Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>

How difficult is it doing 4 a-levels instead of 3?

Heya i'm considering doing maths, further maths, physics and biology in year 13. I was wondering how much work this would be instead of just doing maths, further maths and physics.

I'm predicted around As and Bs in my subjects and have 6 A*s, 4 As and a B at GCSE and am considering applying to oxbridge and russell group universities.

Any thoughts or opinions greatly appreciated! :smile:

Reply 1

CorpusLuteum

You will have no life doing maths and physics already so idk about FOUR!!!

Reply 2

Student403

Original post by CorpusLuteum

You will have no life doing maths and physics already so idk about FOUR!!!

Erm no.. It depends how strong you are at the subjects

Reply 3

Alexion

EYYYY

I had exactly the same GCSE results as you and did Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Geography at AS, then dropped Geography so I just took the Maths/FM/Physics route through to the end of A2.

I think you have to consider whether you can effectively deal with the workload. While an extra A-level can be good, many universities might not take the 4th into account.

Just remember AAA is better than AABB etc.

Reply 4

kelefi

Original post by shibe

I had 7A*s the rest As at GCSE, all As at AS and I took 4 A2s (having just finished them) and i can say that it is NOT a fun thing to be doing. I did chemistry instead of further maths. If it were anyone else I'd say go for it, but you have biology as one of yours. Biology is a massive A2. not hard, just so much to memorise. You wont have much time.

seriously, just drop an A level and go out with friends and have a good social life.

Reply 5

shibe

Original post by Alexion

Original post by kelefi

Since i didn't do the AS biology this year, dropping it means i would have wasted that year. If anything i would drop biology since im applying to do maths at university. Does it matter that i wasted the whole year of biology? :redface:

Reply 6

ETbuymilkandeggs

It's fine. Honestly. Just pace yourself and revise from the beginning of the year. Cramming is hard with 4 subjects - something I had to learn the hard way.

Reply 7

Alexion

Original post by shibe

I certainly know that my AS in Geography isn't going to count to anything in the future. I don't think it's that big of a deal if it means you can do better in the other three.

Reply 8

KazuoTakeda

If you really think you can do it, do it

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

username2452153

I had a hard time doing just 3 A levels (Physics, Maths and Further Maths) and Further Maths went terrible, but that was because I tried to teach myself all of the subjects in 3 months. If you are dedicated enough then you should be alright, but you need to be wise choosing the units for maths as M3 and M4 are really hard and demand much more time than others.

Reply 10

kelefi

Original post by shibe

Original post by ETbuymilkandeggs

It's fine. Honestly. Just pace yourself and revise from the beginning of the year. Cramming is hard with 4 subjects - something I had to learn the hard way.

cramming is very hard with 4 subjects at A2. possible, but hard (for the last month of A2 I pretty much never went outside).

could you do AS biology next year? along with 3 A2 subjects?
I wouldn't call anything a waste of time :smile:

Theres always something you can use that knowledge for.

If in the end you decide to do 4 subjects, by all means go for it! Your uni offer is going to only consist of 3 A2 grades, so if you realise that 4 is too much for you, you can pretty much 'give up' in biology halfway through the year, because it wont matter :smile:

Reply 11

returnmigrant

No University requires 4 A levels. They will only score you on 3 predicted grades. Including Oxbridge..

AAA is always better than BBBB - which is what you risk by doing 4 subjects.

Reply 12

theBranicAc

would doing maths,physics,computer science and economics be too hard?

Reply 13

sunshine774

Original post by shibe

It depends on how much time you are willing to invest in revision, your exam technique, your interest in the subjects and how quickly you are able to learn and recall new material. :smile:

Spoiler

Reply 14

sunshine774

Original post by theBranicAc

would doing maths,physics,computer science and economics be too hard?

It depends on how much time you are willing to invest in revision, your exam technique, your interest in the subjects and how quickly you are able to learn and recall new material. :smile:

Also, it is good that all of the subjects are very maths heavy- because then you can apply your knowledge to your other subjects. :smile:

Remember, if you think you can do it, you CAN do it!

Reply 15

ninjass

I honestly don't think 4 A2's is that hard to manage. However organisation skills is KEY.

Reply 16

Cathymm

I'm also planning on taking 4: maths, further maths, biology and chemistry. I know that all the sciences are going to be harder this year than before but if you enjoy all the subjects you take I think you should be fine! Both maths and further maths are more about practice than remembering loads of facts so its only really two subjects where youll have to remember a load of information,

Reply 17

shibe

Original post by sunshine774

It depends on how much time you are willing to invest in revision, your exam technique, your interest in the subjects and how quickly you are able to learn and recall new material. :smile:

Spoiler

Thanks! Good luck to you too! :smile:

Reply 18

shibe

Original post by Cathymm

Yeah that is definitely true. Best of luck to you as well!

Reply 19

kelefi

To anyone who wants to do 4 A2s, heres some universal advice:

firstly, it is highly unlikely to help you out when applying for university places (I say highly unlikely, because there is a small chance that some universities give you a fall back offer, for example My offer is AAA OR AABB at one university)
secondly, it will be hard. Unbelievably hard. You'll need to learn more, work longer, stay more motivated, and keep organised
thirdly, you will want to die during your exam season. I had a week where i had 1 exam every day. It doesnt get any easier

But, its not all downsides!
you have a whole extra a2 compared to most people, thats more knowledge, more options, and it shows that you are very determined.
It feels good to know that you're doing that little bit more than others, and thats a great booster!

If you decide to take 4 make sure you keep on top of work. That one monday where you think 'ill skip revision today its OK', that snowballs. Soon its every monday, then its the weekends too. Dont let laziness even slightly affect you and you'll be great! Do exam papers early, about 3 months before exams. You'll need the extra time closer to exams for cramming in any weak bits. And most importantly of all, get well acquainted with Monster energy drinks, they will be your significant other for the next year.