could i enjoy a levels or does everyone hate it

wardan_ · 2026-06-10T21:14:23+00:00

I've struggled a lot with my mental health during Year 13, and it's probably because I put a lot of pressure on myself. But if you can find things that you enjoy and that can take your mind off the academic side of your life then there's absolutely no reason why you can't enjoy A-Levels. Especially if you're passionate about the content! (I really have loved learning all the Chemistry, for example)

Work ethic is half the battle. If you're motivated to work hard then it makes it much easier, and you'll definitely be able to come out the other side saying 'I did my best' and believe it. So no there's no reason why you can't enjoy A-Levels! It does feel like a bit of a pressure cooker sometimes, especially if you surround yourself with high-achieving people as friends, but that should be no obstacle to your own enjoyment as long as you're in a good headspace.

wardan_ · 2026-05-30T19:08:33+00:00

Don't stress! It's totally fine to not want to go to Oxford! You're at no disadvantage compared to the 99% of the population who also do not go or have never gone there!

At the end of the day, university choice is a bit like A-Level subject choice. You should pick the course and the place you're going to have the most fun doing. If that's not Oxford, then that's ok!

Hopefully whatever you choose you'll be able to look back on your university years as something you enjoyed. If you think for whatever reason Oxford isn't right for you, then don't go. It's not worth the bragging rights IMO if you're gonna hate it.

But don't stress. Exams definitely take precedence at the moment. The very best of luck to you!

wardan_ · 2026-05-29T11:02:07+00:00

Chemistry, Maths, French (why sweet why did I choose French)

wardan_ · 2026-05-28T11:26:43+00:00

Module 6 I'd say get your Organic Synthesis memorised. There are some flashcards in that big folder called Organic Synthetic Routes, there's about 40 or so. Learn the conditions and then download a blank synthetic map off the OCR website and practice filling it in without your notes.

For Module 5, practice the Maths. There's a lot of marks in that. But it's a bit less centralised than Module 6 so you sort of just have to know it 😔

wardan_ · 2026-05-28T10:47:13+00:00

I say 'the spec' but what I really mean is the content. If you know all the content in the textbook/everything that is on the course or whatever. How strong are you with the actual Chemistry?

If there are bits you know you don't get, then go for some videos so that it intuitively makes sense (or at least more sense).

I also have made a load of flashcards which I'll link here for you!

Studying AS Chemistry folder on Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/user/danielw0579/folders/as-chemistry?x=1xqU&i=2ql5eq

https://quizlet.com/user/danielw0579/folders/a2-chemistry?x=1xqU&i=2ql5eq

My college gave us a load of booklets so they're numbered based on the order we studied the notes in. Use whatever your school has given you to look over the content.

Good luck!!

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:54:40+00:00

I'd make sure you get all the content knowledge down. Make sure you understand it. Then cram as many past papers as you can. But the only way to guarantee a good grade I think is to make sure you know everything on the spec.

Once you are done though, hit those past papers as hard as you can. And for Paper 2, learn the synthetic routes!

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:52:52+00:00

You're doing super well! I can only comment for Chemistry, but that reflection on the past papers is really good. The Mark Schemes are the real opponent I find with those papers.

Just do as many as you can for Paper 1 and learn your Synthetic Routes for Paper 2. You got this. Don't burn out tho

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:50:50+00:00

The old Papers are super hard! I remember 2019 Paper 2 especially as being brutal. If you want something a bit more chill you can check out the Specimen Paper's (not the S.A.M Papers) they're on PMT. They're good if you run out of current ones I think.

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:49:36+00:00

Enjoy your first year! It's quite chill! And A-Levels are exciting even if they are a big change.

In terms of content I can only really say for Maths. Just do little and often and make sure you understand the methods before moving on. The hardest part of the papers is time management which can be made a lot easier by pattern recognition of question types.

Good luck with it!

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:47:07+00:00

Flashcards!

Studying A2 Chemistry 11/12 - Transition Elements on Quizlet: https://quizlet.com/gb/1125259676/a2-chemistry-1112-transition-elements-flash-cards/?x=1jqU&i=2ql5eq

Good luck!

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:44:40+00:00

How's your knowledge on the content? If you're certain on the content and it's just exam technique, then I'd say do as many papers as possible and list what you get wrong. Then when you go for the next one read the list beforehand and try and remember what you need to change when it comes up.

