No idea what to pick for a level

Original post by Haliem

Hey! So I've got a place at sixth form and they've said I can have more time to pick my subjects I need to pick either 3AS & 1Reserve or 4AS & 2 reserve subjects, however they want the subjects by the time the Easter holiday ends but I have no idea about the future or what interests me if I be honest! I have already got my GCSEs results as I'm in the year above but took a year out of education for personal reasons, but now I'm back! I just wanna get stuck in and try my best, from my GCSE results can you guys tell me what you'd pick?

P.s I'll ignore your comment if you lecture me I don't wanna hear anything along the lines as 'I can't choose for you' and stuff like that I just want to know what you would pick based on my GCSE results and your own personal experience I'm just curious as to your opinion :smile:

So here it is my grades

English Language C
English Liteature A. I know big difference right 😂
Maths C
Chemistry C
Biology B
Physics C
P.E D (lul)
Citizenship C
They were the compulsory subjects at my school!

Choosen Subjects
Drama C
Business C
German D
ICT B
Computing A
Art C
ABCCCD

You may think I done a lot of subjects but I started some of them in year 9 so I could drope a few 😄 but yeah so overall I got 2As 2Bs 8Cs 2Ds I also got a U in food tech but that's because I dropped it but I was still put down for the exam and didn't know -.- but yeah

Hey! I read your post and it sounds like you need a bit of help? :biggrin:

(i'm in year 12 atm) (this is gonna be long btw!!!)

Have you heard about the most recent a level change regarding the new spec and taking a levels at the end of year 13? if your sixth form subjects are on the new spec it'll mean you do the full a level & exam @ the end of yr 13, some subjects may still be on the old spec meaning you can do the AS level in yr12 & drop the subject in yr13 - i should think most of the facilitating subjects are on the new spec now
you can read about that here:

http://www.cife.org.uk/article/the-new-a-level-and-gcse-exams/

______
secondly, the a levels I'd say really split the subjects into 5 categories:
1) STEM subjects - all science, tech, engineering, & maths subjects
2) languages - e.g. spanish, german, & french etc, and classical languages, e.g. latin & greek etc
2) essay subjects - english lit, english lang, geography, & history (more such as sociology/psychology are gaining status too : D)
3) creative and design subjects - textiles, product design, graphic design, drama, music, etc)
4) another opt. which are known as i hate to say it - `soft` subjects - this is down to you which you label these as, but these include options such as `cupcake decorating` which schools use to boost up their league tables... and wider key skills etc.

there are also a wide range of btecs which so look appealing if you run out of options - my friend does one, and says she prefers it to a levels :smile:

cambridge university has listed a list of `prefered` a levels which basically discriminates anything other than traditional subjects, and also there are many things you need to consider if you want to go to uni etc,so say if you want to do medicine or veterinary you need to do chemistry AND biology at least to do them at a russel group uni, and if you want to be a lawyer they may prefer you to do english literature and history (or any other subject b/c they teach you how to analyse essays and give you good skills.

you can read about that here:
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/admissions/ug/apply/a-level-combinations

___
thirdly choosing your a level advice from me :wink:

:

-choose your a levels on the basis of what subjects you LOVED at gcse (some 6th forms may have entry requirements though so check these) + you will be doing them every day at sixth form so if you choose a subject you hate it will be a very long and tedious week for you (you can usually change your options within the first one or two weeks if you don't like them though)

-don't let your parents influence your options (heard of so many of the `my-parents-want-me-to-choose:maths/bio/chen/physics/furthermaths-to-become-a-doctor/vet/nurse/etc) (not that its a bad thing but your nearly an adult - its your decision at the end of the day :smile:

- don't let your FRIENDS influence your options either - similar to above but really? this is common sense

- choose a subject you know you will MISS at a level - i'm hopefully resitting yr12 next year for personal reasons, but i didn't do history this year - i couldn't b/c of entry requirements but i've been pining for history basically all year :frown:

- choose maybe at least 1 traditional subject - gives u more uni options regarding courses etc

