AS-level choices for Oxford Law

I'm currently in Year 11, predicted 7A*s in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, English, Environmental Management and Information and Communication Technology. I have received an A* in Development Studies already.

EDIT: Doing IGCSEs not GCSEs, however much difference that might make.

I plan on taking the following AS-level subjects; Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics(Pure and Statistics), and Psychology. All apart from Psychology I plan to study with the school, with Psychology studying on my own.

I plan to apply to Oxford's Law course in 2020 or near there.

Can someone give me an idea of the workload and the intensity of the subjects?
Are these subjects a good choice, especially with my back-up being Medicine?Also, can someone recommend good books to help me ace these exams?
And lastly, any tips on how to schedule and organise myself(apps, calendars, etc) would be much appreciated.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

Katie Moore_007

How did u find Eng Lit? Mine exam board is OCR and i found it really hard to continue doing it. Thinking of switching to AQA Religious Studies now to get a better grade

Reply 2

RobasZia

Original post by Katie Moore_007

How did u find Eng Lit? Mine exam board is OCR and i found it really hard to continue doing it. Thinking of switching to AQA Religious Studies now to get a better grade

I don't do Eng Lit, it's standard English as a First Language

Reply 3

Katie Moore_007

Original post by RobasZia

I don't do Eng Lit, it's standard English as a First Language

Exactly!!!!! That's why I feel like I need to drop Eng Lit. Do anyone of your friends are doing either Eng Lit or RS?

Reply 4

RobasZia

Yes, quite a few, none of them are A* students, but we follow the CIE board, so our paper's are different to OCR

Reply 5

Katie Moore_007

Original post by RobasZia

Yes, quite a few, none of them are A* students, but we follow the CIE board, so our paper's are different to OCR

How about the Religious Studies? Do you think it would be relatively easier to get higher grader if studying Religious Studies rather than English Literature?

Reply 6

Gran0la

3 sciences and maths is a really heavy workload, they're 4 of the biggest A-levels, and with psychology as well you'll have a lot of work to do. But like with anything, if you put the work in, it would be possible. You could always drop one half way through the year if you found it too much.

I take biology, chemistry, maths and took psychology as an AS. I found it manageable and came out with AAAb, b was in psychology and I didn't really work for it :smile:

If your heart is set on law I would definitely recommend taking more essay based subjects like history or eng lit. Dont know that much about it as i'm applying for medicine, but might be something to look into :smile:

Reply 7

Katie Moore_007

Original post by Gran0la

Do your friends study RS or Eng Lit? Which one is relatively easier?

Reply 8

RobasZia

I don't have anyone studying RS, so I can't have an opinion. You tell me, having done --or at least planning on doing -- both.
Could you also reply in regards to the original post?

Reply 9

rosie.mn

If you're thinking of studying law, your subject choices are very strange. Not that you would be at a severe disadvantage but applying to study law with no essay based subjects may hinder you. Subjects that encourage critical thinking and good writing skills are really highly valued for law. If you want your backup to be medicine, perhaps consider taking a mixture of essay based subjects and science. Biology, Chem, Maths and English Lit/History? This would give you more breadth to your application. Psychology seems pointless if you could do a stronger essay based subject instead.

Reply 10

RobasZia

Original post by rosie.mn

Would it be alright to do English Language instead of English Lit/History? And more importantly, would an A/A* be feasible in English through self-study?

Thank-you regardless for the response.

Reply 11

wiwp

Don't take 5 AS levels, especially if you only have 8 GCSEs. The workload will be far too much and you probably won't get the grades you need for Oxford, especially if you're going for law or medicine. Also, all sciences and maths is very intense. So don't do an A level out of school, it's an unwise decision and you won't benefit from it.

As for your subject choices, they're ideal for medicine but not for law. You'll have to decide now which path you want to pursue I'm afraid, because for law (especially at Oxford) you probably need at least one essay subject. If you don't like essay subjects.... law probably isn't the right degree for you.

Bear in mind that both law and medicine are highly competitive courses, especially at Oxford. Take subjects you enjoy and can excel in bexause otherwise you are unlikely to do well.

Reply 12

rosie.mn

Original post by RobasZia

Would it be alright to do English Language instead of English Lit/History? And more importantly, would an A/A* be feasible in English through self-study?

Thank-you regardless for the response.

English Language isn't facilitating and honestly, in regards to self study, English literature will be much easier to do I feel, as there isn't a lot on the spec and reading the texts yourself rather than in class would be quicker anyway. You'll probably get more out of English Lit or History than you will out of English Language.