A Level Options

The British Education system

British Education Timeline
Year 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Key Stage Key Stage 3 Key Stage 4 Key Stage 5
Exams   (I)GCSE) A Levels

Linear A Levels

  • A Levels are all studied on a two-year linear basis.
  • The school no longer offers AS Level exams at the end of Year 12.
  • AS Mathematics can be taken over two years with the examtaken at the end of Year 13.
  • All Year 12 also take the IELTS at the end of year.

Making the Choice

  • Do what you are good at and what you enjoy.
  • Remember that in the UK, apart from medicine and architecture, most graduate jobs require no specific degree as qualification.
  • Choosing a subject because you feel you ought to study it can lead to stress and underperformance.
  • Don’t take on too many subjects. It is quality not quantity that counts. The best way to keep your options open is to do well in your exams. Good grades give you more options!

Match Up Your Skills

  • Different A Levels can need different skills such as essay writing, discussion and debate skills, mathematical skills, practical techniques and so on.
  • You should consider how your own skills match up with those needed to do each subject.
  • However, your A Levels are also designed to help you develop new skills that will equip you for study at degree level and beyond.

What Grades Do I Need?

Usually at least a B grade.

For some courses, some additional qualifications are expected:

  • Biology: usually also requires a B grade in Chemistry and in Mathematics
  • Further Mathematics: an A* in Mathematics
  • Economics: at least a B grade in Mathematics and an A in a humanities subject (e.g. Geography or History)

Subjects That Go Together

  • Many subjects support each other e.g.: Mathematics and Physics; Physics and Chemistry; Chemistry and Biology; French and Spanish; History and English; English/History and French; Geography and Economics.
  • The beauty of A Levels is that you can mix and match the subjects; itis possible – and in many cases – desirable to study subjects from different parts of the curriculum and this can add variety and interest.

Subjects Required for Specific Degree Courses

For many university courses, specific subjects are required, but the requirements can vary from university to university.

A good place to start is the UCAS website. Sometimes there are requirements in terms of IGCSE grades (e.g. a B in Mathematics for business is often required, but not the A Level).

We also have access to an online research platform which all Year 12s are introduced to in order to help them explore their choices.

Spanish A Level

  • Doing Spanish as a fourth A Level is a sensible option for many students, but this is a serious undertaking and recent syllabus changes have made the course much more demanding.
  • Anything less than an A* does not reflect very well on a native speaker and there is a substantial amount of content to learn about.

Mathematics

There are three different options for Mathematics:

  • A Level Mathematics: choose this if you are really interested in and enjoy Mathematics not because you have been told to do it.
  • Further Mathematics: this is not extra Mathematics. It is only really for those who want to study Mathematics, Physics and some types of Engineering at university.
  • AS Level Mathematics: This is an option if you want to keep up your Maths level and not drop it altogether.

Spanish Universities

  • To go to a Spanish university students need a minimum of 3 A Levels at E grade or above.
  • A maximum of four A Levels will be counted. If more than four A Levels are taken the best four results count.
  • If a student needs to gain a mark of more than 10 to gain access to a course, they willl need to take the Pruebas de Competencia Específicas or ask for acceptance of their A Levels in the university faculty where they plan to study.
  • A large part of the PCE material is included in A Level subjects.

Who to Speak To

  • Subject teachers
  • Form teachers
  • Heads of Ⅵ Form
  • Parents
  • Ⅵ Form students

What Will I Learn?

It is tempting to think of some A Level subjects being useful and others not. This often comes from a misunderstanding of what we actually learn and what is typically applicable in “real life”. As well as looking at the content that you study, you should also think of the skills that you will learn and develop.

Some Examples

  • History: the skill of researching, interpreting, evaluating and reporting.
  • Mathematics: the skill of problem solving.
  • Geography: the skill of analysing data and responding.
  • Literature: the skill interpreting and responding creatively.
  • Physics: the skill of planning and carrying out an experiment.

Whilst some of the topics studied might not have an immediately applicable use in the job market, these are all skills that are hugely in demand from employers.

Making Decisions

  • Don’t choose too many subjects.
  • Don’t base decisions on what friends are doing.
  • Don’t choose a subject just because of a teacher.
  • Parents should resist the temptation to choose the options for their children.
  • Do choose something you enjoy and are interested in.
  • Do choose what you are good at.
  • Do discuss choices with tutors, teachers and parents.

Transferable Skills

  • Independent study skills
  • Organisational skills
  • ICT skills
  • Communication skills
  • Time management
  • Creativity
  • Flexibility
  • Resilience