The Student Room Group

Starting A levels early

Hey! I'm starting sixth form in sept and was just wondering if anyone else is doing AS levels a year earlier than normal (i.e at year 11 instead of year 12). Since I've finished my igcses in year 10, I'll be starting AS levels in Sept - is anyone else doing a levels early too? I can't be the only one! :tongue:
Original post by AppleBlossoms
Hey! I'm starting sixth form in sept and was just wondering if anyone else is doing AS levels a year earlier than normal (i.e at year 11 instead of year 12). Since I've finished my igcses in year 10, I'll be starting AS levels in Sept - is anyone else doing a levels early too? I can't be the only one! :tongue:


am i correct in assuming that due to your intellectual ability, you finished your igcse's in yr 10 and so are proceeding with your as levels in yr11? if so then that is some achievement. one piece of advice, use your summer holidays to do some work, sounds crazy bit try to get even more ahead of the game than you already are
Original post by Ilovemaths96
am i correct in assuming that due to your intellectual ability, you finished your igcse's in yr 10 and so are proceeding with your as levels in yr11? if so then that is some achievement. one piece of advice, use your summer holidays to do some work, sounds crazy bit try to get even more ahead of the game than you already are

Thanks! English lit is one of my choices so I'll probably start reading the books already, in the summer hols :smile:
Original post by AppleBlossoms
Hey! I'm starting sixth form in sept and was just wondering if anyone else is doing AS levels a year earlier than normal (i.e at year 11 instead of year 12). Since I've finished my igcses in year 10, I'll be starting AS levels in Sept - is anyone else doing a levels early too? I can't be the only one! :tongue:


I knew a couple of people who did their ICT a-level a year early. When i was in year 13, we had a couple of year 12's in our class. I may be wrong but think it was only subject they had done a year early though.
Original post by Emma:-)
I knew a couple of people who did their ICT a-level a year early. When i was in year 13, we had a couple of year 12's in our class. I may be wrong but think it was only subject they had done a year early though.

Ahh ok I have heard of people taking one a level early!




On a sidenote: I've just noticed we have the same avatar *high five* :five:
I did AS ICT in year 11 with three other people (after doing the GCSE a year early). Quite a big mistake. The teacher was useless - no help with the theory and poor coursework marking (he didn't even read the candidate booklet for one of the tasks, and just left another teacher to mark it). He had the rest of the GCSE class to deal with, but it was a very small class and he was never any help, so I don't think I've done very well and it may look bad in uni applications. If you have a good or even reasonable teacher then I'm sure it will be fine, however.
Original post by doctorwhofan98
I did AS ICT in year 11 with three other people (after doing the GCSE a year early). Quite a big mistake. The teacher was useless - no help with the theory and poor coursework marking (he didn't even read the candidate booklet for one of the tasks, and just left another teacher to mark it). He had the rest of the GCSE class to deal with, but it was a very small class and he was never any help, so I don't think I've done very well and it may look bad in uni applications. If you have a good or even reasonable teacher then I'm sure it will be fine, however.

Well hopefully I'll have good teachers xD but I guess you never know
About 25 of our year (just finished year 11) were given the opportunity to take AS early. I did AS maths and could have done 4 AS but wasn't confident I would get the grades I wanted so didn't risk it in the end. However about 5 or 6 did all 4AS subjects in year 11 and one piece of advice I would give is make sure you are 100% confident with GCSE. The first unit of AS for many subjects is just an extention of GCSE with a few new bits. Just stay on top of your work and you should be fine. But make sure you make the right decision as BBBB is not as good as AAAA a year later. Best of luck :smile:
Reply 8
Original post by AppleBlossoms
Hey! I'm starting sixth form in sept and was just wondering if anyone else is doing AS levels a year earlier than normal (i.e at year 11 instead of year 12). Since I've finished my igcses in year 10, I'll be starting AS levels in Sept - is anyone else doing a levels early too? I can't be the only one! :tongue:


Are you a year ahead of yourself and effectively going into Y12 next year, or doing a mixture of AS levels and GCSEs next year in Year 11?

My school used to do quite a few AS early - several students landed up with 3 or 4 by the end of Year 11 - but the school stopped doing it as it tended to have a negative effect on their university applications for the following reasons:

1.

Many universities would far rather you got an A in Y12 than a B in Y11.

2.

Some universities, particularly for the more competitive courses, wouldn't count A level grades completed in Y12 in an offer. This often meant that students who had got (say) an A* in Maths A level in Year 12 still had to get A*AA in their A levels in Y13.

