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Has anybody done AS and A2 in one year before and has successfully done it?

Has anybody done their AS and A2 in one year due to not good results and managed to get good grades in the end? Especially in Maths, Biology and Chemistry, I would like to hear your stories?

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Original post by JAHLee
Has anybody done their AS and A2 in one year due to not good results and managed to get good grades in the end? Especially in Maths, Biology and Chemistry, I would like to hear your stories?



Hi, I did biology and chemistry in one year so I could apply for medicine, and then psych and maths in one year while applying for medicine.
(At school I did eng lit, fine art, french & physics; AABC)
I got A*A* in bio & chem, so decided I was in a strong position to apply to medicine, and while doing that I did psych and maths & got A*A.
tbh I don't think I could have got those grades if I had tried to do 3 in one year (I started doing 3, but the workload was just too much to maintain high grades)
Reply 2
Original post by Mr...
Is that what you're doing... (just curious)


Currently not, however I am planning to do it soon. How you done it before? If so, do you have to mention it in the UCAS?
Reply 3
Original post by theresheglows
Hi, I did biology and chemistry in one year so I could apply for medicine, and then psych and maths in one year while applying for medicine.
(At school I did eng lit, fine art, french & physics; AABC)
I got A*A* in bio & chem, so decided I was in a strong position to apply to medicine, and while doing that I did psych and maths & got A*A.
tbh I don't think I could have got those grades if I had tried to do 3 in one year (I started doing 3, but the workload was just too much to maintain high grades)


Correct me if I am wrong but are you saying that you did eng lit, fine art, french & physics, got good grades but decided to do medicine and do different a-levels by restarting year 12. You did a-levels (AS+A2) biology and chemistry in one year (year 12?) and in the another year you did a-levels (AS+A2) in psychology and maths while applying medicine, so is that during year 13 when you do UCAS? So altogether you have did 3 years of A-levels??
Please could you paraphrase the statement you have just made? I'm abit confused...
Reply 4
Original post by Mr...
I haven't done it yet... I'm 14 :teehee:

Oh I see, do u know anyone that has done this before?
Original post by JAHLee
Correct me if I am wrong but are you saying that you did eng lit, fine art, french & physics, got good grades but decided to do medicine and do different a-levels by restarting year 12. You did a-levels (AS+A2) biology and chemistry in one year (year 12?) and in the another year you did a-levels (AS+A2) in psychology and maths while applying medicine, so is that during year 13 when you do UCAS? So altogether you have did 3 years of A-levels??
Please could you paraphrase the statement you have just made? I'm abit confused...



Sorry, what I did was a bit weird :smile:

In sixth form I did eng lit, art, french & physics (i.e. over years 12 and 13); my choices weren't determined by anything, I didn't know what I wanted to do.
I took a gap year to get work experience and decide what I wanted to do a degree in and the career prospects it would give me (I wanted to do classics when I was at school, but I wasn't sure & my family don't have enough money for me to consider doing something that wouldn't help me get a job).
I worked in an osteopathic clinic and got interested in healthcare; I started volunteering in my local community hospital and read a lot about medical conditions and became obsessed!

I essentially did A-levels from scratch; my med school offer didn't consider my school A-levels. There had been enough of a gap btw them & they were different subjects so they considered them as a totally different set of A-levels: I checked this with the unis I applied to before I applied.

I went to a FE college because my school wouldn't take me back as I was over 18 by this time (my school didn't even allow retake years).
The closest FE college that offered science A-levels only did them as intensive 1 year courses; I couldn't afford to travel further. Therefore I did chemistry and biology in one year; initially I thought I might be able to apply with bio, chem and my A in eng lit from school (I hadn't done my research!).

When I got A*A* I determined that I might have a chance of getting into medical school. I phoned unis and they said that they would consider 2 full A-levels done in 1 year followed by 1 or 2 done in a subsequent year as equivalent to 3/4 done in 2 years: I think they agreed partly because I couldn't go somewhere that did them over the normal 2 years, and because doing 2 A-levels in 1 year is about the same workload as doing 4 over 2 years.

Therefore the next year I took psych and maths; and in that academic year I applied to unis. I got offers based on getting A in either maths or psych. Therefore my matriculating qualifications (that unis use to determine your place) were bio, chem, psych, maths as above.

