DD - difficult A'level choice - please help

Sensible girl. Clearly knows better than her mother. Butt out.

DD is doing music, art and English lit - we had no choice in the matter - she has chosen what she wants to do - she wants to teach English or music abroad, she has decided this will get her there.

If we had decided for her on the basis of her GCSE grades, or future earnings, it would have been Geography, Maths and Biology - and she would have chucked it all in and left home by now.

I think you need to take a step back OP and let her make her own choices.

It's her life.

Or are you going to pressure her to do a degree in something she's not interested in, too?

At this stage, you have to let her make her own choices. It's her life. Don't pressurise her into doing subjects she is not keen on.

Those are excellent subject choices from a degree/employment perspective. History and French are both well-regarded academic subjects. They will give her plenty of options for degree subjects and beyond.

She is obviously a talented musician, music is important to her and she insists on doing the full A level. That is fantastic! Most people do not have that level of ability. If she were my child, I would be encouraging her.

As the mum of a 6th former I can only say that they should choose what they enjoy. A levels are a huge (HUGE!) step up, and if they aren't studying what they are 'into' they will not do well. They spend hours on each subject, with no room to breath, if it is a subject she's not passionate about she will be miserable.

Music, History and French is a good combination. She could one day work as a translator or editor for a publisher, as a librarian or administrator for a touring orchestra, as an archivist for a TV/film company or museum, marketing for a music venue, teaching French to student singers, etc.

Let her do what she wants. Three As in those subjects will look better than low grades and unhappiness.

An economics degree may get her a job, but the wrong degree can lead to the wrong job which can lead to decades of unhappiness and feeling trapped by the wrong career.

I think that sounds like a great A level combination.

russellgroup.ac.uk/for-students/school-and-college-in-the-uk/subject-choices-at-school-and-college/

French and History are facilitating subjects (i.e. considered excellent core subjects by good unis) and they recommend you have two of them...so she'd be fine on this criteria.

Maths will be an extremely difficult a level if you don’t want to do it. She should do the subjects she enjoys.

History or Politics are standard degree choices, and they lead into standard careers- you can go into things like consultancy, HR, marketing, social research skills (e.g. like working in polling companies, political organizations, third sector organizations) and any graduate scheme as they are not usually fussy about the actual degree, but rather the classification (usually 2:1 upwards) and where it is done (e.g. decent uni good for that subject). Plus work experience.

Maths does give different choices, but unless you really love maths then you are going to struggle with Maths A level- and doing an economics or accountancy degree is daft when you love Music and History.

People often think if you do a degree like Law or Maths you will automatically get a job in a related sectors- this is not true, further study is usually required and if you hate it, it will be like a form of torture.

Extremely^

mployable if she ends up doing a music or history or straight politics degree

Now there you're just plain mistaken. History graduates are extreme employable. Ditto politics. Both good solid essay writing subjects requiring developed analytical skills.

Music graduates obviously have a whole host of extra opportunities open to them.

You're also making the mistake of thinking her degree subject has to be one of her A level subjects.

Honestly, there's no problem here OP.

Maths A level is hard and a student pressured into it unwillingly is unlikely to do well imo.

History is a very solid, rigorous subject. Any MFL is extremely useful. Nothing wrong with Music, either. What do you think will scare employers?

I think you need to back off a bit, to be frank.

Maths A level is so difficult and intensely work heavy that she will not succeed if she's not into it. History is a great choice and will help if she chooses a politics degree. Languages are also very good if she does well in it. I think if she's happy and willing to work hard for her choices she should be fine.

Personally I think she needs to do what she enjoys, she will get better grades and be happier that way.
If she does subjects she doesn't want to do she will have little motivation and will underachieve.

I think she should do what she is interested in. Is she even interested in economics? Or maths?

Completely pointless being employable in an area that bores you stupid.