Skills

Congratulations: now you are an "A" Level student. Don't just dream of getting your grade "A", follow my advice and succeed.

Take the notes

This is an important activity: you need to get it right. If you spend all your time in class writing notes and no time thinking or asking questions, you will not get the best out of your teachers.

	How to take you class notes
	What to do with your notes

Understand the material

This is what it is all about: you are going to become an expert in the subject.

	Read your text books
	Use your class notes
	Do the practicals
	Ask questions

Memorise the facts

Please try to do this from day one. You cannot expect to memorise two years work in two or three weeks before your final exams. Revision is the fancy icing on the "hard work" cake.

	Spidergrams
	Flash cards

You can make your revision materials as you travel through the course.

Write those essays

Writing essays is an excellent tool for developing your understanding.

	Plan
	Draft
	Proof-read

Visit the essay writing page for more help on this activity.

Become an expert

This is what it is all about: you are trying to make yourself into an expert biologist. You do not expect your doctor to say "That's not fair --- you did not warn me you were going to be ill --- I would have revised if I had known." You expect your biology teacher to know the answer to your question, so your teacher will expect you to know the answers when you do your tests and exams. You are probably an expert on something already. Perhaps you know absolutely everything about your football team?

Choose your University

If you get your studies right you will be able to choose the university: they should be fighting to get you. Go to your school careers department to get more information about universities and//or write to universities to find out what they expect from you.

Resources

	Textbooks Use your resources to the best advantage. You will have been given a textbook, but it is not the only source of material. Your teachers chose the text for good reasons, but you can probably find other books in the school library or the department library: use them.
	Teachers

You have been put into someone's class: but there may be more than one biology teacher in your school, so don't be shy, talk to them. Some of your teachers may look a bit older than you but that does not make them boring. Teachers can only help you if you ask.

The Internet etc.

Last revised: 10 November 2006.