Help on choosing the right A level subjects

If you do not enjoy studying a subject, it is difficult to do well in it. In the sixth-form you want to be stimulated and feel you are achieving something, not bored or frustrated. If you enjoy the work you will probably get a good grade in the exam.

To know whether you will enjoy a subject you should consider two things: the content of the subject and the skills it requires.

You should have a real interest in the subject content – the things that you study. It should seem relevant, important and interesting to learn about.  And you should also think about the skills that the subject requires. One subject might require a lot of learning detail, another might require a lot of independent reading, some subjects involve a lot of writing, others a lot of creativity. Each of these activities requires skills you must be confident that you have or that you can develop.

The way a subject is assessed might also be important to you, particularly if assessment involves project work. Do exams involve a lot of writing, a lot of problem solving, a lot of reading?

Beware of taking a subject just because ‘it sounds interesting’. Check it out carefully. Finding out more about a subject is essential if you haven’t studied it before, but it is also important to review subjects you are familiar with – they are likely to change significantly as you move from GCSE to A level. Our guide to individual A levels contains information about the content, skills and assessment for a range of subjects.

Maths and languages are examples of subjects where there’s a real jump in difficulty (and interest too) when you move into the sixth form, so if you’re thinking of A levels in these subjects it’s important to talk about what’s involved with teachers who know your interests and abilities. Sometimes doing well at a subject at GCSE is in fact not an indication you are cut out for it at A level!

If you have clear ideas about what you want to do in life, you should check whether your plans require specific subjects. The third section of this article shows A level requirements for some popular degree courses and you can find lots of detail on the UCAS website.

Your school should be able to provide careers advice and testing if you need to clarify your long-term plans before choosing A-level subjects, but don’t feel you have to nail down your future plans before choosing A levels. Keeping options open is a good idea, though you should check that that your A level choices don’t rule out degrees you’re interested in. You will also find that there are many degree subjects which you can apply to with any combination of A levels.

Don’t take an A level subject that you know you will find really tough, just because it is needed for a particular career. Unless you have good reason to believe that subject will be easier for you at the higher sixth-form level (and your teachers confirm your opinion) it’s better to rethink your choice of career. We sometimes find ourselves advising students who want to become doctors but who don’t like science – not a good ambition!

You will need time to think carefully about your interests and skills, and about possible directions when you leave the sixth-form. You then need to match these ideas up to the A level subjects on offer, which will involve finding out more about them. Time to do the thinking, time to talk to people, and time to change your mind if necessary, are all important.

While other people might have good advice and opinions worth considering carefully, don’t forget this is your choice. You are the person who will be doing all that studying, and it’s your future that A levels help decide. Take advice seriously but don’t just choose an A level subject because someone else tells you that’s what you must do (or because that’s what your friends are taking, or because you like the teacher).

Your chosen sixth-form should have a Sixth-form Subject Guide describing the subjects on offer which will give you an outline of the content and skills needed, details of how the subject is assessed etc. The Guide should also tell you whether there are any restrictions on subject combinations which you need to bear in mind (most sixth forms don’t allow you to choose whatever combination you want). Our own Guide to Individual A-level subjects is worth checking, and the Student Room website provides a lot of information on choosing the right A level subjects. This site’s advice pages contain a lot of other articles about the sixth form which you might find helpful.

Your current teachers will know your intellectual strengths and weaknesses. It is certainly worth asking their opinion on the subjects you are thinking about. Of course you need to balance their opinions with the other information you acquire, but if they advise against taking a particular subject, that’s a warning sign that you need to take seriously.

If you are moving to a college for A levels, make sure you visit and spend time talking to the staff. They should be able to give a detailed account of their subjects and tell you what the subject is like to learn. If you are staying on in school, do find time to talk to the staff who are likely to be teaching you.

Studying with a teacher you like and respect can make a real difference but don’t choose a subject just because you get on well with the teacher. Teachers change jobs, and your group might be assigned to another member of the department.

The exam board ‘specifications’ (new term for ‘syllabus’) describe the topics to be covered, often in considerable detail. You can find exam board specifications for each A level subject online. AQA, Pearson and OCR are the ‘big three’ exam boards. Many A level subjects are offered by all three boards so you will need to find out which board your chosen sixth-form uses.

Talk to sixth-formers who are currently studying the subjects you are considering. Ask them what they like best about their subjects (and what they don’t like). They can give you an insight into the day-to-day rewards and challenges of the subject that no other source can.

Skimming through a book on the subject can give a good idea of the type of work you would be doing. This is particularly useful when you are considering an A level subject you have not studied before.

Have look at our FAQs about A-level choice which cover a lot of the A-level choice questions we get asked.