______
looking at ur gcse grades you did really well! :smile:

well done

most 6th forms won't usually let u do maths or science unless you've got a B but it depends - mind if i ask if u did higher or foundation for eng. lang & maths?

are you considering any university options/courses/future careers?
you strongest subjects seem to be:

english lang.
english literature
biology
ict
computing

there's also some subjects at a level that maybe weren't offered at gcse such as psychology, sociology, environmental studies, goverment and politics, art history health and social care, and photography (some i could think of atm),

apart from PE & german, you can pretty much choose from anything really, unless u want to continue these :smile:

Reply 5

OP

Original post by bizzy_penguin

Hey! I read your post and it sounds like you need a bit of help? :biggrin:

(i'm in year 12 atm) (this is gonna be long btw!!!)

Have you heard about the most recent a level change regarding the new spec and taking a levels at the end of year 13? if your sixth form subjects are on the new spec it'll mean you do the full a level & exam @ the end of yr 13, some subjects may still be on the old spec meaning you can do the AS level in yr12 & drop the subject in yr13 - i should think most of the facilitating subjects are on the new spec now
you can read about that here:

http://www.cife.org.uk/article/the-new-a-level-and-gcse-exams/

______
secondly, the a levels I'd say really split the subjects into 5 categories:
1) STEM subjects - all science, tech, engineering, & maths subjects
2) languages - e.g. spanish, german, & french etc, and classical languages, e.g. latin & greek etc
2) essay subjects - english lit, english lang, geography, & history (more such as sociology/psychology are gaining status too : D)
3) creative and design subjects - textiles, product design, graphic design, drama, music, etc)
4) another opt. which are known as i hate to say it - `soft` subjects - this is down to you which you label these as, but these include options such as `cupcake decorating` which schools use to boost up their league tables... and wider key skills etc.

there are also a wide range of btecs which so look appealing if you run out of options - my friend does one, and says she prefers it to a levels :smile:

cambridge university has listed a list of `prefered` a levels which basically discriminates anything other than traditional subjects, and also there are many things you need to consider if you want to go to uni etc,so say if you want to do medicine or veterinary you need to do chemistry AND biology at least to do them at a russel group uni, and if you want to be a lawyer they may prefer you to do english literature and history (or any other subject b/c they teach you how to analyse essays and give you good skills.

you can read about that here:
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/admissions/ug/apply/a-level-combinations

___
thirdly choosing your a level advice from me :wink:

:

-choose your a levels on the basis of what subjects you LOVED at gcse (some 6th forms may have entry requirements though so check these) + you will be doing them every day at sixth form so if you choose a subject you hate it will be a very long and tedious week for you (you can usually change your options within the first one or two weeks if you don't like them though)

-don't let your parents influence your options (heard of so many of the `my-parents-want-me-to-choose:maths/bio/chen/physics/furthermaths-to-become-a-doctor/vet/nurse/etc) (not that its a bad thing but your nearly an adult - its your decision at the end of the day :smile:

- don't let your FRIENDS influence your options either - similar to above but really? this is common sense

- choose a subject you know you will MISS at a level - i'm hopefully resitting yr12 next year for personal reasons, but i didn't do history this year - i couldn't b/c of entry requirements but i've been pining for history basically all year :frown:

- choose maybe at least 1 traditional subject - gives u more uni options regarding courses etc

______
looking at ur gcse grades you did really well! :smile:

well done

most 6th forms won't usually let u do maths or science unless you've got a B but it depends - mind if i ask if u did higher or foundation for eng. lang & maths?

are you considering any university options/courses/future careers?
you strongest subjects seem to be:

english lang.
english literature
biology
ict
computing

there's also some subjects at a level that maybe weren't offered at gcse such as psychology, sociology, environmental studies, goverment and politics, art history health and social care, and photography (some i could think of atm),

apart from PE & german, you can pretty much choose from anything really, unless u want to continue these :smile:

Heyy! I did foundation Maths and higher English!😄

Reply 6

OP

Guys I forgot to mention I've chosen Psychology so far and that's it!

