If you are a CAIE student, then your results just came out (including mine). To those who got straight A*'s, A's or B's, or a mix, congratulations! But to those who got less, I've got your back. Read along if you don't know what to do now, besides extreme actions (you know what I mean), and decide if you want to improve or not.
if you want to check out major specific requirements for Oxford, here's the link: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/admission-requirements-table
Just go to 'google sheets' and make a table like this. You start noting dates from when you did revision upto past paper practice; if you weren't able to answer questions colour the date red, if you were able to then make it green and if you were in between then make it yellow. Keep practicing to turn the red boxes eventually into green(when you're able to answer the questions without looking at the book and mark schemes). When you get to green for each chapter then start yearly papers.
Are B's Bad or Bashing?
B's are not too bad, but if you're aiming for some very hard-to-get-in university then you should turn the B's into A's. And if you want a full scholarship in your A levels, yes igcse kids, then you'll need straight A's; but B's also get a specific % of the scholarship. And A level kids, if you're aiming for normal colleges/universities then B's are okay. Especially if you're in AS, you can convert the B's into A's with a lot more effort than last year. And composite kids, if you're good with the B's then don't worry about it; but if you want to go to somewhere like Oxford university, then give yourself a better try because those uni's have requirements, like at least 2 A's in your A levels. It's okay to take a gap year, if you are ready to do the hardest work of your life.
Here is an example of some requirements I was talking about:
Lower grades
If you think you can do better by giving retakes, then go ahead with all your might. Maybe take a gap year(A2 kids), do all you can and in the end if you turn those D's and C's into A's then the gap year was worth it. And if you're in AS then consider this as a second chance at life. If you really want to improve those grades, don't give retakes in the upcoming oct/nov session; rather give them with your A2 components. You might be thinking why should you do that, well basically it will help you revise AS content for A2 since A2 questions contain AS content. Don't lose hope because turning those c's and d's and e's is totally possible by trying again BUT with even harder efforts. If you don't believe me then watch how these kids turned their lows into highs in their A2:
If these kids could do it, then you can too. Just do it already, what are you thinking about; you've already wasted a year, don't waste anymore time!
Some Personal Tips from me
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME MAKING FANCY NOTES. The A level content already takes up so much of your time. If I told you what I did, literally I took notes from the web and added anything I thought was missing. That's it.
STOP PEAKING AT THE MARK SCHEMES BEFORE ATTEMPTING THE QUESTIONS. Yes you, you know you did it in AS, don't do it again. If you're not getting a question, find the solved version from YouTube and pay attention to how the question was done, then do a 2nd question yourself.
LAST TIP, TEST YOURSELF, MARK YOURSELF AFTER ANSWERING PAPERS IN A TIMED ENVIRONMENT. Then check your weak spots, and pay attention to those. Here's an example of a traffic light time table which I think is really helpful:
Just go to 'google sheets' and make a table like this. You start noting dates from when you did revision upto past paper practice; if you weren't able to answer questions colour the date red, if you were able to then make it green and if you were in between then make it yellow. Keep practicing to turn the red boxes eventually into green(when you're able to answer the questions without looking at the book and mark schemes). When you get to green for each chapter then start yearly papers.
ALSO START DOING TOPIC WISE QUESTIONS AS SOON AS YOU FINISH EACH CHAPTER, DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU'RE DONE WITH THE SYLLABUS.
BONUS TIP: ALWAYS MARK UP AND TICK OFF SYLLABUS POINTS YOU KNOW YOU'VE UNDERSTOOD AND MEMORISED. If there's anything you don't get from the syllabus, leave it unmarked so you know to recheck that point.
e.g.
I've highlighted green the points I've understood and left unhighlighted anything I didn't get yet.
If you've reached this point of the blog, then I can tell you're determined to change those grades to upgrade yourself. Remember, your grades aren't the only thing you're improving in this process; you're going to improve yourself as a whole person. Just starting to create this mindset that you're going to improve no matter what is impressive personal growth and that growth is needed to survive in the real world.
best of luck from me! Never stop believing in yourself during the whole process because belief is what keeps you going; it pushes away the taunts you get or the demotivation thrown at you. Keep that belief alive to keep your inner engine working.
if you have any good study method to share, feel free to in the comments!
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