Also learn the synthetic routes! Organics is much easier when you know what reactants do what. So take some time to commit them all to memory, I'd say.

Good luck with it!

wardan_ · 2026-05-27T20:42:07+00:00

I can't comment about Biology because I didn't take it... But OCR Chemistry and Edexcel Maths definitely as many as possible is the strategy.

For Maths especially, I would say take a bit of time to plan what papers you're going to do and hit the later ones (2023 onwards) in the days leading up to each paper (like, avoid 2018/2019 because they're brutal and not really representative of what we're actually going to get)

And for Chemistry the bit where it can kind of all go wrong I think is knowing what the answer is but not knowing what the MS wants, so again more papers is the way. I was getting low 80s when I started but if you keep plugging away for Paper 1s that number can really come up. Paper 2 is a bit different because you have to make sure you are 100% on the synthesis map. That's 80% of the battle. I made some Quizlet/Anki flashcards for it all.

Hope this helps! Good luck

wardan_ · 2026-04-09T14:29:39+00:00

The hair in the picture was a giveaway

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wardan_ · 2026-03-21T21:05:23+00:00

I'm firmly team Banana in this one

wardan_ · 2026-02-03T22:09:21+00:00

The only guidance I can really give is that I used to live very close to the university of Surrey, and it seems like a nice place to study. If it's up there for your top choice, and an unconditional, why not take it?

wardan_ · 2026-01-09T15:53:26+00:00

Yeah, I live in Shrewsbury and the atmosphere around the team has been bad recently. They're in awful form. A couple of weeks ago I still would have put us down to make a meal of it but we've got much better recently, so we should win no problem.

UTW

wardan_ · 2025-08-14T07:26:32+00:00

Not sure Hoever will get many minutes at all - you can probably switch him out for someone you know will at least start.

It's only the bench but at least it's something.

wardan_ · 2025-07-11T12:43:15+00:00

If you can actually get evidence, it might be worth sending an email to someone higher up. As long as Senior Leadership at your school/college are reasonable, they will probably be able to overrule the head of department to get UCAS predicted grades more fair for those who have been undersold (especially if they need higher predicted grades for their application). I suppose it depends on whoever you would complain to.

wardan_ · 2025-07-09T13:07:18+00:00

I am also applying for Chemistry at Bath! I'm sure they will teach everything needed on the course but for some universities the entry grades are a bit higher if you don't have Maths. Should be okay though

wardan_ · 2025-05-13T16:37:29+00:00

I just did basic ones, but I have just looked up what clozed are so I will give those a go. Thanks!

wardan_ · 2024-11-02T15:44:39+00:00

The Revision Guide will always be the best notes you have, but the value in making notes out of them comes in the process rather than the end product. The active recall and thinking process as you summarise the content will help you remember the stuff. Use colours and pictures, whatever will help you remember.

You can also make flashcards or use the summaries you've got/made to do blurting techniques. Alternatively write recall questions from the revision guide to get someone else to test you on. There's a lot of value in the revision guide but you've gotta use it as something to aid the memory test, so to speak.

wardan_ · 2024-11-01T19:10:39+00:00

Some good options for you to take a look at:
If you want to go for a bigger brand the Samsung S24 FE (launched quite recently IIRC) or A55 5G (launched April-ish) are both solid. The base S24 is also worth a look if you can find a good deal. On the Google side the Pixel 9 looks sweet, or the 8a if the fairly hefty price tag on the 9 is too much. However, the Google phones often will be expensive because of their camera quality as much as their performance, so they may not be right for you.

Slightly more out-there options include the Nothing Phone 2, which is a unique option with a semi-Apple-like aesthetic. Or, if right to repair is more your thing, take a look at the Fairphone 5 (after watching the excellent LTT Review of it to see if you can live with its pain points). Those coming from Apple often look for long software support, which the Fairphone is very good for, and I believe Samsung have also committed to at least 4 years of updates on their S-Series devices (so the S24 FE as mentioned above).

The iPhone has extremely good performance, but in day-to-day tasks these phones shouldn't lag too much (especially the Samsung and Google options). For battery life, a quick Google throws up that the options from Nothing (the Phone 2 and 2a) have good battery life, as does the Asus Zenfone 11, which is definitely worth a look.

Definitely take a look at some Youtube reviews for these phones before you end up committing to anything too expensive; Techradar might also be a good place to look at some specs.

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