So-called "Big Jump" between GCSE and AS Level?

I have been hearing teachers and ex-pupils say that AS levels are going to be a real big jump. This scared me and made me reconsider the subjects that I was going to take up (Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics). Now, once I began my AS levels, I found the work extremely easy. I am half way through my AS and am sailing through the course. I am not a super brainy person (I only gained 2 A*, 4 A's, 3 Bs and 2 C's), but now, I am predicted all A's. I believe that if you totally understand GCSE content, then you'll be fine. The so-called "jump", I believe is the ability to understand what students are being taught. In GCSE, you can just get an A/A* without real understanding but when it comes to AS, understanding is a must.

Tell me what you think

Reply 1

~Sam~

15

I think some subjects have a bigger jump than others. Like AS Geography I'm finding is just like GCSE, whereas in English and History (History mainly) I have been finding a big jump

Reply 2

GH

13

thwe big jump certainly happens. You get conditioned to it after 1 term. Like after 1 term, we probably did as much work as in a gcse syllabus.

Reply 3

elpaw

15

I think there's a bigger jump between AS and A2 personally,. but the biggest jump has to be between Alevel and Degree.

Reply 4

GH

13

Apparently, they cover the whole of A level biology in 3 weeks.

Reply 5

jackll

I am really think so, but it also is a small "jump" compare to Asia countries

Reply 6

Eru Iluvatar

18

h_cube3000

I have been hearing teachers and ex-pupils say that AS levels are going to be a real big jump. This scared me and made me reconsider the subjects that I was going to take up (Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics). Now, once I began my AS levels, I found the work extremely easy. I am half way through my AS and am sailing through the course. I am not a super brainy person (I only gained 2 A*, 4 A's, 3 Bs and 2 C's), but now, I am predicted all A's. I believe that if you totally understand GCSE content, then you'll be fine. The so-called "jump", I believe is the ability to understand what students are being taught. In GCSE, you can just get an A/A* without real understanding but when it comes to AS, understanding is a must.

Tell me what you think

Well i have a great understanding of maths, and got A* at GCSE, but i do find A2 (and AS as it happens) maths hard.
For maths at least, i think there is a jump, and also for computing (although that is to do with the type of things we are doing), but i was surprised how easy business was, even compared to GCSE.

Reply 7

gemma1811

6

h_cube3000

I have been hearing teachers and ex-pupils say that AS levels are going to be a real big jump. This scared me and made me reconsider the subjects that I was going to take up (Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics). Now, once I began my AS levels, I found the work extremely easy. I am half way through my AS and am sailing through the course. I am not a super brainy person (I only gained 2 A*, 4 A's, 3 Bs and 2 C's), but now, I am predicted all A's. I believe that if you totally understand GCSE content, then you'll be fine. The so-called "jump", I believe is the ability to understand what students are being taught. In GCSE, you can just get an A/A* without real understanding but when it comes to AS, understanding is a must.

Tell me what you think

I found Chemistry a big jump - i got A*A* for GCSE science, and i walked into the Chemistry exam without having revised, as i found Chemistry so easy - the exam was a breeze and I got a top grade. However I started AS Chemistry and the first topic we did really baffled me - moles! We hadn't really done much for GCSE and suddenly we were expected to know all the calculations and do it, i couldn't (and its not that i'm bad at maths, as i'm doing it for A-level, predicted an A and got an A easily at GCSE). I ended up with a C at AS (just missing the B by 7 marks) so i resat the paper that i had some problems. So there is a big jump with with some subjects, but it really does depend on the subjects and you! Some people said that there would be a huge jump for Maths, but I didn't find it too bad, and i'm still not finding it too bad now - however P3 is a bit of a bitch in places, especially trig! hehe

Reply 8

john !!

14

Maths is a large jump because at GCSE you aren't required to know the reason why you do things. In the first week at A level we were taught why we need to do completing the square and it amazed me. AS Maths isn't that hard, but it's harder than GCSE. It required you to think through a problem and not neccesarity take the first option to solve it. For example, I was doing a past exam question with a picture of a circle, and some measurements in radians. I immediately thought it was trigonometry but when I thought about it it was actually differentiation. It's a small jump really for people who are naturally good at maths, because they understand it from when it is taught. Out that together with good memory and you were born an A student, but for other people like me you need to do a lot of questions to get used to the exam questions. I think for A* students at GCSE, maths isn't a jump, for A students it's a small jump, but for B/C students it's a huge jump, because it extends on everything taught at GCSE in more depth. But I still love it.

