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how many a-levels?

hi! i'm currently year 11, and i'm choosing my a-levels that i'm going to start taking in september. my dream is to study physics at oxford, and my current a-level choices are math, chemistry, and physics. i was wondering though, do i need to add further maths as a fourth?

at gcses, for context, im currently getting these scores in mocks:
- english language, 9
- english lit, 5/6 (i went through a personal situation at my last literature mock, but i know if i was 100% i could do much better)
- math non-calc, 8
- math calc, 8
- biology, 7
- physics, 8
- chemistry, 9
- rs, 4 (again, situation, and i haven't got my most recent grades back, although i think i've done much better)
- history, 8
- graphic communication, 7
- german, 8
- drama, no grade yet

so i don't think my gcses will be too bad, all in all. but should i do a fourth a-level? please help me decide!

Reply 1

Yipiyap_EthanP

Official Rep

Original post by planets-&-stars

hi! i'm currently year 11, and i'm choosing my a-levels that i'm going to start taking in september. my dream is to study physics at oxford, and my current a-level choices are math, chemistry, and physics. i was wondering though, do i need to add further maths as a fourth?
at gcses, for context, im currently getting these scores in mocks:
- english language, 9
- english lit, 5/6 (i went through a personal situation at my last literature mock, but i know if i was 100% i could do much better)
- math non-calc, 8
- math calc, 8
- biology, 7
- physics, 8
- chemistry, 9
- rs, 4 (again, situation, and i haven't got my most recent grades back, although i think i've done much better)
- history, 8
- graphic communication, 7
- german, 8
- drama, no grade yet
so i don't think my gcses will be too bad, all in all. but should i do a fourth a-level? please help me decide!

Hi there,

Most colleges will advise students who do 4 A-Levels that it is quite a long and tough road because of all the topics you're doing in each subject. That being said, if you are already thinking about A-Level Maths, A-Level Further Maths could be an excellent choice as you're using a lot of the same skills, same mindset/approach to the learning, and there is a little bit of crossover.

At GCSE my maths teacher told us all we were doing GCSE further maths, after not having studied anything on it. We did 1 or 2 lessons on matrices at which point he revealed that 67% of the further maths content is Higher GCSE. So if we can get a big majority of those questions right and a few of the Matrices ones it's essentially a free GCSE. All our class ended up getting As and Bs, with the best of us getting A*s. You could take the same view with the A-Levels of these topics. A lot of my fellow A-Level maths classmates also did A-Level further maths.

Generally, if you do 3 A-Levels and complete these to a high standard, the chances of getting into Oxford will be lower than if you do 4 A-Levels to a high standard. I know a few people who have got 3 A*s and 1 A and haven't been taken forward - so it is quite competitive!

I don't say that to put you off in any way, I think it's a great goal to be aiming for. If you think you are able to keep up with the studying 4 A-Levels then it will put you in a better position amongst other applicants to Oxford and I think you should definitely go for it if you can manage. Maybe ask the college for the specifications on the subject just so you can have a clear picture about the workload.

I hope some of this helps you when making your decision!

Ethan

Reply 2

erin11

Debate & Current Affairs Helper, Study Forum Helper

Original post by planets-&-stars

hi! i'm currently year 11, and i'm choosing my a-levels that i'm going to start taking in september. my dream is to study physics at oxford, and my current a-level choices are math, chemistry, and physics. i was wondering though, do i need to add further maths as a fourth?
at gcses, for context, im currently getting these scores in mocks:
- english language, 9
- english lit, 5/6 (i went through a personal situation at my last literature mock, but i know if i was 100% i could do much better)
- math non-calc, 8
- math calc, 8
- biology, 7
- physics, 8
- chemistry, 9
- rs, 4 (again, situation, and i haven't got my most recent grades back, although i think i've done much better)
- history, 8
- graphic communication, 7
- german, 8
- drama, no grade yet
so i don't think my gcses will be too bad, all in all. but should i do a fourth a-level? please help me decide!

your grades are fantastic!! you seem very hard working and capable so I reckon you could give FM a go alongside your other 3, especially for Oxford as FM as a 4th might help give you the competitive edge for oxbridge :smile:

