What are Chemistry, Biology, Maths and English Literature like at A-Level?

i do edexcel and i do all 4 of those subjects and i find them all really interesting, but i dont do any coursework for any of them

English Lit is god awful-from someone who got 100% in their GCSE and absolutely loved GCSE

Maths is so good and I love it It's very interesting and quite fun! Also at AS level, the step up from GCSE isn't too much

Maths is really good, C1 is fairly easy if you understood most things from GCSE, it's just a small step up & C2 a little bit harder.

Is English Lit similar to what you do at GCSE just a lot more complex or is it entirely different?

It's similar to an extent but I would say very different. You do work more in depth and analysing characters, themes and literal devices, most of it is essay based tbh and it's a lot of work, but if you enjoy it and revise then it's not as difficult, but that's just my opinion. And yes, it's way more complex I would say, but I still love it

I teach A-Level chemistry/biology ... What would you like to know?

What exam board do you teach, if you don't mind me asking? If I do decide I will be doing OCR at A-Level (the same board I'm doing now). I guess I'm wondering if there is a lot of controlled assessments because this is where I drop marks I think (I'm not entirely sure but I prefer the exams to the CA). Also, is biology mainly plant based as this is what I have heard from other A-Level students and I absolutely hate B4 in GCSE which is all about plants. Finally, do you think that taking 4 A-Levels will affect my grades in these subjects and do you think that the 4 I've stated are a weird combination (I know they are but I really want English as a back up option)


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I teach AQA now but I've done OCR in the past, there isn't a lot of difference between them anymore.

By the time you do A-Level Chemistry the only CA you will have is the 12 practicals you will have to complete. OCR practicals tend to be more mathematical and thermodynamic bases, whereas AQA is more organic chemistry.

Chemistry A-Level is VERY difficult but if you get it then you will find it extremely interesting. Out of biology and chemistry, chemistry is by far too the most intense and time consuming module.

Biology -- there is a considerable amount of plant biology but not as much as there was. The new curriculum now includes the human genome and gene expression in a lot more detail.. This has reduced the amount of plant biology.

I think maths will help you with biology and definitely chemistry and all three go well together. English is another good subject and it would be good to do at AS level but taking it to A-Level with all the others would be way too much!

Hope this helps


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Thank you, this has really helped! Unfortunately, the 6th form I'm going to doesn't offer English at AS level so I'd have to drop maths. I'm going to continue thinking about chemistry because it does sound hard.

In regards to the 12 practicals, do you have to complete the write ups in the same format with the research, hypothesis, method, etc?


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If you don't mind me asking, why don't you like it at A-Level? Is it hard, boring or? Thanks 😊


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I absolutely loved A level Biology and English Literature. Both were really enjoyable. Happy to answer any specific questions you may have

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