Strategies for choosing your A-Level subjects

November 6, 2019

• Topical

Choosing your A-level subjects will have a big influence on what you end up doing with regards to further education and your career. This guide will be split into three strategies, for what we believe to be the three different types of Year 11 student:

Student One: You know for certain what career you want

Student One has wanted to be a doctor ever since she was a little girl. It’s all she wants to do, and she’s already got the university open days for medicine pinned up on her calendar. Great! Then her decision is easy. She needs to go onto the university websites and see which A-levels are required, then choose those exact ones. 

If you have your heart firmly set on a course such as medicine, engineering, or architecture, then there are particular A-levels which you will be required to study in order to apply. Make sure you know which ones they are – and remember that some universities may have different requirements. 

Student Two: You have some idea of what you want to do

If you’re Student Two, then you don’t know exactly what course you want to do at university, but you have a pretty firm idea of what you do and don’t like. In a position like this, be careful to make sure that you are playing to your strengths when choosing A-level subjects. For example, you might love science but really dislike any subject with a lot of essay writing involved. In that case, fill your timetable up with the sciences and steer well clear of the English and History departments. Hopefully by the second year of A-levels, you’ll have a pretty good idea of which science you like the most and want to study further.

A-level subjects are a step up from GCSEs, and if you really do not like the subject then it is likely to end badly. You know yourself best. If you cannot stand Maths, then don’t choose to do it at A-level just because your parents and teachers say it will look good on your UCAS application. You’ll be unhappy and will probably get a bad grade.

Feel free to explore new A-level subjects that look interesting, but make sure you know what you are getting yourself into before you start. Ask the college or 6^th form teachers what the course entails and what students go on to do after. A common example of this is “Psychology – that sounds fascinating!”, and then two weeks in a maths-hating student realises that there is a lot of statistics involved in Psychology A-level. 

Student Three: You have no idea what you want to do

You genuinely have no idea. You’re an all-rounder and could just as easily see yourself studying Physics or French at university, therefore you don’t want to be tied down to a decision made straight out of Year 11. That’s fine, I was also very much a Student Three. I studied English Lit, History, Biology, and Chemistry. Bang down the middle of science and humanities, and firmly on the fence. I ended up studying Biology for my degree, but could have just as easily gone for English or History.

Here is the hard truth to bear in mind for Student Three. Not all A-level subjects are created equally. Certain subjects are known as ‘facilitator’ subjects, which as the name suggests, facilitate routes into a wide range of degrees. These are: Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Modern Languages, History, and Geography. Choosing two, three, or even four of these A-level subjects will leave you in a position where you can apply to a wide range of universities and degree subjects. 

On the other hand, studying a theoretical combination such as Dance, Film Studies, PE, and Business Studies will leave fewer options on the table come the end of your A-levels. There is nothing wrong with any of those subjects I have just listed, especially if these are the subjects you are passionate about and could see yourself working in. However, you will find it harder to apply to certain degree courses at Russell Group universities without at least one or two facilitator subjects in there – something to bear in mind for those wanting to keep their options open. 

Written by: Marcus White