Summer Study Resources
Hello, everyone! This is the second collab post I will be doing with Jasmine (ughstudyign). We will be talking about what you can do over summer to prepare for your future courses, specifically IB and A-Levels! This blog post will include general tips from the both of us and different stationery you should invest in for a better and more organised experience.
Like anything new, it can be intimidating and scary, but if you are prepared for IB before it even starts then you will be fine! So here are a few general tips to prepare yourself for the summer holiday!
Make sure you know what you are taking. Don't just think you know everything before you go into the course because you won't. So read up on the internet or ask some people who have already done it what information is required. Check out the IBDP website if you want more information about the subject you are doing and what is required of you. Technically you should have already looked into this, but you will have the first 2 months to change your mind if you don't think you can do it. So start preparing now if you want to make your life easier. http://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/ (here is the IBDP link for more information about the courses)
Your subjects are important. My advice to you is to pick subjects you have taken for your GSCE'S/IGSCE'S because then it won't be too much of a shock to you. Not only this, but the IB require you to have background knowledge of the subject. So if you are new to the subject then you will need to ask someone who has done the subject or look up some websites or watch some youtube videos!
Some people will say to buy the IB textbooks BEFORE you start your first year, but I recommend that you don't do this. Your school might provide these so you are saving money however, some of the IB books are useless. Yes, I know. In my experience, the majority of my knowledge came from the websites or textbooks that aren't IB approved. This is because even though they aren't IB approved, they have all the information you need and nothing more. They also don't focus on the TOK aspect and solely focus on the knowledge because let's face it, you aren't going to be doing TOK based questions during your exams, you will be doing knowledge based questions.
Create some timetables. Start preparing your time a few weeks before you go back to school. This is because as soon as you go back you will be bombarded with work, IA's and your EE!
Like in the preparing for IB/A-level's Blog post, I recommend you talk to teachers to see if there is any extra work you can do over the summer to help prepare you. They are the best people to go to if you want to be fully prepared. Ask for a booklet of past paper questions since they are hard to get online (unless you know where to look ;) )
These are just a few tips that I suggest you do before the year starts, but since it's the last summer before the hard work starts I also suggest you relax and enjoy your summer holiday! For IB I wouldn't stress too much during the summer holiday before Year 12 because you need all the relaxation you can get! But also because your preparation will depend on your subjects and how your school has prepared you! Read down below for tips on how to prepare for A-Levels from Jasmine!
Starting A Levels is a bit intimidating but if you prepare for it beforehand, the jump won’t be as big. Here’s what you can do to prepare for A Levels over summer.
● Know what courses you’re taking. I’m not talking about just the names, I'm talking about the content and exams. Find out If there’s any coursework and how many papers you’ll be doing for the exam. Know the exam boards and make sure you have all the information before starting to avoid confusion later on. ● Get an early hold on the textbooks you need. This can give you some time to go through what the content is like, and it can help you assess how much effort you need to put into the subject. ● Go over everything you learnt for your GCSE’s. Yes, you’re done with GCSE’s (or equivalent) but a lot of the content for A Levels is much harder than the content for GCSE’s, therefore if you’re not sure of a small topic at GCSE’s but managed to get away with it for the exam, it is very likely that this small topic would become a huge chapter when you move to A Levels, so fill in any gaps in your knowledge. Remember that your teachers will expect you to know and remember everything you’ve done for GCSE’s ● Go over basics for new subjects. If you’ve chosen to take a new course that you haven’t done before, make sure you go over some basics of the course. You can do some reading from the textbook or even watch some youtube videos (ex. Crash Course) to help you grasp a basic understanding of the course so that you don’t go into the course blind. ● Look over past papers. Get an idea of what the questions are like. Look through the past papers for the exam board you’ll be doing (If you don’t know what exam board you’re doing, then just go with the exam board you’re most familiar with). This will help you understand what to expect throughout the course (essay/non-essay) and the type of questions you’ll need to be answering/ preparing for. ● Do work set by your sixth form/college. Find out if there’s any work set by your school that you can complete over summer, and get some of it done (Don’t do loads of work, just enough to make sure you can go into the new school year with a good basic understanding.) ● Talk to year 13/higher students. Talk to people who have finished A Levels/ first year of A Levels to get an idea of what the atmosphere is like. By doing this, you can get to know what your schedule will be like, what classes are like and an outlook on how the stress to come is like ( remember that everyone has their own opinions so don’t take other people’s opinions too personally, as you may have a completely different sixth form experience in comparison to them. ● Practice skills you need. Skills such as time management, writing an essay, studying effectively, organisation, making a study timetable and so on. This will really help you prepare for the upcoming year and I definitely recommend you do this as you would have figured out these things before starting, and not when there’s a load of work for you to do at the same time. Overall, this may seem like the last summer you have before starting the two years A Level course, and the last summer you’d really get to properly relax, so don’t over do anything and make sure you have fun, but a little pre-preparation won’t hurt.
