It’s been some time in the making and now you’ve reached a milestone in your education career! Preparing for and writing your A-levels is an exciting time, but has its share of responsibility too. Here’s what you need to know about how best to prepare for your OCR A-level chemistry assessment, how to succeed, and how we can help you.
While A-levels are more or less standardised across the different examination boards, there’s still some variation between them and knowing where these variations lie can help in your exam preparation by understanding how these relate to your strengths and weaknesses. The OCRs are generally more context- and practical-based, for example, so keep that in mind when revising.
A quick look into the OCR exam board is that from around 1993, a series of mergers, abolitions and handovers culminated with the Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR) emerging in 1998. It’s now a major exam board and is owned and run by the University of Cambridge. Performing well in your OCR A-levels is important for your tertiary education goals. While an E-grade is considered a pass, it’s important to get as high a score as you can across all your subjects as this will have an impact on your final average.
The key to OCR A-level chemistry success is in planning and support. Speak to your parents, guardians or teachers about ways that will help you feel supported, motivated and able to manage your responsibilities healthily. Find ways to include healthy eating, exercise, downtime and stress management into your revision period so you can perform well while maintaining balance.
Planning and organisation is your best friend in OCR A-level chemistry preparation. Before you revise a single page, create a revision plan that covers your curriculum and gives you sufficient time to dedicate to each area without rushing or skipping sections. It’s ideal to cover your material at least four times before writing your exam, so ensure you’ve made provision.
To get the most out of your revision, you should dedicate a few hours each day to it so that your brain has time to process the information and deep learning occurs. Three to four hours a day should provide sufficient study time while allowing you to enjoy other activities.
To prevent becoming overwhelmed or fatigued, break your revision down into manageable chunks so that you can take five-minute breaks every 40 minutes to one hour. Drink plenty of water, enjoy nutritious snacks that won’t cause sugar spikes or affect your concentration and go easy on stimulants like coffee and energy drinks.
To keep yourself in the zone of concentration, it’s important not to distract yourself with the Internet, social media, mobile devices or TV. They make for great rewards though, to try using them as an incentive for completing your daily routine. An environment conducive to revision is one that’s quiet, has few distractions and is light and airy. Don’t get too warm and comfortable as you’ll just want to fall asleep then!
Because everyone is different, different study methods work better for some than others. Find an active study technique that works for you. ‘Active’ is a key word here because simply reading will quickly see your concentration drift away. Include engaging activities such as making notes, mind maps or flash cards and when these don’t work, it’s time for a break.
Don’t forget to include past papers in your preparation. No one likes tests, we know, but these will help you assess where there are gaps in your knowledge, the number, kinds and styles of questions asked in an OCR A-level exam, as well as train you with time management.
We at A-level Chemistry are rooting for your success and we’ve got loads of materials such as quizzes, mind maps and past papers to help you achieve. Let’s get started!
