Questions about A level private candidacy
Hey,
I'm 21 and not happy with where I stand academically and I want to change it. I got the bare minimum in school, just scraping C's, Got reject from sixth form, went to college then dropped out. Now i'm hopping jobs and feel like a bit of a disappointment so I want to get my life in check basically.
I want to redo my GCSE's too, I'm guessing it's not necessary but I still want to, but for me getting A levels is priority so I might just umbrella that and get GCSE's on the side.
I want to do Psychology, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Philosophy. (In order from high priority to lowest priority). Maybe chuck Polotics and Law in later on.
Having never been through the A level system, I'm not sure how it works though especially as a private candidate. What's AS and A level? do I have to do AS first then A level or can I just do A level?
As for being a private candidate, how and where are the exams held? What happens with practical work like in chemistry for example?
And for studying, do I just look at the curricular and just study those things? Where's the best place for learning based on the fact I'm studying independently and not in school/6th/college.
Without rushing them, how long will certain ones take? I work part time at the moment anyway but it's a good paying job so I got a lot of time I can devote to this, and I am a fairly quick learner.
Any advice appreciate, thanks!
I'm 21 and not happy with where I stand academically and I want to change it. I got the bare minimum in school, just scraping C's, Got reject from sixth form, went to college then dropped out. Now i'm hopping jobs and feel like a bit of a disappointment so I want to get my life in check basically.
I want to redo my GCSE's too, I'm guessing it's not necessary but I still want to, but for me getting A levels is priority so I might just umbrella that and get GCSE's on the side.
I want to do Psychology, Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Philosophy. (In order from high priority to lowest priority). Maybe chuck Polotics and Law in later on.
Having never been through the A level system, I'm not sure how it works though especially as a private candidate. What's AS and A level? do I have to do AS first then A level or can I just do A level?
As for being a private candidate, how and where are the exams held? What happens with practical work like in chemistry for example?
And for studying, do I just look at the curricular and just study those things? Where's the best place for learning based on the fact I'm studying independently and not in school/6th/college.
Without rushing them, how long will certain ones take? I work part time at the moment anyway but it's a good paying job so I got a lot of time I can devote to this, and I am a fairly quick learner.
Any advice appreciate, thanks!
You can do up to four a levels but the average is three. Most people do three and universities only ask for three. You have to do AS as that is the first year of the course and A2 is the second year. The best place for you to study would be a college I’m guessing. You would still sit your exams in schools I’m guessing because my sixth form has outsiders come into my school to do their a levels alongside us. A levels is a two year course if you’re doing three/four. And that’s you taking every single subject once a day five times a week and it’s a two year course. To do most a levels you need to have gotten Atleast a b in your gcse to study it. But for specialist subjects such as maths, chemistry, physics, biology then you need to have gotten an A preferably for schools to allow you to take those subjects. Also you sit the A level at the end of the two years which is where all you’ve learned is tested through exams. People only really do a levels in one year if they’re only studying one subject as then they just do a condensed course. Two max.
I hope this helps and I’m sorry if it disappoints you but that’s just how a levels are now.
I hope this helps and I’m sorry if it disappoints you but that’s just how a levels are now.
Original post by temzra
You can do up to four a levels but the average is three. Most people do three and universities only ask for three. You have to do AS as that is the first year of the course and A2 is the second year. The best place for you to study would be a college I’m guessing. You would still sit your exams in schools I’m guessing because my sixth form has outsiders come into my school to do their a levels alongside us. A levels is a two year course if you’re doing three/four. And that’s you taking every single subject once a day five times a week and it’s a two year course. To do most a levels you need to have gotten Atleast a b in your gcse to study it. But for specialist subjects such as maths, chemistry, physics, biology then you need to have gotten an A preferably for schools to allow you to take those subjects. Also you sit the A level at the end of the two years which is where all you’ve learned is tested through exams. People only really do a levels in one year if they’re only studying one subject as then they just do a condensed course. Two max.
