What are A leves actually about?

Hi guys! Ok so I am starting to decide what A levels I am going to study but I have absolutely no idea what they are or how many I have to take. I am also curious about BTECs and how they differ from each other.If you have personally experienced either then I am really interested in some info and which one you would recommend. Thanks!

Reply 1

Gapyearstudent54

A levels are exam (with a small amount of coursework in very few subjects) based subjects. A lot of the top unis only accept ALevels and not Btecs. A Btec is, i believe, mainly coursework with a bit of exam, but not as much as an Alevel.

Depending on what you want to do, and what uni you want to go to, depends on the subjects you take. If you're not sure about either, I would say do A levels, and do the 'facilitating subjects' (like history, maths, sciences, English's) and so forth. You can find a list of these subjects online. Personally, I loved my A levels. Generally you do 4 AS in your first year and drop one, this means that if you take a subject you end up hating, you still have 3 subjects you can do and are less likely to do badly :smile:

Reply 2

username2324315

Talk to your teachers about it, they will help you as they know how you learn. Do you have a preference with what exam type you do better in? If coursework seems to get you much higher marks than exams, BTECs would be suited better. However, A Levels are much more better looked upon, and open your doors to way more uni courses/job options (BTECs usually are more specific with what you do, for example Carpentry and Joinery or Media Production) whereas the corresponding A Levels would be DT or Engineering or Drama, Media Studies, English etc.

Reply 3

Rabbit36

Original post by Gapyearstudent54

Thank you so much for this speedy answer! Personally I do much better in practical assessments rather than exams so I am leaning more towards the BTECs although your reply about A levels was actually very helpful. I am actually pretty certain that I want to study Tv and Film Production as a BTEC although once again thank you for the info as it has caused me to rethink my decision :smile:

Reply 4

Rabbit36

Original post by george_c00per

Thanks for the reply and honestly it really helped! :smile:

Coursework is definitely better for me but I am certainly going to think more about this until I decide. What did you take and for what subject? Also how many subjects do you take if you choose BTECs?

Reply 5

1secondsofvamps

It depends on what BTEC it is. I have a friend that does a BTEC Subsidery which is worth 1 A level so it means she does other subjects with it. I do the extended diploma in health and social care which is worth 3 A levels so I don't do other subjects along side it. For the extended diploma there is 9 units in the first year and 9 units in the second year. Each unit will have 2-3 assignments so it does mean that you will constantly have tight deadlines. As it's a practical based subjects I do 4 work placements between the 2 years. Work placement is really good because you get to pick up skills that is useful.

Many people will say that BTEC isn't good but it depends on the individual. If you are certain that you want to go into that career area then a BTEC will be good because you'll be focused on that one subject. Also many employers value the work experience and skills you have.

Reply 6

Rabbit36

Original post by 1secondsofvamps

Ok great! Thanks

Reply 7

username2324315

Original post by Rabbit36

Thanks for the reply and honestly it really helped! :smile:

I haven't actually started my A Levels yet but I've chosen History, French, Spanish, and either Classics (Ancient History), R.S or an EPQ which is like where you present a chosen subject matter which is completely up to you.
There are A Levels such as Art where it's completely coursework based and you sit no actual exams. Others such as Drama, Media Studies, DT, Film Studies, etc. are mixed, so you might have 60% coursework, 40% exam, or 50/50. Even "facilitating" subjects like English, History, or Geography incorporate coursework, but usually to a smaller extent like 20% or even sometimes 30%.

With BTECs, I think (this is a complete guess as I will be going to a college which only does A Levels) that there are different levels of BTECs, where certain ones can only be taken on their own as there is a lot of content to cover, but other ones where you can take maybe like 2-3 different choices which are different. It's also possible to do an A Level and a lower level BTEC, however I am not sure that everywhere offers this.

(Edit: To repeat what someone else has said on this thread, some BTECs are worth 1 A Level whereas others are worth up to 3.)

As I said, this might be far from the truth, but if I can take away something I know for definate, you do more A Level choices than BTEC choices.