Hello fellow students!
I am currently sitting my GCSE examinations, and when I get my results, I will be moving schools to do my A-Levels. I am hoping to get 7A*s (absolute minimum of 5), 2As, a B/C (I am not really sure; it will be a low B or a C), and 2 Distinctions in my BTEC IT Extended Cert - which I think means its 1 Distinction*. I'm not 100% sure on how that BTEC grading system works. Anyone able to explain it?
That was all just so you could get background information on me. I believe I could have got straight A*s, if I had actually applied myself in the first year of GCSEs, and I don't mean that arrogantly; the grades I am going for in my summer exams, while actually revising, are higher than what I was achieving with no revision in 4th year. In short, I do not really have any trouble managing my time, and I am extremely motivated, now that I want to go to Cambridge to study Computer Science.
My main question is, would doing 5 A-Levels actually advantage me a lot more than doing 4? I am hoping to do CEA Software & Systems Development, Mathematics, Physics, Further Maths and Biology. I am going for an A* in my GCSE Maths, but I do not have Additional Maths at GCSE, so I am aware, especially doing Further Maths too, A-Level Maths will be difficult. However, I was talking to my Maths teacher in school about it, and she seems really positive about it. The school I am wanting to go to only has 4 option blocks, but I was possibly hoping that considering Further Maths is entirely exams, I could do it during my study periods and just go into the exams, but I couldn't do that with the Software (which is my real strong point) as it has internal assessments (practicals as part of the the A-Level), and it is in the same option block as the Further Maths.
So in summary, will doing 5 A-Levels give me a greater advantage over my competitors in getting to Cambridge Computer Science? It would maybe help to see what current people studying it at Cambridge got.
NB: Sorry if there is a thread like this, I did a search and I couldn't find one.