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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

How important are A stars at A level?

57 replies

Stopsnowing · 27/01/2024 06:48

Most of the sixth forms we have visited are clearly encouraging the students to only take A levels in the subjects they are best at and some of them have minimum gcse requirements of a 7 at gcse. If a 7 is an A it seems a real shame to me that students are being discouraged from taking the subjects they are ok at any further.
my ds got a 7 in French mock gcse and was told not to do a level in it because he would only get a b at a level and he should focus on doing subjects at a level he could get a stars in.
so my question is is it the case that you need to aim for a stars at a level? And is it true that 7 in a mock gcse means you will get a b at a level?

OP posts:
sep135 · 27/01/2024 07:06

I'd say it depends on the subject. It's a 9 and the FSMQ to take A level maths at our school. They'd also discourage physics or chemistry on a similar basis as they're difficult A levels. Languages aren't dissimilar I guess.

English may be somewhat of an exception as some of the GCSE syllabus is shorter style questions and you might become a fantastic essay writer in your sixth form.

I think people aim to get the highest grade they can, partly as the application process is very competitive for the most popular unis. I know students who didn't get in as they slipped to an A in one of their A levels. But you cut your cloth to suit your means and apply to a university you have a hope of getting the grades for.

I'm a long way into my career and A level grades are still asked for. Clearly degree and career experience are more important but a good set of A level grades can be useful (I'm in financial services).

Original poster
Stopsnowing · 27/01/2024 07:05

Meadowfinch · 27/01/2024 07:00

Also A levels are a big step up from gcse. If someone works hard and gets a 7, then they may struggle with an a level in that subject.

Ok that makes sense.

I don’t remember A levels being a big step up from o levels but again that was a long time ago!

OP posts:
Original poster
Stopsnowing · 27/01/2024 07:04

So do the ‘best’ unis require A stars at A level?

(I went to a top uni back in the day with a B)

does It boil down to - if you really want to study a subject you will get a B in at A level you can but you will end up at a less prestigious or competitive uni?

and does a 7 at gcse mean you can’t achieve an A at A level? Perhaps I am being naive.

OP posts:
Meadowfinch · 27/01/2024 07:00

Also A levels are a big step up from gcse. If someone works hard and gets a 7, then they may struggle with an a level in that subject.

cloudtree · 27/01/2024 06:58

A stars are important if the child wants to go to a university that requires a stars. It’s as simple as that.

but not everyone can get a stars. Only the top tiny percentage in each subject are awarded them so it’s important not to make it the be all and end all. Whether your child achieves an a star is dependent both on how well they do but crucially also how well the rest of the cohort does. It is not entirely within their control.

Sofabum · 27/01/2024 06:55

Agree it's all about what the student wants to do at university so they need to think of a combination of things they are interested in and what the requirements are of the unis they want to apply to.

If your DC wanted to do astrophysics at Oxford then a B in French isn't going to help if they could have had an a* in further maths.

Jifmicroliquid · 27/01/2024 06:51

A levels are only really useful if you want to go to uni. The need to get particular grades are due to unis wanting those to offer a place.
The reality is, once uni is done, no-one is interested in your A-levels.

Schools wants people capable of doing well because it impacts their data.

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