A Month by Month guide to Year 13

An A Level Teacher’s Honest View

Having taught A level Maths for 10 years, one question I hear regularly from Year 13 students is:

Sir, is the whole year going to be very stressful?

The short answer is NO, not the whole year 13 at least.

Below is my personal observation of the Year 13 academic year, from September to July. I have rated the stress level of each month out of five, with five being the most stressful.

(Disclaimer: This is entirely opinion based, drawn from classroom experience over many years. Everyone experiences Year 13 differently, so your journey may not match this exactly, and that is completely fine.)

September

Stress level: ★★☆☆☆

New academic year, new beginning. This month is usually the least stressful month as you have had the summer holiday to recharge, and students are usually feeling hopeful about their studies. Even if that’s not the case, plenty will think they still have loads of time ahead of them.

October

Stress level: ★★★☆☆

You are going to pick up some of the harder topics in A-level maths. You feel the topics are totally stranger to you. Unlike year 12 maths where a lot of them are related to GCSE maths, year 13 is a different ball game. Many topics are new concepts. If you have a hard time picking up the new concepts, consider using my flipped learning resources with self-guided notes and videos to help you pick up the knowledge gap or to learn ahead. https://www.bfmaths.com/notes

November

Stress level: ★★★★★

Similar to October, this month is full of learning new content. Some may find this month even harder than October because everything just gets more intense – the learning, homework, class tests, self expectation…etc and more importantly, no half term break! This month I consider the toughest month, mentally. It’s like the building up to the weekend, it’s not the weekend that give you the most joy, but the Friday evening leading up to the weekend does. Similarly, it’s not the mock month actually give you the most pressure, but the month leading to it. Lots of constant pressure to remind yourself to revise, and this is tough!

December

Stress level: ★★★★★

Mock month. I feel this is the peak point of pressure among the whole A-level. You might think it is the real exam in June that is the most stressful. While this could be true, by the time you are ready to sit in the exam hall to do the real one, you would have lots of exam practice, you will be more mentally prepared than in the December mock. This mock also gives you a reality check on where you are at the moment, especially after mixing with some of the harder topics in year 13.

January

Stress level: ★★★★☆

The stress from this month comes from the exam results, comes with the readjustment of your personal expectation versus the reality. Unless you are achieving an A/A* (this is not how I measure all students' performance), a lot of students would have felt let down by themselves, because I believe majority of people will think they are an A/A* grade of student, but deep down you know it is impossible. If you are happy with your own result, well done. But if you are disappointed, this is the time to face yourself with the reflection questions Have I tried my best? What can I do to improve from this grade?

February

Stress level: ★★★☆☆

I think this is a month for a breather. You got used to the pace of learning in Year 13. Start making a revision timetable that spans across the next few months on planning how to split the days to revise for each subject.

March

Stress level: ★★★★☆

Stressful, but don't forget to enjoy the time you spent with your friends/teachers. This will be the last month of learning in ordinary classroom settings. As much as exam pressure starts to creep in, enjoy the time you spend in the classroom with your friends. Enjoy the school routine (wake up, go to school, have lessons, go home) that you have had in the last X years (fill X by yourself).

April

Stress level: ★★★★★

There's a big chunk of this month being the Easter holiday. You should be have a clear picture of what you should be revising each day. Make the most out of the holiday. I personally recommend no revision of more than 5 hours a day, and use the rest of the time to do something you like that is relaxing (watching TV, hanging out/facetiming with friends, playing video games, sports...etc). Think of it being the preparation stage before you fight a the final boss in games. Get your head into the "zone". You give your best, regardless of what you think might happen in the future. Results are uncontrollable, your effort is.

May and June

Stress level: ★★★★★

Do I have to say anything else? Do your best in the exams. Yes, there will be pressure, there will be stress. Equally, time flows quicker than it was back in December when you had mocks. You get so focused on the next exam, you have to time to feel sorry for yourself. Just keep aiming at "what's next". Good luck.

Who Am I

I am a qualified Mathematics teacher with a decade of experience teaching GCSE and A level Maths, including Further Maths. I have worked with students across a wide range of abilities, from those finding A level Maths challenging to those aiming for the very top grades.

I created BF Maths to support students who want to take more control of their learning.