Reply 7

thefatone

6

Original post by Haliem

Hey! So I've got a place at sixth form and they've said I can have more time to pick my subjects I need to pick either 3AS & 1Reserve or 4AS & 2 reserve subjects, however they want the subjects by the time the Easter holiday ends but I have no idea about the future or what interests me if I be honest! I have already got my GCSEs results as I'm in the year above but took a year out of education for personal reasons, but now I'm back! I just wanna get stuck in and try my best, from my GCSE results can you guys tell me what you'd pick?

P.s I'll ignore your comment if you lecture me I don't wanna hear anything along the lines as 'I can't choose for you' and stuff like that I just want to know what you would pick based on my GCSE results and your own personal experience I'm just curious as to your opinion :smile:

So here it is my grades

English Language C
English Literature A. I know big difference right 😂
Maths C
Chemistry C
Biology B
Physics C
P.E D (lul)
Citizenship C
They were the compulsory subjects at my school!

Choosen Subjects
Drama C
Business C
German D
ICT B
Computing A
Art C
ABCCCD

You may think I done a lot of subjects but I started some of them in year 9 so I could drope a few 😄 but yeah so overall I got 2As 2Bs 8Cs 2Ds I also got a U in food tech but that's because I dropped it but I was still put down for the exam and didn't know -.- but yeah

this tells me you can bullsh*t more than you can do logical stuff

aside from that for your choices choose subject you like and ones you're good at that's all there is to it

Reply 8

OP

Original post by thefatone

this tells me you can bullsh*t more than you can do logical stuff

aside from that for your choices choose subject you like and ones you're good at that's all there is to it

Thanks but um what do you mean I ********

Reply 9

thefatone

6

Original post by Haliem

Thanks but um what do you mean I ********

literature is all just poems and how much balls you can come up with to describe whatever you need to

Reply 10

Original post by Haliem

Heyy! I did foundation Maths and higher English!😄

me too apart from the maths :smile:

i was wondering thats all :smile:

b/c of the grade difference between the english literature and language :wink:

- what were your favourite subjects at gcse OP?

Reply 11

is computer science offered at your sixth form? :smile:

also, how much does biology appeal? (don't want to influence you too much - i don't do it btw, but have heard it is a good subject - and goes well with psychology.

english literature would also be a v. good option to consider :smile:

some sixth forms might also give their students an option to resit on the higher gcse paper, but i don't know how common this is...

i forgot to mention that some subjects have more coursework than others - some design subjects like textiles / photography / and art usually have 100% coursework which can be VERY time consuming

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 12

OP

Original post by bizzy_penguin

is computer science offered at your sixth form? :smile:

also, how much does biology appeal? (don't want to influence you too much - i don't do it btw, but have heard it is a good subject - and goes well with psychology.

english literature would also be a v. good option to consider :smile:

some sixth forms might also give their students an option to resit on the higher gcse paper, but i don't know how common this is...

i forgot to mention that some subjects have more coursework than others - some design subjects like textiles / photography / and art usually have 100% coursework which can be VERY time consuming

Hey computer science is offered at my sixth form however even though I achieved an A I did find it difficult at GCSE so I'm unsure at the minute and English lit at my sixth form was barley chosen by students last year so they only have Lang and lit together but I won't it be a big step up? I only achieved a C at GCSE by 7 UMS

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 13

Original post by Haliem

Hey computer science is offered at my sixth form however even though I achieved an A I did find it difficult at GCSE so I'm unsure at the minute and English lit at my sixth form was barley chosen by students last year so they only have Lang and lit together but I won't it be a big step up? I only achieved a C at GCSE by 7 UMS

hmm i can't speak for english language but the taster session was so interesting but i did the foundation paper unfortunately :frown:

. Most sixth forms usually do taster sessions so you can see what the subjects about, you may find this good to go to so see if your 6th form offers one - they're quite useful tbh :smile:

- i only do 3 subjects, but started with 4 (english lit being the subject i dropped b/c it was so hard + i was resitting maths gcse at the time :frown:

. It may have been b/c to do it you needed a B and i was in a low set in gcse dunno.

imo all the a level subjects are harder especially on the new spec :s-smilie:

, but we can do it :smile:

whats your 6th forms entry requirements like? high / low / ok? what about geography or history? some don't require you to do them at gcse to them at a level, so consider these too, try keeping your options open, but some people like to make sure their subjects link to each other for a future job / uni course but it may not matter at this moment in time

Reply 14

h8skoooooool

15

I'm sorry but I'm going to be blunt here - if you have no idea what interests you and what you want to do for the future then why do you want to do A-levels?

