Start of A Levels

I'm going into 6th form in September (Northern Ireland, England might be different) How different is it compared to previous years? Any ideas on stationery? Also what are the following subjects like: Irish, French Religious Studies? What is the workload like also? Just advice in general also, thanks :smile:

Reply 1

dark-blue

I do A Levels in England so I don't know much about NI, but for Sixth Form in general I found the workload can seem a little more intense at first because more time is spent on fewer subjects. However, it's manageable if you stay organised. :smile:

For stationery, I recommend:
- Writing Pens (i.e. biros)
- A Ruler (guessing you won't really need a pencil/ rubber/ things like a compass based on your subjects!)
- Coloured Pens/ Highlighters
- Lined Paper
- A folder for each of your subjects
- Plastic Pockets
- Subject Dividers (I also like sticky tabs/ sticky notes)
- Hole Puncher
- A Planner/ diary if your school don't give you one
- Memory Stick

My advice would be to be friendly, get involved with school activities, let your teachers help and put the effort in. And, of course, have fun! :smile:

Reply 2

SophieJaane

Original post by IrishChick

Religious Studies is absolutely fine, it's probably the easiest subject I took. Not too much work :smile:

. It may vary for Ireland though

Reply 3

mxliss

Original post by IrishChick

For me the gap between GCSE was pretty big because the work felt so much harder, but you'll get used to it quickly.
As for French, be prepared for a lot of new grammar, tenses and vocabulary. I enjoyed AS French but a lot of people in my class struggled with the grammar rules. We got set a fair amount of essay tasks and reading assignments (about three of each a week for homework and then lots in class) , but I think the workload varies from college to college. Stay organised and you'll be just fine :smile: