For
distance learners, home educators, and anyone else who likes to
keep a paper trail to stay organised
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Introduction
When talking to people who are interested in taking A Levels or doing the AICE Diploma, I spend
quite a bit of time going through various important points. Though this handbook might not answer
all your questions, I hope it will help you stay on track with your AS and A Levels.
Timetable for AS and A Levels
You are on a timetable, to complete your AS and A Levels, leading to an AICE Diploma and
helping you get to the next step, whether it is university or employment.
Make sure you are aware of your timetable. Work backwards from the admission date at
university. So, if you want to do your AICE Diploma over two years, and then take a gap year1
before going to university (i.e. three years duration), you will need to look at applying to university at
the beginning of your second year. That means you should work out which universities you want to
go to, what A Level grades you need to get, when you have to apply to each one, etc. If you plan on
doing your A Levels at an accelerated rate, you will obviously have to look into university choices
when you start your A Levels (i.e. at the beginning of the first year).
It is always better to work out how much time you will take to cover the AS and A Level syllabuses,
before you start your courses. Don’t forget to factor in time for mock exams and revision before
the final exam session.
You won’t usually get the final exam timetable until about six months before the exams, but there
is a general time period of six weeks when A Level exams are taken. So, give yourself at least two
weeks before the exam session to have completed the whole syllabus – this gives you time to revise
and consolidate your knowledge.
If you want to know what a timetable might look like for an A Level subject, I have created two here
for you:
Example 1: A Level Marine Science CIE 9693 (two year course, standard pace)
Important details – 15 sections in the syllabus; 4 final exam papers (2 x AS Level, 2 x A2 Level);
practical application of content; no current CIE-endorsed textbook so must use triangulated
information sourcing and syllabus as a structure; exams in May/June, so aim to do mock exams in
January of the exam year.
Usually A Levels have at least one CIE-endorsed textbook that you can use to guide you through the
syllabus. The textbook is closely aligned to the syllabus, so you cover all the material for the exams.
For Marine Science, at the moment, there are no endorsed textbooks, and some of the books that
are recommended are quite dated. Never mind; they are still useful, but don’t rely only on them. Use
triangulated information sourcing for a more successful approach. How do you do that?
A gap year is taken after A Levels, high school or secondary school, and before going to university or full-time
employment. It is meant to be an enriching year for people and can be used to do volunteer work, travel, internship,
follow a passion and so on.
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Take the syllabus and break the curriculum content into sections. Using one section as a teaching
guide, read through each component and take notes. Be aware of subject-specific vocabulary or
skills that you need to know. Use a variety of textbooks and online resources to help you make
concise notes that cover the syllabus section. Then, do some self-assessments, before going on to
the next section.
Once you have finished the triangulated information sourcing for the whole syllabus content, you
should have notebooks or computer files filled with your notes. Now you can start to revise and
practice past exam paper questions to see if you are on track (though if you have access to lots of
past papers or worksheets to test your knowledge, you can self-assess throughout the course).
How long should you take to study each syllabus section, practice skills and past papers? That is
really up to you, as there are many ways to go about learning. I like to chunk things into manageable
pieces, so for this A Level I would probably spend 3 weeks on each syllabus section (45 weeks) and
then do mock exams or past paper practice. If you cover a section in less than three weeks, great!
You can move on to the next section, or do related practical work to consolidate your written work.
It is up to you. The most important aspect about timetabling your A Level course is to be consistent
with your time. Don’t leave everything until the last minute – bad idea. Spread out the initial learning
and you can then revise in a condensed way closer to the exams.
Example 2: A Level Business Studies CIE 9707 (two year course, accelerated pace)
Important details – 6 main sections, subdivided into many other sections on the syllabus; 3 final
exam papers; case study approach and real-life business situations; CIE – endorsed textbook for
structure, covering 37 chapters; exams in October/November, so aim to do mock exams in June of
the exam year.
Though this A Level Business Studies is an outgoing A Level (being replaced by a new Business
syllabus), it has a CIE – endorsed textbook that is closely aligned to the syllabus. This makes it much
easier to structure your learning…just follow the textbook, adding extra information from online or
tutor resources, taking notes and self-assessing along the way. Subject-specific vocabulary is just as
important to know as in any A Level course; you also need to understand and learn the
mathematical formulas associated with this course. Triangulated information sourcing is still useful,
but you will have most of the syllabus content contained in the textbook.
