extremely stressed about alevels

Teachers always try and pressure students to take their subject for A-Level, you just have to ignore them. If you find English too much time and effort to revise, why would you do it at A-Level? I did my A-Levels two years ago and believe me, all A-Level subjects are a lot harder than GCSE. Sciences are known for being super difficult so if you enjoyed English and truly loved it, doing that instead of one of the sciences might be a nice change but clearly, you don't love it. It is definitely not worth doing it unless you enjoy it. I did English lit A-Level and I got an A* in it but that would not have happened without a passion for the subject and a desire to do well in it. It isn't wasting a talent, English literature isn't exactly a talent, it is a subject which grades you on your analytical skills when applied to texts - that skill you can hone in other ways (outside of A-Levels). You can carry on reading whenever you want. I do English at degree-level now and I adore it but it sounds like in your case, it would be a mistake to choose English.

On the other hand, if you think physics is easier to revise more, maybe speak to some A-Level students currently taking it to see what they think. I didn't do A-Level Physics but I know that a lot of students I knew at the time felt it was quite different to GCSE so this would be worth accounting for.

Instead of focusing on your talents or how to revise for something, focus on what you enjoy. Choose the subject you enjoy more because ultimately you will be more motivated to revise for that. It sounds like the answer is maybe physics but really have a think about it. A-Levels are difficult and a stressful time in your life, but you can make it better by choosing subjects you enjoy

i'm picking my alevels soon and i already know (or knew) what i wanted to take. bio chem maths is 100% yes, epq + physics because i really love it and i want to learn more ab it (yes ik 4 alevels arent worth it etc etc i just cant bare to drop physics i dont care about the workload)

but the problem is i really. really. really. love english literature. like genuinely. but i can't tell if its because my teacher is amazing or because im good at it. i have been getting 29 and 30/30 quite consistently now for about a year and my teacher seems very persistent on me taking alevel english saying how she thinks im one of the most exceptional students shes ever taught during her time here, finding it hard to believe a 16yo wrote it, etc, essentially guilt tripping me into taking it, insisting that ill "waste my talent" if i dont, slipping alevel english into every conversation we have (including class e.g ill get told to read my essay in front of my friends and she'll just bring it up knowing im hesistant to make a decision) . its not just her thats pressuring me to take it. its teachers from the entire department that havent even taught me? but tbf an english teachers are humongous gossipers so i didnt expect much

and i know this makes my english teacher sound like a gigantic prick, but in reality she's really not, she just really wants me to take it lol and sometimes she's self aware that shes making me stressed and calms it down

ok long story short. i love english lit but i can't do 5 alevels + epq that would be crazy. problem is i dont like revising it and it takes up too much time and effort but tbf i would probably find it quite easy and enjoyable, but then again i enjoy anything im good at so maybe i can just start a literature society in y12 instead of forcing myself to do eng lit

either that or i do physics, which im leaning towards because its easier to revise for and i really love how interesting it is. my physics teacher essentially does the same thing as my english teacher btw he just bangs on about how i should take physics so u can see im in a bit of a dilemma here

thought i knew what i wanted to do but i had the choice i would do 5 alevels lol but id get clowned on for that. my friends say oh just do physics you said you'd rather do it so its not that deep. but genuinely the idea of dropping eng lit and "wasting my talent" is really really stressing me out bc it feels like im wasting potential. ok as im writing this i realise how much unhinged guilt tripping the eng department does but yh i dont know what to do anymore i js need someone to guide me thanks or at least make me feel better ab dropping english bc the whole situation has been making me feel horrible

thaaanks

thank you so much for your advice! it's been hard to find out what i truly enjoy as sometimes i think it's just the teacher i like and the feeling of doing well or being called talented. also i was just wondering what is english like at degree level? what aspects of it do you enjoy or dislike?

