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Choosing your A levels can be a challenging time. In the UK, we specialise at a relatively young age, meaning that choices you make at 16 will have a not-insignificant influence on your future employment prospects. But choosing your A levels shouldn’t be this daunting, so, in this article, I’ll cover some common questions many have surrounding A level Economics. Hopefully, by the end of it, you’ll feel more confident in your decision making, whether that’s to take Economics at A level or to achieve an A* if you’re already studying it.

A Levels can be a stressful time for anyone sitting them – as well as their parents. In this short blog, I’ll discuss how best to approach A Level revision, covering how much to do, when do to it, and how best to revise, including some best practice. Hopefully, by the end, the task won’t feel quite so daunting!

Should I take Maths for A Level? 

Mathematics has been the most popular A Level choice for some time now. This is due to Maths being a highly applicable subject in a range of professions, and is often a requirement for some university degrees. While it is a popular choice, it is also a challenging subject that will require a lot of work to get top marks. 

After completing GCSEs, students will have to make the important decision of choosing which subjects they will continue to study for the next two years. Most people do only 3 or 4 subjects for A Level, so choosing subjects that you are eager to study in depth is vital, as you will spend a lot more time with each of these subjects. With this in mind, students should consider whether Maths is the right choice for them from the perspective of ability and interest. 

Many schools will only let students take A Level Maths if they achieved a 6 or higher in their GCSE Maths exam, though this may vary at different institutions. If you are on track for a 7,8, or 9 at GCSE, then A Level Maths will likely be within your ability.  

Finally, students that are aiming for a certain degree should confirm whether Maths is a required or suggested subject for their course. Potential Maths or Physics students should certainly be taking Maths (and often Further Maths) at A Level, but many other STEM subjects also ask for a strong grade in Maths. For example, courses in Medicine, Psychology, and Computer Science may require students to take Maths or a similar subject for A Level. 

What is an EPQ? 

An Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a standalone A-Level qualification designed to extend students beyond the A-Level specification and prepare them for university and beyond. It is worth half of an A-Level (28 UCAS points for an A*) and is recognised for university applications. 

There are four main types of EPQ: 

1. Write a dissertation - A 5000 word essay on the student’s chosen topic 
2. Carry out an investigation - Conduct research on a testable hypothesis 
3. Give a performance -  Putting together an artistic production such as a play or a musical 
4. Create an artefact - Students create a product such as a piece of artwork or a phone app 

Alternatives to a 5000 word dissertation must include a 1000 word report detailing the creation process. 

Finally, students will have to give a 10-15 minute presentation on their project which will include a Q&A session. 

What is STEP Maths? 

STEP stands for Sixth Term Examination Paper and is a collection of three exams (STEP 1, 2 and 3) which traditionally are used in conditional offers by Cambridge to determine if you get accepted for Maths or Maths-related degrees. Other universities, like Warwick and Imperial, use STEP in some of their Maths offers. You sit these papers in the Summer alongside your other exams like A-Levels, IB and Pre-U. The grades you can get in STEP, from best to worst, are S, 1, 2, 3, U. 

STEP 1 has been discontinued as of 2021 and so only STEP 2 and 3 remain. In the past, if you studied only Maths but not Further Maths, you would have to sit STEP 1 for Cambridge, while if you sat Maths and Further Maths (which was the case for the vast majority of candidates) you would sit STEP 2 and 3. Now Cambridge requires that any Maths candidates study both Maths and Further Maths and so there is no need for STEP 1. However, the past STEP 1 papers can be very useful for revision, especially early on, as they are essentially easier versions of STEP 2, and so can be used as a stepping-stone. 

Advanced Level qualifications, better known as A Levels, help students enter universities or colleges or careers related to the subjects they choose to study. Originally introduced in the UK in 1951, they are also offered in a range of Commonwealth countries, and are normally studied over the course of a 2 year period. Most students will study either 3 or 4 A Levels between the ages of 16 and 19. They are a big step up from the I/GCSE level qualifications students usually take aged 16, and are totally linear courses assessed via exams in the final year of study - typically finishing in June in a student’s final term of schooling. You will normally need a GCSE B grade in the subject you want to study at A Level, as well as 5 A*-C grades at GCSE overall in order to be eligible to take A Levels.

