Iâve had quite a few of you message me asking for tips about studying Biology. These are a few things I do/find helpful to me, and I hope this post is useful to you too :)
I definitely think that before you even pick up a pen you should read the entire section/chapter you are about to make notes on. Reading the information once through means that it will be easier for you to summarise information better in your own words. It will also mean that you donât repeat yourself at all, if you have a clear idea of what youâll be making notes on.
Definitely use diagrams and flow charts etc. when making notes. There is a huge volume of information when it comes to biology, so itâs useful to display it in different ways, or manage it more easily when contained in a flow chart/table etc.
Some of the processes you learn about in biology can be quite difficult to grasp or understand. Sometimes you wonât understand something in your textbook or revision guide, but you might read a really clear summary online which makes it âclickâ in your head - so donât rush to write down the first info you read on something, take time to look at a range of resources.
It is so important to learn all the new key words and terminology in biology, with accurate definitions. There are a lot of key words that you need to be able to understand if they;re used in a question, and to be able to use them in your answers (e.g. lysosome, exocytosis, triglyceride)
You could start a keyword list/glossary yourself in a notebook, or store definition in a word document and continually add to them throughout your course. Itâs whatever works best for you, but it is important that you learn them understand them, and can use them in context in exams.
When revising for biology I find that making mind-maps are really useful. It is easy to put a topic like âcarbohydratesâ in the centre and then jot down all the relevant topics under that heading (polysaccharides, binding and structure, uses etc.) You can do this for each topic you study; and you can make detailed colourful ones using the textbooks, or make quick/scribbly ones to test yourself before a test.
Using diagrams when studying biology is so so helpful, because a lot of the processes and concepts you study can be explained easily in diagrams. For biochemistry you can draw out displayed formula of reacting biological molecules, you can draw diagrams of the heart and lungs for human biology, or diagrams of the xylem and phloem for plant biology. If you a visual learner this is especially useful.
I find that one of the best ways to study and revise biology is to do past exam papers/questions. Even if you are in year 12 now (so doing the new A-Level and donât have any past papers) definitely use archive papers, because a lot of the information is still relevant.Â
Try out some questions on the topics you are currently studying, and then by looking at the mark scheme you can start to recognise what exactly the examiners are looking for when they ask particular questions.
Through doing pat papers you can improve your exam technique; in terms of time management for the exam, as well as little things like knowing what to do when you see a command word in a question (explain, suggest, describe etc.)
STUDYING BIOLOGYÂ ONLINE:
The GCSE Guide - This youtube channel has loads of short/snappy videos on biology (and the other sciences) which are around GCSE level.
Youtube is generally a really good resource, so just look up whatever youâre studying at the moment and youâll find loads of useful videos
Biology Guide - There are loads of general biology notes on this website; as well some notes specific to the AQA syllabus
Pass My Exams - This site has clearly set out notes on loads of different topics: human and plant biology, biochemistry etc. pretty much anything you could need
Scool Revision - This has revision notes and other resources (flashcards etc.) for Biology GCSE and A-Level
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