To think getting four A*s at A-level is pointless and might even be bad

My DS got 3A* and did an extra curricular he loved and wanted a career in. He didn’t go to university last year. If you have really good grades at A Level, everyone knows you are good enough to get a degree. He was up against lots of graduates but got the job because of his extra curricular stuff. He will have 3 years of wages behind him rather than be in debt by the time his classmates graduate.

My DS dropped maths, a few weeks in, for English. Then stopped that at the end of the first year, with an A in AS. He continued with only 3, plus the general studies option, then went to a Russell group university.

His reasoning was that 3 were less hectic, that he needed to pursue a heap of extra curriculars for his CV, and that he would feel more secure in his grades with only 3 subjects.

He got in to a highly competitive course in a very good university, so it was a decent strategy in the end.

If going for certain careers, the grades will be considered. For example, anyone wanting a job in a top City law firm would need top grades unless they are coming from a disadvantaged background.

I think its both, plus smart revision and luck on the day ie not being ill.

I can see why a bright youngster may want to do 4 A-levels. 15 or 16 is very young to specialise and picking too narrow a set of A-levels can limit what you can apply for at university. So I could see why a child who is still deciding between two paths may want to keep options open a bit longer, and I don't think that's such a bad thing as it will mean potentially a broader education for longer.

It depends how clever the child is not how many hours they put in. Someone who has natural ability will get high grades just by concentrating in lessons and doing their revision. A levels are a syllabus - there's no bonus marks for extra work. It's not like a degree where you need to put in extra time to read and study relevant research papers etc to get a top grade

To be brutally honest... really exceptionally talented and / or passionate kids won't have to work ridiculous hours to get A*s (and a lot of decently smart kids can work all the hours in the world and still not get them).

This might be an unfashionable opinion but I don't believe grades are just a measure of work. There is a role for ability too, and a role for passion / genuine love of the subject. I say this as someone with quite extensive A level teaching experience.

Therefore the grade cost / benefit analysis is different for each individual.

I think you are right to query whether the benefits of aiming for top grades in general always outweighs the costs. For instance, I think extra-curriculars and work experience can be far more helpful bore for university entrance and more importantly for the job market beyond. However... some kids are able to get A*s and still do these other things, so it really depends. Excelling at things you care about and matter to your future is always worthwhile.

Oh, I just wanted to show off

Employers very often look back to A levels if all graduates are much of a muchness.

I did 4 A levels (a long time ago now). A lot of people told me it was a mistake but all I know is that good education like that never comes free again. I'd have to pay through the nose to get that kind of education as a postgraduate.

Even after all these years I use some of the knowledge/understanding from those A levels (some which were foundational to my degree, and another which was a foreign language). And to be honest, without being too smug, I set my goal, worked hard, trusted myself and achieved it - I honestly think that's a good place to start higher education. I've never coasted along and I don't think playing it safe is necessarily a good long term mentality.

That's silly. It's not bad to go above what you need, unless of course it impacts mental health.

There's nothing inherently bad about having 4 A-levels at top grades. So long as someone isn't making themselves ill in the process or reducing their life to those qualifications, why wouldn't people want to aim to get the best qualifications they can, to reflect their interests, ability and hard work?

I also loved learning, and found 5 A-levels a bit of a doddle. I didn't even go to school that much in upper sixth as it became clear I could get the top grades without needing too.

I got the top grades in my sixth form, and amongst the highest in the country.

This isn't a post to boast, but just illustrating that for some, getting 4 or more A-levels is not difficult, and should not be discouraged.

For the most able, who can get 4 top grades, no it's not pointless.

Universities state a minimum, but when competition is fierce, they often take those who have more.

I got 5 As at A-level (before A* existed). I wanted to do a sixth, but the school did cautiously advise against this (though note that they would have allowed it).

On my very competitive university course, the vast majority had done 4 or more A-levels.

We're all different. Some people have a real passion for an area of academia, and will actively enjoy studying it in-depth. Some will do things out of a love of "doing well", some for a specific future goal (eg will do things that look good on uni applications, rather than for pleasure). Some will do 4 A levels because they feel it's expected of them, or because they see themselves as "the clever one". I think that's a bit of a shame, as they'd probably be happier by doing 3 and exploring other interests. Universities don't just look at exam results, school orchestra, D of E awards...

Depends on whether you want the breadth of knowledge, mine both have 4, A's and a*'s

My DD is doing 4, and I did advise against it, but she got 12 x grade 9 so I know she will do well.

DS applied for Computer Science it was a cutthroat process. Even though the offers were for three ALevels, with offers about Astar AA, anecdotally they only give offers (at the top institutions) to those with all AStars, and won’t look at you without FMaths (unless your school doesn’t offer it). So, you don’t ’need’ to get 4 AStars but you won’t get an offer without it.

@Wintersoltice Surely if you know that universities don't ask for 4 A levels for reasons of fairness as not all schools allow it, then it would be equally as unfair for prospective employers to be looking at that. I would have thought the grades they got and the outcome of their degree would tell you all you'd need to know.

If was interviewing someone I would definitely take into account the number of A Levels and their predicted grades alongside the interview and tests when deciding whether to offer a place, even if the offer was only based on 3 A Levels in the end. They generally can't give out offers for four A Levels because many applicants would only be taking three, and it would hardly be fair to raise the entry requirements for someone just because they had taken in the challenge of doing an extra A Level.

Yes, but that can happen to anyone - as you say the change in learning environment is huge. I nearly dropped out in the first year, it was so much harder the A levels (which I didn’t do amazingly in) and so much self motivation and self-led learning needed. But I did get there in the end.

I think four A stars is incredibly hard work even for very bright students (I’ve worked with many). I think a person’s life has to be reasonably happy even when working hard for the future. For some people, working hard enough to get these grades will feel pretty unbearable. It is also a ticket to more hard work and more stress.

That’s very high compared to most children. I recently went through 180 students’ records to sift out those who wouldn’t be suitable (academically) for a certain course. Very few would cope with what your ds is doing/has done. Congrats to him for being able to keep up the usual teenage stuff.

This sounds like the sort of argument ds uses when he wants an excuse for not working.

OP. It may not matter, but if you don't revise, then you may find that hoped for A* doesn't slip to an A, but to a B. So a good idea to try and do as much as you can.

Looking at our 6th formers, they’re expected to support younger students in class, do extra curricular/present/support eg Parents’ Evenings, accompany trips, coach etc. I have told my current Year 11s that doing 4 A levels is not ideal, they will find themselves extremely short of time and might be better off completing eg an EPQ, which demonstrates independent research.

I’ve never seen a uni course requiring 4 A levels. Our students tend to do Sports/Language Leaders, Duke of Edinburgh Gold. I’ve watched an awful lot of advice re A levels recently as my form is Year 11 and I haven’t seen any advice recommending taking 4. I think some of our very academic students may consider 4.