A Levels form a vital bridge between a student’s schooldays and the start of their adult life, and as such they give rise to a lot of questions. Which subjects should I take - especially as this choice will influence the university courses I can apply to? Which careers can I use them for, and how relevant are they to gaining employment? How do I ensure I get the best possible grades? Given the importance of these qualifications answering these questions accurately and getting the right help and support can be incredibly important for a student’s future prospects and success.

Keystone Tutors has put together this comprehensive guide to your A Levels, aiming to help you excel at these essential examinations - we hope you find it useful. We are always happy to discuss specific educational requirements, and the role expert tuition can play in improving performance at A Level - so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

• What are the hardest and easiest A Levels?
• What A Levels do I need for my ideal career?
• How should I choose which A Levels to take?
• What is the difference between A Levels and the International Baccalaureate?
• How do universities and employers view A Levels?
• How do I get the best possible A Level grades?

What are the hardest and easiest A Levels?

There are plenty of opinions on this topic - ranging from the simplistic (it’s Maths, Further Maths, or any of the sciences) to the unhelpful (study what you’re passionate about and you’ll find it easy). Another way in which people frame this commonly asked question is to ask which are the most respected A Levels? Again, there is no straightforward answer - respected by whom and for what? There is no single ‘correct’ answer to these questions, but being clear-sighted about the challenges different subjects bring is a great way to prepare yourself to do well at them, and to remedy any weak spots you have through practice and extra study. Understanding why an ‘easy’ A Level might have that reputation will help you to identify how to truly excel in that subject.

If you are determined to get an answer to the question, no matter how unreliable, a quick Google search will show you plenty of lists of subjects in order of their difficulty as ranked by students - but remember most of these will be unrepresentative polls. If you are interested in the key statistics rather than anecdotal evidence, Ofqual publishes a great infographic which highlights the proportion of A and A* grades awarded at A Level in England by subject. There are some interesting counters in the data to the typical opinions mentioned above - for example over 40% of students taking Maths achieved A or A* grades, compared with 18% of students taking Sociology - and though accurate, neither statistic is much use in helping a student decide between them!

Once again, it’s worth stressing that none of this information is likely to be more relevant to student success than their level of interest and commitment to a particular subject, their willingness to practice and study hard, and the importance of the subject to their desired future career path or choice of university course. 

What A Levels do I need for my ideal career?

This is a much better question to be asking than which A Levels are supposedly harder or easier, and the answer varies a great deal depending on the career in question - something which many students are not sure about when it comes to making their choice of A Level subjects.

Some careers require specific degree courses, which in turn require specific A Levels. For example, becoming a doctor requires a Medical degree, which normally require Chemistry and Biology, and many also require either Maths or Physics in addition. You need Maths to study Engineering, and normally another physical science like Chemistry or Physics in addition.

Other courses, like Nursing, will not require a particular A Level but typically prefer students who have taken Biology or a relevant social science like Psychology. Some courses, like Architecture or Law, might seem like they would require particular A Levels, but in fact have no specific requirements.

Researching potential career paths on the UCAS Careers Advice website is a great way to check out the requirements for careers you are considering, and trying to pick a range of A Levels that will keep as many options open for you as possible is a good idea. It’s also worth taking any opportunity you can to do work experience in a range of fields you think might be interesting, no matter how briefly nor how mundane the work you are given may seem to be; this will give you a far greater insight into whether a career is right for you, and hopefully also help you understand how the required A Level subjects may be practically useful to you once you do enter the world of work.

How should I choose which A Levels to take?

As an avid Podcast listener, the More or Less Podcast has long been a weekly essential. The Podcast looks to explain the numbers and statistics used in political debate, the news and everyday life. I was particularly captivated by a recent episode, in which the Podcast investigated the truth behind claims made by The Times that “48% of A level results are wrong”.

Maybe you’ve just finished your GCSEs and have decided to enter the brave new world of Philosophy at A Level. It might feel both exciting and a little daunting to be beginning a brand-new subject in Year 12, rather than continuing one, such as Physics or English, that you’ve studied for some years. This is the right way to feel! Philosophy is a challenging and demanding subject, but it’s one which all of my students find richly repays and rewards their efforts (even if I sometimes leave them at the end of the tutorial with their minds reeling). Philosophy asks us to question many of the assumptions we have made about the world and about ourselves. You’ll find yourself pondering things like: What counts as knowledge? How do I know that matter exists? What’s the right way to live? What is happiness? Are there objective moral truths? Is there a God? And if there is, why is there so much suffering and evil in the world? What is consciousness and how does it relate to the physical world?