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Doing 4 A Levels

I am currently in year 12 doing 5 AS levels in history, English literature, religious studies, maths and government and politics.

I know I will drop maths after my exams, and I also have the opportunity to drop one other (which would be politics).

Does anyone who has done more than 3 A2 levels know how difficult this is? Or does anybody know whether dropping from 5 to 3 would be detrimental to my university application? I know it's all based on grades etc, but I don't want it to look as if I haven't coped, which I fear would hinder my chances for the best unis.

Any advice would be really helpful!

Reply 1

SophieGloria

I do four A levels: English literature, history, fine art and classics. I am not going to lie to you, I have found it very difficult. However, this is primarily due to art and the sheer amount of work that needs to be done, as it is all coursework based. Overall, I'm really glad I have taken four a levels. Our college always warned us that it is better to take three a levels and achieve AAA than to take four and achieve AABB. Nevertheless, I don't really feel as though the extra subject has been detrimental to my others, so it all depends on the amount of work you can cope with.

You do not, however, need to do four A levels. The majority of universities will ask for only three and perhaps with the exception of Oxbridge, having three a levels will not hinder your chances.

I'm not sure if your college would let you do this, but at mine you could see how you managed with four a levels for the first month and then drop one if need be afterwards. Universities never have to know. :smile:

Reply 2

emma2013

I do 4 A-levels: Latin, History, Politics and German. I find doing four time consuming, but I don't think doing a 4th has impacted upon my other three, and in retrospect, if I had dropped one I would frankly have just wasted the resulting extra free periods I had. If you like all your subjects, go for it, as you can always drop one later, and having 4 gives you a bit of extra wiggle room if you're applying for uni (you can mess up one and it not be a problem) :smile:

Reply 3

mirandaandhector

I did 4 A levels: History, Geography, Biology and Philosophy. I did not find it that difficult if you manage time well and keep on top of things: I got A*A*A*A whilst holding down a part time job (including do exams relating to that), student leadership responsibilities, learning to drive and still having some time for hobbies so it is doable, as long as you are prepared to work hard!

I also agree that it takes a bit of the pressure off: whilst my firm (Durham) specified subjects to meet their offer, I was able to choose a higher insurance offer (St. Andrews) than I otherwise might have done as I could have taken the required grades from any 3 of the 4

Hope this helps :smile:

(edited 10 years ago)