CHOICE&CHALLENGE
DuringyourtimeinYear11,oneofthemostimportantdecisionsyou’llfaceischoosing yourA-Levelsubjects.
Thischoicewillshapeyouracademicfuture,influenceyouruniversityoptions,and evenimpactyourcareer Butwithsomanyoptionsandopinionstoconsider,itcan feeloverwhelming.Don’tworry!Thisinformationbookletisheretohelpyounavigate theprocessofselectingA-Levelsubjectsthatalignwithyourstrengths,interests,and long-termgoals.Let’sbreakitdowntohelpyoumakeaninformedandconfident decision.
KNOWYOURSELF:
KnowYourself:AssessYourInterestsandStrengths
Beforedivingintosubjectchoices,takeamomenttoreflectonwhatyou’regoodatandwhat excitesyou.A-LevelsaresignificantlymorechallengingthanGCSEs,andyou’llbestudying thesesubjectsin-depthfortwoyears.So,it’scrucialtochoosesubjectsyouhaveagenuine interestinandarelikelytoexcelat.Herearesomekeythingstoconsider:
Whatdoyouenjoy?Considerthesubjectsyou’veenjoyedmostinYears10and11 Doyou loveanalysingliterature?Areyoupassionateaboutproblem-solvinginMathsorScience?If youpicksubjectsyouenjoy,you’llfeelmoremotivatedthroughoutyourSixthForm journey.
Whereareyourstrengths?Thinkaboutthesubjectswhereyou’vedonewell A-Levels requireadeepunderstandingofthecontentandtheabilitytoapplyitinexams.Choosing subjectsthatalignwithyourstrengthswillsetyouupforsuccess.
Doyoupreferpracticalortheoreticalwork?SomeA-Levelsubjectsaremorepractical(like DesignTechnologyorDrama),whileothersaremoretheoretical(suchasHistoryor Religions&Philosophy).Thinkaboutwhichtypeofworkyouprefer thiscanmakeabig differenceinhowmuchyouenjoyyourstudies
ResearchYourFutureGoals
WhatDoYouWanttoDoAfterSixthForm?
Whileyourinterestsandstrengthsareimportant,youalsoneedtothinkaboutyourfuturecareeror universityambitions DifferentA-Levelsubjectscanopenupdifferentpathways,soit'swisetothink aboutwhereyouseeyourselfheadingafterSixthForm.
Universitycourses:Ifyou’replanningtoapplytouniversity,takealookattheentryrequirements forthecoursesyou’reinterestedin Forexample,ifyouwanttostudyMedicine,you’llneedA-Levels insubjectslikeChemistryandBiology Ifyou’reaimingforadegreeinLaw,subjectslikeEnglish Literature,History,orPoliticswouldbehelpful.
Careeraspirations:Ifuniversityisnotyourgoal,andyou’rethinkingaboutanapprenticeshipor enteringtheworkforcedirectlyafterSixthForm,considerwhichsubjectswillbestequipyoufor yourcareer Forexample,A-LevelsinBusinessorITcouldbeusefulforacareerinthosefields
Keepyouroptionsopen:Somestudentsareunsureabouttheirexactfuturepath.Inthiscase,tryto chooseamixofsubjectsthatwillkeepyouroptionsopen.Forexample,combiningamixofMaths, English,andScienceallowsyoutoexplorebothanalyticalandcreativeuniversitycourseslateron.
UnderstandtheWorkloadandDemandsofEach
Subject
A-Levelsubjectscomewithvaryinglevelsofdifficultyanddifferentdemands.It’simportantto understandtheworkloadeachsubjectinvolvesandhowthisfitswithyourlifestyleandstudy habits.
Workload:Somesubjectsrequireextensivereading,writing,andessay-basedassessments (suchasEnglishLiteratureorHistory) Othersmighthavemoreofafocusonexamsand problem-solving(suchasMathsorPhysics).Berealisticabouthowmuchtimeeachsubject willdemandandhowwellyoucanmanagethatworkload.
Subjectdifficulty:SomestudentsfindsubjectslikeMathsandtheSciencesmore challenging,whileothersfindthemeasier Similarly,subjectslikeArtorMusicmight requiremorepracticaltime,whichcouldaffecthowmuchtimeyouhaveforotherstudies. Considerhowconfidentyoufeelineachsubjectbeforemakingyourdecision.
Balanceyourchoices:It’stemptingtopickallyourfavouritesubjects,butbecarefulnotto overloadyourselfwithtoomanychallengingones Aimforabalancebetweensubjectsthat requirelotsofessaysandthosethatinvolvecalculationsorpracticalwork.Thiswillhelp preventburnout.
SeekAdvicefromTeachersandTutors
YourteachersareaninvaluableresourcewhenitcomestochoosingA-Levelsubjects.They knowyouwellandcanofferguidancebasedonyourstrengths,performanceinYear11,and whattoexpectinthenexttwoyears.
Askforadvice:TalktoyoursubjectteachersaboutwhateachA-Levelcourseentails.They cangiveyouadetailedbreakdownofthetopicscoveredandtheassessmentmethods used
Consultyourtutororheadofyear:Theycanhelpyoureflectonyouroverallgoalsand ensurethatthesubjectsyouchoosealignwithyourlong-termambitions.
Speaktootherstudents:IfyouknowolderstudentswhoarealreadyinSixthForm,ask themabouttheirexperience.Theycanprovideinsightintowhatdifferentsubjectsare reallylikeandofferadviceonworkloadandstudystrategies.
ConsiderYourSubjectCombinations
Somesubjectcombinationsaremorecommonandmaycomplementeachotherwell,while othersmightcreatemorechallenges.Herearesomegeneralguidelinesforsubject combinations:
Keepbalanceinmind:Avoidpickingsubjectsthataretoosimilar Forexample,studying bothPhysicsandMathsiscommon,butpairingMathswithFurtherMathsandPhysics mightbetoointenseforsomestudents.Ifyou'reuncertain,amixofhumanities,sciences, andartscanprovidediversityandgiveyoumoreflexibilityforfuturedecisions.
Checkifthecombinationworks:Someuniversitiesorcareersmayhavepreferencesfor subjectcombinations.Forinstance,somedegreesmayprefertwoSciencesubjects(like BiologyandChemistry)ratherthanoneScienceandoneArtssubject.Makesureyour combinationsalignwithyourfuturegoals.
Don’tfeelpressuredbytrends:Somesubjects,likePsychologyorBusinessStudies,are increasinglypopular,butit’simportanttochoosewhatsuitsyou,notjustwhateveryone elseisdoing.
Conclusion:GetItRightforYou
ChoosingA-Levelsubjectscanbedaunting,butit’simportanttorememberthatthisisyour journey.Choosesubjectsthatyouenjoy,thatplaytoyourstrengths,andthatwillopenupthe pathsyou’reinterestedin.
Don’tfeelpressuredtochoosebasedonwhatothersaredoingorwhatseems“popular.”Stay truetoyourself,askforadvice,andplancarefully.Therightsubjectswillsetyouupforsuccess inSixthFormandbeyond!
Goodluckwithyourchoices you’vegotthis!
MsPinder(HeadofSixthFormAlderleyEdgeSchoolforGirls)
