Not sure what to take for A-levels

From personal experience, I would recommend taking subjects that compliment each other so when it comes to university applications you are sure to meet the subject requirements. If you know you are going to do a humanities at university then I would pick all humanities subjects as there is no point in adding maths or biology in a humanities mix as it would not benefit you when it comes to university applications. However, if you find yourself passionate about any subject and are good at it then I would highly recommend you take them. Also, if the only thing that is deterring you away from maths is the difficulty, then I would highly recommended you to pick it at A-Level. Maths is very easy if you put time and effort into it; don't let people make you feel like maths is only applicable to those who are geniuses.

I'm currently a Year 11, and I'm really confused about what A-levels I should take. The school that I want to go to lets you do 3 A-levels and an AS-level. I know that I want to take English Lit and Religion, Ethics and Philosophy as 2 of my A-levels, but I'm not sure what to take for the third and the AS. For reference, I'm thinking of doing Law at university, so there's nothing specific I have to take for the course (but I've got English and RPE, which are recommended).
My options are:
- Biology (mostly considering this as an AS but not sure yet)
- Economics
- Maths
- Classic Civilisations (
I'm not amazing at Maths (I'm a solid Grade 8 student aiming for a 9), particularly the hardest questions, but I'm doing the FSMQ course alongside my GCSEs, so I'm not sure whether taking Maths as an AS would be a good idea because I know most of the content already, or if it would be seen as a bit redundant by unis because I'll have done FSMQ as well.
I have no experience with Economics at all, so I'm not sure whether it's really hard or if I'd absolutely hate it or something, but it seems like a popular choice and I've heard that it's useful for Law.
I do Biology right now, and I'm fairly confident with it (I generally get 9s), but I don't know if it would be seen as irrelevant by unis if I want to take law and my parents don't really think I should take it.
I don't know much about Classical Civilisations, but I do Latin so the culture unit might be useful for that?? My parents don't want me to take this one at all tbh and I'm also worried that taking all essay subjects would be a burden for me later on, so this one is probably the one I'm least inclined to take (but it's still a consideration).
Any advice on what I could do would be greatly appreciated!!

I'm currently a Year 11, and I'm really confused about what A-levels I should take. The school that I want to go to lets you do 3 A-levels and an AS-level. I know that I want to take English Lit and Religion, Ethics and Philosophy as 2 of my A-levels, but I'm not sure what to take for the third and the AS. For reference, I'm thinking of doing Law at university, so there's nothing specific I have to take for the course (but I've got English and RPE, which are recommended).
My options are:
- Biology (mostly considering this as an AS but not sure yet)
- Economics
- Maths
- Classic Civilisations (
I'm not amazing at Maths (I'm a solid Grade 8 student aiming for a 9), particularly the hardest questions, but I'm doing the FSMQ course alongside my GCSEs, so I'm not sure whether taking Maths as an AS would be a good idea because I know most of the content already, or if it would be seen as a bit redundant by unis because I'll have done FSMQ as well.
I have no experience with Economics at all, so I'm not sure whether it's really hard or if I'd absolutely hate it or something, but it seems like a popular choice and I've heard that it's useful for Law.
I do Biology right now, and I'm fairly confident with it (I generally get 9s), but I don't know if it would be seen as irrelevant by unis if I want to take law and my parents don't really think I should take it.
I don't know much about Classical Civilisations, but I do Latin so the culture unit might be useful for that?? My parents don't want me to take this one at all tbh and I'm also worried that taking all essay subjects would be a burden for me later on, so this one is probably the one I'm least inclined to take (but it's still a consideration).
Any advice on what I could do would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi. I don't do A-Level, I do the Scottish equivalent (Highers), but I want to put my two pence in. I take all essay subjects, and because I enjoy them and essay-writing is my thing, I've not found it any more difficult than if I were taking a different combination.
I take Higher Classical Studies, and the Higher and A-Level courses seem quite similar.
In both, you study literature in translation. As someone who also loves English, I've found it so interesting to explore the plays in their historical and cultural context and consider how this influenced the key themes and the portrayal of these themes. Since you're planning on taking English Literature, you might really enjoy this element of it.
In A-Level Classical Civilisation, there is beliefs and ideas content, and for this you could study things like religion, love, Athenian democracy, and politics in the late Roman Republic. In Higher Classical Studies, I've been studying the last two from that list, and whilst it's a lot to wrap your head around at first, I just love it. It shows you the ways in which a city state and an empire ran and the intricate politics within it. If your school does religion, you may enjoy this since you're planning to take Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy - however I feel there's ethics to be considered when studying the politics too.
The skills that it develops are useful for law (although you will gain these on English Literature and Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy too). I would say it compliments and goes well with the two subjects you know you want to take to A-Level.
I also feel that if you're not too confident at maths (you are doing really well though), then I don't recommend taking it to A-Level. That would cause you extra pressure on top of the already high workload, which I don't think is sensible. From experience (both self-earned and witnessed), taking a subject that you're not confident with further can make you more likely to struggle with it, even if you're more than capable of doing well.
Sorry for such a long answer. I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊

