[Mill13]

I've chosen my A Level options and have chosen to do Further Maths which my sixth form only offers as a fifth option, so I'm taking 5 AS Levels- anyone who has taken 5/ knows anyone who has, is it a lot tougher than taking 4? Would you say there is a significant difference?! Thanks

[oli_G]

Not really. Just have to do slightly more work.

[LeeM1]

It's exactly 1 AS level harder than 4 AS levels.

[britchick]

It depends how well you can manage your time and prioritise your studies. One of my friends (cleverest girl in the year) did 6 AS levels (albeit one was sat in year 11) and she got all As, but we're talking about a girl here who got 11A*s and 1A at GCSE... And obviously if you're doing subjects that complement Further Maths that would help (atm at A2 she does Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics which mostly come together quite well). You will need to devote a whole lot of time purely to your studies and may have to sacrifice your social life somewhat. And you will need a hell load of motivation to get you through it.
So, if you're academically capable, can cope with lots of pressure and stress, and you'll be doing subjects that go well together that you enjoy, why not go for it. But perhaps speak to your teachers or careers advisor first to see if they think you'd be a suitable candidate for 5 AS levels - it's a huge task!

[Einsteinium]

I am doing 5, and it is possible to get 5 As if you are an organised person.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Einsteinium)
I am doing 5, and it is possible to get 5 As if you are an organised person.

Or even if you're not It's not really much of an issue. When I look at people doing 4 AS's I think "what?! they never have ANY work to do" meaning that what I have it just 'standard workload'. 4 AS's to me seems like nothing at all. It's worth nothing that after doing 10-12 GCSE subjects, anything below 6 is a huge relief in terms of organisational stress.

[Veni Vidi Fugi]

Erm, unless you really love the subject, why burden yourself with a fifth AS? I think it would be far more advisable to take four, and focus on doing as well as you can with them. Properly high UMS scores in four are going to get you into better places than 5 scraped A's, and I don't know of any uni that makes offers that need 5 subjects.

Of course, if you want to do engineering, maths, physics or natsci, you probably do need further maths.

[Einsteinium]

(Original post by Junaid96)
Or even if you're not It's not really much of an issue. When I look at people doing 4 AS's I think "what?! they never have ANY work to do" meaning that what I have it just 'standard workload'. 4 AS's to me seems like nothing at all. It's worth nothing that after doing 10-12 GCSE subjects, anything below 6 is a huge relief in terms of organisational stress.

Well you are right! I am doing Maths, Further maths, Chemistry, physics and BIOLOGY, and to be honest biology takes more than 50% of my time when I am working, which is why I am dropping biology next year.

[Mill13]

(Original post by LeeM1)
It's exactly 1 AS level harder than 4 AS levels.

Thanks for that, did make me laugh

(Original post by britchick)
So, if you're academically capable, can cope with lots of pressure and stress, and you'll be doing subjects that go well together that you enjoy, why not go for it.

6!? That's crazy, wow! Ahh thanks that's really useful. I'm taking Maths, FMaths, Physics & Econ too, so the whole complimentary thing should hopefully help. I can generally cope with stress but will need to find more motivation from somewhere Thank you

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Einsteinium)
Well you are right! I am doing Maths, Further maths, Chemistry, physics and BIOLOGY, and to be honest biology takes more than 50% of my time when I am working, which is why I am dropping biology next year.

Biology? ahahaha...ha (just funny how much effort it seems to be )

(Original post by Mill13)
Thanks for that, did make me laugh

6!? That's crazy, wow! Ahh thanks that's really useful. I'm taking Maths, FMaths, Physics & Econ too, so the whole complimentary thing should hopefully help. I can generally cope with stress but will need to find more motivation from somewhere Thank you

Hey I do those subjects, plus German, and it's just fine - I'm expecting straight As, and that's coming from a lazy git

[Mill13]

(Original post by Veni Vidi Fugi)
Erm, unless you really love the subject, why burden yourself with a fifth AS? I think it would be far more advisable to take four, and focus on doing as well as you can with them. Properly high UMS scores in four are going to get you into better places than 5 scraped A's, and I don't know of any uni that makes offers that need 5 subjects.

Of course, if you want to do engineering, maths, physics or natsci, you probably do need further maths.

I agree, I'd rather focus on 4 but my school only allows it as a 5th unfortunately. I want to economics so was advised to take FMaths as it is preferred by a lot of Unis

[Mill13]

(Original post by Junaid96)
Hey I do those subjects, plus German, and it's just fine - I'm expecting straight As, and that's coming from a lazy git

Ooh cool! How do you find them? I have History as my 5th option but I'm considering changing it to French, I'm just worried about taking a language- do you find German difficult?
Haha thanks for the encouragement, you must be a genius!

[alex_hk90]

(Original post by Mill13)
I'm taking Maths, FMaths, Physics & Econ too, so the whole complimentary thing should hopefully help. I can generally cope with stress but will need to find more motivation from somewhere Thank you

I did those four as well (and another), and carried them all through to A2. The only really stressful times were coursework deadlines. It's certainly doable.