I hope this helps and I’m sorry if it disappoints you but that’s just how a levels are now.
I hope this helps and I’m sorry if it disappoints you but that’s just how a levels are now.
Wow, that's a shocker. Is that just the school requirements or are private candidates free to do whatever? I understand why schools would have GCSE requirements, because accepting anyone could affect their pass rate but for me, I just want to study in my own free time then do an exam whenever, if I've got the motivation to study in me I don't see why having met GCSE requirements first would be an issue.
Can I not just accumulate the knowledge in my own free time then sit the exams during the exam period? Does it have to be a two year cycle and do the GCSE requirements still hold for someone who's just an adult wanting to do the exams?
It seems a bit counter intuitive to me, a system which makes it so much harder for people who want to go back and amend their stats.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by temzra
Also if you go to a college for people of all ages then they’ll have labs for you to do your core practicals and stuff and you’ll probably do your exams there aswell
College regardless of age is out of the question for me unfortunately, I need to work etc.. for rent and bills otherwise I'd go back through it.
Original post by Spunknugget
College regardless of age is out of the question for me unfortunately, I need to work etc.. for rent and bills otherwise I'd go back through it.
You may be able to find colleges who do a levels part time.
Original post by temzra
You may be able to find colleges who do a levels part time.
It still wouldn't really work. I make good pay at the moment but that's because of night shift bonus (allows me to work part time, for more pay than full time day shift work) so my sleep schedule would be screwed doing part time A levels plus night shifts.
Also, completely forgot to mention that it's a definite no anyway because I live in a rural area now, so the nearest college is way too far away. Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll look into it some more.
It is possible to sign up as a private candidate at certain registered schools or colleges (searchable on the exam board websites). But you have to be very careful because some subject choices include modules that are not available/permitted for private candidates. Eg. Assessment programmes that include a personal investigation (written independent research project) are often not permitted for private candidates, owing to issues involving supervision and security of content.
Original post by Spunknugget
Wow, that's a shocker. Is that just the school requirements or are private candidates free to do whatever?
Can I not just accumulate the knowledge in my own free time then sit the exams during the exam period? Does it have to be a two year cycle and do the GCSE requirements still hold for someone who's just an adult wanting to do the exams?
It seems a bit counter intuitive to me, a system which makes it so much harder for people who want to go back and amend their stats.
Can I not just accumulate the knowledge in my own free time then sit the exams during the exam period? Does it have to be a two year cycle and do the GCSE requirements still hold for someone who's just an adult wanting to do the exams?
It seems a bit counter intuitive to me, a system which makes it so much harder for people who want to go back and amend their stats.
Tbh anyone can sit an a level but if you want help from teachers which is quite important then you’d need to have that support available. You can accumulate the knowledge in your own free time but it’d probably take you longer than two years to get to a great level especially since you’re working aswell. there’s a lot of things that textbooks leave out aswell. Some subjects have very specific answering structures and a textbook may not show this. You’d definitely need to use YouTube extensively if you wanted to study by yourself. And I use YouTube a lot aswell and I even have teachers. I’m not sure if the gcse requirements still stand but since a levels have even gotten harder in the last few years, especially with them just recently becoming linear, I think it may be hard for you do certain subjects without great GCSEs because they are very demanding subjects.
I agree that the system is very counter intuitive but they’re just trying to force people to stay in school longer because if people do drop out early they’ll know how impossible it’ll be for them to go back later on.
On the bright side though there’ll definitely be some colleges that will take people regardless of past qualifications but maybe just not for the subjects you want.
Original post by Spunknugget
It still wouldn't really work. I make good pay at the moment but that's because of night shift bonus (allows me to work part time, for more pay than full time day shift work) so my sleep schedule would be screwed doing part time A levels plus night shifts.
Also, completely forgot to mention that it's a definite no anyway because I live in a rural area now, so the nearest college is way too far away. Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll look into it some more.
