Many of you may have just finished GCSE’s and will be moving onto A-Levels in the summer! The idea of starting sixth form and doing A-Levels can be a bit scary so I thought I’d share some tips and ideas of what you can do over the summer to help you prepare.
1. Think ahead You might want to spend some time over summer thinking about your goals after sixth form. But if you aren’t sure yet, that is totally okay- you still have plenty of time! If you do have any ideas, I would definitely recommend doing some research on university websites and looking at the entry requirements, to make sure that you are picking the right subjects and to have an idea of the grades you are aiming for. Although looking at university entry requirements is important, you should also make sure that you are happy with the subject choices. I would consider how well you have performed in that subject at GCSE (if you took the same subject!) but also if you will enjoy the subject! 2 years is a long time, so you don’t want to be studying a subject that you really dislike. I think it’s important to find a balance between the 2 (enjoying the subject and scoring well- if you need to achieve a certain grade in year 13!), and just make sure you are comfortable with your choices. 2. What do I need? FOLDERS- In A-Levels, I used 2 lever-arch folders for each subject- one for AS and one for A2. I hand-wrote the majority of my notes and filed them in here. However, towards the end of year 13 I actually converted to typing my notes and I found it so much quicker and more effective- I didn’t print out my notes, I just kept them on my laptop. I stuck with this method throughout university too. Maybe have a think which method of note-taking will suit you best, and then decide which filing system to use. STATIONERY – although it is nice to treat yourself to some new stationery before a new school year, it’s probably not 100% necessary if you have just finished school! It’s likely you’ll need a scientific calculator for maths/science subjects, and perhaps some new items if you are studying an art/designs subject, but I wouldn’t worry too much about getting new things! I have recently started working with Coconut Lane which means I have a code for 20% off any product! They have such beautiful stationery and it's a great place to shop if you want to treat yourself or someone else! My code is STUDYINGWITHJASMINE20 Click here to visit the website #ad USB stick – I think this is a pretty handy thing to have during sixth form! If you are typing your notes, I’d definitely recommend always backing them up onto a USB stick/hard drive, just in case anything happened to them. Having a USB stick can also be handy in lessons, sometimes I would ask the teacher if I could save their PowerPoint onto my USB stick if I didn’t manage to get the notes, or just thought it would be useful to have the slides. PLANNER – During my A-Levels, I used a weekly desk planner – it wasn’t dated, just a plain Monday-Sunday planner. I used this so much and it was so helpful to plan note-taking and also revision. When you are coming up to the year 13 exams, it can be tricky to balance revision whilst you are still learning new content, so planning is key! I always planned out my week on a Sunday – I used my timetable to see when I had free periods, and I would look ahead at the notes I needed to make. I’d include time to review topics from previous weeks, and to do past papers too. I’d review my planner each night and wouldn’t put pressure on myself if I didn’t manage to get through everything. Coconut Lane do beautiful weekly planners- you can get 20% off any product using the code STUDYINGWITHJASMINE20 Click here to see the desk planners! #ad TEXTBOOKS – textbooks can definitely be important during sixth form, but there are so many out there and it can be hard to know which to buy (and they can be quite expensive!) For biology and chemistry (AQA) I used the CGP textbooks (not the revision guides)- which were the main resources that I used – they were so concise but also covered the whole specification. You can also get an online version once you have bought the paper book which I actually used most of the time. I did have the Oxford AQA textbooks too but I didn’t use these often, only if I didn’t understand something. I could get the CGP books cheaper through my sixth form, rather than ordering them myself – so it is definitely worth talking to or emailing your teachers beforehand to see if they offer anything life this! For maths I used textbooks mainly for the questions – my school provided us with these though so, again, it’s worth checking if yours do too before you buy your own! I can’t remember the exact name but there are many great ones out there. It’s also worth checking if your school offer any financial support for books if you think you could be eligible, they can be expensive so this can be really helpful! SCHOOL BAG – I’d say to make sure your bag is big and strong enough to carry folders and textbooks. I actually just took a small folder each day, and then filed away the notes into bigger folders when I got home. I usually didn’t take my textbooks but sometimes I did need to, so it’s useful to make sure you have a bag suitable for this as you don’t want it to break during the year! 3. Making notes before September In the long summer between GCSE’s and A-Levels, you might be wondering if you should be preparing for A-Levels. Honestly, I think some preparation can be really useful but it’s super important to enjoy your summer and make sure you have lots of relaxation before worrying about that! Maybe a few weeks before you start sixth form, you could make notes on the first couple of lessons – I found out where we would be starting the specification so I knew which notes to make first. This will just help give you a bit of a head start and reduce your workload in the first few weeks, which will make it easier to adjust. I also found it super helpful to look up the specifications for my subject before September – I’d look at these before each lesson to know what the aim of that lesson was, and what you could be tested on. If you don’t want to prepare at all before September, I think this is also fine and wouldn’t put you at a disadvantage. But if you found yourself at a bit of a loose end towards the end of August and have some free time, I think it is a bit beneficial just to make a little bit of a start 😊 4. Work experience Many people doing A-Levels may have the goal of going to university after sixth form – if you are, it might be worth getting some work experience (depending which course you are thinking of!) I didn’t start my work experience for medicine until the October half term of year 12 – I just did a bit here and then did a few more weeks throughout the year- but if an opportunity comes up during the summer, it would be great to take it! You have plenty of time so even just a day or 2 could be beneficial when it comes to university applications 5. Don’t worry! I was a bit worried before starting sixth form because I had heard a lot about the large jump between GCSE’s and A-Levels. Looking back, there is a big jump from GCSE to A-Levels in terms of the workload, but at the time I didn’t find myself struggling to keep up throughout the year like I expected, so try not to worry! My biggest piece of advice is to start as you mean to go on – make your notes after every lesson and start doing past paper questions early! I made my revision resources as I went along and it was so helpful when it came to exam season. You might also be worried about making friends if you are moving away from your high school – this is totally normal! If you are in this position, try not to think too much into it. It’s likely you will have a form/tutor group which will be good for making friends, and people in your lessons are likely to have common interests. You might join extra groups (sports, music etc) which would be a great way to meet new people. There are so many ways to make friends so don’t worry too much – everyone will be finding their feet in the first few weeks and you are all in the same position. I hope these tips are helpful for anyone who will be starting sixth form in September. If you have any questions please feel free to message me! I will be making some more posts soon on how to keep up/do well throughout sixth form, but these are mainly just some tips for the lead up to September! I hope you have a great summer, and best of luck for results day if you are waiting for results. Jasmine x
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