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A level subjects

Hi all,
Im struggling with choosing a levels and i need help!
So my sixth form makes me do 4 a levels so these are my combos atm:

politics, history, spanish, english lit,
maths, history, spanish, english lit

i need honest opinions on how people are finding these subjects and how hard it is to get an A*. Advice on how to get an A* would be great as well thank u so mich!

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i can only speak for alevel maths here haha, im taking my a levels this year (maths physics and computer science). maths is pretty hard to get an a*, normally only top 10% get this grade. its not impossible but it means being able to answer all the questions in the exam and be fairly confident about most your answers. it depends what ur current gcse grades are, personally i got a 8 in gcse (2022 grade boundaries so a bit different) and predicted a*, but currently getting a's atm. i mean with the work ethic it definitely is possible, and its not too much content for a level maths, there are alot of stats and mechanics sections so need to be okay ish at physics forces concepts, but easy to do without physics alevel along side.
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
Hi all,
Im struggling with choosing a levels and i need help!
So my sixth form makes me do 4 a levels so these are my combos atm:

politics, history, spanish, english lit,
maths, history, spanish, english lit

i need honest opinions on how people are finding these subjects and how hard it is to get an A*. Advice on how to get an A* would be great as well thank u so mich!
currently doing all AQA history, politics and French - all go well together and love it!
history is not easy to get an a in, but is doable - my teachers refuse to predict people a*
language a levels are notorious for having high grade boundaries overall, but is definitely possible.
in my opinion, pol is probably the easiest out of the three to get an a* in
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by erin11
currently doing all AQA history, politics and French - all go well together and love it!
history is not easy to get an a* in, but is doable.
language a levels are notorious for having high grade boundaries overall, but is possible.
in my opinion, pol is probably the easiest out of the three to get an a* in
what r u predicted? spanish is my second language because my mum is spanish so i don't think it'll go too bad
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
what r u predicted? spanish is my second language because my mum is spanish so i don't think it'll go too bad
ABB
Original post by erin11
ABB
which subject is the a in?
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
which subject is the a in?
politics!
I have all 5/5 uni offers though for politics and French, some of which needed AAB so don't worry too much - whatever you want to do at uni, make sure you have a strong personal statement too, id be happy to show mine if you like :smile:
Original post by erin11
politics!
I have all 5/5 uni offers though for politics and French, some of which needed AAB so don't worry too much - whatever you want to do at uni, make sure you have a strong personal statement too, id be happy to show mine if you like :smile:
yess that would be great if you could show me :smile: which unis did u get your offers from? x
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
yess that would be great if you could show me :smile: which unis did u get your offers from? x
bath, kcl, Manchester, Sheffield, university of London institute in Paris - ill send u a pm
Hi! I did English Lit and Spanish as 2 of my A-Levels (getting an A and a B)
I would say that it depends on your teachers and if you have a library space to work at college and a desk at home if not! In a language A Level, your grades will benefit the more time you put into it! All A levels can be challenging, but if you're passionate about the subject then you will be more motivated to put that time in. I loved these 2 for my a levels, as it's also good to consider what the balance of your subjects will look like day to day. With this, I mean that I was initially interested in doing english lit and lang a level, but now I'm glad I had more of a variety! Best of luck with everything :smile:
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
Hi all,
Im struggling with choosing a levels and i need help!
So my sixth form makes me do 4 a levels so these are my combos atm:
politics, history, spanish, english lit,
maths, history, spanish, english lit
i need honest opinions on how people are finding these subjects and how hard it is to get an A*. Advice on how to get an A* would be great as well thank u so mich!

Hello, I am currently in Year 13 studying Maths and English lit. I'm finding maths the most difficult tbh, I'm predicted to do quite well but the content definitely is a big jump in terms of difficulty between yr12-13 so depends how prepared you are to dedicate time to it because even people who were 'naturally' good at GCSE are struggling more this year. English lit is my favourite subject I take so would 10000% recommend if you enjoy it currently, it is a lot of work but I don't find it very difficult as you get given the texts in the exam and the essay structure isn't too difficult, coursework hasn't ben the best but if you have a good work ethic and get it done early then it isn't too bad! I think taking the two subjects together was also a good choice, I was good at/enjoyed both ends of the subject spectrum at GCSE so am happy I've kept on studying a STEM subject alongside my essay subjects. As for A*, I'd say English is probably easier than maths just because I find the content isn't difficult but that's obviously personal experience but then again the grade boundaries in English are so high because most people do well in it (according to my teacher) whereas maths has relatively low grade boundaries in comparison to my other subjects.
Reply 11
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
Hi all,
Im struggling with choosing a levels and i need help!
So my sixth form makes me do 4 a levels so these are my combos atm:
politics, history, spanish, english lit,
maths, history, spanish, english lit
i need honest opinions on how people are finding these subjects and how hard it is to get an A*. Advice on how to get an A* would be great as well thank u so mich!

