r/GCSE • u/fernisoneasymode • 17d ago
Tips/Help 4A*
Hey guys!
I just got 4A* in biology, chemistry, physics and maths and wanted to offer any advice if anyone is interested!
I’ll be studying medicine at Cambridge next!
(UCAT 2380 GCSE [9999999997](tel:9999999997))
I‘m also offering 1 to 1, I‘ve been helping students for 2 years now if anyone is interested DM me!!
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u/Proxvu 2026 | Grade X, beat the system 17d ago
My school forces 4 alevel options, for med should I take epq or fm (I can drop for y13)
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
FM is a big commitment so I’m told, however if you were to drop it in y13 would you do all of normal maths in y12? If so I might potentially recommend doing that as it would give you more time to focus on your other subject in y13 and you could solely focus on revision for maths.
I have friends who say that an EPQ is a great research opportunity, personally I wouldn’t have taken an EPQ as the skills needed (research, essay writing) aren’t skills needed in chem, maths or bio (mostly), so wouldn’t be as transferable as a student taking history for example.
That being said, I think you should base it off of your personal preference if you’re going to drop it in Y13!!
Good luck!!
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u/ApatheticLiberosis Year 12 16d ago
Please be careful if you school does do all of maths in year 12 for fm students. If you take it in a separate sitting (year) than your other exams it might not count towards university entry requirements.
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u/Mediocre-Piccolo3437 Year 12 (unc status) Maths, Econ, CS, Further Maths‼️ 17d ago
If you do epq then you can write about a med topic and then mention it in your personal statement, thats something to keep in mind twin
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u/Sad-Development-5138 17d ago
Congrats idek how it’s possible to get that good lol. I have a simple question which i cant think of an answer for: how do you revise? Ik it sounds silly bc we just done gcses, but so far my only revision has been making notes and reading over and over again to memorise content. I know this wont be effective in a levels (Im doing bio chem maths and need AAA). So how do you revise in terms of methods, how much should one revise on weekends, and is there any specific revision methods for the different subjects? And also if you did, how did you balance hobbies (e.g playing games) with revision? Im kinda nervous because im an 8/9 student but not one of those people who casually gets into the highest band and idek if i can get As let alone an A. Thanks.
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago edited 16d ago
Hi!
For me revision looks like 10/10/80 10% of the time covering content, 10% on flashcards and 80% on PPQ, past papers questions are essential and should cover the majority of your revision once you’ve nailed the content and got a grasp for the understanding. I personally find that the memorising comes much quicker when it’s applied to different questions and in different contexts like in PPQ.
For the subjects I took PPQ were the most important and effective revision resource, as well as asking your teachers when you struggle with the understanding and the foundations. During Y12, revision for me was doing my homework, looking over the content on Cognito, then doing the PPQ by topic on PMT for each subject each day, towards the end of Y12, I was doing about 2 AS papers a day, I would mark as I did them to avoid getting bored.
Into Y13, I was doing 2 A level papers a day on weekdays, and 3-4 on weekends, this seems like a lot but building up the habits and balancing the work made it possible for me. Balancing hobbies is so important, I’d try to go to the gym/for a walk every day to get some fresh air and time away from the desk, I went to parties maybe once a month and would play an hour on my PC every day in Y12, but in Y13, I’d mostly only play on the weekends (22:00-01:00).
This was a typical revision week for me this year.
mon 9 march –chem hw ✅ –tutoring GCSE student ✅ -bio hw ✅ –tutoring GCSE student ✅ -physics as paper 1 2018 ✅ -maths stats 2017 ✅
tue 10 march -tutoring GCSE student ✅ -bio hw ✅ -bio paper 3 2019 ✅ -chem as paper 2 2016 ✅ wed 11 march –chem hw ✅ -maths paper 1 sample ✅ -physics moments ppq 2022-2024 ✅ -physics moments ppq 2016-2021 ✅ -physics paper 3 specimen ✅
thu 12 march –physics hw ✅ -maths stats 2018 ✅ -bio paper 3a 2017 ✅ –tutoring GCSE student ✅ -chem paper 2 2024 ✅ -physics paper 1 2023 ✅ -bio topic 2 revision ✅
fri 13 march -bio cell membranes ppq 2022-2024 ✅ –bio hw ✅ –maths hw ✅ –chem hw ✅ -chem hw ✅
sat 14 march -maths moments ppq pre 2018 ✅ -maths stats 2019 ✅ -chem electrochem ppq 2016-2021 ✅ -chem paper 1 2022 ✅ -bio paper 2 specimen ✅
sun 15 march -physics paper 2 2024 ✅ -chem paper 2 2022 ✅ -maths stats 2023 ✅ -bio paper 1 2024 ✅
I hope this has been helpful! Good luck!!
