Can I do 3 A levels in a year?

I didn't give it much thought until now, I just decided I would do them in a year. I am 20 years old, so will be a mature student, and I have a tutor at a private education centre.

I recently completed my GCSEs over the course of one year and received my grades. I did 5 GCSEs, and got a 7 in maths, 8 in English and Physics, and 9 in Biology and Chemistry, and that was with minimal effort, as I was just trying to 'get my life back on track' without a clear vision for my future. Now I have a clear vision for my future, and not only know what I want to study, but what I will do after university, and feel motivated to do nothing but study for 8 hours a day during A levels.

My 3 A levels are Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. I understand that it will be very tough, and my tutor believes I am capable of achieving A*s, but that it will take a lot of hard work and motivation. The reason I want to do them in a year is because I feel like doing them over 2 years might hurt my motivation because my ambitions will seem far away, and I can't really predict the situation I will be in 2 years from now, whereas with 1 year, they're just around the corner. I have written my personal statement and have decided on my university applications, but I'm having doubts about this and don't know if they're rational or not.

I guess it boils down to is it possible? And I don't mean in a 'anything is possible' motivational quote way which could be applied to any situation, I mean with the dedication and motivation of 6 to 8 hours a day studying, a tutor there to help me and that believes in my capabilities, and my success at GCSEs, could I reasonably expect to achieve 3 A* grades?

I didn't give it much thought until now, I just decided I would do them in a year. I am 20 years old, so will be a mature student, and I have a tutor at a private education centre.

I recently completed my GCSEs over the course of one year and received my grades. I did 5 GCSEs, and got a 7 in maths, 8 in English and Physics, and 9 in Biology and Chemistry, and that was with minimal effort, as I was just trying to 'get my life back on track' without a clear vision for my future. Now I have a clear vision for my future, and not only know what I want to study, but what I will do after university, and feel motivated to do nothing but study for 8 hours a day during A levels.

My 3 A levels are Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology. I understand that it will be very tough, and my tutor believes I am capable of achieving A*s, but that it will take a lot of hard work and motivation. The reason I want to do them in a year is because I feel like doing them over 2 years might hurt my motivation because my ambitions will seem far away, and I can't really predict the situation I will be in 2 years from now, whereas with 1 year, they're just around the corner. I have written my personal statement and have decided on my university applications, but I'm having doubts about this and don't know if they're rational or not.

I guess it boils down to is it possible? And I don't mean in a 'anything is possible' motivational quote way which could be applied to any situation, I mean with the dedication and motivation of 6 to 8 hours a day studying, a tutor there to help me and that believes in my capabilities, and my success at GCSEs, could I reasonably expect to achieve 3 A* grades?

yes, doing A levels in a year is relatively common for mature students but, as you say, it will take a lot of hours/day

Good afternoon and thank you for replying. I read a lot of threads with people asking the same question and while some people have encouraged them, they've also received lots of discouraging replies and sarcastic remarks.

6-8 hours of day and also the help of a tutor?

It's easily possible and you probably wouldn't even have to dedicate that much time to get 3 A*s. Considering you got 9s in Bio and Chem there should be no problems.

You really don't need a tutor also it's dependant on effort, I have third world friends who live in poverty who get As and A stars

a lot of people here haven't finished their A levels yet and its still the hardest thing they've done

Thank you, I guess I was discouraged after reading some replies to other people. I try to stay positive but also believe there's a line between pessimism and realism.

Ignore the pessimistic/sarcastic comments and just go for it. You're only 2 years older than A-Level students so you're not really late in the long run for your career. It seems you have a clear plan and if A-levels are the best way for you to study what you want at uni and for your career then there's nothing to lose.

You can get into top unis with A*-A grades and a year is more than enough time with the motivation you have. If you're worried about the time frame then I'd suggest you work really hard from the start and you can reassess midway through the year how much content you have left to cover and if it's feasible. Most likely you will find you have plenty of time to complete the courses and do well in your exams.


Good luck, you'll do great

That's very motivating, but I guess it's the time frame I'm worried about. How long did your friends take?

I also find that a tutor is helpful for giving me a structure to follow and also in helping me get accustomed to exam format. For example my English abilities are naturally very good but there's no way I would have gotten an 8 in English GCSE without learning exam techniques and getting feedback on that.

They learned the content within 2 years, take in mind they are doing 5 ib exams, so basically equivalent to 5 a levels. They study day and night, they're not poverty stricken, but working class

I thought you were younger, yeah I advise you to stick with your tutor, practically a teacher since, you know, you aren't at school.

That's the idea, 3 A levels over the course of a year taught by my tutor. My tutor believes I'm capable, and of course as I said I will be studying 6 - 8 hours a day.