The AS will most likely be considered redundant by unis anyway, unless they base your offer on ucas points in which case an AS level in Maths after FSMQ won’t hurt your application. Having taken a level maths after FSMQ, it will make your life so much easier doing a subject where your lessons will basically feel like revision instead of doing 4 subjects where you need to constantly be learning new stuff.
Your parents aren’t the ones who are going to spend 10 hours a week studying whatever subject you pick so ignore their thoughts on what subjects are good or bad, they often have outdated views anyway.
Unis dont care what subjects you do for law, they are far more concerned about the grades you are predicted and go on to achieve. Take subjects you enjoy because it’ll make your life a lot easier when you study and have to spend a lot of time reviewing content independently. I do bio btw so lmk if you have any questions about that 🙂 I can also tag users who do most of the above subjects if you have specific questions on those!

Maths is an easy A* or A grade with Woody Maths on Udemy and TLMaths, HindsMaths, BicenMaths as well as ExamSolutions on YouTube.
Also, for Economics...EconplusDal and Tutor2U are brilliant as my cousin got an A grade in A-Level Economics without much effort.
For Biology there are a lot of revision guides, flashcards and textbooks as well as YouTube videos.
For Classical Civilisation there is more emphasis on essays?! ☹️ lol 🙂

Hi. I don't do A-Level, I do the Scottish equivalent (Highers), but I want to put my two pence in. I take all essay subjects, and because I enjoy them and essay-writing is my thing, I've not found it any more difficult than if I were taking a different combination.
I take Higher Classical Studies, and the Higher and A-Level courses seem quite similar.
In both, you study literature in translation. As someone who also loves English, I've found it so interesting to explore the plays in their historical and cultural context and consider how this influenced the key themes and the portrayal of these themes. Since you're planning on taking English Literature, you might really enjoy this element of it.
In A-Level Classical Civilisation, there is beliefs and ideas content, and for this you could study things like religion, love, Athenian democracy, and politics in the late Roman Republic. In Higher Classical Studies, I've been studying the last two from that list, and whilst it's a lot to wrap your head around at first, I just love it. It shows you the ways in which a city state and an empire ran and the intricate politics within it. If your school does religion, you may enjoy this since you're planning to take Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy - however I feel there's ethics to be considered when studying the politics too.
The skills that it develops are useful for law (although you will gain these on English Literature and Religion, Ethics, and Philosophy too). I would say it compliments and goes well with the two subjects you know you want to take to A-Level.
I also feel that if you're not too confident at maths (you are doing really well though), then I don't recommend taking it to A-Level. That would cause you extra pressure on top of the already high workload, which I don't think is sensible. From experience (both self-earned and witnessed), taking a subject that you're not confident with further can make you more likely to struggle with it, even if you're more than capable of doing well.
Sorry for such a long answer. I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊

To add on something, I've found that KCL have videos going over the topics on the A-Level Classical Civilisation course. If you're interested, you might want to want them and see if the subject seems like it's for you.
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/classics/connections-outreach/a-level-classical-civilisation

Thank you!!!