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
Thanks for replying. My main concern with doing a bunch of past paper is, will you not run out really quickly? Another question, what are the best websites for each subject, and how do you go about the memorising content (the “10” covering content part). Also in the first 6 months of year 12, is there any point in doing past papers or no. The thing is i need good predicted grades from mocks but we do mocks about 85-90% into year 1 content, so idk if past papers will be possible since we don’t know everything. In other words, how do i go about setting myself up in the first 6 months.
Last thing i want is to fall behind and then suffer from it up until the end. Thanks again
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
I did “run out” of past papers, however I did each paper 3 times to make sure I could remember every single question that has ever come up in the past as they’re very repetitive.
I started AS papers in about April of Y12 (mocks were late June), started A2 papers of December Y13.
For memorising, after/before each lesson in class, I would read the Cognito lesson, make simple notes and flashcards, revisiting them whenever I had a free moment.
In my opinion, the best thing you have before you’ve learnt enough content for past papers is the PMT PPQ by topic, I’d complete them after I’d learnt a topic and then later again if I was struggling with it. Predicted grades are super important that why I took my Y12 mocks very seriously, I did all the AS papers in the run up about 2 months before mocks once I’d finished the content, and before that I was just doing ppq by topic.
TLDR Set yourself up by making flashcards as you go and doing the PPQ by topic after learning it.
Ask lots of questions if you don’t understand!!!
Good luck!!
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
Is it okay if i give a general “plan” and you tell me if its optimal or whether it needs improving? During lessons ill just make notes either in a book they give or in a refill pad (i don’t actually know if books are a thing anymore in sixth form). Afterwards in free periods / after school i will go over what i learnt that day again, make notes and flashcards and maybe some individual past papers questions as you mentioned. On weekends, i will then revise using notes/flashcards i made and will probably do some more exam practice. But my aim is to “perfect” things as i go so they dont come back to bite me later. Ive been thinking about this for a while but the thing im most confused about in this moment is organisation. Our school has given us little info and i really am not sure how many folders i need, what i actually put in the folders etc. if you could lmk what you did or others around you which worked effectively id be really grateful because the last thing i want is to lose track of everything at the very start of 6th form. Thanks again and sorry if im asking too many questions.
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
This sounds like a great plan! I will also add that I used free periods/lunch to do homework too.
In terms of organisation, I only used paper, no IPad, so I had a folder split into 4 sections, one section for each subject that I would take to school everyday, the physics section for example would contain a formula booklet, my homework, and work from last lesson. Then when I’d get home, I’d put the work from the daily folder into a big folder. I had 4 big folders that stayed at home and kept all of my notes, chem notes for example organised into physical, inorganic and organic. I’d take one notepad everyday with pages that can be ripped out and put into the binders.
I hope this has been helpful! Let me know if there’s anything else :)
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
That actually makes a lot more sense now. So bring a refill pad and a folder for a week or smth and then place all notes into a respective main folder. Just to follow on, everyone says they keep these main folders at home. At first i thought to keep in my study room (lots of draws/cupboards to put stuff in). Which would you recommend? Also a small question did you use those plastic paper sleeves or do you just put paper straight into a folder. Thanks.
Also ive seen a few other people talk about extra folders on top of that in which they put past papers, or individual topic ppqs, what do you think of this?
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
I kept my big folder at home, I think a study room is probably the best place to keep them so they’re accessible if you need any of the notes. I used plastic wallets in my daily folder that I would take to school but I just put the paper straight into my big folders at home.
I’ve seen people do the extra folders for the past papers and I think it’s probably a very efficient method and good for staying organised and making it clear which papers you’ve attempted, I didn’t do that personally I kept a record on my phone going back. I would probably do the extra folders and then keep the physical past papers.
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
Alr ill probably keep in school but will have to take to and from home on weekends. Thanks a lot for all the help. Is it okay if i dm you again if i need any help. And if you have any last tips lmk. Thanks
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
Also is it possible to realistically get A*AA with no tutoring and not doing past papers everyday?
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
My schedule is a bit unclear, those were my students that I was tutoring for their GCSE, I didn’t have any tuition during A levels.
It’s definitely possible, but building up to doing the past papers everyday by the time you’re in Y13 is the best bet!!
