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Rixion
24-08-2012, 04:29 PM
What A levels has everyone chose? Past and present:)
I've picked Maths, Biology, Geography and Chemistry

Kardan
24-08-2012, 04:30 PM
Started AS French in Year 10, continued it in Year 11, and in the end didn't take the exam :/
Started AS Maths in Year 11, A2 Maths in Year 12, A Overall.
Then Physics, Further Maths and Chemistry in Year 12 and Year 13, with A, B, B.

So A, A, B, B :)

Rixion
24-08-2012, 04:37 PM
Started AS French in Year 10, continued it in Year 11, and in the end didn't take the exam :/
Started AS Maths in Year 11, A2 Maths in Year 12, A Overall.
Then Physics, Further Maths and Chemistry in Year 12 and Year 13, with A, B, B.

So A, A, B, B :)

How did you find Maths and Chemistry if I may ask? :)

Red
24-08-2012, 04:38 PM
History A
Geography A
Re A
dropped biology at As and got a B in that.

MKR&*42
24-08-2012, 04:46 PM
Psychology
Sociology
Philosophy
Law

Have to "finalise" the learning programme next Tuesday, can't wait :)

Was also quite shocked to learn that one of my good friends is doing 3 of the same courses as me haha. But she's opted for Government + Politics over Philosophy.

Kardan
24-08-2012, 04:53 PM
How did you find Maths and Chemistry if I may ask? :)

Maths was nice and easy really, but I wish I worked a hell of a lot harder. If you have to retake, I'd suggest not retaking them at the next available exam period.

The first exam in AS Maths is Core 1, I took it in January and got 73% for a B - retook it in June, and you have to take Core 1 and Core 2, the second exam, straight after each other. Got 48% in Core 1 and 60 something in Core 2. Revising for two exams at the same time is not good.

So I retook Core 1 again the next January, when I had no other exams, and got 100% :) Maths is good, if you get a choice of modules, D2 and S1 are the easiest :) M1 is often considered the hardest of the optional modules :)

Chemistry was my worst A Level by far, at A2 it gets really difficult. Having to remember numerous, numerous reactions, with the reactants, products,conditions required, colours, shapes, diagrams etc.

http://alevelchem.com/aqa_a_level_chemistry/unit3.4/s3404/01.htm

Basically, a good memory is good for A2 :P The pratical part of the A-Level, the ISAs, are good, and a good way to get easy marks :)

Futz
24-08-2012, 04:59 PM
I only did the first year of A levels then started my apprenticeship as a design engineer but the subjects I chose and my experiences with them were

Mathematics - Big step up from GCSE, I recommend you only take it if you are willing to put the work in, I know many of my friends who got A's and A*'s at GCSE and struggled to get C's.

Physics - Quite heavy maths but I didn't find it a bad as pure maths, real world

Computing - Very easy if you're interested in it, quite a bit of binary

Chemistry - Pretty hard, you have to learn many different chemical reactions, quite a bit of maths but nothing too bad. You know how in GCSE you could kind of wing answers to questions and hopefully some of its right, at A level, you need to get the wording and answer next to perfect and prove you actually understand what you're saying

Hope I help some of you!

Kardan
24-08-2012, 05:02 PM
I only did the first year of A levels then started my apprenticeship as a design engineer but the subjects I chose and my experiences with them were

Mathematics - Big step up from GCSE, I recommend you only take it if you are willing to put the work in, I know many of my friends who got A's and A*'s at GCSE and struggled to get C's.

Physics - Quite heavy maths but I didn't find it a bad as pure maths, real world

Computing - Very easy if you're interested in it, quite a bit of binary

Chemistry - Pretty hard, you have to learn many different chemical reactions, quite a bit of maths but nothing too bad. You know how in GCSE you could kind of wing answers to questions and hopefully some of its right, at A level, you need to get the wording and answer next to perfect and prove you actually understand what you're saying

Hope I help some of you!

Physics is quite heavy in Maths, especially at A2. Many times when Maths came into it, I was the only one in the class who knew what to do instantly, because I was the only one taking Physics/Further Maths - Physics is probably the most fun science to take though :)

Samantha
24-08-2012, 05:23 PM
As - Media Studies, Business Studies, English Language and ICT.
A2 - Media Studies, English Language and ICT.

Failed business so had to drop it lmao.

LoveToStack
24-08-2012, 05:56 PM
My school did maths A-level instead of Advanced Higher (which they offered for everything else) so I did that in my final year alongside my Advanced Highers. It was pretty easy and I scooped an A* but I sometimes wish I'd done Further Maths too. The prospect of studying 12 modules in a single year was a bit too offputting at the time though and I wanted some free periods. :P

An ideal situation would have been to just study the first four core modules and FP1 with FP2 or FP3 for the maths A-level rather than S1 and S2. Still I enjoyed stats in the end.

lawrawrrr
24-08-2012, 06:07 PM
I did;

English Literature
Classical Civilisation
Music

and for AS, those 3 plus

Philosophy
Food Technology

I loved them so much, especially class civ, and all of them are coming in really usefully for Uni life :)

Ardemax
24-08-2012, 06:24 PM
I only did the first year of A levels then started my apprenticeship as a design engineer but the subjects I chose and my experiences with them were

Mathematics - Big step up from GCSE, I recommend you only take it if you are willing to put the work in, I know many of my friends who got A's and A*'s at GCSE and struggled to get C's.