Also, completely forgot to mention that it's a definite no anyway because I live in a rural area now, so the nearest college is way too far away. Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll look into it some more.
Oh I’m sorry to hear that. They may be online courses though just check. But for core practicals and things like that you’d probably have to do it an institution.
Just going to bullet point to try and answer a few of your questions.
- you can do as many A Levels as you want - but you will have to pay for these since you won’t be a college/sixth form student. Most people sit 3, though 4 is not uncommon.
- you will have to find a test centre that will allow you to sit your exams in their facilities. These are usually schools or colleges. Often you will have to pay an admin fee on top of the fee for the actual paper and marking.
- self study has been successful in the past but on varying timescales. Some people succeed in a year, some people more. I would recommend 1 or 2 years - A Levels don’t really mean as much if you studied for them for 5 years!
- You should do some research into exam boards and specifications to pick which courses to study, but for the subjects you mentioned corresponding textbooks are usually available, so that is probably the best way you could go about self teaching.
- AS is no longer a necessary stage in progressing to A2, and it doesn’t make up 50% of your final grade due to reforms. If I were you, I would just study the full “2 year” course in 1 or 2 years, whatever suits you best.
- it’s colleges that require specific GCSE grades, not exam boards
- as for practicals, this will obviously be difficult based on your current situation. Either you could find a centre willing to host you to complete these (probably for a price) or potentially consider A Levels without practicals.
Hope this helps!!
Are you hoping to go to university after? Or just get a better footing in the world?
- you can do as many A Levels as you want - but you will have to pay for these since you won’t be a college/sixth form student. Most people sit 3, though 4 is not uncommon.
- you will have to find a test centre that will allow you to sit your exams in their facilities. These are usually schools or colleges. Often you will have to pay an admin fee on top of the fee for the actual paper and marking.
- self study has been successful in the past but on varying timescales. Some people succeed in a year, some people more. I would recommend 1 or 2 years - A Levels don’t really mean as much if you studied for them for 5 years!
- You should do some research into exam boards and specifications to pick which courses to study, but for the subjects you mentioned corresponding textbooks are usually available, so that is probably the best way you could go about self teaching.
- AS is no longer a necessary stage in progressing to A2, and it doesn’t make up 50% of your final grade due to reforms. If I were you, I would just study the full “2 year” course in 1 or 2 years, whatever suits you best.
- it’s colleges that require specific GCSE grades, not exam boards
- as for practicals, this will obviously be difficult based on your current situation. Either you could find a centre willing to host you to complete these (probably for a price) or potentially consider A Levels without practicals.
Hope this helps!!
Are you hoping to go to university after? Or just get a better footing in the world?
You really have to consider the costs
I resat 6 a level exams as a private candidate, and that set me back £540 (£90 per exam). I do feel ripped off, but that was the cheapest i could find. It’s worth it though, because you’ll make it to university at the end of the day
You’re planning to do more exams, plus the practical components too, which, i imagine, would be even more expensive
I resat 6 a level exams as a private candidate, and that set me back £540 (£90 per exam). I do feel ripped off, but that was the cheapest i could find. It’s worth it though, because you’ll make it to university at the end of the day
You’re planning to do more exams, plus the practical components too, which, i imagine, would be even more expensive
i dont think practicals will be a problem in fact i just did my chem, bio and physics practical unit as a written paper. Just learn the practicals through books and online (they are pretty simple). Also i dont think there are any gcse requirements to do the a level exam as a private candidate. So just buy a few books, look online(there are a lot of resources available), do past papers and u should be fine.Good luck
Original post by temzra
Oh I’m sorry to hear that. They may be online courses though just check. But for core practicals and things like that you’d probably have to do it an institution.
I've just found UKopencollege, I'm going to do a lot more research before I dump a ton of money into it but it seems like a possibility. I'll do a short taster practice of each A level I want to get a feel on whether or not I'll need a tutor.