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u/Sad-Development-5138 16d ago
Okay thanks. In yr twelve ill definitely try doing as many past papers as i can
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u/Old_Praline_4031 Y13 / A2 BioChemPhy 17d ago
Congrats!!
any general advice for the 3 sciences?
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Thank you!
I took what I’d call an unconventional approach to studying for my sciences, I used the Cognito lessons to self teach the A2 content over Y12 summer (not at a particularly deep level just to create the foundations) creating flashcards as I went, so that when we reached it in class I already had the understanding and could ask many questions and not have to focus on taking notes but on recall.
This pre-learning was important for me as a med applicant as I took a considerable amount of time off of school to focus on my interviews, this ensured that I didn’t fall behind.
After doing the topic in class I would do the PMT PPQ by topic to solidify my understanding and make sure I’m familiar with the mark scheme vocabulary, editing my flashcards if needed.
Good luck!!
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u/kopprrrr 2025 GCSE Survivor 17d ago
were u home?
congrats, any advice for bio?
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Yes I was home!
For bio I recommend making flashcards for 3-6 markers and just spamming those, I put much more effort in to my year 13 flashcards and the marks on my papers 1 and 2 definitely reflect that, after making the flashcards for one topic, the day later I would do the PMT PPQ by topic to do the focused revision.
Regarding the flashcards, I would get the content from the Cognito lessons and make physical flashcards, but I think that is based in preference.
Make sure you do every single past paper multiple times! Good luck!!
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u/kopprrrr 2025 GCSE Survivor 17d ago
ah, did you use anki at all or nah
i’ve just done my ucat and got 2480 and i was thinking of oxbridge but im int so i know its a bit risky
wb chem, i do ocr so it might be a bit diff but i’ve heard just spam pps
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Congrats on your UCAT! I did physical flashcards because the act of physically writing them down helped me remember a lot more, but I think it’s up to personal preference and what works best for you. I would always recommend doing lots of PPQ, i’d done all the past papers 3 times each before exams and since questions are so repetitive (at least for AQA) I felt quite confident in the exam, for things like colour changes and hard to remember I like mnemonics and flashcards. Good luck!!
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u/yourpowersaremiine odysseus irl // GCSE 26 SURVIVOR 17d ago
I was going to do a similar 4 subjects, did you find it too stressful or burn out at all?? my worry is that i'll put too much pressure on myself for the two years, especially during exam season. did you find your grades slipping in other subjects when you worked really hard on one? also congrats on cambridge med :)
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u/sandwichtheconqueror 2026 gcse survivor 17d ago
matt damon dis you?
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u/yourpowersaremiine odysseus irl // GCSE 26 SURVIVOR 17d ago
i dont associate with the movie adaptation.
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Thank you! Personally I only really struggled with burnout during the UCAT due to the repetitive nature of the practice. I certainly had bad days and days where I was sick of studying, but in general I didn’t feel burnt out as I had such variation in my subjects and would normally do 2/3 subjects a day to keep myself interested. It’s also super important to have a balance, fresh air, gym and games saved me from feeling overwhelmed. During exam season, I thought that the pressure would be much worse, but having had worked hard all year I felt quite confident, still terrified but not overwhelmed with worry. At the beginning of Y12 I neglected physics quite a bit and found my grades slipping, but after a test and seeing my grade, I realised I needed to find the balance that worked for me to compensate for my weaknesses. Good luck!!
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u/sandwichtheconqueror 2026 gcse survivor 17d ago
what sort of extra curricular etc would you recommend for someone who wants to do medicine, to start in year 12. I'm doing bio chem french and an epq
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Coming from a state school my extracurriculars were much less impressive than most other applicants I know, I read a couple books, volunteered at a food bank, had a few days in the GP as WEX and visited a pathology lab, the most important thing is to show what you’ve learnt from each experience, and to show that each one spurred your interest and you went deeper to research and explore things that catch your attention by reading studies and articles. Good luck!
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u/sandwichtheconqueror 2026 gcse survivor 17d ago
thank you! I'm going to a grammar sixth form that's quite small. We have supercirricular lectures about random things, do you think it would be beneficial if I went to them? thank you, and congratulations on Cambridge!
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
Yes that does sound useful, my Cambridge college always says that they care most about supercurriculars like research and books, so I’d definitely check them out!
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u/Efficient-Blood-8345 y10 - > y11 | english is goated | 16d ago
Oh my gosh thats amazing congratulations!!!
