Doing four A levels?

Hi - to those who are doing A levels, do you know anybody doing four and if so how are they finding it/ are you doing four? I am thinking about doing four - history, politics, French and English lang or lit (this is all in theory). I just need some general advice, opinions, experiences etc before I actually choose my A levels that could be helpful. Thanks!!

Hi - to those who are doing A levels, do you know anybody doing four and if so how are they finding it/ are you doing four? I am thinking about doing four - history, politics, French and English lang or lit (this is all in theory). I just need some general advice, opinions, experiences etc before I actually choose my A levels that could be helpful. Thanks!!

Hi @averageduck!
Although studying four A-Levels can definitely be challenging at times, many students with a strong academic background at GCSE-level do find it possible. However, as mentioned above, it's good to approach it with an open mindset; lots of students in my college started with 4 A-Levels before eventually moving down to three once they'd determined their weakest subject.
I studied five A-Levels; four in my college and one as a private candidate. My timetable was obviously a lot busier than those students who studied three, but I still had several free periods a week and luckily never felt too stressed. What I would say is that your subject combination is focused primarily on essay subjects; you might have a lot of homework essays to complete with four subjects, which could be difficult.
Hope this was helpful and best of luck!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Hi I’m currently in Year 12 doing the exact same A Levels you’re suggesting (I do Lit and am not a native French speaker). It’s definitely been challenging and, as someone with a fair number of extra curriculars, hard to balance at times, but I’ve been finding it really rewarding especially as all of the subjects link so well together such as History and Politics.
I would say don’t be afraid to drop if needs be, schools are normally very flexible with this at the start of the school year but less so later on so if you need to make that decision then there’s no shame in doing so, just don’t leave it until the last minute. Ultimately if it’s something you enjoy then go for it, it will open up uni options for you if you’re not sure yet what to study or not sure about an EPQ if your school offers it.
And as someone above said as they are all essay subjects be prepared for a large volume of writing essays for homework and a lot of content in your courses. But don’t let that put you off if it’s what you’ve got your mind set on.
Good luck with your GCSEs and whichever A Levels you pick in the end, sorry I can’t offer much experience advice because I’m still going through this process too but I personally find it a good combination and you can do it if you put your mind to it and are willing to put in the work.

Hi - to those who are doing A levels, do you know anybody doing four and if so how are they finding it/ are you doing four? I am thinking about doing four - history, politics, French and English lang or lit (this is all in theory). I just need some general advice, opinions, experiences etc before I actually choose my A levels that could be helpful. Thanks!!

hi! if u did take 4, would u drop one of your a levels or consider an AS level? my sixth form requires us to do 4 subjects but they encourage us to drop one subject at the end of y12 summer depending on our grades + end of years and the majority do drop one subject, as u really only need 3.

Hi - to those who are doing A levels, do you know anybody doing four and if so how are they finding it/ are you doing four? I am thinking about doing four - history, politics, French and English lang or lit (this is all in theory). I just need some general advice, opinions, experiences etc before I actually choose my A levels that could be helpful. Thanks!!

I do 4 and an EPQ, and am going to sit my A levels in about a month. It’s true that you don’t need to do 4, but I enjoy my subjects very much and can’t imagine dropping any of them. In my experience, it’s not actually that bad because it forces you to manage your time well. When you have less time compared to other people, you are more likely to utilise it because you realise that you’ve got a more challenging workload.
It’s very possible to do well in 4 A levels and have time for social activities, university research, admissions tests, super/extracurriculars, etc. Genuinely, if you manage your time well and enjoy your subjects, it’s not that bad at all.
One point for consideration: some unis (in rare cases, but it happened to me) make 4 A level offers if you do 4 A levels (so that people don’t drop the 4th after they get an offer/flunk it). However, this isn’t bad if you have been putting good effort into all your subjects and not neglecting any.
Best of luck for GCSEs btw!

Thanks for this, I am relieved to know that having a life is possible outside of A levels. What is an EPQ? Good luck for A levels as well you too!!

Hi - to those who are doing A levels, do you know anybody doing four and if so how are they finding it/ are you doing four? I am thinking about doing four - history, politics, French and English lang or lit (this is all in theory). I just need some general advice, opinions, experiences etc before I actually choose my A levels that could be helpful. Thanks!!

Nw! well if u do at some point, consider which subject you find harder or have less interest in, as well as its relevance to the career you would like to pursue in the future. for A level youre tested on both y12 and y13 content, while an AS level youre only tested on y12 content

Ahh thanks I didn't really know about AS levels but they sound good.

AS levels aren't as common now as they used to be. Since the a-levels became ire linear, AS levels became less common.
Before, you had the AS exams at the end of year 12 and the A2 exams at the end of year 13. An AS level was half an A-level.
Doing 4 A-levels in year 12, then dropping one in year 13 (and carrying in with just the 3) was common. So you would end up with 3 A-levels and an AS level.

Thank you! In that case my (future) sixth form might not offer them then...

Every 6th form is different, so it is worth checking with them to find out.