What should i choose?

I completely understand where you are coming from and I was in your position a year ago (just finished Year 12 now)
I took AQA French and have friends that took all of your other options.The questions you really need to ask yourself are:

What do I want to do after A-Levels (no matter how vague)
What have I enjoyed at GCSE
How well did I do in these subjects at GCSE

You are best (but not limited to) picking your strongest subjects. Also do not underestimate the work load of each subject. If you had to pick 4 today what would you pick and what would be your concerns about what you have/haven't chosen?

Unless you want to do languages at university, I wouldn't advise taking 2 languages as mainly the workload is huge especially if you're not fluent but if you think you can handle it then go for that.

As for the other subjects, I'd just do what you think is your strongest as AletiaL says above. Also what you want to do at uni/after A Levels is important.

Thank you!

Degree-wise, I don't know whether I want to go for medicine or languages with philosophy or just a language, so essentially I think that's where I need to make my mind up. Is language workload massive compared to other subjects then?

The only one I'm nailed on doing is P+E because it's ridiculous how much I enjoy that subject and how well I get on with the teachers. Enjoymentwise then it would go the languages followed by the sciences, but if I take both languages I completely rule out the medicine route. However, the thought of dropping French or Spanish makes my heart sink. I've asked about the express French course (essentially Further Maths for French, you do the AS course in about half the teaching time) but it isn't popular enough.

My current submission is the 3 Sciences and P+E, but I don't feel that's the right choice. Should I wait until August 22nd (results day) and let that influence my decision?

If the "thought of dropping French or Spanish makes (your) heart sink," take them. I was in a similar position with French at GCSE. I was scared about the workload of AS, but hated the idea of not learning more about the language. Have no idea how I've done in the exam, so may not be the best source of information...but I'd say the workload is fine, as long as you have the interest in the subject to be continually practising it everyday. The amount I've learnt in a year is awesome; I can now write/speak on skype to Francophone friends independently (without cheating using google translate), can read books in it, watch TV and understand a fair amount. You'll get out of a language what you put in, you sound like you have the passion, and if you do, doing little things every day like watching a bit of French TV (you can access French Euronews on Virgin and TV5monde on Sky) will make it perfectly manageable...and give you an invaluable life skill. Obviously if medicine is the most important thing, don't take them though. All I can really say is just do what you feel is right and take whatever you feel you will enjoy dedicating your time to learning about over the next 2 years Ppl on here often knock languages and their workload, but if you have a knack for them and the commitment to do them, they are realllly rewarding. (And the only subject where chatting to others/watching TV etc counts as very effective revision).

I'd go for two languages and two sciences so that:
If you still can't make up your mind about doing medicine at uni, you could go for a biology degree (or something similar). After that, if you decide you absolutely want to do medicine then you could go for the graduate entry route.
Or if you decide earlier on (say middle of your first year of a-levels), you could drop a language for the second year and take either physics or maths as you only need the 3rd science to AS.

I'm in a similar situation to you - I love languages but I also love the thought of medicine.. however I think I'm going to go for medicine - besides, I could always learn a language later on in life if I wanted to there are websites like Duolingo which you can learn a lot from.

Thanks we should chat sometime, haha:')

But yeah, I was thinking that, until you bring in the fact that Philosophy and Ethics tops everything for me; enjoyment, teachers, predicted grades at GCSE, interest...that it's difficult...my family has told me to do one language, then it's deciding which to drop...

I'm sure ill figure it out ������


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You're welcome and yes we should! XD

Ahh right, I see... it does sound quite interesting

You haven't talked about physics very much so, maybe you should take the other 5 subjects and then within the first couple of weeks, drop the one you find least enjoyable? Remember that the content is quite different to GCSE so read through each specification if you really want to decide before going back to sixth form

If you are going to drop a language, drop the one you find slightly more difficult... a lot of people find Spanish easier but if they do take both, they find that they compliment each other quite well.

I decided on Spanish because I find it more enjoyable and easier to get to grips with. The only thing I don't like about languages are the grammar rules hahah.

If you decide to stick with Spanish, maybe we could help each other out? (I'm also on the same exam board as you for biology, which I've already started on... I could give you a link if you wish?)

I like the physics staff, I'm just not great at maths (I can get an A* at GCSE I'm just no prodigy which the rest of my class seems to be). I actually think all 5 fits with the blocking, so I'll have to see if they let you do that at my school

I find French easier to write and have taken it for four years longer but Spanish easier to say, but I don't know the weighings of each component. I think if I did choose a language I'd choose Spanish because I was speaking to a relatively good friend in the year above and he said the Spanish department has better support.

Call me a geek but I love other languages' grammar I'm great at forming it, but not great at using it, like the subjunctive, I can form it and I know the Spanish use it all the time but I cannot implement it correctly at all

Helping each other sounds like a great plan! And if it wouldn't be too much trouble, yes please


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Aw heheh, good! I hope they do... otherwise people often don't really know what they're getting themselves into. They should have taster days for the subjects instead of us walking in and not knowing what the subjects are going to be like!

Oh right, I wonder why you find French easier to write XD surely it's harder with silent letters and different accents? I started both and the same time and have always found Spanish easier to remember (although my teacher had a big influence on that I guess).

You're probably better off with French then if you find writing easier because the "Listening, Reading and Writing" accounts for 70% of AS, 35% of A Level (2 hours in the first year, 2 and a half in the second year). The "Speaking Test" accounts for 30% at AS and 15% at A Level (both are 35 minutes and they include 20 minutes of preparation time).

If you get more practice it'll come easier to you I can never remember any of it but I suppose I'll have to this year! XD

Wehayy, I'll add you as a friend after I've posted this then

It's no problem at all, this is for the whole of AS: http://asbiology101.wordpress.com/downloads/