Timing is slightly different if you are working at an accelerated pace. For this example, the A Level
will be completed in 1 ½ years, with the exams in October/November. Using this pace, all the
content should be completed by the end of June, giving plenty of time for review, consolidation of
content and applied knowledge research. For Business Studies, applied knowledge research is the
practice of researching case studies and real-life current business situations. This active research can
be done throughout your course, or as part of review and consolidation. Whatever you decide, you
can use the CIE-endorsed book as your guide, to cover 1 chapter per week. Don’t forget to take a
mock exam, do practice past papers and give yourself a few weeks before the final exams to study.
One last point: timing for each A Level will depend on your particular circumstances and may take a
shorter or longer time to complete. It will also depend on how many A Levels you are sitting in one
exam session. The best advice I can give is to PLAN the timing of your A Levels.
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A Levels offered to private candidates
There are many AS and A Levels suitable for private candidates, but you are responsible for
checking this before starting the course. Download the syllabus for the A Level you are thinking of
doing, and see if it is available (look under the ‘Assessment at a Glance’ section). For the AICE
Diploma, you will need to choose a subject from each of the three Groups, and from 2017 you will
also need to complete Global Perspectives. An A Level carries 2 credits, whereas an AS carries 1
credit; you will need a minimum of 6 credits across the Groups to be eligible for an AICE Diploma.
If you want to do the minimum number of credits and A Levels, this equates to 3 A Levels.
When choosing your A Levels, you may need to research your intended universities to see if they
require a certain number or combination of A Levels. If you are doing the A Levels that interest you,
you will have more flexibility, and there is nothing to limit you from your choices (you don’t even
have to do the AICE Diploma).
As CIE change the syllabus material often, make sure you research any A Level that you are
intending to take, and see what the AICE Diploma requirements are for the year of completion.
Have a look at the CIE website www.cie.org.uk to see the range of A Levels available for the
Cambridge International Examinations Board and the AICE Diploma. If you just want to do A
Levels, there are other examination boards available to private candidates. Check out AQA, Edexcel,
and OCR. To find out more information, look at these websites:
AQA
Edexcel
OCR
http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects
http://www.edexcel.com/i-am-a/student/qualifications/Pages/A-levels.aspx
http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/by-type/as-a-level-gce/
If you are in the USA, though, you are only able to sit CIE exams in registered examination centres
so don’t choose other exam boards unless you have a registered centre elsewhere.
AICE Diploma Choices
Here are the A Level choices that are currently available to private candidates – please check
availability in the syllabus.
Group 1
Mathematics
and Sciences
Mathematics
Further Mathematics
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Marine Science
Thinking Skills*
Group 2
Languages
English Language
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Group 3
Arts and
Humanities
Business Studies
Classical Studies
Divinity
Economics
History
Geography
Literature in English
Psychology*
Law
Psychology*
Sociology
Thinking Skills*
AND
Global Perspectives AS Level
*Thinking Skills and Psychology are in both Groups 1 and 3.
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What is an AICE Diploma student?
If I had to describe an AICE Diploma student, I would say that he or she is confident, responsible
and proactive. I believe mastering such characteristics will help you to be more successful with your
educational journey.
So, an AICE Diploma student should be
CONFIDENT –
working with new information and ideas;
working on his/her own or with others;
RESPONSIBLE –
for his/her actions, showing exemplary personal conduct;
for all learning materials, showing organisational mastery;
for knowing subjects well, including all assessment components;
PROACTIVE –
about learning, being intellectually and socially engaged;
about current and future challenges with work;
about meeting specific goals, both short and long term;
about keeping focus on his/her learning;
about asking for help when necessary or asking questions.
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Study skills guide
Some people find it easy to pick things up quickly, learning content and skills to help them master a
subject, articulate an argument, or explain complex ideas to others. Most people find that, as they get
older and the breadth and depth of study is greater, they need to be a little more methodical in their
learning style to reach the highest quality work.
A Levels and the AICE Diploma will require more from you than your IGCSEs, and in order to be
successful, you need to consider an individualised study approach – one that works for you to help
you highlight your strengths and to reach your academic potential. That way, you can be proud of
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what you accomplish, and by articulating your mastery of A Level material, you may help others to
understand and learn too.
Where do you start?
In general terms, you first have to gather all information, and learn all relevant skills for each subject.
Next, you have to organise your information into notes for subject consolidation, seek further
clarification and to promote individual thought. Then, you will study from all resources to become
an expert in your A Level subject. Finally, it’s good to practice exam skills so that you can highlight
your subject expertise and originality of thought.
There. Seems like a plan, right?
The following sections will sketch out some ways to create an effective study plan for your AICE
Diploma subject classes, but it will be up to you to customise these suggestions so that they are
most effective. Good luck!