Physics - Quite heavy maths but I didn't find it a bad as pure maths, real world

Computing - Very easy if you're interested in it, quite a bit of binary

Chemistry - Pretty hard, you have to learn many different chemical reactions, quite a bit of maths but nothing too bad. You know how in GCSE you could kind of wing answers to questions and hopefully some of its right, at A level, you need to get the wording and answer next to perfect and prove you actually understand what you're saying

Hope I help some of you!


Started AS French in Year 10, continued it in Year 11, and in the end didn't take the exam :/
Started AS Maths in Year 11, A2 Maths in Year 12, A Overall.
Then Physics, Further Maths and Chemistry in Year 12 and Year 13, with A, B, B.

So A, A, B, B :)

I'm thinking of doing Physics/Maths/Computing so, if you don't mind me asking, how was Physics? haha!

I did triple and additional and I literally had 4 after-school lessons of triple because my school screwed up the timetables and I have to teach myself basically and got a D in it (5 marks off a C). Additional however I got an A*, so that made me kinda happy to take it.

What topics did you learn about and were they interesting? Or were they really complicated and confusing? :D

Also (Futz), how was computing? Was the exam difficult?

Thanks!

Matthew
24-08-2012, 07:02 PM
I'm taking

Maths
further maths
economics
pre-u history

:D

santa-my-nana
24-08-2012, 07:04 PM
I'm going to be doing,
Creative media
Acting
and Buisness Studies

Jurv
24-08-2012, 07:11 PM
i'm taking;

photography
film studies
graphic design
english literature

can't wait to starttttttttt.

Kardan
24-08-2012, 07:29 PM
I'm thinking of doing Physics/Maths/Computing so, if you don't mind me asking, how was Physics? haha!

I did triple and additional and I literally had 4 after-school lessons of triple because my school screwed up the timetables and I have to teach myself basically and got a D in it (5 marks off a C). Additional however I got an A*, so that made me kinda happy to take it.

What topics did you learn about and were they interesting? Or were they really complicated and confusing? :D

Also (Futz), how was computing? Was the exam difficult?

Thanks!

Physics was the most fun of my A-Levels, there's a lot of pratical work which in Physics is actually fun, although the pratical part of the A-Level are quite difficult because you gain marks on how reliable your answers are, and as you might know, getting scientific answers in a secondary school lab with ancient equipment can be quite difficult :P

I did AQA Physics, so we did Particles, Quantum Phenomena and Electricity as the first AS module and Mechanics, Materials and Waves as the second AS module, with the third AS module being the practical ISA.

At A2 I did Fields and Further Mechanics which is very mathematical, so suited me perfectly and then for the first part of the second module it is Nuclear and Thermal Physics, which is essentially a repeat of what you did in GCSE Physics, and what you will do in A-Level Chemistry with thermal equations. The second part of your second A2 module has a variety of options:

Astrophysics, Medical physics, Applied physics and Turning points in physics.

I did Astrophysics since its very mathematical, and so did the rest of the class. Medical physics looked very difficult, and I'd only reccomend it if you're interested in going into that field at a later today. Didn't take a look at the other two.

And then for the third module, its your practical ISA again :)

Ardemax
24-08-2012, 08:11 PM
Physics was the most fun of my A-Levels, there's a lot of pratical work which in Physics is actually fun, although the pratical part of the A-Level are quite difficult because you gain marks on how reliable your answers are, and as you might know, getting scientific answers in a secondary school lab with ancient equipment can be quite difficult :P

I did AQA Physics, so we did Particles, Quantum Phenomena and Electricity as the first AS module and Mechanics, Materials and Waves as the second AS module, with the third AS module being the practical ISA.

At A2 I did Fields and Further Mechanics which is very mathematical, so suited me perfectly and then for the first part of the second module it is Nuclear and Thermal Physics, which is essentially a repeat of what you did in GCSE Physics, and what you will do in A-Level Chemistry with thermal equations. The second part of your second A2 module has a variety of options:

Astrophysics, Medical physics, Applied physics and Turning points in physics.

I did Astrophysics since its very mathematical, and so did the rest of the class. Medical physics looked very difficult, and I'd only reccomend it if you're interested in going into that field at a later today. Didn't take a look at the other two.

And then for the third module, its your practical ISA again :)

Thanks for that answer +REP haha!