Original post by Liviamily
Just going to bullet point to try and answer a few of your questions.
- you can do as many A Levels as you want - but you will have to pay for these since you won’t be a college/sixth form student. Most people sit 3, though 4 is not uncommon.
- you will have to find a test centre that will allow you to sit your exams in their facilities. These are usually schools or colleges. Often you will have to pay an admin fee on top of the fee for the actual paper and marking.
- self study has been successful in the past but on varying timescales. Some people succeed in a year, some people more. I would recommend 1 or 2 years - A Levels don’t really mean as much if you studied for them for 5 years!
- You should do some research into exam boards and specifications to pick which courses to study, but for the subjects you mentioned corresponding textbooks are usually available, so that is probably the best way you could go about self teaching.
- AS is no longer a necessary stage in progressing to A2, and it doesn’t make up 50% of your final grade due to reforms. If I were you, I would just study the full “2 year” course in 1 or 2 years, whatever suits you best.
- it’s colleges that require specific GCSE grades, not exam boards
- as for practicals, this will obviously be difficult based on your current situation. Either you could find a centre willing to host you to complete these (probably for a price) or potentially consider A Levels without practicals.
Hope this helps!!
Are you hoping to go to university after? Or just get a better footing in the world?
- you can do as many A Levels as you want - but you will have to pay for these since you won’t be a college/sixth form student. Most people sit 3, though 4 is not uncommon.
- you will have to find a test centre that will allow you to sit your exams in their facilities. These are usually schools or colleges. Often you will have to pay an admin fee on top of the fee for the actual paper and marking.
- self study has been successful in the past but on varying timescales. Some people succeed in a year, some people more. I would recommend 1 or 2 years - A Levels don’t really mean as much if you studied for them for 5 years!
- You should do some research into exam boards and specifications to pick which courses to study, but for the subjects you mentioned corresponding textbooks are usually available, so that is probably the best way you could go about self teaching.
- AS is no longer a necessary stage in progressing to A2, and it doesn’t make up 50% of your final grade due to reforms. If I were you, I would just study the full “2 year” course in 1 or 2 years, whatever suits you best.
- it’s colleges that require specific GCSE grades, not exam boards
- as for practicals, this will obviously be difficult based on your current situation. Either you could find a centre willing to host you to complete these (probably for a price) or potentially consider A Levels without practicals.
Hope this helps!!
Are you hoping to go to university after? Or just get a better footing in the world?
Amazing help thank you!! I'm not sure yet, Uni is still an option but I'm not too interested in it. Mainly is to get a better footing but I might consider uni later on.
Original post by faith 101
You really have to consider the costs
I resat 6 a level exams as a private candidate, and that set me back £540 (£90 per exam). I do feel ripped off, but that was the cheapest i could find. It’s worth it though, because you’ll make it to university at the end of the day
You’re planning to do more exams, plus the practical components too, which, i imagine, would be even more expensive
I resat 6 a level exams as a private candidate, and that set me back £540 (£90 per exam). I do feel ripped off, but that was the cheapest i could find. It’s worth it though, because you’ll make it to university at the end of the day
You’re planning to do more exams, plus the practical components too, which, i imagine, would be even more expensive
That's not as bad as I thought it would be, do the prices vary a lot between exam boards or is £90/exam a good reference? I'm on decent pay so that's pretty affordable for me as is.
Original post by crybaby :(
i dont think practicals will be a problem in fact i just did my chem, bio and physics practical unit as a written paper. Just learn the practicals through books and online (they are pretty simple). Also i dont think there are any gcse requirements to do the a level exam as a private candidate. So just buy a few books, look online(there are a lot of resources available), do past papers and u should be fine.Good luck
The practicals were the only things I was good at in school (apart from setting myself on fire in chem once
), Thanks! I'll keep an eye out for written practicals.Quick Reply
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