Reply 3

planets-&-stars

Original post by Yipiyap_EthanP

Hi there,
Most colleges will advise students who do 4 A-Levels that it is quite a long and tough road because of all the topics you're doing in each subject. That being said, if you are already thinking about A-Level Maths, A-Level Further Maths could be an excellent choice as you're using a lot of the same skills, same mindset/approach to the learning, and there is a little bit of crossover.
At GCSE my maths teacher told us all we were doing GCSE further maths, after not having studied anything on it. We did 1 or 2 lessons on matrices at which point he revealed that 67% of the further maths content is Higher GCSE. So if we can get a big majority of those questions right and a few of the Matrices ones it's essentially a free GCSE. All our class ended up getting As and Bs, with the best of us getting A*s. You could take the same view with the A-Levels of these topics. A lot of my fellow A-Level maths classmates also did A-Level further maths.
Generally, if you do 3 A-Levels and complete these to a high standard, the chances of getting into Oxford will be lower than if you do 4 A-Levels to a high standard. I know a few people who have got 3 A*s and 1 A and haven't been taken forward - so it is quite competitive!
I don't say that to put you off in any way, I think it's a great goal to be aiming for. If you think you are able to keep up with the studying 4 A-Levels then it will put you in a better position amongst other applicants to Oxford and I think you should definitely go for it if you can manage. Maybe ask the college for the specifications on the subject just so you can have a clear picture about the workload.
I hope some of this helps you when making your decision!
Ethan

thank you, that does help! i’m planning to do it at a sixth form that’s joint to my school, so i think i’ll speak to my teachers to see what they think

Reply 4

planets-&-stars

Original post by erin11

thank you so much! i think i’ll try for it - the worst that can happen is i’ll drop it in the first year, right? but i agree, i think it’ll help because oxbridge is already very competitive

Reply 5

erin11

Debate & Current Affairs Helper, Study Forum Helper

Original post by planets-&-stars

thank you so much! i think i’ll try for it - the worst that can happen is i’ll drop it in the first year, right? but i agree, i think it’ll help because oxbridge is already very competitive

Exactly!

Reply 6

t_revision

Original post by planets-&-stars

hi! i'm currently year 11, and i'm choosing my a-levels that i'm going to start taking in september. my dream is to study physics at oxford, and my current a-level choices are math, chemistry, and physics. i was wondering though, do i need to add further maths as a fourth?
at gcses, for context, im currently getting these scores in mocks:
- english language, 9
- english lit, 5/6 (i went through a personal situation at my last literature mock, but i know if i was 100% i could do much better)
- math non-calc, 8
- math calc, 8
- biology, 7
- physics, 8
- chemistry, 9
- rs, 4 (again, situation, and i haven't got my most recent grades back, although i think i've done much better)
- history, 8
- graphic communication, 7
- german, 8
- drama, no grade yet
so i don't think my gcses will be too bad, all in all. but should i do a fourth a-level? please help me decide!

(year 13 here studying maths, fm, chem, geog)
when I was in Y11, I wasn't really sure if I'd be good enough for 4 a-levels, but I decided to select further maths too. Your GCSE/mock performance looks strong, and you could probably cope with the workload. Since ur doing like 12 GCSEs (I did 11), I'd say this is a similar workload to 4 a-levels if you are efficient.

tl;dr: TAKE FURTHER MATHS!! It will open doors and you can always drop it later ☺️☺️ esp for oxbridge physics, further maths is probably a very good thing to have.

Reply 7

planets-&-stars

Original post by t_revision

(year 13 here studying maths, fm, chem, geog)
when I was in Y11, I wasn't really sure if I'd be good enough for 4 a-levels, but I decided to select further maths too. Your GCSE/mock performance looks strong, and you could probably cope with the workload. Since ur doing like 12 GCSEs (I did 11), I'd say this is a similar workload to 4 a-levels if you are efficient.
tl;dr: TAKE FURTHER MATHS!! It will open doors and you can always drop it later ☺️☺️ esp for oxbridge physics, further maths is probably a very good thing to have.

thank you!! i'm going to go see my head of sixth form tomorrow and see if she can put me on the course. thank you for encouraging me!

I'm taking 4 😅

Original post by planets-&-stars

hi! i'm currently year 11, and i'm choosing my a-levels that i'm going to start taking in september. my dream is to study physics at oxford, and my current a-level choices are math, chemistry, and physics. i was wondering though, do i need to add further maths as a fourth?
at gcses, for context, im currently getting these scores in mocks:
- english language, 9
- english lit, 5/6 (i went through a personal situation at my last literature mock, but i know if i was 100% i could do much better)
- math non-calc, 8
- math calc, 8
- biology, 7
- physics, 8
- chemistry, 9
- rs, 4 (again, situation, and i haven't got my most recent grades back, although i think i've done much better)
- history, 8
- graphic communication, 7
- german, 8
- drama, no grade yet
so i don't think my gcses will be too bad, all in all. but should i do a fourth a-level? please help me decide!

I would normally say that you are better off doing 3 +EPQ, but as you are aiming for Physics at an elite uni, you should probably give FM a go. Worst case you can drop it and keep the other 3 if you find that you are struggling. FM is not a hard requirement for Oxford Physics, but it is listed as a helpful subject, which essentially means you can get it without it, but it is unlikely, as it is such a competitive course.

You ideally also want to get your maths and physics grades up to 9, although if you are already at an 8, that it very doable.