What were the practical ISAs like? :)

Amberr
24-08-2012, 09:07 PM
I did:
sociology
ict
art
english language

im dropping sociology and ict next year and picking up psychology

A2 psychology in my third year at sixth form (yay) and probably fast track health and social care or something else i dno

Jordan
24-08-2012, 09:20 PM
What A levels has everyone chose? Past and present
I've picked Maths, Biology, Geography and Chemistry

I've picked them too. I'm thinking of going into the medical side of things in the future. I start in 10 days, the summer has gone quick D:

Ashley
24-08-2012, 10:32 PM
I did Economics, Maths, Biology and Music. I'm at university now.

chantellehugs
24-08-2012, 11:18 PM
I did an English Lit AS during year 11, ended up with a D because I put it at the bottom of my priority list.
Currently doing History, English Language, Sociology and Maths (Mechanics). I've chosen to drop Maths but I'm redoing my mechanics module as I got an E in it but A and B in my other 2 modules.

Kardan
25-08-2012, 11:33 AM
Thanks for that answer +REP haha!

What were the practical ISAs like? :)

For Physics, they were pretty difficult actually, because you gain marks depending on how accurate your answers are. Many times I've done experiments trying to prove the coefficient of gravity is 9.81, and always end up with something around 10.6 - but you can't just fudge your answers.

The question paper itself isn't too bad, but the mark scheme is very very specific, so people tended to do a lot worse in the ISAs than in the exams, but luckily, they're worth a lot, lot less than the exams in the overall grade :)

Ardemax
25-08-2012, 12:22 PM
For Physics, they were pretty difficult actually, because you gain marks depending on how accurate your answers are. Many times I've done experiments trying to prove the coefficient of gravity is 9.81, and always end up with something around 10.6 - but you can't just fudge your answers.

The question paper itself isn't too bad, but the mark scheme is very very specific, so people tended to do a lot worse in the ISAs than in the exams, but luckily, they're worth a lot, lot less than the exams in the overall grade :)

Alright then, I guess that isn't too bad. I've heard I may be doing things like lasers haha, know anything about it? :D

:odey:
25-08-2012, 02:01 PM
I chose:

Maths
Physics
IT
Religious Studies,


And I ended up with D,E,U,U. LOL.

Then I went back to College, dropped RS,

And got A, A, C :P

Rixion
25-08-2012, 04:26 PM
Maths was nice and easy really, but I wish I worked a hell of a lot harder. If you have to retake, I'd suggest not retaking them at the next available exam period.

The first exam in AS Maths is Core 1, I took it in January and got 73% for a B - retook it in June, and you have to take Core 1 and Core 2, the second exam, straight after each other. Got 48% in Core 1 and 60 something in Core 2. Revising for two exams at the same time is not good.

So I retook Core 1 again the next January, when I had no other exams, and got 100% :) Maths is good, if you get a choice of modules, D2 and S1 are the easiest :) M1 is often considered the hardest of the optional modules :)

Chemistry was my worst A Level by far, at A2 it gets really difficult. Having to remember numerous, numerous reactions, with the reactants, products,conditions required, colours, shapes, diagrams etc.

http://alevelchem.com/aqa_a_level_chemistry/unit3.4/s3404/01.htm

Basically, a good memory is good for A2 :P The pratical part of the A-Level, the ISAs, are good, and a good way to get easy marks :)

At enrollment when the lecturer said that S1 is in the first year I breathed a short sigh of relief (Statistics part of GCSE being my easiest by far) and the Core 1 stuff looked like a build upon algebra done in GCSE, looks fun. The only Maths part I'd struggle with would be calculating 3D shapes, he said something about calculus playing a major part on the course as well.

Sian
25-08-2012, 04:29 PM
back in the day I did History, Media and Religious Studies

Rixion
25-08-2012, 05:11 PM
I've picked them too. I'm thinking of going into the medical side of things in the future. I start in 10 days, the summer has gone quick D:

I do too, 6 days for me. I was thinking Biochemistry or something relating to that field (no chance of Medicine due to how high the competition is).

iBlueBox
25-08-2012, 05:33 PM
I took

Travel & Tourism.
ICT.
History.
Philosophy & Ethics.

Dropping travel for A2.

Zelda
26-08-2012, 08:56 AM
Mm so close to going back after the summer for it now but this is what I'm gonna take

Double maths
Chemistry
Music
Physics

Kardan
26-08-2012, 09:30 AM
Alright then, I guess that isn't too bad. I've heard I may be doing things like lasers haha, know anything about it? :D

We didn't do anything with lasers :) Our equipment was very old and out dated anyways, so the most interesting thing we did was mentos rockets. Most of the stuff was the usual springs, pendulums etc.

mrwoooooooo
26-08-2012, 05:48 PM
i got a pass in btec level 3 nat dip IT practitioners

Ardemax
26-08-2012, 10:40 PM
We didn't do anything with lasers :) Our equipment was very old and out dated anyways, so the most interesting thing we did was mentos rockets. Most of the stuff was the usual springs, pendulums etc.