There are some things that are going to make your transition to A Levels/IB much easier, and some are obvious, but here are some things you’d want to invest in for sixth form: ● Diary/Planner. Getting a planner/diary/bullet journal or anything of this sort is necessary for sixth form as you’ll be given a lot of work which means a lot of deadlines and things to keep up with, and organising your work in a planner will help you adjust to the workload and keep up to date with everything, and having everything written down in front of you will help you avoid feeling too overwhelmed. ● Folders. Make sure you have one big folder for each subject, to keep all assessments, homework and any other important pieces of work, but you don’t necessarily need to bring this with you, you can just leave it at home. ● Calculator. If you’re taking maths or any maths based subjects (physics, chemistry), you will definitely need a calculator. Check with your school to make sure what type of calculator you’d need, as for further maths you will need a graphic calculator. Also check if the school provides these or if you have to purchase it on your own. ● USB/Memory Stick. You’ll be dealing a lot with online work so you may need to transfer files or hand in assignments using a USB so make sure you have one laying around if you’d ever need it. ● Coloring pencils. If you’re studying geography, make sure you have a packet of 30( depending on school requirements) ● Lined/college ruled paper/Note pad/graph paper. These are some essentials you need to have with you (again, depends on your subjects. ● Refill pads. Make sure you have a lot of these, as the amount of writing is endless. ● Folder with plastic wallets/pack of plastic wallets. You’re going to be handed a lot of loose paper on the first day, so make sure you have a folder with plastic wallets( one for each subject, or one big folder with dividers) and make sure you have refill plastic wallets. If you get one for each subject, make sure to get an extra miscellaneous folder for any important papers from your school(unrelated to subjects/ex. Extracurriculars)
Now that we have told you what you need stationery wise, the question is now, where do you buy all this stuff? Well, I have the answer! Woohoo!
You will be able to buy the majority of the stuff from your local supermarket/bookshop however if you want to go the extra mile and be like all the studygram's/studyblr's out there, then here are a few shops you should check out! (Please don't feel pressured to buy expensive stationery! IT IS NOT REQUIRED!)
Kawaii Pen shop Kawaii Pen shop has some cute and affordable stationery that has free worldwide shipping! Want to know where everyone gets their Mildliner highlighters from? Well, this is the place! They have all 3 packets and sometimes they have the rare 4th packet in! Not only this! They live up to their name, all of their stationery is KAWAIIIIIII!!! So if that's your thing then go crazy! Want to know something else? I have a discount code to share with you guys! Use the code "hannahstudies10" and you will get 10% of your final order, along with free shipping! (Disclaimer: I do get a small amount of money every time that code is used.)
Bricksxcastle Bricksxcastle is another shop like Kawaii pen shop! They sell some wonderful looking phone cases, notebooks, sticky notes and bags! And just like KPS, they have free worldwide shipping!
Messy Bunny Messy Bunny also has some cute and adorable stationery that you could use! They have some gorgeous washi tape you could use if you want to add some flare to your bullet journal/notes! Again, they have free worldwide shipping!
They are the top 3 online stationery stores that I would recommend! If you have any more then let me know and I will add them to the list! :D
Share this blog post to help someone else and check out my Instagram (@theflickeringpages), and also check out Jasmine’s instagram (@ughstudyign) and check back next week for a new post. Leave a comment on here or on Instagram on either of our accounts if you have any questions and we’ll try to answer all questions we can, and leave suggestions for what you want to read about next!
Now go buy all the stationery your heart desires! :D