The geek hasn't got an A level in Maths btw.
However, I do think Maths is a good choice for Law as it's about logic and problem solving.
There are great resources with Dr Frost being excellent and free to register. https://www.drfrost.org/students
Keep your Maths ticking over in the summer - we set holiday work.

Hi @mint540,
Try not to stress too much because A-level subject choice is much less critical than people make it out to be, especially for Law. Since your course doesn’t require specific combinations (and you already have English Lit and RPE, which are great), the most important thing is getting strong grades.
Universities and, later on, law firms care far more about how well you do rather than what you study. For example, many law firms have A-level requirements like AAA, but they genuinely don’t mind what the subjects are.
Because of that, I’d really encourage you to lean into your strengths and pick subjects you’re most confident you can do well in and enjoy. I personally chose Maths, Economics and Spanish purely because those were my strongest GCSE subjects, and that worked out well. I got all As and it’s never held me back.
A few thoughts on your options:
Maths: If you’re a solid Grade 8/9 student and already doing FSMQ, an AS or full A-level Maths could be a sensible choice. It’s respected, keeps options open, and having a quantitative subject alongside essay ones is a good balance.
Economics: You don’t need it for Law, but it can be useful — especially if you end up interested in commercial/corporate law. Having some economics knowledge can definitely help later on in law firm interviews and assessments.
Biology: Not irrelevant at all. Universities won’t penalise you for this, and if you’re getting 9s, that’s a big plus. A strong grade in Biology is far better than a weaker grade in something more “traditional”.
Classical Civilisation: Interesting and academically valid, but if you’re worried about workload and already doing lots of essay subjects, it’s reasonable to deprioritise this.
Overall, your instinct to have a mix of essay-based and quantitative subjects is a good one. It keeps doors open and builds transferable skills, even if that’s not obvious now.
Hope that helps,
Ronak

I'm currently a Year 11, and I'm really confused about what A-levels I should take. The school that I want to go to lets you do 3 A-levels and an AS-level. I know that I want to take English Lit and Religion, Ethics and Philosophy as 2 of my A-levels, but I'm not sure what to take for the third and the AS. For reference, I'm thinking of doing Law at university, so there's nothing specific I have to take for the course (but I've got English and RPE, which are recommended).
My options are:
- Biology (mostly considering this as an AS but not sure yet)
- Economics
- Maths
- Classic Civilisations (
I'm not amazing at Maths (I'm a solid Grade 8 student aiming for a 9), particularly the hardest questions, but I'm doing the FSMQ course alongside my GCSEs, so I'm not sure whether taking Maths as an AS would be a good idea because I know most of the content already, or if it would be seen as a bit redundant by unis because I'll have done FSMQ as well.
I have no experience with Economics at all, so I'm not sure whether it's really hard or if I'd absolutely hate it or something, but it seems like a popular choice and I've heard that it's useful for Law.
I do Biology right now, and I'm fairly confident with it (I generally get 9s), but I don't know if it would be seen as irrelevant by unis if I want to take law and my parents don't really think I should take it.
I don't know much about Classical Civilisations, but I do Latin so the culture unit might be useful for that?? My parents don't want me to take this one at all tbh and I'm also worried that taking all essay subjects would be a burden for me later on, so this one is probably the one I'm least inclined to take (but it's still a consideration).
Any advice on what I could do would be greatly appreciated!!

Hi, You already have an idea of what subjects you desire to study. I would say think about your interests and strengths and link it them to each subject. Which subject aligns more with you as a student, and also law. Have a look to see if there are specific A level subjects requested to have been studied to apply for law.
Trenyce (Kingston rep)