It’s well documented that the jump from GCSE’s to A-Levels can be challenging for many.

I often see bright students that comfortably achieved 8’s or 9’s at GCSE struggle in the first few months of the A-Level Biology course. It can be really disheartening and leads to a bit of a vicious cycle… students lose their confidence in a subject they once loved and then lose their motivation and study less and less….which only leads to further disappointment.

But there are lots of ways you can make this transition easier! In this blog, I’m going to explore some of the reasons why the step up to A-level can be challenging and also some things students can do to prepare and have a positive transition into Year 12.

Why it’s difficult:

Whilst I love Biology and believe it’s a deeply fascinating and rewarding subject, I think it’s also important to recognise and acknowledge that it’s hard for for a number of reasons:

There is a lot of content to learn. The breadth and depth of knowledge hugely increases at A-level. You learn way more, in much greater detail. The OCR A-Level Biology textbook contains almost double the pages of the AQA GCSE Biology one….yet both courses are 2 years long! The sheer volume of stuff to learn often leaves student overwhelmed & struggling when it comes to revision.
Exam questions are more applied and mark schemes are incredibly specific. Understanding the content is just half the battle! Whereas at GCSE, recalling information could get you a decent grade, at A-Level you must be able to apply information to new contexts, critically analyse data and demonstrate practical knowledge. These higher order skills don’t come easily! The mark schemes also require highly specific wording, so learning to articulate yourself in a way that achieves full marks can be challenging.
The maths difficulty ramps up. 10% of your marks will come from maths that can be Level 3 (A-Level) equivalent. In other words, some of the maths skills in Biology are as hard as taking A-Level maths. The course covers complex statistical tests and multi-step calculations that are often very wordy and difficult for students to interpret.

Throw in other elements to balance, like part time jobs, extra-curricular activities, greater independence to manage your own time…. it’s no wonder students struggle!

“Why are you telling me this Caroline?! Is it too late to drop Biology?” I hear you ask, in panic. Well, knowledge is power. And anticipating and being proactive during this transition can make it so much easier. It’s worth it, I promise.

How to prepare

So how can you not just survive but thrive during the first few months of A-Level Biology?

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! A little light preparation over the summer can really help. Firstly, download a copy of the course specification from the exam board website and have a glance over what topics you’ll be studying and how you’ll be assessed: is it 3 papers or 2? Multiple choice or essay? Which practicals will you be studying? Set up a large, lever arch folder ready for your Biology work with some dividers to separate out different topics. Make sure you’ve completed your summer work and have all the resources needed. If you’re really organised, you could start labelling each section for each different module and pre-reading for some of your first modules.
Hit the ground running with independent study: You will need to get a good study routine going as quickly as possible. It’s likely that at GCSE you will only of completed homework or revision outside of class but in A-Level Biology, you will be expected to do a significant amount of independent study every week on top of any homework set. Independent study is all about ensuring you understand, recall and can apply the content you’re taught in class. Here are some suggestions:
- Make a study timetable and stick to it: Grab your class timetable and calendar and have a think about which evenings you can study and how much time you can dedicate. You may have ‘free’ or ‘study’ periods during the day that you can use. Use this to draw up a timetable of when you will study and what - try to allocate time to each of your subjects equally.
- Separate time for homework and time for independent study: Lots of students complete the above step but then use free periods or study time to complete homework and then forget about the independent study. When assessments or exams then roll around, they end up cramming and performing poorly. Try to find time for both and keep track of what you’ve studied and what you haven’t using a course checklist or the specification.
- A simple structure for independent study - Pre & Post: One of the easiest starting points for independent study is to pre-read a chapter or section before you study it. This could involve making a few quick notes of new terminology from your textbook or just familiarising yourself with the content. When you get to the lesson, you can then add to these notes. After your lesson, go back over the notes you’ve made in class with your textbook and add in any key points you’ve missed, before testing your knowledge and understanding using textbook or exam questions.
- Make revision resources as you go along: Some of my most successful students use flashcards for learning factual content and creating these as you go through Y12 will save you so much time later. Often students mistake making the flashcards for revision but actually, it’s using them and testing yourself that is the useful part here. So having a deck of flashcards for AS topics will really help you and put you at an advantage when it comes to revising Y12 content before your final exams.
Ask for help and advice: If you find yourself struggling - reach out to your teachers and ask for help! I worked as an A-Level teacher in a sixth form for 10 years and I always appreciated when students were honest and approached us for help. It meant I could support them on a more individual basis; providing extra resources or guidance to help them. Students often feel they’re being annoying by emailing or asking us questions but I think as teachers, we actually love this proactive learning!

Exam practice

Exam practice and using past paper questions is incredibly important in A-Level Biology. Whereas at GCSE you might complete a few past papers before the exam, at A-Level you should be completing questions on a regular basis as part of your independent study. This is the only way you’ll develop the specific language and exam technique needed to really succeed in A-Level Biology.

One of the strategies I’ve seen work really well, is printing a set of exam questions (for example from Physics and Maths Tutor) at the start of a new topic and then completing questions as you go along as part of your independent study after lessons.

If you need some weekly support and guidance from an A-Level examiner, my Y12 group tuition might help! Every week we dive into a key topic from AS. These hour long sessions include retrieval practice to help you remember everything, a masterclass on subject content - ensuring you can use A-Level terminology confidently and dedicated exam practice. From command words to statistical tests, I’ll show you how to decode the questions and write full-mark answers. You can find out more about group tuition here.

One last but very very important thing…

The last but vitally important aspect of a successful transition to A-Level Biology is this: your mindset.

Staying positive, proactive and resilient is key! Believe that you can do well and that you can achieve your goals. Work hard and embrace every opportunity for feedback and help you can get. Be kind to yourself if things don’t go to plan and learn from the failures; they will ultimately lead you to success. You’ve got this!

Have you got any questions about starting A-Level Biology? Are you a past student and have any tips for Year 12’s? Let me know in the comments!