How many A levels

I have opted for 4 because I don't want to do an EPQ. The way my brain works I don't think I would be able to stop myself from writing a thesis so I think I would find an EPQ really stressful. At my school you have to either do 4 A levels or 3 and an EPQ.

EPQ isn't that bad. I don't think it even matters what you write. My facilitator was a Law & RS teacher, and I did it about matter-antimatter asymmetry. They probably didn't understand 75% of the things I said in my presentation. What matters is the progress you make, the skills you learn, the way you overcome problems and how you show the examiner that you progressed/learnt skills/overcame problems (evidence).

If this still doesn't suit you, 4 subjects isn't that bad (for me at least). Although, I will say this much: EPQ is easier than an extra subject.

Hi,
I currently take 4 A-levels (different combination, but mostly stem subjects), and am in Year 13 now.
4 A-Levels is not impossible, as long as you are sensible with your time. It was probably a mistake for me to an EPQ on top of the 4 A-levels, since that was rather overwhelming.
In my school, everyone who took physics as part of 4 A Levels dropped a subject after the first year. With that said, it's definitely possible if you are very committed.
Another option is if at the end of the first year, it becomes overwhelming, you can usually drop one subject and take it as an AS instead. That way you still get a qualification for the year's work.
Hope this helps!

I am still undecided about how many A levels to take. At the moment I have opted for 4 Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Maths. Can anyone else that is taking these subjects tell me how hard it is to manage 4?

I started this year with Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths.
I’d say doing four is okay if you’re generally a good and able student. It’s obviously more work but it’s manageable.
The main issue is which subjects you pick. I chose further maths but it was so much more difficult than my other three subjects so I spent too much time on that and my other three got neglected. I decided to drop further maths as an AS level (the only subject our school offers at AS) and am taking my other three to A2.

Honestly, if you really need all four subjects then do it but otherwise there’s no point doing four. It’d look better to do three and have EPQ or something. I wish I’d done that instead.

Most universities don’t take the fact that you’ve done four into consideration so EPQ or similar looks much better.