All A-levels in Year 12?

Following on from what jneill said, if you want to do maths at Cambridge you'd also need STEP, which would turn an already difficult workload to pretty much unmanageable if you want to get a decent grade in, it costs you nothing to spread your A levels over two years


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Could do, could do.

But how will you feel if you mess up your A-levels (A-levels are no joke, and it's hard to understand how difficult they are without actually doing them) and instead have to spend your 'gap year' desperately cramming for resits, without a decent university place?

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Be much less likely to get an offer from universities because you don't have internal exam/AS results or predicted grades. OP, I know you're interested in Oxbridge. If you're going to do your A-levels in one year, you'll have to apply in less than 3 months. Are you ready to apply to Oxbridge in less than 3 months? Most of us have already started the UCAS process.


You'll really be putting the odds against yourself for really not much benefit.

I get that A-levels are hard, but from my perspective I'm doing the easiest ones to complete quickly - Maths, Further Maths, French and Spanish (I'd be sacrificing physics, which I was going to do, in order to ease the workload). None of my subjects requires large amounts of learning like History, Geography, etc.

Also, the Head of 6th form at my school (deals with university admissions, goes to conferences, etc, so knows a lot about it) disagrees with the idea that I'd be much less likely to get a university place if I applied in Year 12. After all, some schools don't even get pupils to do their AS exams until Year 13 anyway (and then have to do AS and A2 in one year, like I'd be doing). Apparently, they'll look at my GCSEs instead (predicted 11A*). Also, the fact that I come from a mediocre comprehensive school will work in my favour, even if I don't do as well as I could have in my exams.

She also said that I could reapply if I didn't get an offer - apparently, having already applied wouldn't put me at a significant disadvantage.

Cambridge.

I also think I will find a college I would want to apply to and call someone there to discuss my plans and what they think of them.

Cambridge.

I also think I will find a college I would want to apply to and call someone there to discuss my plans and what they think of them.

I get that A-levels are hard, but from my perspective I'm doing the easiest ones to complete quickly - Maths, Further Maths, French and Spanish (I'd be sacrificing physics, which I was going to do, in order to ease the workload). None of my subjects requires large amounts of learning like History, Geography, etc.

(thanks for the tag above, Ayman)

Was all for you doing it till I read this. You're giving up a subject you were going to do simply to ease your workload, that's shameful in my opinion and makes me think you're better off just following the normal route.
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All in all, seems like you're in a bit over your head and you'd be better off just following the status-quo.

I still may do Physics, but if it looks like the workload is going to be too much, I'll do Spanish instead. It depends on how quickly and comprehensively I can cover Maths and FM. Personally, I don't think that decision is shameful. However, Physics is, apparently, an advantage if you're applying for Maths, so I might reconsider.

Also, where do they state that if you take the exams early, they won't consider you any differently?

I haven't looked at how difficult STEP is likely to be, but that's definitely something I will do.

I could also then take on 5 A-levels in total and do FM, Physics and Spanish as normal, with AS in Y12 and A2 in Y13.)

This is exactly why I think you shouldn't be trying to do anything too fast. You're basing your subjects on what's easier instead of what you're more interested in... you're going to have trouble with that attitude at Cambridge.

I've looked at some STEP papers. Could you estimate how much extra work it's likely to be (compared to the work needed for an AS/A2 maths module)? To me, it seems difficult, but not impossible.

(thanks for the tag above, Ayman)

Was all for you doing it till I read this. You're giving up a subject you were going to do simply to ease your workload, that's shameful in my opinion and makes me think you're better off just following the normal route.

Second of all, you keep entertaining the idea of 'resits', that is not an option. Sure, resitting one or two modules isn't such a big deal, but the way you're coming off, it sounds like you think if you mess up, you get a more-or-less another shot at it the next year, this is not the case; Cambridge clearly states that if you take the exams early, they will consider you as thought you haven't, so if you mess up by taking everything early, that's on you - no second chances there. Is it worth it?

Thirdly, are you applying for maths? From the above comments, it seems like you are, in which case, doing the A-Levels are the least of your worries, indeed, I'm fairly sure the vast majority Cambridge mathmo can get A*A*A in M/FM/(some third subject) in a one or two months with very little ease and worry, the only problem would be STEP, again.

All in all, seems like you're in a bit over your head and you'd be better off just following the status-quo.

I've looked at some STEP papers. Could you estimate how much extra work it's likely to be (compared to the work needed for an AS/A2 maths module)? To me, it seems difficult, but not impossible.

First of all, it is extremely important for you to make up your mind as soon as possible whether you think you can manage 4 A-levels + STEP in one year, and that would mean that you will have to be confident in managing top grades by next year, and re-takes must not be an option to you. Secondly, if you really do think that you can make it, you would need to start this summer and try to complete AS content until September (start with A-level Maths since you need to start STEP prep as soon as possible).

I've gone through a decent amount of maths and I'm pretty confident with a lot of AS and A2 Maths now. But I'm slightly unsure as to whether or not I should do the modules that my school does, or do different ones - Cambridge say they prefer you to do pure maths and mechanics modules with as little statistics and discrete maths as possible. Any idea whether I should choose S1, D1 and S2 for FM (the stats and discrete maths modules my school does), allowing me to go to some lessons and get more teacher support, or different ones which Cambridge would prefer?

I've gone through a decent amount of maths and I'm pretty confident with a lot of AS and A2 Maths now. But I'm slightly unsure as to whether or not I should do the modules that my school does, or do different ones - Cambridge say they prefer you to do pure maths and mechanics modules with as little statistics and discrete maths as possible. Any idea whether I should choose S1, D1 and S2 for FM (the stats and discrete maths modules my school does), allowing me to go to some lessons and get more teacher support, or different ones which Cambridge would prefer?

Take as many mechanics modules as you can, as Cambridge does indeed prefer them over statistics modules.