Oh don't tell me it's the tedious springs like in gcse haha

Kardan
26-08-2012, 11:44 PM
Oh don't tell me it's the tedious springs like in gcse haha

Spring equations mainly

Wig44.
27-08-2012, 09:39 AM
I'm thinking of doing Physics/Maths/Computing so, if you don't mind me asking, how was Physics? haha!

I did triple and additional and I literally had 4 after-school lessons of triple because my school screwed up the timetables and I have to teach myself basically and got a D in it (5 marks off a C). Additional however I got an A*, so that made me kinda happy to take it.

What topics did you learn about and were they interesting? Or were they really complicated and confusing? :D

Also (Futz), how was computing? Was the exam difficult?

Thanks!

Honestly, physics A-level is a joke, especially the AS. There is a step up from GCSE to A level that might surprise you but other than that the only 'tricky' part of the A level is some of the magnetism in the second A2 exam, which isn't bad if you read the book for 30 minutes. The practicals are a pain in the arse, I was with OCR and while the actually undertaking of the experiment is pretty simple, you can lose marks for absolutely anything when it comes to the write up. If you're on OCR, make sure your teacher helps you out with the write up side of the practical, the OCR practical handbook actually contradicts itself (repeatedly)... Very annoying.

Topics covered vary slightly from syllabus to syllabus (variations usually in order of topics, not actual content) but this is what I learnt for my first unit, I'll leave out the other 3 for now:

Motion: Using units properly e.g N, kg, m, s. Velocity as ms^-1, force as N (or kgms^-2). SUVAT equations, equations to calculate basic stuff like how far a ball will fly given a few pieces of information like starting velocity (U), time (t) etc. Simple mechanics questions, though they may not seem simple at first. These involve drawing out a vector triangle and rearranging SOHCAHTOA to work out the magnitude of acceleration up a slope or something - goes perfectly with M1.

Forces in motion: Looking at momentum (Momentum = mass*velocity) and simple collisions between point masses. Looking at energy as work done, some ******** on car safety that is probably OCR only and looking at moments (turning points) to determine things like whether a plank of wood will be balanced if there are 3 objects at different points on it, and it rests on the end of a nail or something.

Work and energy: Looking at kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy (and likely solving problems to do with SUVAT based on kinetic or gp energy, the units mesh together like this for higher grade questions). Basic stuff to do with work done = force*distance and energy/time = power. The final topic (for me) was looking at springs, elasticity of materials and young's modulus.

Sorry for the long post but I couldn't really condense it down much more :P

---------- Post added 27-08-2012 at 10:48 AM ----------


At enrollment when the lecturer said that S1 is in the first year I breathed a short sigh of relief (Statistics part of GCSE being my easiest by far) and the Core 1 stuff looked like a build upon algebra done in GCSE, looks fun. The only Maths part I'd struggle with would be calculating 3D shapes, he said something about calculus playing a major part on the course as well.
The calculus at AS is pretty simple stuff, just basic differentiation and integration. In c2 you may integrate between two limits to figure out the area of a curve. Not much more than that :) Not sure about calculating 3d shapes though. You look at volumes of revolution (a curve rotated about the x-axis forming a lamp shade like cone) at a2 but nothing like that at AS.

Ardemax
27-08-2012, 09:57 AM
Spring equations mainly

Oh right, nothing too dull is it? haha


Honestly, physics A-level is a joke, especially the AS. There is a step up from GCSE to A level that might surprise you but other than that the only 'tricky' part of the A level is some of the magnetism in the second A2 exam, which isn't bad if you read the book for 30 minutes. The practicals are a pain in the arse, I was with OCR and while the actually undertaking of the experiment is pretty simple, you can lose marks for absolutely anything when it comes to the write up. If you're on OCR, make sure your teacher helps you out with the write up side of the practical, the OCR practical handbook actually contradicts itself (repeatedly)... Very annoying.

Topics covered vary slightly from syllabus to syllabus (variations usually in order of topics, not actual content) but this is what I learnt for my first unit, I'll leave out the other 3 for now:

Motion: Using units properly e.g N, kg, m, s. Velocity as ms^-1, force as N (or kgms^-2). SUVAT equations, equations to calculate basic stuff like how far a ball will fly given a few pieces of information like starting velocity (U), time (t) etc. Simple mechanics questions, though they may not seem simple at first. These involve drawing out a vector triangle and rearranging SOHCAHTOA to work out the magnitude of acceleration up a slope or something - goes perfectly with M1.

Forces in motion: Looking at momentum (Momentum = mass*velocity) and simple collisions between point masses. Looking at energy as work done, some ******** on car safety that is probably OCR only and looking at moments (turning points) to determine things like whether a plank of wood will be balanced if there are 3 objects at different points on it, and it rests on the end of a nail or something.

Work and energy: Looking at kinetic energy, gravitational potential energy (and likely solving problems to do with SUVAT based on kinetic or gp energy, the units mesh together like this for higher grade questions). Basic stuff to do with work done = force*distance and energy/time = power. The final topic (for me) was looking at springs, elasticity of materials and young's modulus.

