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"HELP'' mature international student need help for A-level

Hi every one
I am new here

I have a bachelor degree from my country .. but i want to change my career path to philosophy and theology and i want to study in UK .. hopefully at oxford university .. i live in my country till this moment

I want to know any thing about how to start the A-level? What is the time needed to complete the A-level from scratch? Could i do the A level in one year?

What are the dates of exams usually every year? What does the A-level consist of? I know that there are As and A2, would some one please explain to me the meaning of them? And the steps to do A level?
What does oxford university care about the most? Does my grades in my 1st bachelor degree will affect my application if they are not that good? And what do if i want to make my application stronger and more competitive?

I want to know any thing before i start .. but i'm really confused

Sorry for my bad english .. i'm working on it =)
Reply 1
Any one please 😢😢😢😢😢
Reply 2
Original post by lulu199
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Hey,

First of all, you should ask Oxford (or any other university you're interested in) whether they'd be willing to accept your first degree as an entry qualification (you should send them an email), as this is possible in my knowledge.

With regards to A-Levels, they usually take 2 years to complete, although it is possible to complete them in 1 year (provided you start soon for exams in 2016). Oxford, like the great majority of universities, require 3 A-Levels (I believe Philosophy and Theology requires AAA in these three subjects).

There are over 40 subjects to choose from (ie Maths, Physics, languages, History, Economics, Philosophy etc etc). There are also several boards providing these examinations (all are considered equal for admission purposes), but, since you're an international student, you would want to look into CIE and Edexcel, which offer A-Levels internationally. Clicking on any subject will provide you with the specification (which is all the stuff you need to learn, plus some other information), past papers which are essential for practice and some other exam-related information which might be useful.

Be mindful that you should choose exams involving written exams ONLY, without coursework, as centres rarely accept external candidates for exams involving coursework components. For example, Edexcel's History and English Literature A-Levels involve coursework, which would make it extremely difficult to find a centre, while CIE's History and English Literature A-Levels do not involve coursework, therefore making it much easier. You should check their specification to make sure that only written exams are needed.

Now, onto the A-Levels themselves; Each A-Level is comprised of AS and A2, like you said. AS is comprised of two units and A2 is comprised by two further units (usually people take AS in one year and A2 in a second year). These units, when combined, form the A-Level, and -depending on how well you did- you'll be awarded a grade like A* (top), A, B, C etc.

For example, if we take Edexcel's Economics A-Level, you'll see that in order to get an A-Level in Economics, you'll need to take all four units in the specification (ie Unit 1 Competitive Markets How They Work and Why They Fail // Unit 2 Managing the Economy // Unit 3 Business Economics and Economic Efficiency // Unit 4 The Global Economy).

Taking the first two units will award you an AS, which is not sufficient for entry. Taking the further two units will combine the AS with A2, forming the whole A-Level.

A-Level exams are held in the May-June examination periods, although I believe CIE offers October-November examination periods as well.

Depending on what you're good at (especially if you've already done the subject at university), you should choose an appropriate subject. I suggest that you choose popular subjects that have course-specific student books, which you can find off of Amazon (ie Mathematics).

You should definitely ask your local/national British Council office on advice regarding how to enter the examinations before taking any steps, so you can actually be sure that you can take the exams there.

And yeah... that's it I think.

If you need further advice, do ask (and do not forget to quote)!.

In any case, best of luck!
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 3
Original post by *Stefan*
Hey,

First of all, you should ask Oxford (or any other university you're interested in) whether they'd be willing to accept your first degree as an entry qualification (you should send them an email), as this is possible in my knowledge.

With regards to A-Levels, they usually take 2 years to complete, although it is possible to complete them in 1 year (provided you start soon for exams in 2016). Oxford, like the great majority of universities, require 3 A-Levels (I believe Philosophy and Theology requires AAA in these three subjects).

There are over 40 subjects to choose from (ie Maths, Physics, languages, History, Economics, Philosophy etc etc). There are also several boards providing these examinations (all are considered equal for admission purposes), but, since you're an international student, you would want to look into CIE and Edexcel, which offer A-Levels internationally. Clicking on any subject will provide you with the specification (which is all the stuff you need to learn, plus some other information), past papers which are essential for practice and some other exam-related information which might be useful.

