This time last year, I was studying for my A Level exams. Three A2 maths, two A2 geography, two A2 physics, two A2 chemistry, and one AS maths resit exam. Not the most enjoyable time of my life, I have to admit. Even though I’d spent all of Christmas break revising like a mad person, I didn’t do as well as I was expected to do in my mock exams. At the beginning of A levels I was predicted three As and, to get onto the course I started last September, I needed an A and two Bs.
By this time last year, revision was already well under way. Learning case studies for geography and trying desperately to remember trigonometry rules for maths (rules I still don’t know). I remember having a huge, hand made poster about Simple Harmonic Motion next to my bed, and a littler one showing the development of a Temperate Deciduous Woodland next to it. I had a box (I still have the box, actually) of flash cards, hand made dominos and jigsaws which I used to revise, laying them all out on my bed and going through packs three or four times a day.
My chemistry course still hadn’t finished all the content I needed to cover at this point, which was pretty scary. I don’t think my physics had either. Chemistry ended up being my worst subject. I got a C overall, but it was remarked and I ended up with a B. I knew I was going to have trouble with it because there was a lot of fact learning and a lot of maths and there was no one specific thing you could revise and you would be sorted. The same is true of Geography, but my Geography teacher was so good at preparing us for our exams I wasn’t really worried about it.
This time last year, I cried at least once a week. It was a stressful time. Between the pressure of exams, the pressure I was putting myself under, and the fact one of my maths teachers was a complete and utter douche bag, it was very uncommon for me to not be crying. My back up university required the same grades as my first choice (everywhere wanted that kind of grade, except Edinburg, who wanted three As) and, with my mock exam results coming back A, C, C, E, I knew I needed to do a lot better.
I think revising for A Levels was the most stressful period of my life so far. More stressful than GCSEs, even if I was doing fewer subjects. I was so relieved when it was over and am now relieved I never have to go through all that again.
I got the grades I needed to. Just. The scary part for me is that, if I was to go through all that again, I would have to do things the same way in order to get the grades I needed. I would have to push myself to the point I spent more time crying than not in order to get onto a course (where I again spent more time crying than not, but that’s another point).
This time last year was a long time ago, and I’m glad it’s over.
The Ghoul Student 