Sorry for the long post but I couldn't really condense it down much more :P

Nono a long post is just what I needed thanks +REP

So compare it to, say triple or additional GCSE, is it that much different and how in depth are we talking?

Once again, thanks!

Wig44.
27-08-2012, 02:23 PM
Oh right, nothing too dull is it? haha



Nono a long post is just what I needed thanks +REP

So compare it to, say triple or additional GCSE, is it that much different and how in depth are we talking?

Once again, thanks!

I'm not sure what your GCSE was like but mine was triple too. I gained a GCSE in biology, chemistry and physics, with all 3 GCSEs having separate tests unlike the double award, if yours is a triple award it may be different from mine. My GCSE courses supposedly went in to a lot of depth and bridged the GCSE-A level gap, but this really didn't seem to be the case. There is a big step up from GCSE to A level physics (your mileage may vary), but that doesn't mean the A level is that challenging. It is far more in depth, especially at A2. When you get used to the algebraic manipulation of SUVAT equations you'll be ok for most of the A level as a lot of it is just algebraic manipulation, or subsituting a quantity for an equation. This is especially true for the first A2 unit.

An example of what I mean is: Kinetic Energy = 1/2*m*v^2 and Energy = Force*Distance, so 1/2*m*v^2 = F*d.. substituting in equations. It doesn't get a lot harder than that, you just have to make connections and you will be taught to do this.

I think a good conclusion to come to is that if you found GCSE Physics at all interesting (I didn't, but A level is so much better) and you are good at it - A or A* - you will be ok. Less than that and you will struggle. I'd suggest being competent at GCSE maths (A or A*) as well. A level maths is optional unless you want to do physics at uni where you will need it.

Ardemax
28-08-2012, 11:17 AM
I'm not sure what your GCSE was like but mine was triple too. I gained a GCSE in biology, chemistry and physics, with all 3 GCSEs having separate tests unlike the double award, if yours is a triple award it may be different from mine. My GCSE courses supposedly went in to a lot of depth and bridged the GCSE-A level gap, but this really didn't seem to be the case. There is a big step up from GCSE to A level physics (your mileage may vary), but that doesn't mean the A level is that challenging. It is far more in depth, especially at A2. When you get used to the algebraic manipulation of SUVAT equations you'll be ok for most of the A level as a lot of it is just algebraic manipulation, or subsituting a quantity for an equation. This is especially true for the first A2 unit.

An example of what I mean is: Kinetic Energy = 1/2*m*v^2 and Energy = Force*Distance, so 1/2*m*v^2 = F*d.. substituting in equations. It doesn't get a lot harder than that, you just have to make connections and you will be taught to do this.

I think a good conclusion to come to is that if you found GCSE Physics at all interesting (I didn't, but A level is so much better) and you are good at it - A or A* - you will be ok. Less than that and you will struggle. I'd suggest being competent at GCSE maths (A or A*) as well. A level maths is optional unless you want to do physics at uni where you will need it.

Yeah well I'm also planning on taking A level maths so I dunno haha. Thanks for your contribution though, it helped out a lot! :D

What did you get in it at A-level if you don't mind me asking? And how difficult did you find it was to get that grade? :)

Wig44.
28-08-2012, 12:34 PM
Yeah well I'm also planning on taking A level maths so I dunno haha. Thanks for your contribution though, it helped out a lot! :D

What did you get in it at A-level if you don't mind me asking? And how difficult did you find it was to get that grade? :)

In maths I got an A* and in physics I got an A, I got A* in both the A2 physics tests but the practical cost me the A* as it only got a D! You need an average of 90% over your entire A2 for an A* btw. I don't ever feel that comfortable talking about both my grades AND how much work I put in to them, but since you asked...

If I'm honest, I put a bare minimum of work in, I slacked off during term time (my attendance was 70% ish) and grudgingly did the homework for physics. I revised the sunday before the last physics exam, which was on a monday and that was enough. For maths, I did past papers for a couple of days before and ended up getting 100% on C4 (this sounds arrogant... can't really help it).

This was my experience, personally I think there is a pretty big step up from GCSE and a second decent step up from AS to A2, particularly in maths and physics. Take from that what you will, remember that it may be different for you. The point I'd like to make is that I'm not a genius and I did well in the courses with little effort, so they can't be that hard. If this sort of thing is harder for you then you'll just have to spend a little more time on it. I think that with enough effort you can do well in this course, so long as it interests you or failing that you have some natural ability. :P It is an interesting course.

Charz777
28-08-2012, 04:08 PM
AS/A2 Maths, English Lit, Art
AS Further Maths, Citizenship
Dropped AS Law :P
Did AS French as part of Fast-Track but chose not to take the exam :P

Ardemax
28-08-2012, 07:58 PM
In maths I got an A* and in physics I got an A, I got A* in both the A2 physics tests but the practical cost me the A* as it only got a D! You need an average of 90% over your entire A2 for an A* btw. I don't ever feel that comfortable talking about both my grades AND how much work I put in to them, but since you asked...

