though; this is my favourite time of year, so I’m definitely not complaining!
But, similar to last month, I thought I’d use this blog post to talk about another subject that I am particularly enjoying at the moment: Digital Arts.
Digital Arts is a BTEC course, something I wasn’t all that familiar with when I started college. This means that our course is 100% coursework, which personally I really enjoy. Many people think that BTECs aren’t as worthy as A-Levels or that they don’t require as much work, but it’s like anything – you only get out what you put in. I have the same amount of work for this subject as I do for my others, but it is very different to my other subjects as it is computer-based. I strongly believe that studying a range of subjects that you enjoy makes your time in education a lot more fun and interesting.
With one of my other subjects, Geography, it is exam based; studying from textbooks and doing written work. With Textiles, it is creative and analytical; creating things using a range of methods and analysing my work as I go. With Digital Arts, it is also creative and there are elements of written work, but it is done in a very different way.
We have a digital sketchbook instead of a physical one where we present all of our work. The first project we are doing revolves around creating a logo for a fictional company. We have almost finished this project, but it has been so much fun! I’ve learned a huge amount of new skills, including how to use Photoshop and how to explore and take inspiration from artist’s and designer’s work. I was a little bit apprehensive about starting this course at first as I didn’t take a digital arts subject at GCSE and I had never used Photoshop before. However, the support has been amazing and we’ve had multiple tutorials on how to use the software. This has been a great help, and the majority of my class started out on the same level so we’re all learning these new things and progressing together.
If you enjoy creative subjects and are considering studying some here at Cadbury, then I would highly recommend that you research digital arts as it allows you develop your computer, photography, drawing and creative skills too. I think it is an amazing subject and I am so happy to be on the course.
On that note, I will finish off here, saying a goodbye to you and to 2015. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and new year, and I will be back in 2016 with a new post!
Bye for now,
Isobel
Kamal: Revision Tips
Hello everyone, again. It’s my fourth blog already - Can you believe it? Merry Christmas to you all.
With the first term nearly over, you would think that you have plenty time left until the summer where the majority of us will be sitting our exams. You would be right, but also wrong. I’m here at my first year at Cadbury but last year with GCSE’s to be honest I thought the same thing. It ended up alright nevertheless I could have done so much better only from deciding to work sooner and harder.
The point I am trying to get across is simply that the upcoming holiday is your chance to really start revising, in which I have a couple tips here that some you may know of and maybe a few new ones:
Thank you for reading and good luck.
With the first term nearly over, you would think that you have plenty time left until the summer where the majority of us will be sitting our exams. You would be right, but also wrong. I’m here at my first year at Cadbury but last year with GCSE’s to be honest I thought the same thing. It ended up alright nevertheless I could have done so much better only from deciding to work sooner and harder.
The point I am trying to get across is simply that the upcoming holiday is your chance to really start revising, in which I have a couple tips here that some you may know of and maybe a few new ones:
- Create a checklist and/or schedule so you know when to revise and what for
- Find a time slot everyday (mine would be 8-11) this will help get into a flow of revising
- Find something to listen to, not any music, anything without lyrics but instrumentals of good songs would do but I prefer simplistic classics or just a piano playing softly
- Personally I listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcsUYu0PVxY
- Remove all DISTRACTIONS, trust me on this one, your phone playing the notification sound is almost an automatic response with your hand leaning over to get it
- This point needs to be covered twice - Turn off your Phone
- Figure out which way you learn things the fastest whether it’s listening or repletion find it and stick to
- Work independently get used to working by yourself the habit is good to get into instead of relying on a teacher or a buddy
- Don’t sit in your room all day or don’t revise 8 hours a day, that’s unhealthy
- Work in 25 to 45 minute chunks, it’s proven to be most effective and also so you don’t fall asleep
- Finally reward yourself after and not before perhaps with a snack or to check your Phone
Thank you for reading and good luck.
Jasmine: 2016 Academic New Year’s Resolutions!
I wanted to do another quick blog update wishing everyone Merry Christmas, and if you don’t celebrate Christmas, happy holidays and I hope you enjoy your well-deserved break!!!
I’m literally going to be spending the first week sitting in my house, binge-watching TV shows I have missed out on and staring at Youtube videos until the early hours of the morning (Thatcherjoe and Caspar Lee - I am looking at you both).
