Is it worth doing 4 alevels?
Hi, if anyone has completed 4 alevels please share ur experience
Original post
by Studentio10Hi, if anyone has completed 4 alevels please share ur experience
I didn't do four A-levels but one of my siblings did and one is starting sixth form with four A-levels in September.
I will be honest it was very stressful for the one who has just finished their A-levels, but they did very well and are studying Engineering at a top university. They studied maths and further maths which is why they took four.
My other sibling, has been advised by everyone pretty much not to study four A-levels - they are anyway. They are doing four mainly because they couldn't decide which subject they would want to drop, but I still believe they are capable of studying four (they are studying biology, chemistry, geography and history).
If you can well in all of your A-levels that is great, if your grades are only 'alright' or 'okay' then universities will look less favourably on it than three good A-level grades.
I hope this helps, please ask me more questions if you are unsure about anything
Reply 2
Original post
by Studentio10Hi, if anyone has completed 4 alevels please share ur experience
Hey @Studentio10!
I studied five A-Levels; four in my sixth form (Art and Design, English Literature, Economics and Chemistry) and one privately (History of Art). Although I didn't have as many free periods as other students, I personally enjoyed doing four A-Levels; I struggled to focus when I wasn't in class, so I likely wouldn't have benefitted from having more free periods at sixth form. I found the workload manageable, but it could get quite busy at certain points in the year (e.g. mocks).
Nonetheless, universities do tend to focus on three A-Levels; three A-Levels at AAA will open up more course/university options than four at AABB. Therefore, most teachers recommend students focus on achieving the three strongest grades they can instead of increasing their workload with an additional A-Level.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Reply 3
20
AAA is always going to look better than ABBB.
Unless you are heading for a STEM degree and taking FM as your 4th A level, taking 4 A levels is totally pointless.
Unless you are heading for a STEM degree and taking FM as your 4th A level, taking 4 A levels is totally pointless.
Reply 4
20
Original post
by Kingston EveHey @Studentio10!
I studied five A-Levels; four in my sixth form (Art and Design, English Literature, Economics and Chemistry) and one privately (History of Art). Although I didn't have as many free periods as other students, I personally enjoyed doing four A-Levels; I struggled to focus when I wasn't in class, so I likely wouldn't have benefitted from having more free periods at sixth form. I found the workload manageable, but it could get quite busy at certain points in the year (e.g. mocks).
Nonetheless, universities do tend to focus on three A-Levels; three A-Levels at AAA will open up more course/university options than four at AABB. Therefore, most teachers recommend students focus on achieving the three strongest grades they can instead of increasing their workload with an additional A-Level.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Eve (Kingston Rep).
I studied five A-Levels; four in my sixth form (Art and Design, English Literature, Economics and Chemistry) and one privately (History of Art). Although I didn't have as many free periods as other students, I personally enjoyed doing four A-Levels; I struggled to focus when I wasn't in class, so I likely wouldn't have benefitted from having more free periods at sixth form. I found the workload manageable, but it could get quite busy at certain points in the year (e.g. mocks).
Nonetheless, universities do tend to focus on three A-Levels; three A-Levels at AAA will open up more course/university options than four at AABB. Therefore, most teachers recommend students focus on achieving the three strongest grades they can instead of increasing their workload with an additional A-Level.
Hope this helps and best of luck!
Eve (Kingston Rep).
And what were your eventual grades - be honest.
Reply 5
Honestly, unless you are taking Maths + Further Maths and applying to a very competitive programme, it is very rarely worth the additional effort. You'd be better served using the time for relevant super-curriculars.
Nope it isn't worth it.
Reply 7
Original post
by McGingerAnd what were your eventual grades - be honest.
Hey,
I achieved A*A*A*AA in CCEA English Lit, CCEA Art and Design, Edexcel History of Art, CCEA Economics and CCEA Chemistry respectively - so three A*'s and two A's. However, it's probably important to note here that I did achieve 11 A*'s at GCSE and went to a top performing grammar school in NI (on average, Northern Irish students tend to receive higher GCSE and A-Level grades than students in other regions of the UK). About 30% of my school's sixth form cohort studied four A-Levels as standard; studying five was notable, but not necessarily out of the question.
