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Advice on which A Level to drop?

Hi, I'm currently studying A levels in English Literature, History, Spanish and Biology, with a view to studying law at Oxbridge and ultimately becoming a lawyer. I just can't decide which subject to drop (I don't want to do four). I was originally thinking about dropping English Literature as I got the lowest grade out of all my subjects in that at GCSE, and I just don't find it that interesting. However, we had one of the 'required practicals' in Biology today and it was quite stressful to be honest - with about 20 odd steps to follow and not much time to do it in. Also, Biology is probably the least useful for law out of all my subjects, really. I think I could get a decent grade in it with a lot of work but the whole practical side has kind of put me off. Anyone got any advice?
practical side is not stressful or easy and it forms such a tiny amount of the course so honestly don't worry about that at all, it's completely doable etc.
It may sound cliche but pick the subjects you enjoy or think you’ll enjoy the most. It’s not meant to be really easy, you will struggle at times and you have the next 2 years to improve those skills. Law doesn’t have specific requirements anyway so personally I wouldn’t dedicate your choses to Law, unless obviously you do have a passion for those subjects. For my choices I chose the subjects I was most passionate about, History, Geography and Physics, although it is a sort of strange combination with Physics on its own but I don’t really mind as I’ve been enjoying every single one of my lesson in each subject so far
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Original post by cormacpaul
practical side is not stressful or easy and it forms such a tiny amount of the course so honestly don't worry about that at all, it's completely doable etc.


I know but the one we did today was quite difficult to be honest - there were about 20 steps to follow and I made a few mistakes because of the short amount of time we had, so didn't feel that great.
Like you said, biology is probably the least relevant. It also has a LOT of content so if you're not up for learning a lot of things (pretty much off by heart) then maybe don't go for that. I wouldn't worry too much about the practical side of things though - it seems daunting at first but there's a formula really and there aren't too many to do. I don't do English, but my friends who do seem to have a lot of essay work to do (which I know would just stress me out) and if you're not enjoying it then you won't want to spend two years scraping through it.
i would recommend dropping bio, ur other three link nicely and are great for law. Also, biology has a *lot* of content and tbh it's better to focus on three (speaking from experience)
Keep them until December and see if you can still handle them.

If you want to drop one now I'd say Biology.
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Original post by daisy18000
Like you said, biology is probably the least relevant. It also has a LOT of content so if you're not up for learning a lot of things (pretty much off by heart) then maybe don't go for that. I wouldn't worry too much about the practical side of things though - it seems daunting at first but there's a formula really and there aren't too many to do. I don't do English, but my friends who do seem to have a lot of essay work to do (which I know would just stress me out) and if you're not enjoying it then you won't want to spend two years scraping through it.


You see that's what I thought would be the good thing about it - it's something where if you put a lot of work into it and learn the content thoroughly, you can reap the rewards in the exams. I have a pretty good memory and enjoy learning new things - it's just this practical that's put me off :frown:
Original post by cricinfo
You see that's what I thought would be the good thing about it - it's something where if you put a lot of work into it and learn the content thoroughly, you can reap the rewards in the exams. I have a pretty good memory and enjoy learning new things - it's just this practical that's put me off :frown:


Yeah, if you have a good memory and enjoy learning like that (personally, I'm the same), maybe just keep it up. Honestly, don't worry about the practicals, they will get less stressful. Idk what exam board you're doing, I'm AQA and for us, the teacher just has to tick off certain things each time and it's quite easy to meet these requirements once you get used to it (even if you have no idea what you're doing in the practical, bc I quite often don't!). I'd definitely say keep up history (for the law aspect) and Spanish because it's great for so many things.
Do them all, Oxbridge prefer 4 A-levels considerably.
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Original post by Ryndvdmddn
Do them all, Oxbridge prefer 4 A-levels considerably.


Do they? I was always told that they don't mind if you do four or three?
Original post by cricinfo
Do they? I was always told that they don't mind if you do four or three?


The fact is most Oxbridge applicants are good enough to do 4 so no matter what they say, you’re at a disadvantage. Most people apply with 4.
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Original post by Ryndvdmddn
The fact is most Oxbridge applicants are good enough to do 4 so no matter what they say, you’re at a disadvantage. Most people apply with 4.


I just thought that if you do 4 you don't really have time for anything else really, in terms of work experience, the EPQ, other extra stuff which benefits you - everything just goes into those 4 grades. One thing I've learned recently is that it isn't all about grades with Oxbridge - I know somebody who achieved worse grades than someone else, but still got in over the other person. I know it's key to get fantastic grades but I just felt that if I did 4 I wouldn't have a chance to bolster my personal statement.
What subjects do you enjoy? Only do the subjects you think you can do in the future and those that you will enjoy. No point continuing with a subject for half an year and then dropping because ultimately that time could be spent on other subjects. imo, I would go for dropping biology as it is the least related to law but again, so is english literature. Therefore, it is completely upto you. Maybe talk to your teachers and ask them what they think.
Do the three that you will get the best grades in. That is the key thing. I don't think one bad lesson should be the basis for your decision.

However to speak as a bit of supporter for biology:
1) the nice thing about any science, is that you either know the answer or you don't. There is little to no subjectivity in the marking (unlike arts subjects).
2) I did sciences at A'level and am now a lawyer. I find that I think rather differently to my colleagues, which helps me with putting together logical succinct explanations and submissions. It also makes me a good addition to any team, because I bring different things to the thought process. A lot of clients/colleagues appreciate that.
Original post by cricinfo
I just thought that if you do 4 you don't really have time for anything else really, in terms of work experience, the EPQ, other extra stuff which benefits you - everything just goes into those 4 grades. One thing I've learned recently is that it isn't all about grades with Oxbridge - I know somebody who achieved worse grades than someone else, but still got in over the other person. I know it's key to get fantastic grades but I just felt that if I did 4 I wouldn't have a chance to bolster my personal statement.


You'll be fine with 3, don't worry about it. It's better to get AAA, than AABB. Universities only ask for 3 now, so doing 4 will put you at no-advantage. It's much better to do 3 and do an EPQ, and extra-reading than do another A-Level just for the sake of doing it.

If you really want to drop one, I would say Biology, as it's the least relevant, and has a lot of content to learn.

I'm also wanting to apply for Law, and I'm doing History too, as well as the EPQ soon :smile:
Original post by cricinfo
Do they? I was always told that they don't mind if you do four or three?


No, they do not. Most (read: almost all, except Churchill at Cambridge and possibly one or two at Oxford) make offers on three A-levels as standard and do not expect or require a 4th A-level. Taking a 4th A-level may in fact be detrimental as you have to focus on more subjects - A*AAB is not the same as A*A*A, and may even be worse to some admissions tutors than A*AA.
Original post by cricinfo
I just thought that if you do 4 you don't really have time for anything else really, in terms of work experience, the EPQ, other extra stuff which benefits you - everything just goes into those 4 grades. One thing I've learned recently is that it isn't all about grades with Oxbridge - I know somebody who achieved worse grades than someone else, but still got in over the other person. I know it's key to get fantastic grades but I just felt that if I did 4 I wouldn't have a chance to bolster my personal statement.


I do 4 and I do way more than just work; I play football, watch tv, swim, gym; it’s honestly easy if you put your mind to it and keep up. I haven’t been in school for 2 weeks due to an operation and am on top of the work. Compared to 100 years ago education is easy.

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