How to choose your A-level subjects! *Including links to subject guides*
Hi!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
•
Maths - goes with absolutely everything.
•
English literature - a core subject like maths, particularly useful in combination with humanities but also a good contrasting subject for science students.
•
A "traditional" science: biology, chemistry or physics. These should be taken with at least one other science (traditional or otherwise) and/or maths.
•
A foreign language (ancient or modern); these are useful and go with any other subject combination, but they are a lot of work!
•
A "traditional" humanities subject: history or geography. History is a good subject for people taking English, languages or other essay subjects, while geography complements the sciences and economics quite well; both work well as contrasting subjects.
(edited 6 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Original post by jennybear
Thank you! This will definitely help me when I choose my a levels soon 
Glad it's useful
Original post by Sonechka
Hi!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
•
Maths - goes with absolutely everything.
•
English literature - a core subject like maths, particularly useful in combination with humanities but also a good contrasting subject for science students.
•
A "traditional" science: biology, chemistry or physics. These should be taken with at least one other science (traditional or otherwise) and/or maths.
•
A foreign language (ancient or modern); these are useful and go with any other subject combination, but they are a lot of work!
•
A "traditional" humanities subject: history or geography. History is a good subject for people taking English, languages or other essay subjects, while geography complements the sciences and economics quite well; both work well as contrasting subjects.
I'v applied to a sixth form with my options as Biology, Geography and Economics.
I'm not exactly sure about Biology or Economics to be honest.
What is Economics like?
How much different is Biology at A-Level
Original post by Oneiropólos
I'v applied to a sixth form with my options as Biology, Geography and Economics.
I'm not exactly sure about Biology or Economics to be honest.
What is Economics like?
How much different is Biology at A-Level
I'm not exactly sure about Biology or Economics to be honest.
What is Economics like?
How much different is Biology at A-Level
What are you hoping to do later on, if you know? That's a good combination for geography.
I don't do biology or economics, but my mum teaches econ so I do have an idea of what it's about. It's basically human geography with more detail, more technical financial stuff and more maths; there are lots of graphs/diagrams, but it's also an essay subject, so it's quite nice if you want a middle ground. I have a friend who does econ without maths and is having to do some extra work for that reason, but unless you want to study econ at uni, you won't absolutely need maths. Apparently biology isn't too different to GCSE and you spend some time recapping and going into more detail on what you already know at the beginning; since it's a science, though, you can expect to realise that some things you learnt at GCSE are oversimplified and have to get used to new ways of thinking about them. I've also heard that it's easier than chemistry.
Original post by Oneiropólos
I'v applied to a sixth form with my options as Biology, Geography and Economics.
I'm not exactly sure about Biology or Economics to be honest.
What is Economics like?
How much different is Biology at A-Level
I'm not exactly sure about Biology or Economics to be honest.
What is Economics like?
How much different is Biology at A-Level
Biology at A level is considered to be the most challenging because I have already asked my tutor about this and he said that you need a lot of explanation for A level. For me personally Biology is not for me because I cant go into much detail. BUT don't get dis-heartened by what I am saying I'm merely stating the facts. If you are confident that you can explain things well and have a passion for biology then ignore me and choose biology. On a side note what do you want to be?
Because if you are considering doing medicine or something like that then biology will be vital. I would advise you to consider what you would like to do for a job then pick A levels based on that.
I hope you found this useful
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Sonechka
Hi!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
I've been seeing a lot of threads lately about A-level options, and as a current Year 12 who was pretty stuck myself this time last year, I thought I'd put together a few tips on how you might like to go about making these all-important choices. Don't hesitate to ask whatever questions you'd like to below, or PM me! I eventually settled on maths, further maths, English literature, French and Latin, in case you have questions about what it's like to study those particular subjects.
1) Choose subjects you love.
You probably hear this a lot from your teachers, but it is without a doubt the most important piece of advice you could receive. If you choose subjects you're not that interested in, having many more hours per week than you're used to of those subjects is going to make your school day pretty tiresome. This is why it's really important to make sure you can see yourself going into much more depth in the subject areas you choose! Even if you're not particularly passionate about anything, if certain topics or skills within a subject interest you or you don't think you'd mind studying that subject for several hours per week, it might be a good idea to choose it.
2) Make sure your subjects complement each other.
That doesn't mean they all have to be sciences or all have to be humanities, but studying subjects which help with each other or which show a varied but complementary set of skills will look good and also make your life easier. For example, if you're interested in politics, choosing multiple essay subjects like history and English will show that you have the skill set you need and give you lots of opportunity to practise those skills, but you might want to show that you're more versatile by picking something like maths alongside your essay subjects. Generally, only one A-level should be contrasting so that you don't lose focus, unless you want to go into quite a diverse field (you could do psychology with biology, chemistry, history and English for instance). Also, since the sciences (inc. maths) are so interlinked, choosing just one science probably isn't the best option.
