English lit or economics a-level?

7

I’m unsure whether I should pick English lit or economics (I still have a while as I’m in year 11 now.) I currently have submitted to do history, politics, and economics but am now doubting my decision and thinking maybe I should do English lit instead as I do really like it at gcse and I’m doing pretty well so far. I think at uni I would probably want to do either journalism, law, or international relations at uni so English is maybe more relevant? But I don’t know if it’s harder and I heard it’s very content heavy. I mostly picked economics as I like maths at GCSE but perform better in essay subjects, and I didn’t want to fully give up the problem solving element of maths. Any help would be appreciated!

Reply 1

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

Will your school allow you to do 4 for a few weeks into term and then drop one?
Does your school or any school youre applying to run sessions to introduce the subjects which you could attend on an offer holder day?

Reply 2

McGinger

20

Economics without Maths is pretty much a waste of time in terms of future Uni study - most Econ degrees require Maths and surprisingly not Economics at all. For the other degree subjects you have mentioned, there are usually no required A level subjects at all and Unis will just ask fir three grades. And btw, whatever you pick at this stage, most schools will allow you to reassess your choices once you have your GCSE results and ask for subject switches.

Reply 3

Emma:-)

Entertainment Forum Helper, Careers Forum Helper

19

Original post

by Emilia.7

I’m unsure whether I should pick English lit or economics (I still have a while as I’m in year 11 now.) I currently have submitted to do history, politics, and economics but am now doubting my decision and thinking maybe I should do English lit instead as I do really like it at gcse and I’m doing pretty well so far. I think at uni I would probably want to do either journalism, law, or international relations at uni so English is maybe more relevant? But I don’t know if it’s harder and I heard it’s very content heavy. I mostly picked economics as I like maths at GCSE but perform better in essay subjects, and I didn’t want to fully give up the problem solving element of maths. Any help would be appreciated!

Could you start off with the 4. See what you think of them and which you prefer. Then drop one.

Reply 4

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

Original post

by McGinger

Economics without Maths is pretty much a waste of time in terms of future Uni study - most Econ degrees require Maths and surprisingly not Economics at all. For the other degree subjects you have mentioned, there are usually no required A level subjects at all and Unis will just ask fir three grades. And btw, whatever you pick at this stage, most schools will allow you to reassess your choices once you have your GCSE results and ask for subject switches.

To be fair that could be said for a lot of humanities cos you can often study them without the a level subject having been done. I fully agree with your point but doing econ a level without maths is still fine if you dont intend to continue it past a level OP

Reply 5

Dollsunified

7

Original post

by Emilia.7

I’m unsure whether I should pick English lit or economics (I still have a while as I’m in year 11 now.) I currently have submitted to do history, politics, and economics but am now doubting my decision and thinking maybe I should do English lit instead as I do really like it at gcse and I’m doing pretty well so far. I think at uni I would probably want to do either journalism, law, or international relations at uni so English is maybe more relevant? But I don’t know if it’s harder and I heard it’s very content heavy. I mostly picked economics as I like maths at GCSE but perform better in essay subjects, and I didn’t want to fully give up the problem solving element of maths. Any help would be appreciated!

idk if this helps but English is such a flexible and fulfilling subject that many unis value, if you enjoy it it is always worth considering this :smile:

Reply 6

Emilia.7

OP

7

hi I’m unsure if this will notify the respondents but thanks to everyone for your advice it’s really helpful. To those of you who asked if it would be possible to apply to start with 4 A-Levels unfortunately I can’t as my school has specific blocks for each subject and English lit and economics are in the same block so I would have to pick one or the other. Moving schools is an option and I could start with 4 a levels at a different school so that’s definetely something to consider. Anyway thank you so much to everyone who replied I think I will just continue considering and probably make a somewhat final decision on results day

Reply 7

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

13

Original post

by Emilia.7

I’m unsure whether I should pick English lit or economics (I still have a while as I’m in year 11 now.) I currently have submitted to do history, politics, and economics but am now doubting my decision and thinking maybe I should do English lit instead as I do really like it at gcse and I’m doing pretty well so far. I think at uni I would probably want to do either journalism, law, or international relations at uni so English is maybe more relevant? But I don’t know if it’s harder and I heard it’s very content heavy. I mostly picked economics as I like maths at GCSE but perform better in essay subjects, and I didn’t want to fully give up the problem solving element of maths. Any help would be appreciated!

Hey @Emilia.7,

Thought I'd chip in here as I studied both Economics and English Literature at A-Level.

I absolutely loved both subjects. I felt that Economics had a slightly steeper learning curve compared to English Lit as it had significantly more content, but it was also incredibly interesting and I enjoyed evaluating topical issues (NMW/mergers/monopolies) in the case study and essay questions. Even though I didn't study Economics at degree level, I still found the subject objectively useful.

English Lit was a slightly easier subject with less content to learn in my opinion. My board (CCEA) also included a coursework element at A-Level, which took some of the pressure off exams. If you perform well in essay subjects and enjoy analysing texts, English Lit would match well with History and Politics - but I would say the classes themselves were less engaging in terms of the content actually being taught. You're often looking at one text or one play for weeks at a time, and if you don't feel passionate about it, it can be a challenging class to sit through.

Look over both specifications and take your time with your decision. 🙂

Best of luck,
Eve (Kingston Rep).

(edited 1 month ago)

Reply 8

Kingston Trenyce

Official Rep

11

Original post

by Emilia.7

I’m unsure whether I should pick English lit or economics (I still have a while as I’m in year 11 now.) I currently have submitted to do history, politics, and economics but am now doubting my decision and thinking maybe I should do English lit instead as I do really like it at gcse and I’m doing pretty well so far. I think at uni I would probably want to do either journalism, law, or international relations at uni so English is maybe more relevant? But I don’t know if it’s harder and I heard it’s very content heavy. I mostly picked economics as I like maths at GCSE but perform better in essay subjects, and I didn’t want to fully give up the problem solving element of maths. Any help would be appreciated!

Hello! Both options work for law,journalism or international relations. If you enjoy doing English Lit and doing well, thats a big plus! Especially because it shows strong reading and analysis skills.

Trenyce (kingston rep)

English lit or economics a-level?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated