TIPS
There are two main aspects that make A Level Biology challenging:
- Content
- There is a lot of content to memorise, some of which is not necessarily intuitive.
- Follow the specification (making sure you’re using one that’s up to date!) – if you’re aiming for top grades, you should know every specification point
- Exam technique
- Even knowing the content does not guarantee you’ll always pick up marks due to how strict the mark schemes can be.
- Do plenty of exam questions and review the mark schemes thoroughly to figure out the terminology they are looking for
OCR
General Resources
- Specification: https://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/687834-download-a-level-specification.pdf
- Past Papers: https://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/as-and-a-level/biology-a-h020-h420-from-2015/assessment/
- Anki Deck (recommendation): https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1731993352
Useful links:
- SaveMyExams (A Level Notes): https://www.savemyexams.com/a-level/biology/ocr/17/revision-notes/
- Physics And Maths Tutor: https://www.physicsandmathstutor.com/biology-revision/a-level-ocr-a/ – questions split by topic
- Youtube Channels:
- Miss Estruch OCR Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSB1l_UT7yQ&list=PLOfYYgIrtVMiZ6Spfc95BoLJyVmJ2t5qz&ab_channel=MissEstruch
- Miss Estruch is primarily an AQA Biology Teacher but this playlist is good for recap.
- Miss Estruch OCR Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSB1l_UT7yQ&list=PLOfYYgIrtVMiZ6Spfc95BoLJyVmJ2t5qz&ab_channel=MissEstruch
The OCR A Level Biology textbook is generally not worth the money