I will admit that studying five A-Levels was a personal choice I made and I was frequently given advice to the contrary by my teachers. In my case and with my grades, I think it worked out, but I openly acknowledge that for the vast majority of students it might not and have always tried to provide a fairly impartial recount of my own experience with this in mind. I understand that my circumstances are more likely the exception than they are the rule.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
(edited 3 months ago)
Reply 8
Original post
by Studentio10Hi, if anyone has completed 4 alevels please share ur experience
Hi @studentio10
This really depends on how you handle high workloads. 📊
As the other comment has stated, doing 4 A-levels can be quite stressful for most people, however if you believe you can handle the workload then that's great! However, universities will much prefer to see 3 great A-level grades than 4 lower A-level grades.
I recommend your next steps to be to look into degrees you may be interested in and their requirements/ desired subjects. If the grade boundaries are high, it may be optimal to focus on just 3 A-levels.
I hope this helps, please feel free to ask me any questions,
-Sophia (University of Central Lancashire)
Reply 9
20
Original post
by Kingston EveHey,
I achieved A*A*A*AA in CCEA English Lit, CCEA Art and Design, Edexcel History of Art, CCEA Economics and CCEA Chemistry respectively - so three A*'s and two A's. However, it's probably important to note here that I did achieve 11 A*'s at GCSE and went to a top performing grammar school in NI (on average, Northern Irish students tend to receive higher GCSE and A-Level grades than students in other regions of the UK). About 30% of my school's sixth form cohort studied four A-Levels as standard; studying five was notable, but not necessarily out of the question.
I will admit that studying five A-Levels was a personal choice I made and I was frequently given advice to the contrary by my teachers. In my case and with my grades, I think it worked out, but I openly acknowledge that for the vast majority of students it might not and have always tried to provide a fairly impartial recount of my own experience with this in mind. I understand that my circumstances are more likely the exception than they are the rule.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
I achieved A*A*A*AA in CCEA English Lit, CCEA Art and Design, Edexcel History of Art, CCEA Economics and CCEA Chemistry respectively - so three A*'s and two A's. However, it's probably important to note here that I did achieve 11 A*'s at GCSE and went to a top performing grammar school in NI (on average, Northern Irish students tend to receive higher GCSE and A-Level grades than students in other regions of the UK). About 30% of my school's sixth form cohort studied four A-Levels as standard; studying five was notable, but not necessarily out of the question.
I will admit that studying five A-Levels was a personal choice I made and I was frequently given advice to the contrary by my teachers. In my case and with my grades, I think it worked out, but I openly acknowledge that for the vast majority of students it might not and have always tried to provide a fairly impartial recount of my own experience with this in mind. I understand that my circumstances are more likely the exception than they are the rule.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
I achieved A*A*A*AA
And what are you studying at Kingston with these grades.
Reply 10
Original post
by McGingerI achieved A*A*A*AA
And what are you studying at Kingston with these grades.
And what are you studying at Kingston with these grades.
Hi,
I recently graduated from BA Fine Art and Art History. My goal since GCSEs was to attend an art school within London and I wanted a degree that allowed me to further both my interest in art-making and art history. Although I studied Chemistry and Economics at A-Level, art was always what I felt most passionate about - hence why I sat A-Level History of Art privately.
Like most fine art courses, my course's entry requirements were more portfolio-based than grade-based; whilst I definitely didn't need to study five A-Levels for admissions purposes, it was a personal choice I made that allowed me to continue studying subjects I loved! 🙂
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Reply 11
21
Original post
by Kingston EveHey,
I achieved A*A*A*AA in CCEA English Lit, CCEA Art and Design, Edexcel History of Art, CCEA Economics and CCEA Chemistry respectively - so three A*'s and two A's. However, it's probably important to note here that I did achieve 11 A*'s at GCSE and went to a top performing grammar school in NI (on average, Northern Irish students tend to receive higher GCSE and A-Level grades than students in other regions of the UK). About 30% of my school's sixth form cohort studied four A-Levels as standard; studying five was notable, but not necessarily out of the question.
I will admit that studying five A-Levels was a personal choice I made and I was frequently given advice to the contrary by my teachers. In my case and with my grades, I think it worked out, but I openly acknowledge that for the vast majority of students it might not and have always tried to provide a fairly impartial recount of my own experience with this in mind. I understand that my circumstances are more likely the exception than they are the rule.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
I achieved A*A*A*AA in CCEA English Lit, CCEA Art and Design, Edexcel History of Art, CCEA Economics and CCEA Chemistry respectively - so three A*'s and two A's. However, it's probably important to note here that I did achieve 11 A*'s at GCSE and went to a top performing grammar school in NI (on average, Northern Irish students tend to receive higher GCSE and A-Level grades than students in other regions of the UK). About 30% of my school's sixth form cohort studied four A-Levels as standard; studying five was notable, but not necessarily out of the question.
