A-Level Physics Week 1 Exam Preparation Tips

Hello everyone! My name is Imogen and over the next few weeks I look forward to helping you through your A-level Physics revision with some tips and advice through these blogs!

Now, ‘why should I listen to this random stranger?’ I might hear you ask. Well, I was in fact in your exact position not too long ago, so I totally understand the chaos and stresses of A-level revision reaching its climax! Hopefully with a little guidance from me through this tricky process, you’ll come out on top and look back with fond memories 😊 (maybe?). A little more background on me… I studied physics, maths and chemistry at A-level and although it may seem surprising after receiving ace grades, physics actually did not come as naturally to me as it did to some of my sixth form peers. My success was totally down to my structured preparation and resilience to mistakes. So, I hope through these blogs I can help you tackle this tricky advanced level of physics.

First things first, can we please take a massive deep breath and give ourselves a huge pat on the back for how far we’ve already come!! It’s the home straight now. Truly. You’re almost there! Just one final sprint to the finish line!

Now it’s natural at this stage to be feeling somewhat overwhelmed or maybe even close to burn out. A-levels have no shortage of pressure overload, that’s for sure. I in no way wish to contribute to this so if you cannot enact some of the activities I advise you to take, then don’t worry! The best thing to do is prioritise the most important things you have to do, and that will be different for everyone.

What should you start with this week?

If you haven’t already, it’s important you gain a thorough understanding of your exam boards’ A-level Physics specification. It’s easy to find online, I recommend you download it and possibly print it out in order to colour code what you find easy, what needs some work and what you’re struggling with. A classic traffic-light colour coding system cannot go wrong and is a super helpful (and fun!) visual technique to understand where your weaknesses lie in the content.

If there is more red than you expected then don’t panic! At least we know this now, rather than closer to the exam date when there is much less time to iron out these issues.

It is important to also consider where your more general weaknesses may lie, for example making units errors or still being a bit rooky with prefixes. Identifying these flaws can be done by referring to previously completed exam papers as well as teacher feedback. Make a physical list (as succinct as possible) of these things to refer back to when revising and also to bear in mind when approaching practice tests in future. Doing this allows you to formulate a method to target and overcome each of the issues. Most commonly this will be particular exam questions but, in some circumstances, it might be more appropriate to use flashcards or other forms of revision first.

Road mapping

It is important to remember, though it may be a cliché, that slow and steady really does win the race. There is no better way at preventing burnout than having a clearly defined and efficient plan in place. Some useful methods to approach this are as follows:

· Gant charts – using your weakness list you’ve now made (see above), you can plot them temporally to plan out when you will tackle each one over a given time period. Don’t fall into the trap of productive procrastination by wasting too much time agonising over the details or making it look perfect though! Remember what it’s for.

· Timetabling

· Google/online calendars

· To-do lists (that you can satisfyingly tick!) – I recommend multiple lists (not just because I’m obsessed with them). Have one overarching list of all the things you need to do. Then break that down into smaller ones, for example goals for the week as well as the day.

Make sure you schedule in rests and hobby/social time too! These are so important! Just make sure to keep in check with yourself and your time management.

The final thing for this week is assembling your arsenal. Make sure you have all the equipment you need for revision as well as exam day. Start getting familiar with these resources, for example downloading practice papers, all the necessary functions on your calculator and the equation booklet provided.

That’s all for this week! The main take-away is to have a deep and thorough understanding of the content on your exams. Say no to the negative thoughts and self-judgment if there is more than expected that you don’t get. Understanding where we need to improve is the first step to getting there and achieving our goals!

Have any questions about how to prepare for your A-Level exams? Having problems with any hard to understand content or tricky past exam questions? Then ask Imogen. Imogen will be hosting a series of Q&A webinars in the 2 weeks before final exams. Post your questions here, and Imogen will answer them in these sessions.