If I'm honest, I put a bare minimum of work in, I slacked off during term time (my attendance was 70% ish) and grudgingly did the homework for physics. I revised the sunday before the last physics exam, which was on a monday and that was enough. For maths, I did past papers for a couple of days before and ended up getting 100% on C4 (this sounds arrogant... can't really help it).

This was my experience, personally I think there is a pretty big step up from GCSE and a second decent step up from AS to A2, particularly in maths and physics. Take from that what you will, remember that it may be different for you. The point I'd like to make is that I'm not a genius and I did well in the courses with little effort, so they can't be that hard. If this sort of thing is harder for you then you'll just have to spend a little more time on it. I think that with enough effort you can do well in this course, so long as it interests you or failing that you have some natural ability. :P It is an interesting course.

Haha oh right that's an interesting perspective! All I've been hearing from sixth form friends is "YOU WILL DIE NEXT YEAR" (not literally) and how much more difficult a level is than GCSE. I didn't even feel happy about my GCSE results because I knew that if I had said anything all of them would have been like "They're pointless, they have nothing on a level, GCSE's are so easy". So yeah, haha.

Also I may be sounding incredibly stupid here, but I'm looking at a course at uni and it says: "General studies is excluded" underneath like the course a-level requirement. Any idea what it means haha? Thanks! :D

Kardan
29-08-2012, 09:19 AM
Haha oh right that's an interesting perspective! All I've been hearing from sixth form friends is "YOU WILL DIE NEXT YEAR" (not literally) and how much more difficult a level is than GCSE. I didn't even feel happy about my GCSE results because I knew that if I had said anything all of them would have been like "They're pointless, they have nothing on a level, GCSE's are so easy". So yeah, haha.

Also I may be sounding incredibly stupid here, but I'm looking at a course at uni and it says: "General studies is excluded" underneath like the course a-level requirement. Any idea what it means haha? Thanks! :D

It means you need proper A-Levels, so the A-Level 'General Studies' isn't included in your results. General Studies is seen as the 'easy' A-Level and it isn't much use, so many Universities don't include it.

Our sixth form didn't do General Studies, but did Citizenship, which I assume might have had the same treatment, although I didn't do the Citizenship A-Level even though it was compulsory.

Ardemax
29-08-2012, 10:45 AM
It means you need proper A-Levels, so the A-Level 'General Studies' isn't included in your results. General Studies is seen as the 'easy' A-Level and it isn't much use, so many Universities don't include it.

Our sixth form didn't do General Studies, but did Citizenship, which I assume might have had the same treatment, although I didn't do the Citizenship A-Level even though it was compulsory.

Oh really? So for like a science course at uni, providing you've done the required a-level(s) you could choose English as your 3rd option, or something?

Kardan
29-08-2012, 05:19 PM
Yes.

For Universities, you'll need to meet the minimum number of UCAS points, for me it was 340 - you'll need to meet the minimum number of A-Levels, for me it was 3, and then you'll need to make the minimum grades, for me it was Maths at A, and Further Maths at B.

So, my third A-Level could be anything provided it was an A Grade to make the number of UCAS points. In the end it was my Physics A, so my Chemistry B accounted for nothing really.

So you could have Physics, Chemistry and Geography, but you couldn't have Physics, Chemistry and General Studies :)

kuzkasate
29-08-2012, 10:42 PM
I've picked English Language, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, will probably drop either English or Physics after a year, depending on how I find them - gonna need a lot of work :P

Andeeh
30-08-2012, 12:35 PM
Took Media, Film & History for A2 and got B, C and D and 2 a/s for IT and Psychology both got a D

Roxy
30-08-2012, 01:59 PM
I'm taking english literature, geography, maths (statistics) and economics.

Shar
30-08-2012, 02:01 PM
Altogether I have 3 A2s and 4 AS'

Mr-Trainor
30-08-2012, 04:18 PM
I took Maths, Economics, ICT and Politics for AS. I'm now going in to second year doing Maths, Economics and ICT (dropped Politics).

Rixion
30-08-2012, 05:19 PM
I took Maths, Economics, ICT and Politics for AS. I'm now going in to second year doing Maths, Economics and ICT (dropped Politics).

How did you find Maths ? :)

CrazyLemurs
30-08-2012, 11:35 PM
I'm nowhere near there yet, but I'm trying to have a plan
Our school lets you do either 4 at AS and A2, or 3 at A2 and a fourth at just AS
What do AS and A2 stand for, by the way?
I think I'll take Maths, Further Maths and Economics for the full A2 and Business for just AS
Or Maths, Further and Business for A2 and Computing for just AS

Or have I got the entire system wrong LMAO?


