Going from GCSEs to A-levels is a huge jump! Not only in terms of the workload, but it can also be difficult if you've moved to a different school or started college. The majority of students feel extremely nervous about starting sixth form, so you are not alone.
What can you do over the summer to prepare yourself?
As you have just finished your GCSEs, the most important thing is to relax! You’ve worked so hard and deserve to recover and recuperate in the (hopefully) lovely weather. That being said, some schools will set summer work to prepare you for starting your A-levels. The best way to approach this is to spread it out across the holiday, for example, working for a couple of hours each week. This helps you to avoid feeling overwhelmed and leaving it until the last minute, which could make you worry about having it done in time! Don’t feel too put-off if the summer work seems difficult, your teacher just wants to get you thinking about your subject and you’ll spend time in the classroom going over the tricky topics.
If you’re someone who feels that they need to be doing work over the holidays, we would recommend reading around one of your subjects in a topic that interests you, or you could purchase a head-start guide which gently introduces a few A-level topics and helps to bridge the gap between the GCSE and A-level content.
Nerves about making new friendships
Making new friends can be daunting, but so rewarding. If you are starting a new school for sixth form, or staying at the same school but a lot of your friends will have moved elsewhere, it can feel really nerve-wracking to have to introduce yourself to new people. It’s important to remember that everyone is in the same boat! There will be plenty of opportunities to meet new people and joining a club will give you the chance to meet people with similar interests. After a few weeks, those strangers could become lifelong friends!
Initial Struggles
You may start your A-levels and feel as though your marks have dropped in comparison to those that you were getting last year - this is completely normal for the start of year 12. As well as more in-depth content in the subjects that you are studying, the exam layout is different and the wording of questions and how the exams are marked will also have changed; you’re not expected to have learnt all of this just yet, so don’t panic! Practice questions are key, as long as you persevere with your hard work, you will find that your marks will start to increase.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help either! Your teachers are there to support you and are more than willing to assist you in understanding the content. If you find that you need some additional support, we offer tuition in a range of subjects and we're here to help, so just get in touch :)
You’ll be spending many hours a week with your teachers, so they’ll seem less scary to approach once you've settled in and you'll start to build up a good relationship with them.
Time management
Another big thing when transitioning to A-levels is time management. You are given a lot more independence (but also a lot more work) and so you are expected to manage your time more efficiently. Our advice here would be to give yourself a study plan and make sure that you are spending enough time on each of your subjects every week. Use your study periods to complete work so that you have more free time at home to relax.
Although this transition may seem scary now, it’s worth it! This is your chance to study your favourite subjects in more detail, or even try a new subject before embarking on your next venture after school.
As always, if you ever need us, you know where we are :)