Doing more A-Levels than required?!

Hi all, my school allows us to take all four subjects to year 13 and historically a few students have even done 5 in total. Just wondering if there are any practical use/reasons to do these?

The only times I've come across someone with 4or 5 alevels are when they are trying to one up people in a conversation...

What are your thoughts?

Reply 1

hannychica

14

Doing 5 is insane. Unis only look at three A Levels so you are best off doing three. Doing four doesn’t make sense either unless one is Further Maths.

Reply 2

mchk1001

OP

4

Exactly, not quite sure why some do that when unis only look at three! I agree that it makes sense only if it is further maths. Bit mad if it were an extra science subject which is what I have seen...

Reply 3

Muttley79

20

Original post by mchk1001

Exactly, not quite sure why some do that when unis only look at three! I agree that it makes sense only if it is further maths. Bit mad if it were an extra science subject which is what I have seen...

In England A levels are linear and 5 is not sensible [ it was more doable when exams were spread out and modular] - the only 4 we allow include Maths/FMaths plus 2.

Reply 4

Calliope5Chalice

8

Original post by mchk1001

Hi all, my school allows us to take all four subjects to year 13 and historically a few students have even done 5 in total. Just wondering if there are any practical use/reasons to do these?

The only times I've come across someone with 4or 5 alevels are when they are trying to one up people in a conversation...

What are your thoughts?

Hiya,

I started off with 5 (English Lit as the 5th) but took the AS exam at the end of the year, then dropped to 4 in Sept (Bio, Physics, Chem & Maths). There was definitely a practical reason for me taking 3 sciences + maths in Y12 - quite simply I wasn't sure what STEM-related path I wanted to pursue (I was hopping between physics, bioengineering and med). I'm applying to both biomed and bioengineering courses this year, so all 4 A Levels are still very useful, even though they aren't 'required'. I don't like the concept of basing your A-Levels off of what subjects are strictly 'required' for your uni course because (from a practical standpoint) it's a good opportunity to make 1st year easier for yourself.

As for non-practical reasons for choosing 5: I loved English lit. Textual analysis, as well as elucidating my thoughts came very naturally to me and I didn't want to let go of a subject that I adored just because I was applying to a STEM field but didn't quite know what to do with my life. When applying to STEM, subject choices become very utilitarian - because the subjects are regarded as 'harder' (gross, I totally disagree), you're encouraged to pick only what you explicitly need. I genuinely feel like I have a humanities brain and without English lit, I think I might have burnt out in Y12 from the STEM overload. Now, although I can technically drop physics, it's my favourite subject, so why would I?

Doing 4/5 is an individual decision. It depends on how you deal with academic rigour. I enjoy high pressure environments, but that's not to say it hasn't been incredibly tough at times. Also by not doing a particular A level, it doesn't mean you can't be interested in the subject (but I've found that doing the A Level is easier than unstructured studying for me). Neverrrrrr attempt to collect A Levels like Pokemon cards, you will end up hating yourself for it.

All of this only applies if you have a genuine passion for a subject, are willing to work hard, and want to have tangible evidence of the work. It's so easy to drop that you might as well go for it if you're unsure to begin with. It doesn't make you a better/smarter person by doing 4, 5 or 12 A levels, but I do believe that academics should be enjoyable to you and not meet baseline 'usefulness' requirements.

(edited 6 months ago)

Reply 5

Riann246

11

Original post by mchk1001

Hi all, my school allows us to take all four subjects to year 13 and historically a few students have even done 5 in total. Just wondering if there are any practical use/reasons to do these?

The only times I've come across someone with 4or 5 alevels are when they are trying to one up people in a conversation...

What are your thoughts?

Hi, sometimes for university grade entry requirements it might help to do 4 to spread risk. For example, I'm doing 4 A-levels and I may be required to achieve A*AA in my A-levels. If I'm worried that I might get a B in any single subject, I may choose to do all four (because it would be less likely that I get two Bs).

Doing more A-Levels than required?!

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