I'm currently on my iPhone if you are seeing this message! I cannot participate in spam wars xx

Kardan
30-08-2012, 11:40 PM
I'm nowhere near there yet, but I'm trying to have a plan
Our school lets you do either 4 at AS and A2, or 3 at A2 and a fourth at just AS
What do AS and A2 stand for, by the way?
I think I'll take Maths, Further Maths and Economics for the full A2 and Business for just AS
Or Maths, Further and Business for A2 and Computing for just AS

Or have I got the entire system wrong LMAO?


I'm currently on my iPhone if you are seeing this message! I cannot participate in spam wars xx

Advanced Subsidary is AS, A2 doesn't actually have a name as far as I know. Essentially just Advanced 2. And you haven't got the system wrong :)

Abbie.
30-08-2012, 11:53 PM
History, RE and ICT

Never ever pick RE!!!

Shar
31-08-2012, 01:44 PM
I'm nowhere near there yet, but I'm trying to have a plan
Our school lets you do either 4 at AS and A2, or 3 at A2 and a fourth at just AS
What do AS and A2 stand for, by the way?
I think I'll take Maths, Further Maths and Economics for the full A2 and Business for just AS
Or Maths, Further and Business for A2 and Computing for just AS

Or have I got the entire system wrong LMAO?


I'm currently on my iPhone if you are seeing this message! I cannot participate in spam wars xx
Most sixth forms/colleges encourage you to do 4 AS's and then 3 A levels which means you drop one subject that you did at AS and carry on the other 3 at A2. That means you will have 1 AS and 3 complete A levels.

CrazyLemurs
31-08-2012, 06:57 PM
Yeah, I thought it meant that Shar,

I didn't really have an idea to what the AS stood for, might have been Actual somethingorother

Mr-Trainor
31-08-2012, 10:48 PM
How did you find Maths ? :)
It was harder than I expected at first. When my teacher at GCSE said it was a big jump to A Level, I didn't really take any notice :P. So I wasn't doing that well at the start of the year, but if you just make sure you revise a lot (something I'm not used to!) then you'll be fine. I found examsolutions.co.uk really useful, and I'd do past papers and then mark them, and for the Qs I got wrong I'd look at the video on that site. So yeah, that's how I revised for maths :D.

Ardemax
01-09-2012, 10:20 AM
Yes.

For Universities, you'll need to meet the minimum number of UCAS points, for me it was 340 - you'll need to meet the minimum number of A-Levels, for me it was 3, and then you'll need to make the minimum grades, for me it was Maths at A, and Further Maths at B.

So, my third A-Level could be anything provided it was an A Grade to make the number of UCAS points. In the end it was my Physics A, so my Chemistry B accounted for nothing really.

So you could have Physics, Chemistry and Geography, but you couldn't have Physics, Chemistry and General Studies :)

Oh right, thanks again haha!

I'm thinking of doing maths, computing, english language and history now wooo! I've heard history AS is a pain though.

Wig44.
01-09-2012, 03:45 PM
Oh right, thanks again haha!

I'm thinking of doing maths, computing, english language and history now wooo! I've heard history AS is a pain though.

From what I've heard, computing is a worthless A level. You don't need it, or gain anything from taking it when it comes to applying to any degrees. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time with softer degrees, universities will look down on you for it. There is a lot of competition now and intellectual snobbery has always been rife in academia.

Ardemax
01-09-2012, 10:22 PM
From what I've heard, computing is a worthless A level. You don't need it, or gain anything from taking it when it comes to applying to any degrees. Honestly, I wouldn't waste your time with softer degrees, universities will look down on you for it. There is a lot of competition now and intellectual snobbery has always been rife in academia.

I would have thought this also but they put it as one of the required A-levels I think

Shar
02-09-2012, 02:32 PM
Yeah, I thought it meant that Shar,

I didn't really have an idea to what the AS stood for, might have been Actual somethingorother

AS = advanced subsidiary
AS + A2 = advanced level

Wig44.
05-09-2012, 11:50 AM
I would have thought this also but they put it as one of the required A-levels I think
Before you get too hung up about the requirements of one university, check a few (around 5?) and look at the requirements. If computing is required by one but weakens your position with the other 4, you have to be sure of two things:

1) You want to go to this university
2) You can get in

Ardemax
05-09-2012, 03:00 PM
Before you get too hung up about the requirements of one university, check a few (around 5?) and look at the requirements. If computing is required by one but weakens your position with the other 4, you have to be sure of two things:

1) You want to go to this university
2) You can get in

Hmmm I'm now doing history, maths and then probably physics. In all honesty is it not as bad as it seems to be? Haha. I remember doing mirrors and how objects like invert or refract or whatever and that nearly killed me (kinda), is there much of that in the course?

Thanks :)

Kardan
05-09-2012, 03:11 PM
Hmmm I'm now doing history, maths and then probably physics. In all honesty is it not as bad as it seems to be? Haha. I remember doing mirrors and how objects like invert or refract or whatever and that nearly killed me (kinda), is there much of that in the course?