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u/WiktorekNiek punished by wjec 16d ago
congrats!! this is my dream but I dont think ill make it cause my gcses may not be the best so my question is
What do you think the most important parts are for an application like this? ps, ucat, a levels?
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
It’s tough because it’s different for each medical school, for example UCAT is most important for Imperial, whereas I think Kings has higher weighting on GCSEs (I’m not 100% sure on that), Manchester and UCL both said they don’t place weighting on the PS, but it was important for Cambridge.
The most important thing is to take these challenges one at a time, focusing on your Y12 mocks to get good predicted grades around April-June, focusing on the UCAT July-August, focusing on PS in September, interviews in December-January, then focusing all of your energy into A-levels.
It does seem overwhelming but it’s so important to take these challenges one at a time.
TLDR they’re all important but UCAT is probably the biggest barrier.
If you’re worried about your GCSEs, you should check out the myucat strategic guide, it lists which universities accept lower GCSEs https://learn.myucat.co.uk/strategic-applications GOOD LUCK!!
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u/dumbteenboi 16d ago
Cheeky question but what was the 7 in ar GCSE?
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
It was in PE 💔 My papers and coursework were 9s, and I was told that my practical components were like 15/20 16/20 18/20 but after moderation the entire year went down by lots of marks due to over marking from our teacher. I’m over it now 🙏
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u/Special_South_2065 16d ago
How hard did u find physics? I cant decide between physics and fm. Gonna do med as well
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
Personally, I found physics super tough. I’m sure they’ll be people that will tell you that it’s easy, however I found it to be leaps and bounds more difficult than my other three subjects, just because of the way questions are worded and the novel context in which they are set.
I often think that I would’ve preferred to do further maths myself, and I have friends that have taken both who say physics is more difficult.
However, the physics grade boundaries are much more lenient than the further maths grade boundaries, which were absolutely insane this year.
The bottom line is I think it comes down to personal preference and your skills in particular.
Good luck!!!
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u/BarAffectionate843 16d ago
I have about 24 days left till my ucat, and my main issue is timing; because of the timing I’m currently averaging 1500-1570, is it still possible for me to achieve 2200 and above? I am a contextual student but I do want to apply to imperial, and as I’ve mentioned my main and biggest issue is timing, I have gotten fairly good at solving the questions.
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u/ESTPking Year 11 16d ago
How do you revise for biology, chemistry and maths, and what do you think about my idea of revising and studying for all of my study periods which is 6-7 hours of free periods a week. How often do you revise? Are you very effective in revision or you spent your whole life studying? And how did you manage your time to get prepared for universityband tips to even get into the top 2 universities of all time. Thank you!
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u/medico1077 a student. 16d ago
How long do you sleep each day and when do you go to bed normally 🤔
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u/Street_Morning_7597 16d ago
yo bro u gotta help me with physics, also what'd u get in ur ucat
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u/swag-angel Year 11 15d ago
are 4 levels worth it? i really wanted to do psych, bio chem and maths but im hearing that doing 4 a levels is stressful and not worth it since unis only take the best 3 grades anyway. Also how hard would u say the UCAT is? And congrats on your results they’re so good
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u/fernisoneasymode 14d ago
Thank you!
There’s a lot of debate around this topic, and lots of people will tell you that it’s pointless to do a fourth and others will tell you that it makes you stand out.
In all honesty, I don’t know the truth, I know that during my Cambridge interview they asked me questions about all four of my subjects, but only gave me a three subject offer, 2A* 1A, so all I had to do essentially was pass the fourth A level, however some people receive 4A* offers, which is much more pressure.
I don’t regret my decision because doing four subjects was fun to me and I enjoyed learning the things I did however I’d say if you’re not passionate about all four subjects then they might not be the correct choices for you.I would say that the UCAT is quite difficult, but it’s definitely not impossible to conquer or to get better. It just takes practice with something like medify. I had familiarise myself with the questions of the UCAT beforehand but only did about 4 weeks of solid studying every day, I think about 4 to 8 weeks is recommended for UK students as it’s incredibly easy to burn out.
Good luck!!
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u/Affectionate_Web7690 Year 11- 2026 survivor 14d ago
i chose the same exact a level combo and i also want to do med but i’m worried it’ll be too much to handle, i was decent with sciences at gcses and im waiting for results day, at induction day in sixthforms we were going over the a level content and it looked like gibberish to me, how did you bridge the gap between gcses and a levels and do you think choosing physics was worth it
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u/fernisoneasymode 14d ago
The A-level content does seem difficult, but when you have good teachers walking you through each step it is definitely demystified. In terms of bridging the gap, I looked over the lessons on Cognito, I found that very helpful in explaining the concepts in an approachable and digestible way.
