𝖒𝖆𝖗𝖟...

MARS' STUDYBLR. ╰— y12. uk. seventeen.

about me!

names: mars or merai

age: seventeen

pronouns: she/xe

sexuality: pansexual

hobbies: video games (fallout series, my beloved), crochet, writing, reading, linguistics, history, herpetology, gardening, watching old movies, tennis, fashion

goals: planning on studying molecular biology at university

my a-levels!

biology (aqa)

chemistry (aqa)

classical civilization (ocr)

what to expect!

short daily "blogs" (i.e. ramblings), accountability posts, random study tips, a-level resources, gcse resources.

reblog/like/follow to be mutuals!

sure! also, if you're struggling to take down notes in class, try writing everything in shorthand (ex. if your teacher has a slide that says "the difference between alpha and beta glucose is that, in alpha glucose, the hydroxyl group is below the ring, whereas, in beta glucose, the hydroxyl group above the ring", you can write "diff. -> α vs. β glucose = α - OH ↓ ring / β - OH ↑ ring. if your 6th form/college allows it, you can also ask to take a picture of the board to write down in your own time.

class notes don't need to be neat or structured, you can always write them up/type them up in neat later during a free or at home.

excerpts of my notes below the cut: (the images in the notes are not mine)!

ayy! we almost do the exact same topics except i do greek religion instead of politics of the late republic (i like religion, but i think polr is better in almost every way 💀). congrats on your igcses and good luck with starting your a-levels this autumn!

to answer your question, you have to read the prescribed plays (that's euripides' bacchae, sophocles' oedipus the king and aristophanes' frogs), but you can read other non-prescribed plays and you do get marks for making relevant use of them in your answers. just make sure you don't neglect/completely ignore the prescribed plays, you have to talk about them in your answers!

i think sophocles just takes some getting used to. i'd recommend reading some of his other works (can't recommend ajax enough) to get used to his style of writing. you may also want to listen to his works as audiobook or change the translation you're reading (if you're not already reading the fagles translation, i'd recommend getting it).

aside from sophocles, i'd recommend reading:

hippolytus by euripides (prolly my favourite greek tragedy and has alot of parallels with bacchae).

medea by euripides (it's very different from alot of the surviving tragedies in terms of structure. there's a really good production of it on youtube. the actress that plays medea is perfect).

helen by euripides (a greek tragedy with a happy ending and it features helen and menelaus!)

the oresteia by aeschylus (aeschylus' trilogy is just amazing in every way, but aeschylus is really fond of his choruses which may be boring).

lysistrata by aristophanes (currently reading this and the fact that aristophanes' comedies remain funny 2400 years after he died is crazy).

thesmophoriazusae by aristophanes (produced the same year as lysistrata and just as funny + features aristophanes taking the utter piss of euripides).

hello!!! i haven't been on socials in two months and i come back to three asks ♡! i think a-level ancient history might be even more underrated than classics, i haven't met a single person who does it (and i know two people who do a-level accounting)! y12 has been mixed for me. the first half was a train wreck, i won't lie, but not even because it was a jump from gcses to a-levels, but rather because my teachers are not the best (ex. chemistry teacher not knowing what exam board we're doing, that same chemistry teacher allowing us to handle concentrated ammonia in an unventilated room with no fume cupboard, biology teacher not knowing viruses are not alive, etc.). it also doesn't help that some of the 6th form policies are draconian asf. i contemplated dropping out.

the second half of y12 has been so much better, i've settled into a schedule that works for me, i've met alot of new amazing people and i just feel way more sure of myself. i'll stop yapping and answer your second question.

SO, dealing with bad teachers. i'd say the number one piece of advice i have is that pre-reading is your best friend! before a lesson, i spend thirty minutes to an hour (either at home or during a free period, but usually at home), reading through the pages that cover the topic in the textbook and making quick shorthand notes and drawing diagrams to help me visualise the information. if we're also doing a required practical, i'll spend an extra 15 minutes reading the method on pmt (physics and maths tutor) and maybe watch a video of someone doing the practical.

even if your teacher doesn't do a good job at explaining the information to you or straight up skips over entire topics (as my teachers do 🧍‍♀️), by pre-reading, you already show up to the lesson with an understanding of the content which can be consolidated either in class or at home. even if your teachers are good, everyone should pre-read if they can find the time.

╰— had a few gcse revision resources (incl. online textbook scans, useful websites, etc.) saved on my laptop that i'll never be using again so i figured i'd make a dump post of everything for the gcse class of 2024 and beyond. none of these are mine, i just compiled all of them together. enjoy!