Learn subject content and skills
To learn new content or skills, you should access as many resources as possible. Multiple resources
can make it easier to absorb new material or difficult concepts. You will also be able to streamline
learning by becoming aware of the ways in which you learn best.
Accessing resources will, at first, be subject-specific. Start with the obvious resource to hand –
your subject syllabus. Not only does it tell you the subject content, it also tells you how your
knowledge and skills will be tested in the end-of-course examinations. Use the syllabus as a guide to
see what needs to be covered over the course – if you can’t ask a teacher/tutor what you should be
doing, look it up in the syllabus! Another valuable resource is an endorsed textbook; you only need
one or two. These endorsed textbooks are closely aligned to the syllabus, so you can cover what is
important, and you can choose to supplement your knowledge with other resources. Speaking of
which, don’t underestimate the worth of a teacher/tutor or mentor. Teachers/tutors are
knowledgeable about their subjects, and can give valuable feedback, or help clear up misconceptions
quickly. You also have a vast selection of online resources at your fingertips – make sure to
bookmark or note the most useful websites, and then quickly relegate the timewasters (kittens
playing ball, fails, etc.). You could easily become overwhelmed with online resources, so seek
guidance when you can. Another great resource is available online or in physical form, and should be
part of your learning – the library. For your A Level classes, you are not likely to find books that
cover all of the syllabus material, but subject-specific books can help clarify points or present them
in a different way. The best way to narrow down books that will be useful to you is to use the
library’s online catalogue. Magazines and journals should be part of your resource selection, as
they are more up-to-date, peer-reviewed, and can present topics through a perspective that you have
not considered. As well as all the content-rich resources you can use, don’t forget to become
familiar, very familiar, with past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports for each A Level
subject. The more past papers you review or try to do as open-book or timed papers, the more
prepared you will be to highlight your knowledge in your final A Level exams.
Now that you know where to find numerous resources for your subjects, how should you learn the
material, and practice the subject-specific skills?
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READ, READ, READ.
Reading to learn subject material, to really understand the subject and to be able to think more
critically about all the issues is an active process. Too often, students stumble when writing essays
or succeeding in scoring top marks in exams because they misread, ignore or misunderstand what
they have read. Don’t be one of those students. Take some guidance from Dr. Klemm’s ‘8 Tips to
Remember What You Read’ [accessed at http://sharpbrains.com/blog/2009/05/14/8-tips-toremember-what-you-read/ on June, 28th, 2014]. These tips are highlighted here:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Read with a purpose.
Skim first.
Get the reading mechanics right.
Be judicious in highlighting and note taking.
Think in pictures.
Rehearse as you go along.
Stay within your attention span and work to increase that span.
Rehearse again soon.
Another really useful resource is from the Study Guides site (one worth bookmarking and
referencing
often).
Read
through
the
SQ3R
method
and
apply
the
Survey/Question/Read/Recite/Review strategy to your A Level reading.
[see http://www.studygs.net/texred2.htm, accessed June 28th, 2014].
Once you know that you are an active reader, you can quickly move to the next section, about
individualized note taking.
Consolidate information, seek clarification, and add individual thought
This is all about taking notes. Before you groan audibly, because you have never taken notes before
and done just fine, thank-you-very-much, try to be open-minded to the possibility that effective
note-taking will elevate your understanding of A Level material. Active, individualised consolidation
of information can help you become an expert. You can develop original ideas based on solid
comprehension of the subject and related fields. You could develop a passion for a particular A
Level or area of knowledge that propels you forwards to further research. It all starts with
consolidating your knowledge effectively.
You may still be thinking, ‘Why make notes?’ The best answer is to avoid becoming overwhelmed
with the sheer volume and complexity of A Level subject material; put another way, to help you be
more successful in your A Levels and AICE Diploma.
You can create your notes any way that suits you, as long as it is personal to you (that means copying
or taking somebody else’s notes is not going to be an effective learning strategy in the long run). So,
you can make notes on your computer and sort the topics out by file or date; you can use a
notebook for each A Level subject, or a folder with pages separated by topic dividers; and so on).
Whatever works best for you is the right way for you.
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Just remember, taking notes can help you to
consolidate material – by thinking and writing the information down, you are focusing more
carefully on learning;
seek further clarification – if the material is difficult to understand, you can find other resources
so that your personal notes make sense to you;
remember details – by committing something to paper or on the computer, your brain can make a
mental picture of the details and recall the material more easily (some people find this easier to do
than others, and sometimes creating pictures, flowcharts, or bullet points helps to remember details
further);
summarise and highlight – large amounts of new information into manageable key points or
details;
promote individual thought – as you understand and synthesise the information into note form,
you can inject your own personal, justified views;
organise – new material into the best format for you to learn from and to help you when planning
essays, research projects, or revision strategies for examinations.