To be fair, the second week will be more revision based, but not as heavy as it has been the last few months, because it’s Christmas! I love Christmas time!
Does anyone have any New Year’s Resolutions? My ones are mainly based on academia (Geek alert is blaring loudly here).
My first one is just to keep up with my revision timetable, to make sure I don’t freak myself out around exam times and make sure everything goes smooth and well. It’s easy revision though, nothing too stressful.
My second one is to achieve my dream grades to make sure I get into the University I want to get into. (These resolutions are SO BORING; I can totally see that, I’m sorry). It kind of links into the first resolution really, by me just making sure I am prepared for exams well in advance and making sure my revision is done early, and thoroughly.
And then my third one is not academic at all, but it’s to start my own Youtube channel (Gasp, I know! I’m terrified!).
What a random blog post.
See ya!
To be fair, the second week will be more revision based, but not as heavy as it has been the last few months, because it’s Christmas! I love Christmas time!
Does anyone have any New Year’s Resolutions? My ones are mainly based on academia (Geek alert is blaring loudly here).
My first one is just to keep up with my revision timetable, to make sure I don’t freak myself out around exam times and make sure everything goes smooth and well. It’s easy revision though, nothing too stressful.
My second one is to achieve my dream grades to make sure I get into the University I want to get into. (These resolutions are SO BORING; I can totally see that, I’m sorry). It kind of links into the first resolution really, by me just making sure I am prepared for exams well in advance and making sure my revision is done early, and thoroughly.
And then my third one is not academic at all, but it’s to start my own Youtube channel (Gasp, I know! I’m terrified!).
What a random blog post.
See ya!
Jasmine: The GCSE Re-sit Programme low-down
Hello!
This blog is another important blog entry about information people may be wondering about: What if my GCSE grades don't allow me onto A-level courses? I feel like this blog post can be aimed at both people who are genuinely wondering about the re-sit programme or students that are currently on the re-sit programme.
When I was 16, I actually thought it was game over. I didn't get the GCSE grades I needed to get onto A-levels at first, and not to sound like a weirdo, but Cadbury kind of did save the day. On enrolment (the interview you have with a member of staff here at college who puts you on the courses you want), I was advised to go onto the GCSE re-sit programme, as I was only one GCSE grade down from the usual requirements, and had to re-do my science GCSEs as well.
At the time I felt sad, and in all honesty, slightly annoyed with myself. I didn't want to be on this programme, I wanted to go onto A-levels and stay with my year group. Going into the GCSE programme, I was going to be older than everyone else when I eventually did move onto A-levels, and already being one of the oldest kids in my year (since I was born at the beginning of September), I didn't like that idea WHATSOEVER!
But, from day one, I realised this was the right choice. Going onto the GCSE re-sit programme showed that maybe I wasn't ready for the A-level courses just yet, and I just needed another year to nurture into someone who was.
I did Sociology, Geography and Double Science on the programme. Frankly, the only reason I'm here writing on this blog as a second year student is because my teachers managed to get me through that! Doing the GCSE re-sit programme made me realise how much I enjoyed Sociology as a subject as well, having never done it before. A two year course being studied in one year, I found it so interesting that I ended up getting an A grade at the end (All thanks to my teacher on that one!). My GCSE sociology teacher even ended up as my A2 sociology teacher, which leads me onto another advantage of doing the re-sit programme: I knew my way around college. I knew staff members and it wasn't as scary as being a brand new A-level student with other people who didn't know their way around. I became one of those students who, at first, unofficially helped people around at the start of my AS year, and then officially became a student representative to help out on open days and parents evenings (I’m planning to do a whole other blog post about that, so I’ll just keep it short and sweet here!).
The GCSE re-sit programme isn’t easy, though, whatever people may think. Commitment is needed to the highest level and you have to be totally determined to do your best. This is your second chance, make the most of it!
All in all, don’t be ashamed of the GCSE re-sit programme. It’s there to help and support people who maybe did not get the support they needed during their actual GCSE year. It’s going to be a period of your life that you’ll look back at and will feel proud about (at least that’s how I feel when I look back at it). I’m a different person now than who I was back then, maybe more of a grown up I'd say!
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