How to Pick Your A-Levels

Hello!

Year eleven has been cut short for a lot of people, meaning that early mornings spent running to get to school on time for an exam and late nights spent on Free Science Lessons and HegartyMaths seem like a thing of the past. 

This is the perfect time to start looking at your course content for next year and preparing for sixth form. But what if you haven't decided which A-Levels to take? From my time in sixth form, here is my advice:

• Pick subjects you enjoy

There is no point studying subjects that you hate just because you think that they are good subjects to have. Obviously, if you are set on studying a subject like medicine, it is likely you will need to take specific subjects, but if you truly hate Chemistry, studying it at A-Level is going to make you resent the subject and feel unhappy. 

• Consider facilitating subjects

There is a list of subjects that Russell Group universities are said to favour. If going to one of these universities is one of your aspirations, perhaps consider taking some of them. Having said that, I studied one facilitating subjects and two subjects that are generally seen as *softer* and still got offers from the three Russell Group unis I applied to.

• If EPQ is available, give it a go

A lot of my friends took the EPQ in year twelve and found it overly stressful and time consuming, yet others took it and found it useful. It will teach you how to reference, and some universities will lower the entry requirements if you receive an A/B in EPQ. 

• If your school allows it, take four subjects in year twelve 

Obviously, only do this if you feel as though you have the time to do so, but a lot of schools and colleges allow you to begin year twelve with four A-Levels and then drop one in year thirteen. 


I hope that this was of some help! Let me know if you have any more questions!

Marti