I know a lot of people who just went to college, picking the subjects they did best in at GCSE, because it just seemed like the next step and all their friends were doing it - they end up regretting their decision majorly. A-levels can be very stressful if you don't have the motivation to do well, for example, because you need to meet uni offers to get the right degree for your career (or just a degree subject you are really passionate about). I don't think you should do A-levels just because you think you should, you must be studying subjects that you enjoy.

However, I find it hard to believe that there's nothing you enjoy - perhaps think back to your favourite classes, decide why you liked them (it might not just be the subject that you liked) and work out from there what options are right for you.

Reply 15

OP

Original post by bizzy_penguin

hmm i can't speak for english language but the taster session was so interesting but i did the foundation paper unfortunately :frown:

. Most sixth forms usually do taster sessions so you can see what the subjects about, you may find this good to go to so see if your 6th form offers one - they're quite useful tbh :smile:

- i only do 3 subjects, but started with 4 (english lit being the subject i dropped b/c it was so hard + i was resitting maths gcse at the time :frown:

. It may have been b/c to do it you needed a B and i was in a low set in gcse dunno.

imo all the a level subjects are harder especially on the new spec :s-smilie:

, but we can do it :smile:

whats your 6th forms entry requirements like? high / low / ok? what about geography or history? some don't require you to do them at gcse to them at a level, so consider these too, try keeping your options open, but some people like to make sure their subjects link to each other for a future job / uni course but it may not matter at this moment in time

Geography and History requires GCSE in the subject to study it at my sixth form☹

Reply 16

somethingbeautiful

18

Pick a balance between what you enjoy and what you're good at.

By that, I mean that there's no point in doing something that you got an A in if you don't enjoy it, and there's no point in doing something you enjoy that you got a D in since obviously it won't be your forte.

So strike a balance. Also, have a good think about what you want to do after A-levels. University isn't the only option.

Reply 17

Tootles

Original post by Haliem

Hey! So I've got a place at sixth form and they've said I can have more time to pick my subjects I need to pick either 3AS & 1Reserve or 4AS & 2 reserve subjects, however they want the subjects by the time the Easter holiday ends but I have no idea about the future or what interests me if I be honest! I have already got my GCSEs results as I'm in the year above but took a year out of education for personal reasons, but now I'm back! I just wanna get stuck in and try my best, from my GCSE results can you guys tell me what you'd pick?

P.s I'll ignore your comment if you lecture me I don't wanna hear anything along the lines as 'I can't choose for you' and stuff like that I just want to know what you would pick based on my GCSE results and your own personal experience I'm just curious as to your opinion :smile:

So here it is my grades

English Language C
English Liteature A. I know big difference right 😂
Maths C
Chemistry C
Biology B
Physics C
P.E D (lul)
Citizenship C
They were the compulsory subjects at my school!

Choosen Subjects
Drama C
Business C
German D
ICT B
Computing A
Art C
ABCCCD

You may think I done a lot of subjects but I started some of them in year 9 so I could drope a few 😄 but yeah so overall I got 2As 2Bs 8Cs 2Ds I also got a U in food tech but that's because I dropped it but I was still put down for the exam and didn't know -.- but yeah

How the **** did you manage that. Turn hob on. Put pan on hob. Remember safety. Blah.

In all seriousness though, the more I think about it, the more I think people aren't ready to decide where they want their life to go when they're sixteen. Very few people go pon to do what they did academically as a job once they've "grown up."

Reply 18