[The Polymath]

(Original post by Mill13)
Ooh cool! How do you find them? I have History as my 5th option but I'm considering changing it to French, I'm just worried about taking a language- do you find German difficult?
Haha thanks for the encouragement, you must be a genius!

I'll be honest, German was my easiest subject by far. I did next to no work for it, other than looking up grammar points or bits of vocab, and even that was all out of interest rather than necessity. I prepped for the speaking, but otherwise I loved it. History may end up being too much for you - it's a lot of work from what I've heard, and as a 5th subject it might not be suitable. Languages have a low workload if you're good at them, and are really enjoyable, provide a nice break from 'normal' lessons, and of course, you get to learn a language! You also get so much rep from other students saying "omg GCSE was insane how the hell do you do A-level" The question is, how good are you at languages? I took French GCSE and was going to take it for A-level alongside German, but decided that I'd be better off with a broader set of A-levels.

(Original post by alex_hk90)
I did those four as well (and another), and carried them all through to A2. The only really stressful times were coursework deadlines. It's certainly doable.

You had coursework?? What sort of stuff was it?

[britchick]

(Original post by Junaid96)
Biology? ahahaha...ha (just funny how much effort it seems to be )

No joke I probably spend more time on Biology than I do on Psychology and Physics put together.

[alex_hk90]

(Original post by Junaid96)
You had coursework?? What sort of stuff was it?

Physics: experiment in AS and research project in A2. Computing: programming exercise in AS and long project in A2 (this was the worst, at over 100 pages of write-up and another 200 of code). Individually they weren't too bad, but one January I had deadlines for two courseworks and exams coinciding, which culminated in me falling asleep halfway through one of my Economics exams.

[Mill13]

(Original post by Junaid96)
History may end up being too much for you - it's a lot of work from what I've heard, and as a 5th subject it might not be suitable. Languages have a low workload if you're good at them, and are really enjoyable, provide a nice break from 'normal' lessons, and of course, you get to learn a language! You also get so much rep from other students saying "omg GCSE was insane how the hell do you do A-level"

Ahh that's interesting- I've just had people saying languages are ridiculously hard since they're not exactly 'revisable'. I'm on course for an A* in French (almost full marks in writing/speaking and A*s in practise reading/listening papers) but I wouldn't say I had a flair for it, but I would LOVE to be able to speak fluently! As for history, I am worried about it, such a huge amount of work from what I've heard- I really enjoy the actual learning but I can imagine the exam prep/revision getting extremely difficult.

(Original post by alex_hk90)
I did those four as well (and another), and carried them all through to A2. The only really stressful times were coursework deadlines. It's certainly doable.

What was your other? Wow, 5 A2's must have been intense!

[alex_hk90]

(Original post by Mill13)
What was your other? Wow, 5 A2's must have been intense!

Computing - exams easy but coursework long. A2s weren't too bad, as we did January exams so by June I didn't need many marks to meet my offer (there was no A* back in my day). So AS was the important year (to get the required UMS). And on top of that I did Young Enterprise during AS year, which would often take up as much time as all my subjects combined. Hence A2 year was quite relaxing in comparison.

[Mill13]

(Original post by alex_hk90)
A2s weren't too bad, as we did January exams so by June I didn't need many marks to meet my offer (there was no A* back in my day). So AS was the important year (to get the required UMS). And on top of that I did Young Enterprise during AS year

Ahhh, makes sense, you must have been extremely motivated to get through all that! We're being offered the chance to do Young Enterprise- I'd love to do it, did you enjoy it? Do you think it was worth the time you put in (a lot by the sounds of it!)?

[The Polymath]

(Original post by britchick)
No joke I probably spend more time on Biology than I do on Psychology and Physics put together.

Chin up, mate

(Original post by alex_hk90)
Physics: experiment in AS and research project in A2. Computing: programming exercise in AS and long project in A2 (this was the worst, at over 100 pages of write-up and another 200 of code). Individually they weren't too bad, but one January I had deadlines for two courseworks and exams coinciding, which culminated in me falling asleep halfway through one of my Economics exams.

Smooth did you resit then?

(Original post by Mill13)
Ahh that's interesting- I've just had people saying languages are ridiculously hard since they're not exactly 'revisable'. I'm on course for an A* in French (almost full marks in writing/speaking and A*s in practise reading/listening papers) but I wouldn't say I had a flair for it, but I would LOVE to be able to speak fluently! As for history, I am worried about it, such a huge amount of work from what I've heard- I really enjoy the actual learning but I can imagine the exam prep/revision getting extremely difficult.
Well it depends entirely on your ability really. I was like you with French - I got 98% in the GCSE, but didn't feel like I had a flair for it. With German, however, I just knew I was regularly marking/correcting students' essays and oral scripts in lessons instead of writing my own



What was your other? Wow, 5 A2's must have been intense!

(Original post by Mill13)
Ahhh, makes sense, you must have been extremely motivated to get through all that! We're being offered the chance to do Young Enterprise- I'd love to do it, did you enjoy it? Do you think it was worth the time you put in (a lot by the sounds of it!)?

Don't do it. It's a complete waste of time, trust me. I didn't do it, but the YE group became the laughing stock of the year seriously, it's got nothing to do with Economics - it's for Bus Studs people.