Recommended Reading
When I was working for my A-levels and filling in my UCAS form, my headmaster was always on at me to "read around the subject". It's something that hasn't changed much, and it's still something that causes an awful lot of confusion. Most people wonder why on earth they should waste their precious time reading stuffy articles or ancient reference books when most of what they read will never come up in an exam, and it won't get their coursework done. There just generally seems so little reward for such an effort.
However, with A-levels moving away from being tests of memory towards being tests of your ability to apply knowledge, there is now even more reason to read around (yeah, I would say that, wouldn't I?!) The good news is, it doesn't have to be boring, and it does actually have rewards.
The easiest thing I found to read when I was in this situation was the New Scientist magazine:
This article, for example, is about genetically modified bugs relentlessly mating with as many others as they can, only for their offspring to die, therefore possibly leading to an extinction of some pathogen that attacks humans - it's easy to read, and more than that, it's enjoyable to read - or is that just me? I'm a self-confessed geek, so I'm proably biased. However, it's probably more interesting and effective to learn about genetically modified organisms, biological control and ethics by imersing yourself in a true, cutting edge, almost science fiction article about the subject than by reading the extra bit in your textbook. You are way more likely to remember the information, you are more likely to understand it because you probably engaged with it, and you therefore have more resources at your disposal when you get a question about the ethics of GM in your exam (I say when, because it's a pretty good chance you'll get one at some point).
Your school library probably gets the New Scientist every week, and if they don't, try your local library. Don't try to read it all unless you really want to - you actually do have much more important things to do (but facebook doesn't count). Just skim the contents page until you get to something that catches your eye. And once you've done that a couple of times, look for something that covers the topic you really HATE in class, the topic you find the most boring. It'll take a bit more willpower to read, but it may give you a deeper understanding of why you're learning about it. If you can't find the subject you're looking for in the paper copy, have a look at the website - www.newscientist.com - and search for something. It doesn't matter how old the article is (in fact, the most recent stuff requires a subscription to read, so that may not be possible), just reading a short article about a subject that bores you will improve your understanding, or even how much you care for it. It will (hopefully) suddenly mean something when it comes up in the exam, hopefully feel less futile, and hopefully lodge some of those key phrases in your head that the examiners so love to see.
The actual facts you learn when you read around the subject will probably never come up in an exam. Unless you have an interview for an Oxbridge University, you are unlikely to ever be asked about something so recent that it hasn't been included in your syllabus. The facts are NOT important. What is important is your understanding of them, and your ability to see the bigger picture, how all the facets of the subject come together and relate to each other. Your exams are not about finding the person with the photographic memory, or the person who can regurgitate endless information with no understanding. They are about how you can solve problems, how you can apply your knowledge, intuition and even imagination to a new situation. In short, they are looking for the scientists.
Even though it sometimes seems like they're literally just there to irritate you.