3) Think about careers and uni.
You certainly don't need to be 100% set on a degree and career at this point, but having an idea of what areas interest you and what skills you might need to pursue degrees or jobs in these areas will help. Many university courses will list recommended A-levels on their requirements pages, so it might be useful to browse through course catalogues on university websites and check which A-levels are required or recommended for any courses which sound attractive. Equally, it's important to bear in mind that most jobs do not require specific degree subjects, let alone specific A-levels, so don't feel obliged to choose A-level economics just because you think you might want to go into finance, for example. The skills you learn from your A-levels are, in many cases, more important than the actual content.
4) Do your research.
This doesn't just have to involve looking up the A-level specifications and content of the subjects you're interested in, although this is a good thing to do. It could mean talking to students who are studying or have studied a subject you're considering, talking to your subject teachers about the course content, even sitting in on lessons and borrowing textbooks if your teachers let you. If you can't decide, narrowing your choices down to a list of possibilities, thinking about which combinations of these possibilities would complement each other and finding out as much about them as you possibly can will certainly help (lists of pros and cons are also extremely useful!).
5) Interested in too much?
So was I! To give you an idea of just how confused I was, my list of possibilities at the start of year 11 was maths, further maths, physics, chemistry, French, German, Latin, English literature and philosophy. I ended up hurriedly changing German to Latin two months after the options deadline and having a huge physics vs. English dilemma for several months - and it all worked out in the end! If you like too many subjects, try to work out what you like about each one and make sure your final choices include all of those aspects so that you don't end up missing a dropped subject too much. Don't be afraid to change your choices later if you have a sudden realisation; usually, schools and colleges will be quite accommodating.
6) If all else fails...
Here are some versatile, well-regarded subjects to mix and match if you really have no idea!
•
Maths - goes with absolutely everything.
•
English literature - a core subject like maths, particularly useful in combination with humanities but also a good contrasting subject for science students.
•
A "traditional" science: biology, chemistry or physics. These should be taken with at least one other science (traditional or otherwise) and/or maths.
•
A foreign language (ancient or modern); these are useful and go with any other subject combination, but they are a lot of work!
•
A "traditional" humanities subject: history or geography. History is a good subject for people taking English, languages or other essay subjects, while geography complements the sciences and economics quite well; both work well as contrasting subjects.
Thank you just what I was going to base my subjects on. I have chosen Product Design, Maths, Physics and Computer Science and I want to become an engineer and these subjects will come in handy.
Just one question: How difficult is Physics at A level?
Thank you
Is it necessary to have subjects that are outside your normal area/make you seem versatile? I was going to go for Spanish, English, French and Latin, modern languages and English being the subjects that I like the most; however, I was thinking about Maths - I can't take a science without maths and taking a science and maths would mean I would have to drop Spanish, French or Latin (which I don't want to do, so sciences are ruled out) but I'm studying Further Maths iGCSE and I absolutely hate it. I mean I literally count down the seconds till the lesson ends (I used to be 'good' at maths and seeing these complicated problems just fills me with despair lololol I don't even know what to do)... Is it essential to have a 'different' subject? Or is it not worth the potentially lower grade?
Original post by mani1234
Thank you just what I was going to base my subjects on. I have chosen Product Design, Maths, Physics and Computer Science and I want to become an engineer and these subjects will come in handy.
Just one question: How difficult is Physics at A level?
Thank you
Just one question: How difficult is Physics at A level?
Thank you
Nice choices
depending on the type of engineering you want to specialise in and which unis you want to apply to, you might want to consider further maths instead of one of those or pick up an AS in further maths?I don't do physics but I spent most of year 10 and 11 thinking I was going to, so I do know a bit about it. You need to be pretty confident with maths, especially mechanics, but if you're good at GCSE physics you should be fine. I've heard the first year starts off a bit slow. Maybe try doing stuff like the BPhO GCSE physics challenge (I did it in y11 and it was really fun) to get used to the side of physics which involves problem-solving and conceptual challenges rather than memorising.
Original post by mundosinfin
Is it necessary to have subjects that are outside your normal area/make you seem versatile? I was going to go for Spanish, English, French and Latin, modern languages and English being the subjects that I like the most; however, I was thinking about Maths - I can't take a science without maths and taking a science and maths would mean I would have to drop Spanish, French or Latin (which I don't want to do, so sciences are ruled out) but I'm studying Further Maths iGCSE and I absolutely hate it. I mean I literally count down the seconds till the lesson ends (I used to be 'good' at maths and seeing these complicated problems just fills me with despair lololol I don't even know what to do)... Is it essential to have a 'different' subject? Or is it not worth the potentially lower grade?