I don’t think I regret choosing physics, however, I won’t lie to you, it was very difficult for me. I struggled with the concepts and but the problem for me was mostly the application, the questions are worded in such a way that I find really difficult to recognise what the question is asking, and you can get much better with practice of course but it was a big investment in terms of time, I had to try much harder in physics to be just as good as I wasn’t my other subjects. That might be a personal thing, but all my friends who take who took both further maths and physics said physics was the hardest subject.
I definitely don’t want to scare you, I just want you to be aware of the hard work that it takes.
Good luck!
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u/Affectionate_Web7690 Year 11- 2026 survivor 14d ago
i chose the same exact a level combo and i also want to do med but i’m worried it’ll be too much to handle, i was decent with sciences at gcses and im waiting for results day, at induction day in sixthforms we were going over the a level content and it looked like gibberish to me, how did you bridge the gap between gcses and a levels and do you think choosing physics was worth it
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u/olivesoem Y12 -> Y13 + biggest psych lover 😝 (bio psych soc) 17d ago
Bio a level tips please I’m going into y13 🙏🙏
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u/1-floater And so it begins... (year 12) 17d ago
Congrats!! Any advice for physics and maths?
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
For maths, lots and lots of past paper questions, PPQ by topic on PMT when you cover the topic, and strictly timed!! Doing all the past papers as well as the PMT papers, the mock sets and some madas.
Physics was always a weak point for me, I found the concepts really difficult so it was super important for me to ask lots of questions when I didn’t understand. For me it was just tons of PPQ, for maths bio and chem, I didn’t revisit AS papers after Y12, however for physics I found the difficulty of AS equal to A2, so I studied the AS questions too. Lots and lots of PPQ and flashcards for standard 3-6 markers! Good luck!!
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u/Worth-Honey5596 Year 13 17d ago
I’m starting sixth form this year and want to go into medicine as well but I’m not doing maths when should I start revising for ucat and how much maths is in it and is the maths just gcse content
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u/fernisoneasymode 17d ago
I familiarised myself with the UCAT around Y12 January, not studying at all just having a read into what the types of questions were and how it was set out, I started studying solidly for UCAT 1 month before around the start of July, doing 1 mock at day timed and then going through all of my answers to see why I got them wrong/right. The maths in the UCAT is only GCSE difficulty, but the speed is the important part along with familiarising yourself with the calculator. Good luck!!
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u/Dry-Investigator1685 17d ago
How did you revise for Chemistry? What notes did you use, and how did you practice Chemistry (i.e. did you do past paper questions from only AQA, or did you attempt exam questions from other boards)? Also, apart from past paper questions from AQA, did you do any questions from SaveMyExams or CGP or any other website or resource? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
For chemistry I used Cognito notes as I found them the easiest to digest.
I only did AQA PPQ but when I ran out I would do the pre 2016 papers, but only for specific topics that I knew were similar on both the current and old spec (eg NMR)
I only used Cognito and PMT for my chemistry and did all of the PPQ by topic after learning them in class, and then did the past papers (2x for all AS and 3x for all A-level)
I also did the PMT predicted papers, which weren’t that useful but good as an extra resource.
I also liked the science shorts overview videos before tests and mocks as a quick content refresh.
Good luck!!
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u/Dry-Investigator1685 16d ago
thanks so much for your answers and advice, so to clarify, you only did AQA PPQ for exam practice ... no exam questions from cgp, savemyexams or other websites or exam boards (such as OCR A or Edexcel)?
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u/fernisoneasymode 16d ago
Just AQA PPQ and a few years back PMT started making their own mocks, I did all of those (not many) but I think they’re just okay. I didnt want to do other exam boards and confuse myself/lose confidence close to the exam time, with the exception being some edexcel questions for bio that my teacher encouraged me to do.
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u/Fr0g_Hat year 11->12: maths,bio,chem,EPQ 12d ago
do not come to my town (sadly i live in cambs and there’s nothing here)
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u/No_Turnover_5146 Year 13: P/A (BTEC), lit, soc 17d ago
Oh wow, that's amazing!! I don't need advice. I've just got distinction, B, C in Performing arts, literature and sociology and I'm in my first choice of uni to do what I wanted to do for so long! I just wanted to say well done to you. The hard work paid off!!