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A-Level Further Maths vs English Lit

Which is the better A-Level? Which gives the most utility? If you already take Maths, isn't that enough problem solving, so would english be better to learn other skills and be more well-rounded?
Which is harder/ more time-consuming? Are they both similarly respected by uni's as being academically rigorous?

Is there a point in further maths if you don't plan to pursue a career in physics, maths, computer science...? does it help with other sciences like bio, medicine, chem?

Thanks for any input :smile:

Reply 1

ismaelishere

Also, some unis don't accept further maths as another a-level, but they will still see that you did it?

Reply 2

aloevera4

it all depends on what degree you're planning on doing. if you're going into maths, economics, stem degree, etc, then further maths will help you out. if not, then do the a level option which brings you the most happiness; most unis don't even take into account the 4th A Level grade so it's best to just do something that you enjoy.

Reply 3

ismaelishere

Original post by aloevera4

thx. further maths seems dull from what ive heard: too much maths. and im planning to go into medicine, so ill just to english lit: much more enkoyable imo.

Reply 4

aloevera4

Original post by ismaelishere

thx. further maths seems dull from what ive heard: too much maths. and im planning to go into medicine, so ill just to english lit: much more enkoyable imo.

good choice! i do english lit and i love it - let me know if you've got any questions :smile:

Reply 5

ismaelishere

Original post by aloevera4

good choice! i do english lit and i love it - let me know if you've got any questions :smile:

thx for being so helpful. i do have one question going in to studying lit: what would u say is the best way to improve ones essay writing? is it reading model answers? learning highter tier vocab? does reading uni level stuff help? thx for ur help

Reply 6

aloevera4

to improve essay writing, make sure you write naturally. it is important to know that everyone has a unique, distinct writing style, and so you should recognise this and hone in on it. for example, i absolutely love commas and very long sentences. that is not to say that someone who prefers shorter sentences is better/worse at writing than me, it's just something that i know, and because i know it, i'm just naturally better at it.

secondly, reading model answers is good if you need to know how to structure your english essay answer, not how you should write your answer. it relates back to my point that everyone has their own unique writing style, don't try and copy the tone of model answer which may have gotten 30/30, because it just won't sound natural for the way you write your answer!

learning higher tier vocab will be very good, just make sure you don't use it excessively. i've noticed about myself that i'm quite good at knowing the vocab, but i just can't choose one word, so i'll put 2 instead. for example, for my the play i'm studying (the importance of being earnest), in my mock, i wrote something like "the caprice, the blatant mercuriality of the upper class men in the victorian society demonstrates...". or, even in this introduction i wrote "everyone has a unique, distinct writing style". i need to stop doing that!! one word is enough - that is to say, great vocabulary is good, just make sure you don't use it in excess.

reading higher level uni stuff would be great, but this is more for context and expanding your AO1 (point) and AO2 (language analysis), rather than how you write.

the take away: the way you write it very unique to you, don't try and change it to fit into the 'objectively good' way of writing, since there's no such thing. i think that learning good vocabulary + reading uni level stuff will help the most with how you write. also, make sure you're not using PEE paragraphs of PRETZEL or whatever. english is all about the flow of your writing + i find that using these writing techniques are very restrictive and reads very GCSE level (as opposed to A level).

i know there's no objective writing style, but for me, the best way to write would be to not restrict yourself with loads of full stops. perhaps this is a rather naive view, but i see them as rather clunky, like they truncate my point and mark a definitive end to my writing. i like longer sentences because it ensures i achieve that lovely flow in my english writing and helps with my cohesiveness. although, this is not always the case (eg. i'm reading metamorphosis which has short sentences but is still very lovely writing)

hope this helps :smile:

(as you can probably tell, i love talking about english so any more questions in the future, i'm more than happy to answer!)