My situation was rather unusual (I made it difficult for myself :smile:), and I didn't know if I could get good grades in sciences (I only just scraped a C in physics:frown:)

What are you thinking of doing? Have you finished year 13?
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by theresheglows
Sorry, what I did was a bit weird :smile:

In sixth form I did eng lit, art, french & physics (i.e. over years 12 and 13); my choices weren't determined by anything, I didn't know what I wanted to do.
I took a gap year to get work experience and decide what I wanted to do a degree in and the career prospects it would give me (I wanted to do classics when I was at school, but I wasn't sure & my family don't have enough money for me to consider doing something that wouldn't help me get a job).
I worked in an osteopathic clinic and got interested in healthcare; I started volunteering in my local community hospital and read a lot about medical conditions and became obsessed!

I essentially did A-levels from scratch; my med school offer didn't consider my school A-levels. There had been enough of a gap btw them & they were different subjects so they considered them as a totally different set of A-levels: I checked this with the unis I applied to before I applied.

I went to a FE college because my school wouldn't take me back as I was over 18 by this time (my school didn't even allow retake years).
The closest FE college that offered science A-levels only did them as intensive 1 year courses; I couldn't afford to travel further. Therefore I did chemistry and biology in one year; initially I thought I might be able to apply with bio, chem and my A in eng lit from school (I hadn't done my research!).

When I got A*A* I determined that I might have a chance of getting into medical school. I phoned unis and they said that they would consider 2 full A-levels done in 1 year followed by 1 or 2 done in a subsequent year as equivalent to 3/4 done in 2 years: I think they agreed partly because I couldn't go somewhere that did them over the normal 2 years, and because doing 2 A-levels in 1 year is about the same workload as doing 4 over 2 years.

Therefore the next year I took psych and maths; and in that academic year I applied to unis. I got offers based on getting A in either maths or psych. Therefore my matriculating qualifications (that unis use to determine your place) were bio, chem, psych, maths as above.

My situation was rather unusual (I made it difficult for myself :smile:), and I didn't know if I could get good grades in sciences (I only just scraped a C in physics:frown:)

What are you thinking of doing? Have you finished year 13?



Thank you for help, I really appreciate you giving up your time in writing this up. :smile:

I got my AS results and I just finished my year 12. The results I've got are really bad. I planned to do year 13 for A2 and resit my AS the coming September. Most of people have recommended me don't take A2 and do the whole year of AS again. May I ask if you live in London and the name of the FE college you went to? I live in London and I would like to know if there are any colleges in London that would allow you to do an intensive one year course?
Original post by JAHLee
Thank you for help, I really appreciate you giving up your time in writing this up. :smile:

I got my AS results and I just finished my year 12. The results I've got are really bad. I planned to do year 13 for A2 and resit my AS the coming September. Most of people have recommended me don't take A2 and do the whole year of AS again. May I ask if you live in London and the name of the FE college you went to? I live in London and I would like to know if there are any colleges in London that would allow you to do an intensive one year course?



Sorry, I'm not in London, but I do believe that there are FE colleges in London that allow you to do A-levels as intensive one-years as I came across some when I was googling for one near me :smile:
I think City of Westminster & Westminster Kingsway colleges may do them.

It is hard trying to fit it all in one year though, especially if you do 3.
There is nothing wrong with retaking AS year, the step up from GCSE to A-level takes a lot of people by surprise, and it may give you a better opportunity and more time to do a lot better.
The way my college worked if you took Further Maths is that you'll do Maths AS and A2 in one year, then FM AS and A2 in the second year, so basically yes, I've done a whole A level in a year, twice. It's hard work and 9 hours a week of one subject (plus double homework and double revision) can grate after a while but plenty of people come out with very good grades at the end. I got an A in both and I know people who got A* in both.
Reply 9
Original post by theresheglows
Sorry, I'm not in London, but I do believe that there are FE colleges in London that allow you to do A-levels as intensive one-years as I came across some when I was googling for one near me :smile:
I think City of Westminster & Westminster Kingsway colleges may do them.

It is hard trying to fit it all in one year though, especially if you do 3.
There is nothing wrong with retaking AS year, the step up from GCSE to A-level takes a lot of people by surprise, and it may give you a better opportunity and more time to do a lot better.


