A Level courses are a good choice if you did well in your GCSEs and wish to continue developing your knowledge and skills in the academic subjects you enjoy. A Levels can help you prepare you for further training or a job. They also form the main basis for the traditional route into university.

A-levels are studied across two years: your AS year (Year 12) and your A2 year (Year 13). A levels are 100% study based and have no structured work placement. You usually choose 3 subjects (although some very high achieving students may wish to take 4) and it is possible to mix A levels with vocational options like BTECs. There are around 80 different subjects available to study at A-level. However, the options available to you will depend on what your school or college offers.  A-level grades are determined by your final exam results at the end of Year 13.

What Level?

A Levels are a level 3 qualification. 

To take A-levels, you normally need to achieve at least five GCSEs (or an equivalent qualification) at grades 9 to 4.

Schools and colleges will also tend to recommend that you have achieved at least a grade 5 in the specific subjects you want to study. The subject requirements you need to study A-levels will vary depending on the school or college you are planning on attending. Therefore, it’s important to check with your chosen institution so you are aware of their specific requirements.

What Next? 

After taking A levels you can apply for a degree course at university, consider an HND or an HNC, apply for an apprenticeship (up to degree level) or go straight out into the workplace. You may want to take a gap year after A levels and that is also an option open to you. 

How do I choose what subjects to study? 

If you chose to go to university, the A-levels you choose can have a huge influence on what subject you study. In order to make the right decision, it’s important to think about you know what subjects are most commonly required for the course you want to study. You can use the UCAS website to check course entry requirements. 

If you are not sure what you may want to study, either for A-level or at university, then don’t worry, you are not alone and many students face the difficult decision of knowing which subjects they should focus on.

In order to keep yourself flexible for further study, we recommend that you study a combination of different subjects so that you can keep as many of your options open as possible.

It’s important that you focus on subjects that you enjoy. Unlike your GCSEs, you will only study a few subjects at A-level, and so you want to ensure you are going to enjoy spending a lot of time working on them.

You also want to make sure that with any subject you pick, you have performed well with it previously. A-Levels are a significant step up from your GCSEs in terms of difficulty, and so you want to make sure that you will be able to study the subject without too much complication.

You could consider taking facilitating subjects. But what are facilitating subjects?

If you are considering studying at a Russell Group university – that is, one of the UK’s leading universities – then you probably want to make yourself aware of the term ‘facilitating subjects.’

Although recently revised, this recommended list of subjects set out some of the A-level (or equivalent) subjects which are most often specified as a requirement by top universities. The list includes:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• English Literature
• Geography
• History
• Languages (both Classical and Modern)
• Mathematics
• Further Mathematics
• Physics

Though the Russell Group has re-launched their facilitating subject list, the previous list is still prominent in the university selection processes. If you look at any leading university in the UK, most of them specify one or more of the above subjects as an entry requirement to their course.

This doesn’t mean that you have to be taking one of the specified subjects, but it may help you narrow down your choices if you’re not sure what to study.

If you do know what subject you may want to study at university, then you should check the subjects most frequently requested for that particular course. You can do this by directly searching for a particular university and checking their entry requirements, or by browsing the course catalogue over on UCAS’ website.

Studential has some tips on how to choose your A levels. 

TheUniGuide looks at Six things you need to know before making your final A-level choices

See where your A level choices can take you with this Explorer Guide. 

Find out which A levels you need for the degree you want to study.

Take the time to do your research. Speak to your teachers about your strengths and look into all the possible options.  Make sure you gather as much information as possible to make your final decision an informed one and the best for your future. 

A student perspective 

Have a listen to this podcast and find out why Amber chose A Levels