4 or 5 a levels?

Hey,
I'm in year 11 and in the process of choosing my a level options. I definitely want to do maths, further maths, chemistry and economics, however i am undecided about weather i should do a fifth a level or not. I want to go to uni after a levels and do maths or another science subject, hopefully at one of the good universities. I am predicted a's and a stars for all of my gcse's, and think i should be able to get a stars in most of them. So do you think it's worth it doing a fifth a level or not? (if i did a fifth one it would be physics or politics)

Thanks for any help :smile:

Reply 1

Liam 09

Do 4, 5 isn't worth it.

Reply 2

perrytheplatypus

4 As are better than 2As and 3Bs.

If you think you can handle it, I'd suggest physics over politics since you're planning on the sciences.

Reply 3

Bellissima

4, definitely. i took 5 and just dropped one, 5 is not worth the time, "extra credit" (which is pretty much non existant for most unis and courses) and effort, which you could put into doing non-school things and revising.

Reply 4

AnHuman

I did 4.5 first 2 years, and 3.5 + an EP 3rd year. It's better to do fewer if more in any way risk overstretching yourself, a lot of unis seem to just have a 'best 3' attitude towards additional A Levels anyway.

Reply 5

blue_shift86

bit unorthodox, but i think you should do 3 full A levels and an AS. There is no point doing anymore since no university asks for more than 3 a levels and an AS, unless cambridge give the odd weird offer out. my oxford offer was essentially AAA, so i asked myself why the **** i wasted that year doing the 4th A-level. I am lazy so the less work i'd have done the happier i'd have been! Gah!

Reply 6

meatzaper

Original post by benwwww

if you want to study maths or another science in uni it would make sense to study more sciences right?? id say go for 5 then see what you like....

Reply 7

MostCompetitive

I'm doing 6 (inc. f.maths - in my first year) - it is a lot of work and if you are unable to cope with 5 your grades WILL show that. I'd recommend that you do 4 - easier to handle and unis only need 3 full A-levels..

Reply 8

Unkempt_One

Definitely. You could do something like Double Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Economics, and if you don't feel like doing that much in the upper sixth then you could easily drop something you don't like. (It gets a bit tougher with A2s.) 5ASs including Double Maths is a manageable combination. 4As is better than 2As and 3Bs, but 5As is better than either of those, and you also have the benefit of increased flexibility with your options. If you want to do Maths or another Science subject, but are unsure about which specific science to choose, then Double Maths, Physics and Chemistry is definitely advantageous compared to Double Maths and Chemistry in my opinion, as you'll have access to Physics and Engineering degrees.