Chemistry wasn't that big a jump because I must admit my GCSE chemistry teacher was probably the best teacher I've ever had. I did triple science and a lot of the extension syllabus at GCSE is covered again at A level, although in more depth. I'm very glad I learn mole calculations (especially titrations) at GCSE when I had this teacher, because now it seems very easy.

Physics is very easy to me, and not that large a step up, although some questions do have subtle concepts that you need to grasp to get the marks. I got an A* in physics last year so I wasn't expecting much of a jump to AS level.

Economics, there was no jump. I started fresh and although you need to understand it at an AS level level, you don't directly need any GCSE knowledge to do well at.

Reply 9

jediknight007

10

h_cube3000

I have been hearing teachers and ex-pupils say that AS levels are going to be a real big jump. This scared me and made me reconsider the subjects that I was going to take up (Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics). Now, once I began my AS levels, I found the work extremely easy. I am half way through my AS and am sailing through the course. I am not a super brainy person (I only gained 2 A*, 4 A's, 3 Bs and 2 C's), but now, I am predicted all A's. I believe that if you totally understand GCSE content, then you'll be fine. The so-called "jump", I believe is the ability to understand what students are being taught. In GCSE, you can just get an A/A* without real understanding but when it comes to AS, understanding is a must.

Tell me what you think

Yea, I agree with what you are saying about how it's important to understand everything in AS. If you just do the work you are required to do during the lessons, then you will do well in your AS. With GCSE, I didn't really understand much until after Christmas in Year 11 and then I started attending all the evening revision classes and just crammed as much stuff into my memory before the exams and got similar grades to you.

However, with my AS Levels, it seems that I didn't make enough of an effort to understand what I was revising and I ended up with only ACCC. Still, the so-called 'jump from GCSE to AS' isn't over for me yet. I did GCSE Italian in my first year at college and I'm currently doing AS Italian and I can assure you that it's twice as hard. My teacher now says everything in Italian and when we answer questions (speaking), we have to say it all in Italian.

Reply 10

Unregistered

i disagree with work at degree level being a really big jump from a level... ive heard that a level is actually harder than degree, sounds stupid but yeah

i got 5a's and 5b's at gcse and AABB in Physics, chemistry, maths and computing respectively so it just goes to show

Reply 11

Unregistered

let me rephrase that:
something about a level work being harder than degree as degree work is more diverse and you study a broader range, rather than a level being into a LOT of detail

Reply 12

suz19

elpaw

I think there's a bigger jump between AS and A2 personally,. but the biggest jump has to be between Alevel and Degree.

I agree. I didn't really notice the difference between GCSE and AS Level but sure as hell notice the difference between AS and A2. But I guess it all depends on the subjects you take.

Reply 13

Barny

17

h_cube3000

I have been hearing teachers and ex-pupils say that AS levels are going to be a real big jump. This scared me and made me reconsider the subjects that I was going to take up (Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics). Now, once I began my AS levels, I found the work extremely easy. I am half way through my AS and am sailing through the course. I am not a super brainy person (I only gained 2 A*, 4 A's, 3 Bs and 2 C's), but now, I am predicted all A's. I believe that if you totally understand GCSE content, then you'll be fine. The so-called "jump", I believe is the ability to understand what students are being taught. In GCSE, you can just get an A/A* without real understanding but when it comes to AS, understanding is a must.

Tell me what you think

You dont need to know anything from GCSE, I didnt, and I did fine :smile:

Reply 14

undiscovered

13

~Sam~

I think some subjects have a bigger jump than others. Like AS Geography I'm finding is just like GCSE, whereas in English and History (History mainly) I have been finding a big jump

Yeah i agree, geography is a lot like GCSE. Phyisical is quite difficult in places though.

Reply 15

naelse

15

I thought the exact same thing about the 'jump' to AS last year...

Then I started A2- omigod!

Reply 16

Evil Muffin

1

Does anyone other than me really hate all this educational 'vocabulary'? If you take a look at assessment objectives, they're full of this pretentious, nonsensical rubbish.

Reply 17

john !!

14

Does that have anything to do with the topic subject? :confused:

Reply 18

Kirki

1

I found a reasonable jump between GCSE and A-Level. Only really in the first few weeks, though. After you've done one or two essays you realise the standard needed and adjust accordingly.
Looking back on GCSE, though, I can see that there was a jump. It may have been easy for some people to adjust, but the adjustment was still there - and it was quite a big gap.

Reply 19

lgs98jonee

2

waht big jump?

So-called "Big Jump" between GCSE and AS Level?

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