Remember, when taking notes, it is meant to be a time-saving skill for your A Level studies and to
help prepare you for the rigours of university lectures and learning. Once you develop your personal
note-taking style, hang on to it! (If you need more guidance in taking and making notes, please see
the separate handout, ‘How to make individualised notes for study’).
Mastering note-taking in class or with your individual studying helps you get one step closer to
becoming a subject expert. But wait, there’s more…
Study actively from all resources – become a subject expert
If you have been actively reading this study guide so far, you will know that you need to access as
many sources as possible to gather information and develop subject-specific skills for each A Level;
you also need to take good, personal notes; and finally you need to study actively.
How do you study actively? Perhaps you don’t think you need to study actively. It may have been
relatively easy, up until now, to take on new information in your IGCSEs, successfully understand
and articulate your knowledge, and achieve great IGCSE exam grades.
The difference with A Levels is that you need to show much greater depth to your knowledge; you
need to show more lateral thought, cross-curricular linking with other relevant subjects, as well as
application to relevant current events; you also need to highlight original thought that is borne out
of knowing your material exceptionally well.
Of course, what I have just described is for those students who want to become experts in each A
Level that they take or who have a passion for the subjects that will propel them through university
life and beyond. If you want to take more of a back seat to learning, it will be reflected in the final
grades that you achieve in your exams.
Active study, for those of you who are interested in the challenge, is achieved by knowing what you
have to cover in the course (in the syllabus, textbooks and tutors will guide you), where to find the
information (syllabus, textbooks, online resources, teachers, mentors, tutors), and how to synthesise
your new knowledge (personal notes, further research, articulating thought).
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I can’t tell you exactly how to study actively as we all have different methods of learning (just ask
Howard Gardner 2 ), but there is plenty of advice on potential studying techniques that might work
for you. All you have to do is to get active about learning, as this concept is an essential part of A
Level work and a successful AICE Diploma.
One last component of learning about your A Level subjects is to show off! The examinations at the
end of the A Levels give you a perfect opportunity to show what you know, so make sure you are
prepared on the day.
Practice exam skills – show your subject expertise and original thought
Once you have completed and mastered the A Level syllabus content, and you are ready to show
your subject expertise and highlight original thought, prepare for the examinations.
Don’t think of the exams as a test – consider them an opportunity to showcase what you know. The
best way to do this is to be prepared!
How can you prepare for the exams? There are as many ways as there are students, but some
suggestions are given here:



Get your syllabus, textbooks and personal notes together.
Create a plan to revise the whole course.
Practice taking past exam papers – either as ‘open book’ tests where you have the answers in
the books or notes and you are looking to get the maximum marks for each question, or as
timed ‘closed book’ tests that you self-assess or ask the teacher to assess and give feedback.
I can’t stress enough how useful past paper practice is for students. It seems that, without fail, all
students that do past paper practice do better in the final examinations because they have developed
the following exam skills:
Time management – knowing how long it will take you to complete the exam questions, whether
it is an essay, short answer response or multiple choice question;
Content coverage – comprehensive understanding of what has to be covered for a particular exam
paper;
Key word recognition – reading the questions carefully and answering exactly what the examiner
expects to read (though adding original thought in addition to what is required can be done);
Taking multiple choice question skills – knowing how to effectively answer multiple choice
questions;
Matching marks to content – looking at how many marks are awarded per question and concisely
matching relevant content;
Recognising question patterns – understanding how to answer similar question patterns;
Specific, concise answers – time is limited, so giving the examiners specific, relevant information;
Giving subject-specific terms and examples – making a point using subject-specific vocabulary,
explaining it and giving an example for further amplification;
Effective writing style – using the art of communication to effectively show subject expertise.
Howard Gardner’s (2006) Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons is the newest book by the developmental
psychologist that introduced theories of multiple intelligences and how different people learn, in 1993. If students are
aware of their personal way to learn most effectively, they should create their own active study plan.
2
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There. That’s the general study guide – now go specialise it
to match your individual learning style.
If you need more specific, one-on-one tutorial guidance,
contact me at Samantha@eddistutorial.com
Good luck on your educational journey!
Samantha Eddis, PhD
IGCSE and A Level Specialist
Eddis Tutorial Services, LLC.
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