Always nice to see other aspiring linguists here
for someone as focused as yourself it isn't absolutely essential; I was recommending it more as a guideline for people who don't really know what they want to do. Maths is an excellent A-level for someone who wants to do languages, but if you don't feel that you'll enjoy it and be able to get a high grade, don't take it for the sake of it (disliking further maths iGCSE is probably a red light too since a lot of that content makes an appearance at A-level). You might enjoy the variety, though; I didn't realise how much I'd miss the breadth of GCSE, and if I hadn't chosen maths/further maths, I would miss it even more.Original post by Sonechka
Always nice to see other aspiring linguists here for someone as focused as yourself it isn't absolutely essential; I was recommending it more as a guideline for people who don't really know what they want to do. Maths is an excellent A-level for someone who wants to do languages, but if you don't feel that you'll enjoy it and be able to get a high grade, don't take it for the sake of it (disliking further maths iGCSE is probably a red light too since a lot of that content makes an appearance at A-level). You might enjoy the variety, though; I didn't realise how much I'd miss the breadth of GCSE, and if I hadn't chosen maths/further maths, I would miss it even more.
for someone as focused as yourself it isn't absolutely essential; I was recommending it more as a guideline for people who don't really know what they want to do. Maths is an excellent A-level for someone who wants to do languages, but if you don't feel that you'll enjoy it and be able to get a high grade, don't take it for the sake of it (disliking further maths iGCSE is probably a red light too since a lot of that content makes an appearance at A-level). You might enjoy the variety, though; I didn't realise how much I'd miss the breadth of GCSE, and if I hadn't chosen maths/further maths, I would miss it even more.Thanks for your help by the way
That's interesting to hear you say that, as a lot of my teachers say I can just drop it and it won't make any difference. However, some do say that it would be narrowing down my options too much - with someone even telling me that not taking A-Level maths would be 'a huge mistake' ?! The teachers would probably say I'm capable of it, as all of my predicteds for GCSE are 8/9 - because of this, my subject choices now have been more based off what I enjoy rather than what I'm good at. I still have a lot of time to think about it, and I've done a lot of the work, now it's just the choice for my 4th A-Level lolI don't HATE maths, to be honest I just think I hate my teacher - but I don't like it either, so I don't know if it's worth it...
Original post by mundosinfin
Thanks for your help by the way That's interesting to hear you say that, as a lot of my teachers say I can just drop it and it won't make any difference. However, some do say that it would be narrowing down my options too much - with someone even telling me that not taking A-Level maths would be 'a huge mistake' ?! The teachers would probably say I'm capable of it, as all of my predicteds for GCSE are 8/9 - because of this, my subject choices now have been more based off what I enjoy rather than what I'm good at. I still have a lot of time to think about it, and I've done a lot of the work, now it's just the choice for my 4th A-Level lol
I don't HATE maths, to be honest I just think I hate my teacher - but I don't like it either, so I don't know if it's worth it...
That's interesting to hear you say that, as a lot of my teachers say I can just drop it and it won't make any difference. However, some do say that it would be narrowing down my options too much - with someone even telling me that not taking A-Level maths would be 'a huge mistake' ?! The teachers would probably say I'm capable of it, as all of my predicteds for GCSE are 8/9 - because of this, my subject choices now have been more based off what I enjoy rather than what I'm good at. I still have a lot of time to think about it, and I've done a lot of the work, now it's just the choice for my 4th A-Level lolI don't HATE maths, to be honest I just think I hate my teacher - but I don't like it either, so I don't know if it's worth it...
Well, due to the A-level reforms, if you dropped maths after Year 12, all your work would go to waste because AS levels are now a standalone qualification and so you wouldn't get an AS level qualification - or any qualification at all - in maths. So really, picking a subject with the intention of dropping it after year 12 doesn't work any more; you can of course drop a subject if you aren't enjoying it, but that's more of a last resort. It's best to choose 3 or 4 subjects which you can see yourself studying for two years.
I think you have the right idea; if you'd be capable of doing pretty much any A-level, it's best to go with the ones you enjoy. GCSE maths is quite different to A-level (except at the very start of Y12) and much less interesting, so if you had just said you weren't enjoying GCSE maths my reaction might have been different, but not enjoying GCSE further maths means that you're not enjoying learning content which is actually part of A-level maths. That seems like a bad sign.
