A Levels - Blog Posts

Does anyone have any book recommendations for my Alevel coursework. I was thinking about doing 'crime and punishment' or 'Iron widow' but I have no clue what to compare either of them with.

There is no future tense in the English language. It's literally just the present tense with a modal verb tacked on the beginning.

Ah yes, the indescribable urge to fall into a coma for the next six months due to the stress of your five A-level subjects and your EPQ. Such a wonderful feeling.

If I have an A level in a foreign language, do I need to go to language school as an AU pair?

30/11/2024

I had a really good day today!! I got everything I had been aiming to do finished last night and this morning.

I revised from six until ten last night, went to sleep at eleven and slept until seven, then revised again from eight until twelve. I’ve honestly never been so productive in my life, I really don’t know where I got the motivation from because normally I can only do two hours in a row tops and never past eight in the evening.

Things achieved today:

Completed and marked the biology paper due next week (73%!! An A*)

Finished the required practical write up

Did the questions set on Friday

Wrote the 25 mark biology essay due next week (the one we were set was honestly so hard, it took me so long)

Made my notes on respiration for the test on Monday

My main aim for the next couple of weeks has to be preparing for my interview, so it’s good that I have done most of the homework I will have to hand in over the next 2 weeks.

Things to do tomorrow:

Revise for the respiration test on Monday

Take a long break because I’ve worked so much harder than usual that I now have a headache

29/10/2024

Somewhat stressful day today. It was my first day back, and I found out from some friends that a lot of topics that I didn’t think were going to be on the mocks, are in fact, on the mocks. To make it worse, they are topics that I have not looked at before, so I have a lot of work to do now.

Things achieved today:

Made notes on A2 kinetics.

Revised photosynthesis.

Apart from me over-stressing about exams, it was a pretty good day overall. I am determined to make tomorrow just as good.

Things to do tomorrow:

Do questions on kinetics and thermodynamics

Do questions on photosynthesis

Mock countdown:

Chemistry: 2 days

Maths: 3 days

Biology: 3 days

28/10/2024

I am very happy with how I did today! I managed ~5 hours of revision today, which is what I need to be doing if I want good grades in my mocks later this week. I achieved all the goals I set myself yesterday!

Things achieved today:

Completed and marked my biology paper (65%, which is good but I aim to do better in the real thing).

Did some review questions for stats and mechanics, and I’ve improved on a few areas I was struggling with and have some questions for my teachers tomorrow.

Revised some biology content.

Though I’m happy with today’s progress, it has highlighted some areas I am not confident with, so I need to work on those in the next few days.

Things to do tomorrow:

Revise year 13 biology (energy transfers)

Revise and do questions for speciation, classification and selection

Go over some of the flash cards I’ve made over the past week

Mock countdown:

Biology: 4 days

Maths: 4 days

Chemistry: 3 days

27/10/2024

I am absolutely tired of studying even though I haven’t done much today. The stress about mocks is starting to pile on, but am still procrastinating far too much. Still, I did do some studying and also played an hour of badminton.

Things achieved today:

Completed and marked a Chemsitry paper (78%!!)

Began a biology paper

Made some revision sheets on protein synthesis

I also started to look at plant biology but it is not my favourite and I couldn’t bring myself to do it :/

Overall not happy with the day but I have decided to believe in my ability to turn things around tomorrow.

Things to do Tomorrow:

Revise plant biology

Complete, correct and mark biology paper

Finish stats review exercise 1

Mock Countdown:

Chemistry: 4 days

Maths: 5 days

Biology: 5 days

26/09/2024

Spent a double period in a chemistry practical today. I read through the instructions obsessively before hand, but I was still struggling to do everything right. I cant process it for some reason.

Things achieved today:

Successfully completed the chemistry practical!!

Got my EPQ coordinator to read through it and she seemed very happy

Finished the first draft of my personal statement to hand in tomorrow

I am handing in my personal statement first draft to my form tutor tomorrow, so hopefully it is all okay :)

31/08/2024

I continued doing my discussion today. It’s coming along slowly, but I think I’m doing okay. I should be able to meet my deadline for this Friday. I also finally went through that maths paper I’ve been meaning to look at for days. 84%!!!! I’m so happy :)

Things achieved today:

Done more EPQ

Marked and redid some questions for a maths paper.

Started another maths paper that needs to be handed into my teacher this week

My priority now needs to be to finish my EPQ discussion ASAP and to finish my summer work.

Things to do tomorrow:

As much EPQ as possible

More of the maths paper I started today

28/08/2024

Except for the maths, I didn’t do a lot today. My EPQ session was entirely unproductive since I’ve run into a dead end for the time being, and I’m not sure how to get around it. I finished another maths paper and got an A because I didn’t freak out if I couldn’t do a question. Staying calm is the biggest battle for me when it comes to maths.

Things achieved today:

Did another maths paper and got an A.

