How many A levels take you take and what's the difference if you do less than that?

I heard you could take 4 or even 5 subjects and then drop some of them after the 1st year so you just have an AS. Can you still do that? Are AS the same as a GSCE/level 2 BTEC? If you just take 1 or 2, instead of 3, is it part time, instead of full time at sixth form? Does it still take 2 years no matter how many you take? Thanks

Reply 1

alleycat393

Original post by FullTimeIdealist

It takes 2 years to do the full A level i.e As and A. Ideally you shouldn't be doing more than 3-4 at a time. You can do them part time but I'm not sure how long you will have to finish each. And no an As is a step up from GCSE and level 2 qualifications.

Reply 2

FullTimeIdealist

Original post by alleycat393

Okay. How come you shouldn't do more than 3-4? Is it because it's too much work to do? Okay, no worries. Really? So a level 3 qualification?

Reply 3

alleycat393

Original post by FullTimeIdealist

Okay. How come you shouldn't do more than 3-4? Is it because it's too much work to do? Okay, no worries. Really? So a level 3 qualification?

Indeed. It's very rare that schools/colleges will let you do 4. You need to have a very good reason for it or have shown that you are capable.

Reply 4

FullTimeIdealist

Original post by alleycat393

Indeed. It's very rare that schools/colleges will let you do 4. You need to have a very good reason for it or have shown that you are capable.

Okay. I guess that makes sense. What's the minimum ammount of A levels you need to get into university?

Reply 5

alleycat393

Original post by FullTimeIdealist

Okay. I guess that makes sense. What's the minimum ammount of A levels you need to get into university?

3 full A levels

Reply 6

FullTimeIdealist

Original post by alleycat393

3 full A levels

Is that also 3, level 3 qualifications?

Reply 7

alleycat393

Original post by FullTimeIdealist

Is that also 3, level 3 qualifications?

Why don’t you spend some time doing your research? This will be good practise for uni where no one will hold your hand. This is your future. Entry requirements will vary by uni and course. Good luck!

Reply 8

westcw13

Hi, I'm in my second year of doing 4 now and trust me, it's a bit of a waste of time doing 4. Most universities don't take it into account, but Oxbridge might depending if it's relevant to the course or not. The only time I'd recommend doing 4 is if your fourth is further maths and you want to apply to do something around maths/ physics/ engineering etc.

I think a lot of colleges/ sixth forms are moving to linear now, so doing an AS is no longer an option there, but I'd check with the places you're applying to. Although I'm not sure how much AS's help in terms of uni applications nowadays, but my guess is not a lot.

Hope that helps!