again thanks for the reply 🙂

i'm picking my alevels soon and i already know (or knew) what i wanted to take. bio chem maths is 100% yes, epq + physics because i really love it and i want to learn more ab it (yes ik 4 alevels arent worth it etc etc i just cant bare to drop physics i dont care about the workload)

but the problem is i really. really. really. love english literature. like genuinely. but i can't tell if its because my teacher is amazing or because im good at it. i have been getting 29 and 30/30 quite consistently now for about a year and my teacher seems very persistent on me taking alevel english saying how she thinks im one of the most exceptional students shes ever taught during her time here, finding it hard to believe a 16yo wrote it, etc, essentially guilt tripping me into taking it, insisting that ill "waste my talent" if i dont, slipping alevel english into every conversation we have (including class e.g ill get told to read my essay in front of my friends and she'll just bring it up knowing im hesistant to make a decision) . its not just her thats pressuring me to take it. its teachers from the entire department that havent even taught me? but tbf an english teachers are humongous gossipers so i didnt expect much

and i know this makes my english teacher sound like a gigantic prick, but in reality she's really not, she just really wants me to take it lol and sometimes she's self aware that shes making me stressed and calms it down

ok long story short. i love english lit but i can't do 5 alevels + epq that would be crazy. problem is i dont like revising it and it takes up too much time and effort but tbf i would probably find it quite easy and enjoyable, but then again i enjoy anything im good at so maybe i can just start a literature society in y12 instead of forcing myself to do eng lit

either that or i do physics, which im leaning towards because its easier to revise for and i really love how interesting it is. my physics teacher essentially does the same thing as my english teacher btw he just bangs on about how i should take physics so u can see im in a bit of a dilemma here

thought i knew what i wanted to do but i had the choice i would do 5 alevels lol but id get clowned on for that. my friends say oh just do physics you said you'd rather do it so its not that deep. but genuinely the idea of dropping eng lit and "wasting my talent" is really really stressing me out bc it feels like im wasting potential. ok as im writing this i realise how much unhinged guilt tripping the eng department does but yh i dont know what to do anymore i js need someone to guide me thanks or at least make me feel better ab dropping english bc the whole situation has been making me feel horrible

thaaanks

Hi I'm in year 12 and I'm a bit of an all rounder so I had a pretty tough time deciding on my A levels. In the end I ended up picking biology, chemistry and Spanish which has worked out really well for me

My first tip is that people always underestimate the jump from GCSE to A level. I can understand how you want your application for uni to be perfect but it's very easy to overcomit and doing too many things can actually cause your grades to suffer. I would recommend doing either the EPQ or a fourth a level because universities view them equally and having just 1 of them is enough to be offered a lower entry for university. I started off doing psychology as a fourth a level and decided to drop it not because I was struggling but because I don't think it's necessary in addition to the epq and I could be spending that time focusing on my other A levels.

Don't let your English teacher pressurise you to take it if you don't want to. My deputy head was also my french teacher and she was very insistent on me taking it to A level. Even though I really enjoyed it and got a 9, I knew that I wanted to study Spanish and I stand by that decision. Your teacher will understand because ultimately they want the best for you.

If you want more of an insight into A level biology and chemistry:

Chemistry I'm absolutely loving. It is a big step up from the gcse and I'm finding that I do have to read ahead and go over things more than once to ensure that I understand it all. I got a 9 in GCSE and found that I understood every lesson first time but with A level a lot of extra work is required to understand it and then do well. You need to factor this in when organising your time

Biology again I got a 9 and it's not that big a step up from GCSE in terms of content, although my biology teacher would often go beyond the spec in our gcse lessons so maybe that prepared me better. The main challenge with biology is applying the knowledge to questions so it's important to factor in time for past papers. There's also a lot of content so it's important to keep up to date and quiz yourself regularly so you don't forget it when mocks come round.


Remember to keep happy and healthy during year 12. If you're up late studying most likely you're overcommiting. Bear in mind you might also want time to do extracurriculars and trips, for example I'm doing DofE gold, going on a Spanish trip and going skiing with school! In total this is quite a bit of time away from studying which is important for my wellbeing and personal development but also doing 4 subjects and an EPQ I'm not sure I would be able to do all these fantastic opportunities.

My best advice would be give all 4 a go and you can always drop one! Chemistry and according to some of my friends physics is quite different at a level so you may find actually one of your subjects is not for you. Also remember that doing too much can actually limit other opportunities available to you.

Wishing you all the best with your GCSES

Caotica ♡