Tried (but did not succeed in) working around the block I’ve got at the minute with my EPQ.

My EPQ deadline is a week on Friday, and I also need the first draft of my personal statement finished by then as well. I am not on track to achieve either of those things :)

Things to do tomorrow:

Make more progress on my EPQ so the day after (Friday) I am ready to start referencing my work

Go through the maths paper I did today

26/08/2024

The time I didn’t spend doing EPQ today I spent thinking obsessively about EPQ and trying to plan what the next steps I need to take are.

Things achieved today:

I created a pretty solid outline for the discussion of my EPQ

I began doing a very rough first draft of my EPQ

Spent an hour doing some of a maths paper

Maths is proving to be something of a problem for me. I can do it - i know I can do it because I study hard for it and get some good grades - but me doing well relies hugely on my mindset. I really struggle to break out of the panic feeling when I can’t do a question, and everything spirals downwards from there.

Even when I am doing well though, I go so slowly that I always run out of time.

I think I just need to practice more so I’m faster and more confidant.

Things to do tomorrow:

More EPQ, basically

24/08/2024

I was out of the house for a while today, so I had less time to study, but I still managed to do some of what I was aiming for. I did the next section of my biology summer work, so I’m over halfway

Things achieved today:

Done the next section of my biology work

Finished my applied maths summer work (yay!)

Finished a maths paper I started ages ago but stopped because I was freaking out about it. Marked it and got 78%!! Might be a record for me.

I didn’t finish my maths summer work like I’d aimed on the grounds of me losing the paper I’d been assigned to do. Oops.

Things to do tomorrow:

Do a second pure maths paper

Biology ecology revision

Finish the next chapter of “Junk DNA” and take notes so I remember and understand it

Change EPQ question

23/08/2024

I struggled a little today with keeping up my mood and motivation, but still got quite a bit done. I hit a low spot after lunch, but I went for a walk with my mum and talked it out, so I felt better and carried on.

Things achieved today:

Completed revision of AS inorganic/physical chemistry!!

Finished part of my biology summer work. I thought I had done and then realised there was lots more :/

Although I think I’ve done well today, I’m conscious that summer break is coming to an end and that I haven’t seen my friends very much, so tomorrow (on a non-academic note) I want to arrange to see some friends.

Things to do tomorrow:

Do some more biology summer work

Finish the stats/mechanics summer work

Start on the pure summer work

Create a list of weak areas in maths that need revision

22/08/2024

I’ve had another slightly tumultuous day today because I was away but my sister was ill, so we were stranded at the hotel for a while, followed by a long journey home. The hotel gave me the time to do some revision.

Things achieved today:

Revised group 7, group 2 and redox for chemistry

Got through another chapter of Junk DNA, though it’s very slow going because I am starting to struggle to understand the contents

I need to recap the chemistry content, and start on the year 2 chemistry content.

Goals for tomorrow:

Finish AS physical/ inorganic chemistry revision

Finish first set of biology summer work

Start revision for biology tests for when I get back to school

21/08/2024

I went on a day out today so I didn’t get very much studying done. We went to a library for a few hours and I got part of my personal statement first draft done! I was so stressed about it and was worrying that I wouldn’t have anything to write about, but once I’d started it was a lot easier than I’d thought, and I knew what I wanted to write about. Also did a few hours of tennis and swimming, so the day was academically unproductive, but I’ve enjoyed myself :)

Things achieved today:

First draft of personal statement

A little bit of chemistry group 7 and redox revision

I should have more time to study tomorrow, which is good because school starts soon and I still have lots (lots 🥲) to do.

🌻 study update 🌻

Pictures from yesterday

🌱okie so today, I felt like shit, I had about one hour of sleep :( however, I didn't listen to that tiredness and did some physics hehe. I'm really proud of myself.

Hello there.

Sooo this is the start of my blog I guess?? I'm not entirely sure where to start, but here goes:

I'm currently in the summer between year 11 and 12. I got my GCSE results two days ago (I'm very happy :) ), and next year I'm going to study maths, physics and chemistry alevel, and then self-study further maths (don't know whether or not I'm going to do the exams yet, it's a very long story). What else? I have a cat called Luna who is the actually scientifically the best cat ever (no, this is not up for debate).

Interests:

- Physics! (I'm hoping to do it at uni)

- Maths

- Reading

- Chaotic dark academia

- Marvel and Star Wars

- I assure you I do have other interests however I am very much blanking right now oops

I don't entirely know why I'm starting this. Partly for the *aesthetic* I suppose, mostly for motivation and holding myself accountable. As I'm typing this it kind of just feels like I'm throwing my thoughts into the total abyss that is the internet. Well that's about existential enough for one tumblr post. If anyone sees this, I hope you have a nice morning/day/evening(/life if you never see one of my posts again).

Casual Magic: I pressed some of the flowers I got for results day earlier, post incoming about them.