The Ultimate Guide to Slaying A-level Chemistry - Part 1
(The video corresponding to this blog post is at the bottom of this post!)
First of all I want to be upfront with you guys, I got 76% for chemistry, which is a B, 4% away from an A.
Next, I homeschooled/self studied myself through A-level chemistry.
Now please don't let the fact that I got a B scare you off, as I can assure you this guide literally will help you to slay A-level chemistry and get an A/A*
The reason I got a B is because I learnt both A-level and GCSE chemistry all in one year. This is because midway through my A-levels I realized I wanted to study medicine, and chemistry is a requirement for medicine.
Having dropped chemistry in about grade/year 7, my knowledge of chemistry consisted of knowing that an atom was some kind of circular floaty thingy m'bob. So I embarked on one of the most intense journeys of my life and decided to learn GCSE and A-level chemistry in 1 year, that's 4 years in 1 year. It is the hardest thing I have ever done. And I assure you it was accompanied with many breakdowns along the way.
I ran out of time at the end and wasn't able to learn and study the last chapter in my A-level textbook, my exams rolled around and I had to face them even though I hadn't quite finished the course.
I know that if I'd had a little bit of extra time I could've learnt that last chapter and spent extra time memorizing the little details.
If you still don't trust my advice, know that I got an A* for Biology and an A for English.
I am very proud of myself, and I remember how lost i felt when I first started this journey, so I want to be able to help all of you through this. It's a tough and scary process, but in the end, it is oh so rewarding.
Number 1 -UNDERSTAND
Okay guys, there's no way you're gonna be able to get through chemistry without having a VERY solid understanding of what is going on. I know how challenging chemistry can be and how tempting it is to simply brush over a topic and tell yourself 'I know this well enough' - NO YOU DO NOT - DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF
Practice as many questions as you can, including those end of chapter questions in your textbook. If there is even one question that you have a slight doubt about, or maybe you're not entirely sure how you got an answer right, then I want you to go over it until you understand every single step that got you to the correct answer.
Understanding is vital.
Initially I tried to simply learn formulas and stick to following certain steps, trying my best to just get through the textbook, but when it comes to my exam board (I wrote under CIE) they like to trick you and make you think out the box, meaning sticking to a simple plan of steps doesn't cut it. A deep and thorough understanding of each topic will allow you to tackle ANY question that gets thrown at you.
I can say with 99% certainty that if you understand everything, you'll get an A.
If you don't understand something then DEFINITELY ask a teacher, consult YouTube, get a tutor, anything that works for you...just remember that you have to understand!
I know it seems horribly tedious to understand every little minute detail- it is. But in the long run it's worth it and you'll save yourself lots of hours in the future which would be wasted trying to study something off by heart which you don't understand.
Number 2 - Memorize
This one is quite simple actually, just really boring haha Make flash cards, write notes, mindmaps repeat and repeat, whatever works for you, until you know everything off by heart. Like all those organic chemistry reactions, for example with Alkenes - I still remember that a nickel catalyst and heat and pressure is needed to reduce an Alkene to an Alkane in a hydrogenation reaction. I remember that simply because I read it in my notes SO many times. Reread your notes whenever you can, like just before you go to sleep. When you wake up. While you're on the train/bus/in the car. You don't have to read a lot, just read small chunks to keep all the facts fresh in your mind. The smaller factual based questions in exam papers actually do add up to quite a few marks, so its worth knowing as much as you can off by heart.
Number 3 - Practice questions
This is vital in testing your understanding. As I mentioned earlier, do as many questions as you can, and if you find that you don't understand something, then try to learn it either by yourself, by asking a teacher for help, or look it up on YouTube.
Do the questions at the end of each chapter in your textbook, look for questions online.
When I was studying I found this website www.chemguide.co.uk so so so helpful and at the end of most topics there are questions to test your understanding.
Do lots of past papers too. And if you can manage to do questions from other exam boards or from other sources, that means you know your stuff really well.
See, when you know your exam board and practice many questions from it, there can be a tendency to notice a pattern of what they are looking for in the answers, rather than you actively thinking of a correct answer. So if you can answer questions from any source, you'll ace chemistry.
See you soon for Part 2 ;)
You got this!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCgA7ybx2k8&t=23s