Thanks :)

Yes, there's a topic on light.

Ardemax
05-09-2012, 03:54 PM
Yes, there's a topic on light.

Is it really dull (as ironic as that sounds)? Like just loads and loads of equations?

In fact is physics just mostly equations? Or are there a lot of interesting bits? :P

sorry for being a tad annoying haha

Kardan
05-09-2012, 03:58 PM
Is it really dull (as ironic as that sounds)? Like just loads and loads of equations?

In fact is physics just mostly equations? Or are there a lot of interesting bits? :P

sorry for being a tad annoying haha

It's quite maths heavy at times, but straight forwards if you do A-Level Maths. I found the light topics annoying because there's more focus on drawing lens diagrams, but there's still some equations involved.

Mat7
05-09-2012, 04:49 PM
I've just completed English, Sociology, and Media.

Ardemax
05-09-2012, 06:19 PM
It's quite maths heavy at times, but straight forwards if you do A-Level Maths. I found the light topics annoying because there's more focus on drawing lens diagrams, but there's still some equations involved.

Oh ok. Is there much on mirrors?

Kardan
05-09-2012, 06:36 PM
Oh ok. Is there much on mirrors?

Not really, it's more on lenses and filters as far as I remember.

Ardemax
05-09-2012, 07:07 PM
Not really, it's more on lenses and filters as far as I remember.

Oh right cool. Well we'll soon see in the next few weeks! xD

Thanks for all the help btw, much appreciated :)

Wig44.
08-09-2012, 01:44 PM
Oh right cool. Well we'll soon see in the next few weeks! xD

Thanks for all the help btw, much appreciated :)
There isn't all that much, nothing with mirrors on my syllabus anyway. You will probably look at refraction, diffraction and reflection of electromagnetic waves. You will look at polaroids that (surprise) polarise light - and by light I actually mean all EM waves :P. there will be questions to do with microwaves passing through a polariser and you may draw a graph of the intensity of the waves detected by a detector as either the polariser or the detector are rotated. Sounds complicated but it isn't!

Ardemax
08-09-2012, 03:55 PM
There isn't all that much, nothing with mirrors on my syllabus anyway. You will probably look at refraction, diffraction and reflection of electromagnetic waves. You will look at polaroids that (surprise) polarise light - and by light I actually mean all EM waves :P. there will be questions to do with microwaves passing through a polariser and you may draw a graph of the intensity of the waves detected by a detector as either the polariser or the detector are rotated. Sounds complicated but it isn't!

Oh I see. So there's nothing like in crazy crazy detail and you don't have to be an Einstein to get an A?

shiver
08-09-2012, 05:14 PM
a2 - english literature [a], french [b], ict [a]
as - physics (d for DON'T CARE)

so i got aab. don't take physics it's a life ruiner

karter
08-09-2012, 05:48 PM
I've picked English Language, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, will probably drop either English or Physics after a year, depending on how I find them - gonna need a lot of work :P

Me too! It's hard isn't it? :(

---------- Post added 08-09-2012 at 11:19 PM ----------


a2 - english literature [a], french , ict [a]
as - physics (d for DON'T CARE)

so i got aab. [B]don't take physics it's a life ruiner

omg -_- i know. won't recommend any science subject except biology to anyone. physics genuinely sucks!

Kardan
08-09-2012, 05:58 PM
Me too! It's hard isn't it? :(

---------- Post added 08-09-2012 at 11:19 PM ----------



omg -_- i know. won't recommend any science subject except biology to anyone. physics genuinely sucks!

Physics was probably my most enjoyable A-Level :)

karter
08-09-2012, 06:12 PM
Physics was probably my most enjoyable A-Level :)

wat WAAAT?! it is so tough, definitely not what i expected it to be. love the lab work though, the easiest of all science subjects :)

Kardan
08-09-2012, 06:57 PM
wat WAAAT?! it is so tough, definitely not what i expected it to be. love the lab work though, the easiest of all science subjects :)

It's not that tough at all really, the only tough part are the large mark questions where you're awarded marks for the quality of the answer.

kuzkasate
08-09-2012, 09:00 PM
Me too! It's hard isn't it? :(

---------- Post added 08-09-2012 at 11:19 PM ----------



omg -_- i know. won't recommend any science subject except biology to anyone. physics genuinely sucks!

Definitely, not looking forward to them in the slightest :(

Foregetfuhl
08-09-2012, 11:43 PM
I'm going into my third year of uni now and i'm studying lawwww

For A Levels I did

Communication and Culture: A*
Law: A
English Language: A
Sociology: A
General Studies: B (LOL!)

Jarkie
09-09-2012, 08:09 AM
At college I did;

A-level - Business, IT with joint English, Critical thinking
NVQ 2 - In cooking (Cooking is so easy omg)
and EDCL level 1, 2 and 3.

Walked away with three A grades at a-level, and a Merit grade for cooking, and passed all three EDCL exams and course work. :)

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