Choosing GCSEs and A Levels

Executive Summary (this is a long page!)

• If you have a clear idea of what you want to do at university, check the course websites and select those A levels required. If there is no special requirement, go to the next bullet.
• You are not sure what university subject to follow. Then pick from the following lists to ensure the top rank universities will consider you:

• At least one from Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Further Maths;
• At least one from English (Literature preferred over Language), the Modern Foreign Languages, History, Geography, Art;
• Not MORE than one from anything else offered by your school/college. This can be a ‘fun’ one.

• Now choose your GCSEs to match. These are important, so do not mess about. You won’t have very much choice anyway, perhaps three or four to actually choose.

Now read on....

Recent years have seen a massive increase in the range of subjects available either directly as GCSEs and A Levels, or as alternatives to the traditional route. When our son was in Year 9, his school listed TEN possible qualifications: GCSE, Foundation Diploma, Higher Diploma, BTEC Introductory Diploma/Cert, BTEC Higher Dip/Cert, NVQ Levels 1 and 2, IMI Young Apprenticeships, City & Guilds /IMI Awards, and Functional Maths/English/ICT.

Because of limited space, we will concentrate on those likely to go to university - 40% of the age group.

In 2010 the Russell Group of universities published Informed Choices, giving advice to students thinking of going to one of their universities. The Russell Group includes some 20 universities including Cambridge, Oxford, Bristol, Leeds, Edinburgh etc.

Their guidance was aimed at students considering which A Levels to take. I have done some analysis of required/preferred/desirable subjects giving a point-count score to each subject. The overall advice is this:

Getting Into a Top University

You will take four A Level subjects, three to full A Level and one to AS Level. Most university subjects have at most just one required subject, linked to what you want to study. A few subjects make no specific requirement, a few subjects require two and some, typically medicine, engineering, maths, ask for two or three specific subjects. A few subjects positively dislike you having studied their subject before the degree (Law crops up often).

You need to keep options open, since few 16-year-olds know what they want to do and, in our experience, frequently change their minds between Year 11 and Year 13. This is what we found:

Maths is the most frequently demanded or preferred A Level subject (a score of 96)

Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) are next (scores of 76 - 69)

Humanities/Languages (English, History, French/German/ Spanish/Italian, Further Maths, Geography, Art) (scores 25 - 11)

Everything else - also-rans! The Russell Group refer to these as ‘broadening’! By all means pick your 4th subject (the AS only subject) from this group, but more than one will prejudice your chances of getting to a good university. A recent student of ours went to Oxford to read Biomedical Sciences with Photography as her AS. And the following was taken from the University of Bath Business Administration page: Additionally, applicants should offer no more than one of the following subjects: Accounting, Art and Design, Commerce, Communications Studies, Dance, Design and Technology, Drama/Theatre Studies, Film Studies, Home Economics, ICT, Leisure Studies, Media Studies, Music Technology, Performance Studies, Performing Arts, Photography, Physical Education

And they, like many other top tier universities, will not accept scores in General Studies.

Taking Maths and a Science will not exclude you from any worthwhile degree. In rare cases a second science is demanded, but the vast majority of courses will be very happy with one or two from the Humanities/Languages group.

So, what should you take at A Level?

• If you have a pretty good idea of what degree you want to do, check the university websites for any special requirement. Make sure you take that/those. Then select from those listed above, with possibly one taken from the ‘broadening’ list.
• If you don’t know what you might want to do, keep your options wide open by choosing

• At least one from the maths/sciences group,
• At least one from the humanities/languages group,
• At most one from the ‘broadening’ group.

Choosing GCSEs

We are still talking to the 40% going to university. Seven, possibly eight of your GCSEs are decided for you: Maths, two English, three Science, History/ Geography. All of these are important, so no messing about. Many will have to take RS; some will do a double maths (currently being piloted in about 400 schools) or Statistics. So your real choices amount to perhaps three or four subjects.

Now is the time to look at what your school offers for A levels and the GCSE requirement they have. And what you enjoy doing. Our only advice is that you should avoid doing more than one which has a lot of coursework: Art, Design Technology, Music, Dance and Drama spring to mind. True for GCSE, true for A Level.