What do you enjoy?

Start by thinking about the subjects you have already been taking: which of them do you enjoy the most? Make a note of your top five favourites.  There is a good chance that you will do better in subjects that you enjoy the most, so we think this is a good place to start.

Now, think about what it is that you like about those subjects: is it being creative, or analysing data, or solving problems? Knowing why you like a subject will help you reflect on your overall decision when the time comes.

An opportunity to try something new?

There are often new subjects that a college can offer at A Level that you won’t have had the opportunity to take at GCSE.  For example, Government & Politics, Criminology or Media are either not available at GCSE or not offered by many schools.  This means you might have even more choice than you thought!

Have a look through 6th Form prospectuses and see if there are any new subjects that sound exciting. Read carefully what they cover. Use the notes you just made about why you like your current GCSE subjects to help work out if any of these new subjects will suit your interests and learning style.  Jot them down.

What fits with your future plans?

For many people, choosing A Levels is a stepping-stone to studying at University. Most degree and higher education courses have fairly strict entry requirements on which A Level subjects are acceptable.  For example, if you want to study anything related to medicine or veterinary science, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a place without having done Biology A Level and, perhaps, Chemistry.

So, if you’re thinking about going to University and have some ideas on what you want to study there, it is really important to check out what the subject entry requirements for those types of courses are.  Careers advisors will be able to give you specific advice and University Admissions Tutors are often happy to explain, too. Make a list of which subjects are going to suit your future plans.

What is a good balance?

By now, you should have three lists: subjects you’re doing already that you enjoy; new subjects that you fancy trying and; subjects that are appropriate for your future plans.  If you’re lucky, there will be plenty of overlap across those lists and your decision will be coming together already!

Just in case it’s not, here is one final piece of advice that might help.  Think about the type of work that each A Level subject will involve.  For example, subjects like English Literature, History and Law are likely to involve quite a lot of reading and essay writing.  On the other hand, science subjects are more likely to be about practical experiments and writing up reports.  And Maths and Technology subjects will inevitably involve more numbers and theoretical workings out.  If you are naturally drawn to, say, reading and essay writing, you might not be worried if you choose subjects that are all going to involve lots of each.  However, if you prefer variety, you might want to choose subjects that will each challenge you to produce different types of work.

The decision…

When choosing A Levels, it can feel like there is lots of pressure to get it right but remember: only you can really know what feels right for you and nothing is ever set in stone.  Although it’s not always easy to change an A Level subject.  You may have to wait until the following academic year to restart, for example, but it can be done. And, in life’s great journey, A Levels are only a couple of years of your life to get you on to whatever your next adventure is going to be so try to keep that in perspective.  Good luck!