From your options, I'm doing Spanish and English lit (currently in yr 12). They're both okay. English lit is pretty easy tbh, quite similar to GCSE. Spanish was more of a step up. I'm not a native speaker but if you are, I imagine it should be fine. If you're not though, your Spanish needs to be of a pretty high standard. You have to watch a film and read a book in Spanish and write essays on them like English lit. So, try to keep it up over the summer holidays if you do decide to pick it. I don't take history, politics or maths so can't help there, sorry.
Original post by islabelle
Hello, I am currently in Year 13 studying Maths and English lit. I'm finding maths the most difficult tbh, I'm predicted to do quite well but the content definitely is a big jump in terms of difficulty between yr12-13 so depends how prepared you are to dedicate time to it because even people who were 'naturally' good at GCSE are struggling more this year. English lit is my favourite subject I take so would 10000% recommend if you enjoy it currently, it is a lot of work but I don't find it very difficult as you get given the texts in the exam and the essay structure isn't too difficult, coursework hasn't ben the best but if you have a good work ethic and get it done early then it isn't too bad! I think taking the two subjects together was also a good choice, I was good at/enjoyed both ends of the subject spectrum at GCSE so am happy I've kept on studying a STEM subject alongside my essay subjects. As for A*, I'd say English is probably easier than maths just because I find the content isn't difficult but that's obviously personal experience but then again the grade boundaries in English are so high because most people do well in it (according to my teacher) whereas maths has relatively low grade boundaries in comparison to my other subjects.

which exam board do u do for english lit? bc im going to do ocr and apparently its hell
Original post by islabelle
Hello, I am currently in Year 13 studying Maths and English lit. I'm finding maths the most difficult tbh, I'm predicted to do quite well but the content definitely is a big jump in terms of difficulty between yr12-13 so depends how prepared you are to dedicate time to it because even people who were 'naturally' good at GCSE are struggling more this year. English lit is my favourite subject I take so would 10000% recommend if you enjoy it currently, it is a lot of work but I don't find it very difficult as you get given the texts in the exam and the essay structure isn't too difficult, coursework hasn't ben the best but if you have a good work ethic and get it done early then it isn't too bad! I think taking the two subjects together was also a good choice, I was good at/enjoyed both ends of the subject spectrum at GCSE so am happy I've kept on studying a STEM subject alongside my essay subjects. As for A*, I'd say English is probably easier than maths just because I find the content isn't difficult but that's obviously personal experience but then again the grade boundaries in English are so high because most people do well in it (according to my teacher) whereas maths has relatively low grade boundaries in comparison to my other subjects.

which exam board do u do for english lit? bc im going to do ocr and apparently its super high the grade boundaries
Original post by Yipiyap_Brooke
Hi! I did English Lit and Spanish as 2 of my A-Levels (getting an A and a B)
I would say that it depends on your teachers and if you have a library space to work at college and a desk at home if not! In a language A Level, your grades will benefit the more time you put into it! All A levels can be challenging, but if you're passionate about the subject then you will be more motivated to put that time in. I loved these 2 for my a levels, as it's also good to consider what the balance of your subjects will look like day to day. With this, I mean that I was initially interested in doing english lit and lang a level, but now I'm glad I had more of a variety! Best of luck with everything :smile:

which one did u get the a in? x
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
which exam board do u do for english lit? bc im going to do ocr and apparently its super high the grade boundaries

I do edexcel, the grade boundaries are really high for me too! idk why they are so bad, considering maths (also edexcel) is wayyyy lower in comparison
Original post by klnlljkklhklll
Hi all,
Im struggling with choosing a levels and i need help!
So my sixth form makes me do 4 a levels so these are my combos atm:

politics, history, spanish, english lit,
maths, history, spanish, english lit

i need honest opinions on how people are finding these subjects and how hard it is to get an A*. Advice on how to get an A* would be great as well thank u so mich!



What are you wanting to do at uni?
Between politics and maths, which of the 2 subject do you think you will enjoy the most/get the best grade in?
Original post by erin11
politics!
I have all 5/5 uni offers though for politics and French, some of which needed AAB so don't worry too much - whatever you want to do at uni, make sure you have a strong personal statement too, id be happy to show mine if you like :smile:


Do you mind telling me a bit more about politics a level, my school offers it and I’m considering it but I’m not really too sure on what you have to do
Original post by Amanda164
Do you mind telling me a bit more about politics a level, my school offers it and I’m considering it but I’m not really too sure on what you have to do

i do aqa politics, things will be different for other exam boards.
basically politics is made up of 3 papers:

UK government and politics

USA government and politics and Comparative politics (UK + USA)

political ideas - socialism, liberalism, conservatism + 1 more that ur school chooses

for UK and USA, you basically learn about the structure of politics in the respective countries through topics e.g the constitution, parliament, political parties, congress, president, pressure groups etc.
All 3 papers follow pretty much the same exam Q format:

3 9mark questions

1 25mark source question

25mark essay question


I really enjoy it !
it is quite content heavy but if you manage your time wisely you should be fine.
(edited 2 weeks ago)
Original post by erin11
i do aqa politics, things will be different for other exam boards.
basically politics is made up of 3 papers:

UK government and politics

USA government and politics and Comparative politics (UK + USA)

political ideas - socialism, liberalism, conservatism + 1 more that ur school chooses

for UK and USA, you basically learn about the structure of politics in the respective countries through topics e.g the constitution, parliament, political parties, congress, president, pressure groups etc.
All 3 papers follow pretty much the same exam Q format:

3 9mark questions

1 25mark source question

25mark essay question


I really enjoy it !
it is quite content heavy but if you manage your time wisely you should be fine.


Thank you!

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