Should I take 5 AS Levels?

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Reply 20

lucyimhimmel

Original post by L'Evil Fish

You could do "English LangLit Combined!" :biggrin:

My school doesn't offer that, unfortunately

Reply 21

Amber May

i have a friend whose taking chemistry, biology, maths and BOTH English at AS, and i think she HATES it. she was going to drop a English but couldn't decide which one. like you she get really high GCSE's but the work is just too time consuming, and only 2 of her subjects are essay based. So if i was you, i would take just four, even if it is really hard to chose.

And you're going to have to drop two for A2 anyway, but you could do 3 A2's and the other AS then. :smile:

P.S i though do Chemistry, Physics, biology, and maths, AS, and because non of mine are essay bassed i recong i could cope with 5, but thats kinda like the further maths thing.

Reply 22

beaux1

What do you guys think of this combo:
maths
further maths
physics
chem
bio
French?

it seems like a hell of a lot of work but my subject teachers think I can cope, as long as I step it up a gear as I don't work too much now since the content is simple and bores me occasionally.
manageable or not?

ps sorry OP for butting in

Reply 23

joostan

Original post by Acruzen

it's easier to do maths f maths and trip science, than it is to do 5 essay based AS-levels IMO

Only those who don't do it say that :tongue:

Reply 24

dragonkeeper999

Original post by beaux1

That is EXACTLY what I did, except I took AS Biology in my second year (alongside maths, further maths, physics, chem A2s and an EPQ). And I also did General Studies A2 and Critical Thinking AS, not that they really count except as a waste of three lessons a week...
I found the workload perfectly manageable, but then I am a bit of a workaholic :colondollar:

If you can get good GCSE grades (i.e. mainly/ pretty much all A*s) then it should be possible. Just make sure you keep a good work ethic, do all the homework (including the 'optional' work), read over your notes for anything you are struggling with, start revising fairly early, etc.
You can always start with all those subjects and then drop 1/2 if you do find it difficult. Remember that the most important thing is getting the grades. If you are unsure of what to drop, look at uni websites for course requirements - for example you will often find that Biology A2 is not required to study the subject at degree level as long as you have done Chemistry A2. French is probably not required for any degree you will be looking into (presumably something science based...), so that is another potential subject to drop if you start to struggle.

Reply 25

joostan

Original post by beaux1

I certainly don't recommend doing 6. It's a serious load of work, but if it's what you want then do it - partcularly if you are fluent

Reply 26

Endless Blue

Original post by lucyimhimmel

I’ve already handed in my form; I chose English Language, English Literature, History and German. I really want to take Politics though, and I don’t want to swap any of my original four. Is five AS Levels doable? I’ve heard of other people doing five, but with two of those being Maths and FM, so it’s a bit different. What do you think?

(I’m aiming for 10ish A*s at GCSE so I'm a decent student and whatnot)

Do you know a lot anyway about politics in general? I'd normally advise against this, but I took Politics for AS this year and because of my natural interest in it I already knew a lot of the content.

Reply 27

Daisy Duke

I'm doing it. It's tough when Drama has a deadline (public performance on 11th, then exam performance on 18th) and I have a commitment to the group so it takes priority. Teachers tend to be understanding. Apart from French teachers. Nope. French has gotta come first.

But other than that I really really love it. You'll suffer from a lack of a social life somewhat, but if you like being busy and you think you can cope, go ahead. If there is any kind of mentoring scheme at your place of study, I would recommend you sign up. My weekly meetings are life-savers.

Also all of mine are essay subjects - yes, including Drama and French. Lots of essays in both. It's not all bad. You likely won't get study periods with 5 - I have one a week which is spent on mentoring and EPQ meetings. It might suck initially ( I actually picked up an extra a few weeks in, so I really noticed the difference) but if you're going straight from secondary with no frees, to sixth form with no frees you won't notice that much. Either way, you'll get used to it. I'm keeping 4 on next year (hopefully) so having 5-6 hours free a week for extra study will seem like loads.

Good luck with GCSE's. I'm sure 5 will be just fine for you - but bear in mind, only do it with subjects you LOVE, or NEED for a uni course/job you will love.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 28

Acruzen

Original post by joostan

Only those who don't do it say that :tongue:

haha, well I did maths f maths physics chem and english lit at AS, and maybe it's true I have a scientific mind or whatever which makes them easier, but so much effort for english lit. I mean my maths homeworks take me 20 mins or so, and the essays for english took me like 1-2 hours each :frown:

Reply 29

joostan

Original post by Acruzen

Fair enough :smile:

Yeah its the workload not the difficulty of essay subjects though.
I'm lazy I do maths, FM and triple sci, so you impugned my honour :wink:

Reply 30

rhibeex

I wouldn't take 5 strong subjects. I did 5 AS and got 5A's, but I did English Literature, Law, Philosophy, Drama and Theatre Studies and Citizenship. (I was made to take Citizenship with Law, I had no lessons and did no revision as Law lessons covered some of it and still managed to get an A...). It's good to have a bigger selection of subjects to decide what to take forward at A2, as many people surprise themselves in what they do well in. I definitely wouldn't take 5 at A2 level as you only need 3 to get to uni. I carried on all but Citizenship, and I need 3 A's for uni, so it's good to have 4 to allow a mess up!

Reply 31

ryanb97

So like I know of a person who did 8 A-levels .....

He ended up getting 5A* and 3A's

He went to Cambridge to do maths

He got 1,1,2 in STEP I believe

That is insane!!!

But we are all human and the same
so it is possible

Ryan

Reply 32

ryanb97

Original post by Jatz07

How did he do 8 A-levels? Wow! did he study all 8 A-levels in 1 year? That's like... mad! Do you know which subjects he did? Jatz

Well 7 As levels in year 12 then 8 Alevels in year13
He picked up AS level ict which his school finishes n year 11 alongside normal GCSE's

He did maths,fm,bio,chem,physics,gs,French,ict
But I should mention he did step 1 in year 12 and got a grade 1

Ryan

Reply 33

Ronove

Original post by ryanb97

General Studies does not count as an A-level. Ever.

Reply 34

L'Evil Fish

Original post by Ronove

General Studies does not count as an A-level. Ever.

It does (whether I agree is another matter) for example I know someone who has an A* in it and it's accepted as part of their offer for Biological Sciences at Sheffield.

Reply 35

ryanb97

Original post by Ronove

General Studies does not count as an A-level. Ever.

Would you rather say you had 5A* and 2As or 5A* and 3A's??

I know what I would want

Ryan

Reply 36

Ronove

Original post by ryanb97

Would you rather say you had 5A* and 2As or 5A* and 3A's??

I know what I would want

Ryan

I would want to not feel like a giant arse for effectively misrepresenting myself for the purpose of gloating. If I had done General Studies, I would not have mentioned it to anyone after it was over and done with and I left Sixth Form.

Reply 37

L'Evil Fish

Original post by Ronove

True that.

Reply 38

Ronove

Original post by L'Evil Fish

It does (whether I agree is another matter) for example I know someone who has an A* in it and it's accepted as part of their offer for Biological Sciences at Sheffield.

Very few universities of any standing do anything but laugh at it. It is quite surprising to hear that Sheffield is doing that (whatever the circumstances may be).

Reply 39

L'Evil Fish

Original post by Ronove

Very few universities of any standing do anything but laugh at it. It is quite surprising to hear that Sheffield is doing that (whatever the circumstances may be).