I will admit that studying five A-Levels was a personal choice I made and I was frequently given advice to the contrary by my teachers. In my case and with my grades, I think it worked out, but I openly acknowledge that for the vast majority of students it might not and have always tried to provide a fairly impartial recount of my own experience with this in mind. I understand that my circumstances are more likely the exception than they are the rule.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Out of interest, why did you only choose Kingston with those grades? I am guessing because they offered some obscure course that nearly all other universities don't offer?
There was a girl in the media recently who was taking 24 A levels, and isn't expected to struggle much with the work load. 4 A levels certainly should be possible to do, but in the past even Oxbridge have warned students doing lots of A levels that they prefer their potential students to study a few subjects in real depth, as opposed to studying extra subjects and scraping A grades.
Reply 12
Original post
by Physician Out of interest, why did you only choose Kingston with those grades? I am guessing because they offered some obscure course that nearly all other universities don't offer?
There was a girl in the media recently who was taking 24 A levels, and isn't expected to struggle much with the work load. 4 A levels certainly should be possible to do, but in the past even Oxbridge have warned students doing lots of A levels that they prefer their potential students to study a few subjects in real depth, as opposed to studying extra subjects and scraping A grades.
There was a girl in the media recently who was taking 24 A levels, and isn't expected to struggle much with the work load. 4 A levels certainly should be possible to do, but in the past even Oxbridge have warned students doing lots of A levels that they prefer their potential students to study a few subjects in real depth, as opposed to studying extra subjects and scraping A grades.
Hi @Physician ,
Out of multiple London art schools, only two offered an undergraduate course in both Fine Art and History of Art - Goldsmiths and Kingston. When I visited Kingston-upon-Thames on my applicant experience day, I fell in love with the area and thought the recently renovated art and design workshops at Kingston School of Art were well-suited to my wider artistic practice. I absolutely loved my course and would do it all over again if I could.
Eve (Kingston Rep).
Reply 13
20
And what can you do next with a degree in Fine Art from Kingston.
Reply 14
Original post
by McGingerAnd what can you do next with a degree in Fine Art from Kingston.
Work in uni admissions?
But seriously, we've probably derailed this one enough thank you.
Reply 15
Original post
by Studentio10Hi, if anyone has completed 4 alevels please share ur experience
Hi! I've just finished my A-levels this year (French, German, Spanish, English Literature) with 4 A*s. To answer your question, I think it depends a lot on the individual and the subjects. If it's something you're really set on, and you are willing to work extremely hard, it's definitely worth a go- you can always drop a subject. However I would say that it gets difficult if you have commitments outside of college, like sport or a job. I worked 12 hours per week during the 2 years, and it was a lot to manage, so that is definitely something to bear in mind. The other thing is that I know for me personally, I underestimated how hard A-Levels would be. It can take up a huge chunk of your life and be difficult to keep everything under control. Ultimately though, I would definitely do all 4 over again, so if its something you're really committed to I'd say go for it. If you have any other questions, drop me a message
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- Are AS practice papers worth doing?
- should i do 4 alevels??
- Got an A* on my EPQ - ask anything!
- is taking 4 A-levels worth it??
- should I do Spanish for Alevel?
- a-level choices for oxford
- A level chemistry
- How can I go from a CCDD to AAAA in 97 days
- Urgent Help!! MEDICINE AND GCSEs
- KCL Dentistry UCAT
- Fast track a levels??? Russell group unis???
- A-Level Choices
- I DESPISE ENGLISH LIT A LEVEL (wjec) (year 12)
- Should i do 4 A levels?
- A-Level advice for Economics at a top uni
- AMA about bio, chem, maths a level and EPQ
- Is it worth doing Physics AS?
- choosing the right A-levels or Access courses for music undergrad as a mature student
- Should I take 4 A-levels
- Is studying architecture possible with BBD?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 4 months ago
Laptop vs iPad for universityLast reply 4 months ago
living away from home for university- pros / cons, advice ?University life
15
15
Last reply 4 months ago
Should I Appeal an Academic Misconduct Finding at a UK University?Last reply 4 months ago
Will I be an outcast in uni if I don’t use social media?University life
14
13
How The Student Room is moderated
To keep The Student Room safe for everyone, we moderate posts that are added to the site.
