WE CAN DO HARD THINGS: SURVIVING THE JUMP FROM GCSE TO A-LEVEL

Let’s discuss everything you need to know for summer A-level prep!

Congratulations! You have worked incredibly hard and are now moving up in the world from GCSE to A-Level. That’s an amazing achievement, so be sure to give yourself a pat on the back. 

It’s natural, after working hard all year long on your GCSEs, to seek advice on how to get a summer head start when advancing from GCSE to your A-Levels. Despite the fact that summer’s almost over, doesn’t mean we can’t use these last few weeks studying up! For all my advice seekers, you’re in the right place. Here are 4 tips on how to use your summer to prepare you to rock your A-Levels:

Tip #1 – RELAX! 

These past few years have been difficult, not only have you been balancing life living in a pandemic, but you’ve also been working extremely hard on your schoolwork with your GCSEs. (If you’re reading this in the future, I hope the pandemic has long past and you’ve just had a busy time in school!) I hope you’ve taken this summer to relax, as it’s what allows you to enter your A-Levels clear minded and ready to learn. This allows you to be in a healthy state of mind come September (just a week away). 

Many students can grow bored during the summer holidays after the hustle and bustle of constantly being busy with school. If you find yourself becoming a bit ansty over the sumer holiday, here are some things you can keep in mind for next summer in order to keep yourself entertained:

• Join an NCS Program: NCS allows you to develop a whole range of skills and has tons of different opportunities for life enrichment. Click here to access the multiple different programs NCS offers so you can see if something might be right for you. 
• Find work experience related to your field of study: Even if you haven’t nailed down what you’ll be studying at uni yet, I’m sure there’s something your considering. By finding work experience related to your field of study you’ll be building a strong CV, and learning new skills, and figuring out what you like and what you might be less interested in. 
• Get a paying job: If you’re unsure what you want to study, getting a paid job may expose you to new subjects and help you discover new possibilities, while also building up new skills and life connections (not to mention lining your pockets with some extra $$$!)

After you have taken your much needed time to relax and rejuvenate, I suggest you spend the last two weeks of school using these tips to prep and refresh your subject knowledge for your A-Levels. If you haven’t started yet, don’t worry! There’s still time. 

Tip #2 – Look over your key concepts from your GSCEs 

Your A-Levels build on what you have just studied during your GCSEs. Take some time to go over the key concepts you studied the previous term. You’ve spent the last two months forming new memories and taking a break from everything you’ve learned, so it’s natural to not be as familiar with the lessons as you were during the school semester. Take some time and remind yourself of key concepts and how they work (for example, in biology you begin with cells!).

Tip #3 – Gather your resources 

Most schools or sixth form colleges will ask that you now keep a folder instead of an exercise book. They will likely also ask that you provide your own lined paper, notepad, and stationary. If you’re anything like me, you love getting new stationary to start the school year, so this is a perfect time to find your new favourite notepad and writing utensils. I also recommend gathering together study materials (my A-level AQA Biology Notes (full set topics 1-8) would be the perfect addition to your resources). 

Tip #4 – Grab the Head Start to A-Level Biology CGP Books

For the sciences, I recommend purchasing CGP Head Start to A-Level Biology books. These are cheap and small revision guides. Remember your A-Levels build off of concepts that you learned in your GCSEs. These books specify which concepts you’ll need to know, and spending some time over the last two weeks of summer to refresh yourself will help you feel prepared for school to begin. 

Click here to purchase the CGP revision guide and click here to purchase my A level active recall workbook. 

PROTIP: While I would recommend buying some revision books, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a textbook, as these are normally provided for you and you can always purchase them when the course officially begins. 

Hopefully at least one of these tips helps you on your journey from your GCSEs to your A Levels. You got this! Have questions about what else you should be doing for A-Level Summer Prep? Comment your Q’s down below or head on over to this YouTube video for more info! 

Talk soon!

Miss Estruch