I went to Westminster Kingsway college and they didn't as well as they wouldn't offer that option if they did do it. They suggested to me that
I should take two AS years of Biology and Chemistry again, carry on onto Maths at A2 but at the same time retake the AS.
Original post by benplumley
The way my college worked if you took Further Maths is that you'll do Maths AS and A2 in one year, then FM AS and A2 in the second year, so basically yes, I've done a whole A level in a year, twice. It's hard work and 9 hours a week of one subject (plus double homework and double revision) can grate after a while but plenty of people come out with very good grades at the end. I got an A in both and I know people who got A* in both.


I'm just about to start Year 12 to study Maths and FM, and my sixth form does the same thing. Do you think it's harder to get an A* in Maths A level if you do it in one year rather than AS in Year 12 and A2 in Year 13? Any tips?
Original post by Nijuuninichi
I'm just about to start Year 12 to study Maths and FM, and my sixth form does the same thing. Do you think it's harder to get an A* in Maths A level if you do it in one year rather than AS in Year 12 and A2 in Year 13? Any tips?

Yes, it's bound to be harder. My advice would be to start your revision much earlier than other subjects, to give you enough time to complete every past paper. Each person finds a different unit hard, for me it was C3 and C4 that I should have revised more of. Also, sort out your note-taking before you start. I hardly took notes at GCSE because I didn't need to, but at A Level it's really worth finding a method of note-taking that suits you. Don't think you can just write down your workings and nothing else.
I didn't do any of the subjects you're asking about (as I'm more of a humanities/social sciences kind of person) but I did go from CCD to AAB all in A2 year. It's perfectly possible to do AS and A2 in one year in any subjects as long as you have the determination and do a hell of a lot of after-school study.

Also, expect to start revising properly for exams about 2 months before they actually start because you'll probably have about 8 of them in a short space of time.
Original post by benplumley
Yes, it's bound to be harder. My advice would be to start your revision much earlier than other subjects, to give you enough time to complete every past paper. Each person finds a different unit hard, for me it was C3 and C4 that I should have revised more of. Also, sort out your note-taking before you start. I hardly took notes at GCSE because I didn't need to, but at A Level it's really worth finding a method of note-taking that suits you. Don't think you can just write down your workings and nothing else.


Thanks! :smile:

I've been quite bad at taking notes with all of my subjects at GCSE, so I'm definitely going to have to work on a strategy for it.

How early would you recommend starting revision?
Original post by Nijuuninichi
Thanks! :smile:

I've been quite bad at taking notes with all of my subjects at GCSE, so I'm definitely going to have to work on a strategy for it.

How early would you recommend starting revision?

Before Easter. At least, that's the advice I'd give myself. Each person revises differently.
Original post by JAHLee
Thank you for help, I really appreciate you giving up your time in writing this up. :smile:

I got my AS results and I just finished my year 12. The results I've got are really bad. I planned to do year 13 for A2 and resit my AS the coming September. Most of people have recommended me don't take A2 and do the whole year of AS again. May I ask if you live in London and the name of the FE college you went to? I live in London and I would like to know if there are any colleges in London that would allow you to do an intensive one year course?


Surely if you resit year 12 you will have to enter the new syllabus, in which there are no As exams and only exams at the end of year 13.


Anyway I do maths and further maths so this year I did my maths A-level. There's quite a lot to do but I managed to get an A*
Original post by benplumley
Before Easter. At least, that's the advice I'd give myself. Each person revises differently.


Thank you so much! :tongue:
Reply 17
Original post by neveroddoreven
Surely if you resit year 12 you will have to enter the new syllabus, in which there are no As exams and only exams at the end of year 13.


Anyway I do maths and further maths so this year I did my maths A-level. There's quite a lot to do but I managed to get an A*


What?! There's no AS Exams! All exams are going to be taken at the end of year 13?? Where did you hear that from may I ask?
Original post by JAHLee
What?! There's no AS Exams! All exams are going to be taken at the end of year 13?? Where did you hear that from may I ask?


Sorry I was mistaken. The new syllabus is coming into effect next year. I.e. this is the last year when there will be yr 12 exams
Original post by JAHLee
Has anybody done their AS and A2 in one year due to not good results and managed to get good grades in the end? Especially in Maths, Biology and Chemistry, I would like to hear your stories?


Did my whole A-level in maths in year 12 and my whole A-Level in Further Maths in year 13. Only got an A in maths the first time so I retook C4 and got it up to an A*. Got an A* first time in further maths.

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