a level english literature as a fourth? (alongside bio, chem and psych)

hi! so im currently in the process of finalising my a level subjects. im definitely taking biology, chemistry and psychology, however am not too sure whether english literature will be worth it as a fourth. for igcse’s i got an a* in lit and bio, plus an a in chem. overall i had 4a*’s, 4a’s and 2 b’s. though i heard that the jump from gcse to a level is huge.

personally, i found lit pretty easy in igcse and enjoyed it for the most part. i would like to hear any opinions and experiences on the four subjects that i chose, and if it is a good combination that would go well together. additionally, would i have time to do extracurriculars like volunteering, joining clubs and such? or would focusing on 3 subjects be more beneficial?

by the way, my first choice of a university course is veterinary medicine, and my backups are psychology, paediatrician and forensic science. thank you, have a great day!

hi! so im currently in the process of finalising my a level subjects. im definitely taking biology, chemistry and psychology, however am not too sure whether english literature will be worth it as a fourth. for igcse’s i got an a* in lit and bio, plus an a in chem. overall i had 4a*’s, 4a’s and 2 b’s. though i heard that the jump from gcse to a level is huge.

personally, i found lit pretty easy in igcse and enjoyed it for the most part. i would like to hear any opinions and experiences on the four subjects that i chose, and if it is a good combination that would go well together. additionally, would i have time to do extracurriculars like volunteering, joining clubs and such? or would focusing on 3 subjects be more beneficial?

by the way, my first choice of a university course is veterinary medicine, and my backups are psychology, paediatrician and forensic science. thank you, have a great day!

hey love, just wanted to let you know as a current y12 student that the jump is huge and there’s a reason why it’s cut down to 3 A-level: the workload and content for each subject is A LOT. I wouldn’t recommend 4 unless it’s like an additional language you already speak or further maths to go alongside with maths. However if you truly enjoy english lit and have genuine passion for it then go for it, but if it’s just to look more academic it’s not worth it. Best wishes!

hi! so im currently in the process of finalising my a level subjects. im definitely taking biology, chemistry and psychology, however am not too sure whether english literature will be worth it as a fourth. for igcse’s i got an a* in lit and bio, plus an a in chem. overall i had 4a*’s, 4a’s and 2 b’s. though i heard that the jump from gcse to a level is huge.

personally, i found lit pretty easy in igcse and enjoyed it for the most part. i would like to hear any opinions and experiences on the four subjects that i chose, and if it is a good combination that would go well together. additionally, would i have time to do extracurriculars like volunteering, joining clubs and such? or would focusing on 3 subjects be more beneficial?

by the way, my first choice of a university course is veterinary medicine, and my backups are psychology, paediatrician and forensic science. thank you, have a great day!

Hey, came from a school where half of the cohort did 4 A levels + the EPQ. I did bio, chem, maths, Chinese (later dropped) + the EPQ. I wanted to go to med school and Chinese simply took too much of my time (2nd year we were gonna get started doing Chinese lit and ugh memorizing quotes was just not something I wanted to do besides all the entrance tests I had to sit for med) although I am fluent. Bio and chem were actually the subjects I found to be fairly manageable. The jump in depth of content is certainly evident but this enhances your level of understanding. I found myself no longer memorizing concepts but really making sense of them and taking these two together = match made in heaven. I never took psych so I can't say anything about this. With this I would like to warn you about English lit. Every single one of my friends who did lit (they all got an A* for GCSE lit too and one even got highest marks in the world then), especially as a 4th A level, did not anticipate the workload and stress from doing it. 40+ poems, coursework, a few novels etc etc! Grade inflation last year got the best of em too. Mind you some of these people were on track for law/PPE/med/ at Oxbridge and ended up getting a B for English lit. Almost everyone needed one more mark to get an A and with remarking, no changes were made. They were harsh.

I know many people at my school who did bio, chem, psych (+ usually either one of econs/physics/maths), and they thrived so I think your combo is good but please reconsider English Lit. Having time for CCAs + volunteering depends on you. My med friends who did 4 maximized their Easter, winter, and summer breaks for work experience and simply used their frees to the fullest. I think some of them needed a 4th subject to kinda balance things out as they tended towards practical STEM subjects and thought of subjects like PE/music/geo/history as a good break. I certainly found that focusing on 3 subjects + the EPQ allowed me to optimize my time. I didn't really stress when I revised for the final exams, and went through the whole uni app process + interviews with ease. So this really depends on you.

My advice is this: if you really want a 4th subject, take it. If you don't like it or you think it better later on to focus on 3, drop it after year 12 (or anytime really). You have got nothing to lose. Hope this helps!