If you have some spare time, perhaps teach yourself a bit more of the A-level maths content and see if you like it. Maths does get very linguistic, which can be a lot of fun, and a bit of self-teaching might help you find out whether you could enjoy maths if you had a better teacher.
I'm currently in Year 11 and I'm predicted all 9s in my GCSEs. I've just about decided on studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level.
I decided against doing music because even though it's what I have a view to doing, it's not a facilitating subject and would seem 2 years of wasted study.
I know many people advise against doing 4 A Levels, but as well as Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I really want to study German A Level.
It's a subject I have a passion for and I feel I'm naturally good at and without sounding boastful, I've been achieving 100% in recent assessments.
Would anyone consider this too much, or would it be achievable considering I'm willing to put the work in and have an aptitude for these subjects?
I decided against doing music because even though it's what I have a view to doing, it's not a facilitating subject and would seem 2 years of wasted study.
I know many people advise against doing 4 A Levels, but as well as Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I really want to study German A Level.
It's a subject I have a passion for and I feel I'm naturally good at and without sounding boastful, I've been achieving 100% in recent assessments.
Would anyone consider this too much, or would it be achievable considering I'm willing to put the work in and have an aptitude for these subjects?
I wish I had someone telling me this in Year 11 or before I chose my A levels! In my college, we had to choose from combinations instead of a free for all option and it was horrible! Furthermore, the subjects were all science-based with the only humanities being psych and eng lit. There was no one to counsel or advice us and we were given the terrible advice "Aim for your entry requirements and it will be enough, be it BBB or CCC."
You can guess what happened next, there are students with D/E/U grades and said "My uni only needs 2Es/2Ds etc" Sorry from going out of the topic but I wish there are people like you who are willing to give detailed advice to soon to be A level, students
You can guess what happened next, there are students with D/E/U grades and said "My uni only needs 2Es/2Ds etc" Sorry from going out of the topic but I wish there are people like you who are willing to give detailed advice to soon to be A level, students
Original post by louishill1
I'm currently in Year 11 and I'm predicted all 9s in my GCSEs. I've just about decided on studying Biology, Chemistry and Maths at A Level.
I decided against doing music because even though it's what I have a view to doing, it's not a facilitating subject and would seem 2 years of wasted study.
I know many people advise against doing 4 A Levels, but as well as Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I really want to study German A Level.
It's a subject I have a passion for and I feel I'm naturally good at and without sounding boastful, I've been achieving 100% in recent assessments.
Would anyone consider this too much, or would it be achievable considering I'm willing to put the work in and have an aptitude for these subjects?
I decided against doing music because even though it's what I have a view to doing, it's not a facilitating subject and would seem 2 years of wasted study.
I know many people advise against doing 4 A Levels, but as well as Biology, Chemistry and Maths, I really want to study German A Level.
It's a subject I have a passion for and I feel I'm naturally good at and without sounding boastful, I've been achieving 100% in recent assessments.
Would anyone consider this too much, or would it be achievable considering I'm willing to put the work in and have an aptitude for these subjects?
Apologies for the very late reply
Congrats on your predictions! I think you should go for it and do German as well; if you're predicted straight 9s and you've been doing very well in German, there's no reason why you won't be able to handle those four A-levels. I do five A-levels (or four and a half since I'll probably be doing AS further maths) and because they're all subjects I enjoy and am good at, it's not too bad. Your passion for German will help a lot too since you'll be much more motivated to put the work in. You can always drop German if it's all getting too stressful, but I don't think it will given your aptitude and effort.
Original post by Tarnott
Im pretty late to the thread but oh well!
Currently predicted 7s and 8s for GCSE and am considering doing Geography, Economics or Business, and Sociology, any tips on how to pick between Econ and Business?
Currently predicted 7s and 8s for GCSE and am considering doing Geography, Economics or Business, and Sociology, any tips on how to pick between Econ and Business?
Hi! It really depends on whether you're looking for something more theoretical or something more practical; econ is more about the theory behind markets, finance etc. while business is more practical and might be better if you're just looking to go into business management or something more hands-on. Econ is generally regarded as more rigorous, so if you want to pursue an academic degree rather than something more vocational, I'd say it's a better choice. It also complements human geography very well in case you were thinking of geography at uni.
this is so helpful!
Hi, I really appreciate your help. I am debating whether to pursue a career in international Relations or Biomedical Science. So I am planning on taking Biology, Chemistry, History and Government and Politics (maybe English Literature) for A-levels. Do you think these subjects are good if I want to get into top universities for either of the degrees? Since I have noticed that some good universities require a-level maths for Biomedical and I simply have no space for it... As I want to keep my options free and have at least 2 subjects for International Relations.
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