Be mindful that you should choose exams involving written exams ONLY, without coursework, as centres rarely accept external candidates for exams involving coursework components. For example, Edexcel's History and English Literature A-Levels involve coursework, which would make it extremely difficult to find a centre, while CIE's History and English Literature A-Levels do not involve coursework, therefore making it much easier. You should check their specification to make sure that only written exams are needed.

Now, onto the A-Levels themselves; Each A-Level is comprised of AS and A2, like you said. AS is comprised of two units and A2 is comprised by two further units (usually people take AS in one year and A2 in a second year). These units, when combined, form the A-Level, and -depending on how well you did- you'll be awarded a grade like A* (top), A, B, C etc.

For example, if we take Edexcel's Economics A-Level, you'll see that in order to get an A-Level in Economics, you'll need to take all four units in the specification (ie Unit 1 Competitive Markets How They Work and Why They Fail // Unit 2 Managing the Economy // Unit 3 Business Economics and Economic Efficiency // Unit 4 The Global Economy).

Taking the first two units will award you an AS, which is not sufficient for entry. Taking the further two units will combine the AS with A2, forming the whole A-Level.

A-Level exams are held in the May-June examination periods, although I believe CIE offers October-November examination periods as well.

Depending on what you're good at (especially if you've already done the subject at university), you should choose an appropriate subject. I suggest that you choose popular subjects that have course-specific student books, which you can find off of Amazon (ie Mathematics).

You should definitely ask your local/national British Council office on advice regarding how to enter the examinations before taking any steps, so you can actually be sure that you can take the exams there.

And yeah... that's it I think.

If you need further advice, do ask (and do not forget to quote)!.

In any case, best of luck!


Thank you soooo much Stefan for your extremely helpful reply =)

I guess that i should choose biology then according to my 1st undergraduate degree, plus one of history, English , English Litrerature or philosophy..

In the page of the course of Philosophy and Theology in Oxford website, they ask for a written work supposed to be submitted with the application, how i would do it if i am an international student? I mean who is gonna check it and make sure that it is my work if i do not have a teacher ?
Reply 4
Original post by lulu199
Thank you soooo much Stefan for your extremely helpful reply =)

I guess that i should choose biology then according to my 1st undergraduate degree, plus one of history, English , English Litrerature or philosophy..

In the page of the course of Philosophy and Theology in Oxford website, they ask for a written work supposed to be submitted with the application, how i would do it if i am an international student? I mean who is gonna check it and make sure that it is my work if i do not have a teacher ?


I believe Biology involves controlled assessment, which may likewise make it difficult. Definitely ask you local centre!
Also, you'll need 3 A-Levels, so you'll need to take two more from the list you provided. CIE's history course is awesome though, so you should definitely check it out!

I am really not sure about the written work. Your best bet would be to directly ask with an email (don't worry... They don't record communication and then use it to assess your application. They're actually very helpful when it comes to such questions!).

In any case, I urge you to ask them whether your degree (or even your national, pre-university, examination) is sufficient for entry without A-Levels! It may very well be, and, in that case, A-Levels would be practically useless.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Reply 5
Original post by *Stefan*
I believe Biology involves controlled assessment, which may likewise make it difficult. Definitely ask you local centre!
Also, you'll need 3 A-Levels, so you'll need to take two more from the list you provided. CIE's history course is awesome though, so you should definitely check it out!

I am really not sure about the written work. Your best bet would be to directly ask with an email (don't worry... They don't record communication and then use it to assess your application. They're actually very helpful when it comes to such questions!).

In any case, I urge you to ask them whether your degree (or even your national, pre-university, examination) is sufficient for entry without A-Levels! It may very well be, and, in that case, A-Levels would be practically useless.

Posted from TSR Mobile


I checked it out about my 1st degree and my national pre-university exam in thair website and i found them not sufficient, beside in my 1st degree my grades were not strong and it is not related to philosphy and theology.

I will ask them about the written work and check the british council for the A level exam regualtions and offers.

Thank you again Stefan =)
Reply 6
Original post by lulu199
I checked it out about my 1st degree and my national pre-university exam in thair website and i found them not sufficient, beside in my 1st degree my grades were not strong and it is not related to philosphy and theology.

I will ask them about the written work and check the british council for the A level exam regualtions and offers.

Thank you again Stefan =)


No worries :smile:

Best of luck!

Posted from TSR Mobile

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