Right now, chances are you might be panicking. A bit. We get it. You looked up and suddenly, somehow, it was the final year of your degree. Halls were three whole years ago now. You’re an adult and soon you have to go and act like one. But before that, there’s the final hurdle to overcome – the last push. And you’ve realised that actually, you want to come out with the best grade possible. A First.
But how? Unlike years one and two (and maybe even three, shout out to the year abroad gang) this one doesn’t get a do-over. There’s no leeway you can make up in subsequent terms. It’s all or nothing. But no fear – we asked students who scored that elusive top grade to tell us how they actually managed it. Besides natural born genius, obviously.
“Notecards and mind maps worked best for me”
Anne-Marie studied BA English Language and Linguistics at University of West England
“Although I’d gone into my final year with a First, I had to achieve 70% and over to finish with one in my final year. I had three exams a year alongside a dissertation and regular essays which had deadlines that were very close together.
For my exams, I started revising three months in advance. I found notecards and mind maps worked best for me, and I would memorise them by reading them out loud over and over. I worked in my room because I found even being around others in a quiet library to be difficult. Starting revision early really helped me with achieving my final grade – it gave me time to prepare. I would also advise keeping up your university attendance; that made a huge difference.
As for my coursework, I always tried to submit essays three days in advance of the deadline. I’d plan beforehand and write the introduction last, once I knew how I was going to structure my essays. If I was short of time, I’d focus on the sections worth the most marks first but I usually spent about six hours on each essay.
Ultimately, I’d advise anyone trying to get a First to get the work done first that you enjoy the least.”
“I only revised between 9am-6pm”
Caitlin studied BA African Language and Culture at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
“I went into my third year with a high 2:1 so needed to get a First to finish with one overall.
I did general revision from the beginning of the year; I spent a lot of time speaking and revising Swahili vocabulary – it was my primary linguistic focus, so I wanted to make sure I was on top of every piece of work throughout the year. That way I was prepared for real revision, which I started in February. I’m a kinaesthetic learner (find out your learning style) so would write out translations over and over again until I had a finalised version, using A4 notepads. I also wrote out lots of neat, colourful revision notes which I filed in order of topic.
I used an online learning tool, Quizlet, for my Somali vocabulary practice – you can make digitized flashcards and practice exams. I also drew out mind-maps of key literature themes I had to remember and analyse. My most useful tools were a set of highlighters – I would go over old lecture notes and Powerpoints highlighting key sections to memorise. I’d then transfer those sections to flashcards and discuss them with a friend. For my language exams, repetition and speaking out loud were key. I wrote out key vocabulary until I could recite it without thinking. Then I would talk to a friend using the vocabulary and note the new ways my friend was using it too.
I get quite easily distracted so the perfect revision space for me was sitting by a friend in the silent floor of the library. I couldn’t chat to them constantly but they were there for moral support and coffee breaks. I split my workload according to deadlines and exam dates. I wrote myself a revision calendar for each day, mixing up topics so I covered a full range and didn’t bore myself. I only revised between 9am-6pm, between my classes, and would have a 10 minute break every hour to give my brain a chance to take in everything I was going through.
That would be my key advice for those aiming for a First: give yourself a break and listen to your body. It won’t help if you’re so drained you can barely function. And secondly, plan ahead. Prepare yourself mentally and academically for the mammoth challenge of final year. Buy a calendar and write down all your key dates, set reminders of your phone. My most valuable item during third year was my diary with all my dates to start revision, essay planning, checking and translating.”
“I always wrote the conclusion first”
Tristan studied BA Film, Television and Digital Production at Royal Holloway
“I was straddling a First and 2:1 going into my last year, which was very coursework-heavy. We had two essays a term alongside a final year project – a 15-minute short film – and a dissertation.
I got my short film out of the way during my second term as it was the most logistically difficult aspect. I’d advise tackling anything that has several elements you have to bring together first before you get onto other work, like essays. I’d try and write my essays two days before the deadline, so I had breathing space and could make plans for them prior to sitting down and doing them. I’d always write the conclusion first – that helped me narrow down what references I needed and how I should structure the rest of the piece. To save time, I’d search key phrases in tools like Google Books, which helped me find good quotes. Then I’d go to the library and take the required book out.
I left my dissertation quite late which I don’t recommend; two weeks before the deadline. But because I’d tackled my other essays first, I was free to concentrate fully on it and spent all my time working my way through it section by section, which paid off.
My most useful advice for a First? Plan ahead.”
“Podcasts were revolutionary for me”
Moya studied BA History at King’s College London
“I was on a solid 2:1 going into third year. I wasn’t aiming for an overall first particularly as I didn’t know what the grade boundaries would be but I definitely wanted to do the best I possibly could. I had one exam and about five essays per term with the same deadline date, as well as 10,000 word dissertation.
Unlike previous years, I staggered my essay writing so there wasn’t a last minute dash to get them all finished. I would start about a month in advance of the deadline date – we were given all our deadlines at the beginning of the year – and write them in the library so I had easy access to all of the resources. I’d set myself daily word goals so I kept to a hazy schedule and had something to aim for; saying I’d write 1000 words of one essay and 1500 of another before leaving the library kept me on track. I would find a library ‘spot’ with my friends where we’d hole up for the day with snacks and take regular breaks so we didn’t burn out.
For my dissertation, I looked online at prizewinning dissertations posted on the University of Bristol’s website to get an idea of how writing that got a First was structured and approached. That was really useful – it meant I wasn’t shooting blindly in the dark and knew how to lay out my thesis. I would highly advise cracking the back of your final year thesis before the Easter holidays – it makes your workload during the last term so much lighter.
It was really sunny while I was revising (as it always is when exams are on, natch) so rather than lock myself miserably away, I listened to podcasts and sat outside and then would make summary notes using A4 paper and felt tips in the evening. Podcasts were revolutionary; they imparted loads of really detailed information and analysis about events I had to memorise, but in a way that was very easy to understand and remember. They were probably the most useful resource I used for my revision and I would listen to them several times until I could recall everything.
If I was giving advice on getting a First, I’d say do everything early and then you’ll just about be on time. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in previous years – get started on work a month before you think you need to, and you’ll achieve the impossible: a relatively relaxed final year.”
