How to Choose which A-Levels to Study
You can think of life as a long series of decision trees. In academic terms, the first major one you face is your GCSE subject choice, the next are your A-Level choices, then university/apprenticeship choices, then the career decisions that follow. It’s impossible (well… not impossible, but strongly advised against) to plan out your entire career from your teen years until retirement, but it’s good to have an idea of the direction you want to go in.
If you’ve been set on becoming a Zoologist since age 4 when you got your first toy Elephant, then that’s great, but try to stay open-minded as you learn of new fields, grow as a person and as your personality and interests change with age. If you’re at the other end of the spectrum (like I was) and have absolutely no idea what you want to do (yes, that’s right, I came to medical school without knowing what I wanted to do… more on that another day) then try to come up with a vague plan that covers a lot of bases in an area you’re interested in. Here are some essential considerations when doing this to ensure you don’t regret your A-Level choices:
‘Facilitating subjects’
Ideally, these should form the backbone of your A-Level choices. The name comes from a list published by the Russell Group, outlining which A-Levels are most commonly asked for by universities. The list no longer exists as the Russell Group didn’t want to give the impression that these are the only subjects of value (they’re right, other subjects can have value too), but they’re an excellent guide. Here’s the list:
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
English Literature
Geography
History
Mathematics & Further Mathematics
Modern Languages
Classical Languages
Now, here at STEMaccess, by nature of being a specialist provider of Science and Mathematics tuition, you could say I’m biased towards the STEM subjects… but STEM subjects are some of the most highly regarded for all courses. Of course, there’s an obvious split here between sciences and humanities, but if you’re unsure which direction you’re headed in, 1 or 2 of Bio/Chem/Physics/Maths looks great on your UCAS application.
If you are unsure of Humanities vs Science and have no idea on where you’ll apply, I’d recommend taking all ‘Facilitating subjects’. For example, if you have A-Levels in History, Mathematics and Chemistry, you can apply to most high-level university courses. If, however, you study Psychology, Business Studies and Art, then you’re limiting yourself in what you can apply for, even if these subjects all interest you individually.
To clarify, I’m not say you shouldn’t study Psychology if it interests you, by all means take Psychology… just try to ensure you have some facilitating subjects to form a good backbone to your UCAS application.
2. Some people have a specific course(s) in mind
If this is you, then congratulations, you have it easy! (Well… you still have to study, but in terms of deciding on your A-Levels). If you have a specific interest (e.g. “I like Medicine but might also like Biology, Chemistry or maybe Dentistry”) then go through UK university requirements for these courses and do some calculations. Work out what percentage of universities require certain A-Levels for each of the subjects you’re interested in, and write these numbers down. Looking at these on paper in front of you can inform your decision. For example, if 40% of universities desired Mathematics for your chosen course, and 35% desired Biology, then you can more easily make the decision. A difference this small would most likely mean you study whichever you find most interesting, or which allows you to apply for a specific university that you’d love to study at. If, however, 90% desired Biology (e.g. for Medical School) but you love Art and want to study this instead, then that’s a bigger decision.
An important note here is that if you're thinking of a course that requires a specific subject that you don’t enjoy, take a moment to reflect on why you want to do that course. I’m pointing this out as I’m quite goal-oriented and can easily fall into the trap of thinking I want to do something because I’ve previously set the goal of doing it, and ignoring warning signs along the way. For example, if you want to study Theoretical Physics and the top universities want Further Maths, but you hated GCSE Further Maths, then think about whether Theoretical Physics is for you. It might not be.
Your A-Levels should act as a gateway to your desired university course and/or career, but should also be of interest to you and not solely for tactical purposes.
3. Three A-Levels are often better than Four (in my personal opinion)
As a disclaimer, this one is down to personal opinion and experience, and there can be very good reasons for either decision. For example, if you find school very easy and got straight A*s at GCSE, and have 4 specific A-Level subjects in mind with an equal interest in all, then taking 4 might be the right choice. However, for most students, 3 A-Levels makes more sense. Even if you’re a high achiever and want to study at Oxbridge, Imperial, UCL or LSE, you’re more likely to score high grades across 3 subjects than 4.
Let’s put it this way, which looks better on paper:
Student 1: A*AA
Student 2: A*AAB
Another two students ‘ grades:
Student 3: A*AA
Student 4: AAAA
If a course requires A*AA for example, then aim for that. If you think you can score A*A*AA with ease, then go for it. However, if you think there’s a chance you might end up with AAAA then it probably isn’t worth the risk… as you won’t meet the requirements. In this case, A*AA across 3 subjects is more impressive than AAAAAA across 6 subjects.
Like all articles on this topic, all opinions are my own, morphed from my own experiences and those discussed with my peers. Everything is subjective so if you disagree with anything I’ve said and have good reason to, then by all means do what feels right for you… but hopefully these tips from someone who’s been through the process are helpful in making the important decision of what to study at A-Level.
Rhodes Willoughby is Co-Founder and Director of STEMaccess, at the time of writing in his fifth year of his MBBS/BSc degree at Imperial College School of Medicine.