(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Compost
Are you a year ahead of yourself and effectively going into Y12 next year, or doing a mixture of AS levels and GCSEs next year in Year 11?

My school used to do quite a few AS early - several students landed up with 3 or 4 by the end of Year 11 - but the school stopped doing it as it tended to have a negative effect on their university applications for the following reasons:

1.

Many universities would far rather you got an A in Y12 than a B in Y11.

2.

Some universities, particularly for the more competitive courses, wouldn't count A level grades competed in Y12 in an offer. This often meant that students who had got (say) an A* in Maths A level in Year 12 still had to get A*AA in their A levels in Y13.



I'm a year ahead of myself. As I started igcses at 14 and 15, the sixth form principle suggested that instead of continuing with igcses, since I've already got the main ones like maths etc. I should start a levels now as spending another year on igcses would look unattractive to universities. It would also allow me to have a gap year before uni :biggrin:
Original post by AppleBlossoms
I'm a year ahead of myself. As I started igcses at 14 and 15, the sixth form principle suggested that instead of continuing with igcses, since I've already got the main ones like maths etc. I should start a levels now as spending another year on igcses would look unattractive to universities. It would also allow me to have a gap year before uni :biggrin:


It wouldn't look unattractive, but...

What uni course you looking at?
I'm in a similar position :smile: I was moved up a year in primary school and have stayed up - I did 2 of my GCSEs when I should have been in year 9 and the rest this year when my actual age is year 10 :smile: Free gap year too!

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Original post by L'Evil Fish
It wouldn't look unattractive, but...

What uni course you looking at?

I haven't decided on a course yet but I'm leaning towards English lit, hopefully at a Russell group university.
Original post by AppleBlossoms
I'm a year ahead of myself. As I started igcses at 14 and 15, the sixth form principle suggested that instead of continuing with igcses, since I've already got the main ones like maths etc. I should start a levels now as spending another year on igcses would look unattractive to universities. It would also allow me to have a gap year before uni :biggrin:


In that case you ought to be OK, particularly if you are doing sciences - for Arts A levels a bit of extra maturity can help. There's someone like you almost every year at my school and they're normally near the top of the heap academically (or why else would they have been moved up) but never seem to be quite at the top - I can't think of any of them who have made it to Oxbridge. Whether they would have done if they'd stayed in the right year I don't honestly know. (On the other hand my Mum took her A levels at not quite 17 and did go to Cambridge).
Original post by midgemeister7
I'm in a similar position :smile: I was moved up a year in primary school and have stayed up - I did 2 of my GCSEs when I should have been in year 9 and the rest this year when my actual age is year 10 :smile: Free gap year too!

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Yay someone else is year ahead as well! Will you be starting a levels soon then? :smile:

Original post by Compost
In that case you ought to be OK, particularly if you are doing sciences - for Arts A levels a bit of extra maturity can help. There's someone like you almost every year at my school and they're normally near the top of the heap academically (or why else would they have been moved up) but never seem to be quite at the top - I can't think of any of them who have made it to Oxbridge. Whether they would have done if they'd stayed in the right year I don't honestly know. (On the other hand my Mum took her A levels at not quite 17 and did go to Cambridge).

That's good, I got worried for a minute with your above post! I'm not really aiming for Oxbridge or Cambridge, although I would like to go to a uni in the top 10 :smile:
Original post by AppleBlossoms
Yay someone else is year ahead as well! Will you be starting a levels soon then? :smile:


That's good, I got worried for a minute with your above post! I'm not really aiming for Oxbridge or Cambridge, although I would like to go to a uni in the top 10 :smile:


Yeah I am :smile: Trouble is though, our year is the fist year that are required by law to stay ineducation until 18 - not sure how that's gonna work with gap year etc, but I'm sure they will make exceptions

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Original post by AppleBlossoms
I haven't decided on a course yet but I'm leaning towards English lit, hopefully at a Russell group university.


Should be fine then. With sciences they're more picky about it because you forget and your skills atrophy.
Original post by midgemeister7
Yeah I am :smile: Trouble is though, our year is the fist year that are required by law to stay ineducation until 18 - not sure how that's gonna work with gap year etc, but I'm sure they will make exceptions

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Ooh I forgot about that... hopefully it'll be fine!

Original post by L'Evil Fish
Should be fine then. With sciences they're more picky about it because you forget and your skills atrophy.

Interesting, I didn't know they were more picky about it for the sciences. Good thing I'm not going for sciences then though I suppose it wouldn't be impossible, just difficult.

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