history or english lit a level
i’m doing 3 stem a levels, and for my fourth i really want to do an essay based subject bc i (perhaps weirdly) love writing essays and find analysis and discussion extremely interesting.
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
Hi I dont take either subject but I would recommend finding out which exam board your sixth form offers for each and seeing what content is covered and if that interests you! So for English have a look at what books and plays are studied and maybe watch a summary video of a few of them to see if theyre interesting to you. For History there’s a lot of variation in what periods are studied so check this to see if it aligns with your interests.
Seeing which would interest you the most is the best way to pick between them because taking 4 subejcts is a lot of work, especially combining STEM with a very content heavy essay subject as you plan to do! Taking subjects you are passionate about is the best way to be able to keep on top of them from what Ive heard.
Best of luck with your results- do you also get them on the 22nd? Im so nervous but quite excited to finally get my grades. Hope your hard work has payed off
Seeing which would interest you the most is the best way to pick between them because taking 4 subejcts is a lot of work, especially combining STEM with a very content heavy essay subject as you plan to do! Taking subjects you are passionate about is the best way to be able to keep on top of them from what Ive heard.
Best of luck with your results- do you also get them on the 22nd? Im so nervous but quite excited to finally get my grades. Hope your hard work has payed off
Original post by lc_007
i’m doing 3 stem a levels, and for my fourth i really want to do an essay based subject bc i (perhaps weirdly) love writing essays and find analysis and discussion extremely interesting.
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
My cousin's friend got an A* in GCSE History (American West and Medicine) but struggled with A-Level History as his teacher chose medieval history. So he only got a D grade.
Also one of his friends did Maths, Computing, History and Economics and got BADC. Doing essay subjects can drag your grades down, since essays require more effort and time and 'flair' for writing.
Original post by lc_007
i’m doing 3 stem a levels, and for my fourth i really want to do an essay based subject bc i (perhaps weirdly) love writing essays and find analysis and discussion extremely interesting.
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
id reccomend english any day it's my fav subject. I take maths and english and it's not a hard combo it's really useful and I know people who take history and maths who enjoy that too however it's ultimately whatever you actually enjoy more. You'll be studying intensely for 2 years so pick whatever you enjoy most
deffo check what your school does to see if you’d enjoy the history taught! i did both and although i’m doing history at uni i feel like english lit allows you to study history aswell in a way that history alevel doesn’t allow you to do! like english needs you to both study the book and the period in which it was influenced by and you get to impose your own opinion which i tbink is so cool
Original post by lc_007
i’m doing 3 stem a levels, and for my fourth i really want to do an essay based subject bc i (perhaps weirdly) love writing essays and find analysis and discussion extremely interesting.
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
english lit: i love the more contextual historical side of english lit, working out why an author would write something, what they believe, in response to what, yk. but i also just love writing as a craft, and just find it beautiful.
at gcse, i really enjoyed it despite not getting along with my teacher at all. however, not having received my gcse results back yet i don’t know how good i am at it, and wouldn’t want to pick a subject that might be more difficult than it’s worth for me. i was getting between 7s and 9s all through out the past year, but i really studied for my actual exams and tried to read quite widely (academic essays, articles on certain themes, etc) around my texts and that really influenced how critical i could be about them, in a way that i hope reflects in my actual results. so while i only got a 7 in my mock, i am hoping for higher grade due to the amount of effort i put in (and enjoyed putting in which i think is important)
history: i find history immensely interesting. i love learning about events and thinking about how they’ve impacted today, how everything interlinks, and why things happen. i think history is an extremely important subject for today, so i think studying it would be extremely enriching and relevant.
at gcse, i didn’t really struggle with history at all and found it really easy to memorize facts and dates. my mock went a little wrong with missing sources and stuff in the exam so i ended up getting an 8 bc questions that i usually score highly on couldn’t be completed, and also not revising until the lunch time before the exam. however i had got 9s in literally every history exam before that so i’m hoping for a 9 in the real thing too. however at a level, i know the level of accuracy content and detail increases massively and i don’t want to overwhelm myself or be wrong at how good my memory is yk.
so i’m wondering if anyone who takes both, or either, could lmk which they recommend more!!! or just any advice anyone could offer
Hello!
For A Levels I took both History (Edexel: Communism in Russia and China; Ireland and the Union; Cold War coursework) and English (OCR: Gothic; Twelfth Night; A Doll’s House; Rossetti).
I preferred English, which I now study at uni, so I am not totally impartial. But here are my thoughts:
History was indeed a case of learning plenty of facts, and if you prefer more of a set structure for essays, then history could be more your cup of tea. I found it quite challenging to know what was asked of me, but I think if you crack the code then it can be fairly straightforward. For me, I found that my grades dipped slightly at A Level, though I still pulled it back for the final exam.
There was certainly some room for personal interpretation, ie you might determine how you would measure the ‘success’ of education policies in Russia - and that can be totally subjective and personal. The content was very vast, but not unmanageable, especially if you are organised from early on. To be honest, that is something you’d probably be doing for your stem subjects in any case.
I really enjoyed English lessons. They were my relaxed periods where I would just talk about books for an hour, and maybe write an essay (also a big fan of writing here ahhahah). I was worried at first because I was getting low marks and I couldn’t understand why, but it was one of those subjects that just gradually comes with practice and time.
Revision was more difficult for A Level because it was simply no use memorising essay plans; you have to be able to think on your feet a little. So I memorised quotes and plots instead, which meant rereading the texts (I found this pretty fun). If this is something you’d like to do, then I think it would mean a more relaxed exam season - I literally took English revision as a break because it was something I enjoyed so much.
As much as I love English, it seems that you enjoy the historical side of the subject rather than the literature itself (I may have misjudged). How do you feel about analysing an unseen poem when you don’t bring in context so much?
If what you love is forming opinions, writing essays, and only a little bit of textual analysis, then that’s something you can get out of history. I think I was the other way round. It took me a long time to realise that what I loved most in history was analysing the wording of sources!! The subjects are complimentary for a reason: whichever one you choose, you will find the other reflected in it. So if you really, REALLY, cannot decide, go off of grades - but with a heads up that GCSE marking is different to A Level, and you may not score as highly right from the get-go of year 12. But, with time, it will come 🙂
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