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Original poster

How can my son do another A level after sixth form?

33 replies

Biologyquestion · 17/08/2019 16:08

He is in Year 12, is set to hopefully get his Maths, Physics and French A Levels next year, and now wishes he was also doing Biology, as he would like to study Zoology at university.

How could he get another A Level after sixth form? Do you think he could do it in a year, and could he then go straight on to a Zoology course the year after that or would they first have to see what Biology result he had got?

Thanks a lot Smile.

OP posts:
BlueBrush · 17/08/2019 17:35

I'm not sure how easy it is to take a further A level, but just to say that there are Zoology degree courses out there that don't require A level Biology. He's already taking 2 science subjects, and that will be enough for entry to some Zoology degrees. Sorry if you've looked at this already, but if not, it's worth just working out if he really does need the extra subject, depending on which university he's aiming for.

MoreSlidingDoors · 17/08/2019 17:36

I did a 5th A level at night school at a local college the year after taking my A levels in year 13.

Original poster
Biologyquestion · 17/08/2019 18:05

Thanks for your messages.

I will tell him about the zoology courses, but he seems to be set on Queen Mary in London where they do want Biology.

Yes evening college might be an idea. He thought he could do it as part of a foundation / access course at a CFE but maybe not?

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sazzle27 · 17/08/2019 18:07

Is thee any chance the school would be open to him doing biology AS next year, then top up to A2 in a gap year?

EvenPhilip · 17/08/2019 18:10

Can he drop French and do biology?
If he has to do biology as an extra or external student it could cost a small fortune to do the practical element of biology A level.

EvenPhilip · 17/08/2019 18:12

Sorry ignore that just realised he is already half way through.
My point about the cost still stands though.

saltandvinegarpeanuts · 17/08/2019 18:18

My DD did another A and AS level in her gap year via distance learning/self study. It was harder to stay motivated (partly because she did them for fun, not because she needed them for uni) but she still did okay. She had to travel to two different colleges (one was a 5 hour train journey) to sit the actual papers.

She didn’t do Biology though, so am not sure if the practical side of that would be logistically trickier.

If he really needs it to do the course he wants, then I think it would be well worth doing. Good luck to him!

YourDaughter · 17/08/2019 18:29

Any chance of contacting QE to see if they would allow him to do a foundation year - always worth contacting their admissions?

YourDaughter · 17/08/2019 18:32

I mean Queen Mary, not Elizabeth 😉

NearlySchoolTimeAgain · 17/08/2019 18:36

I'd imagine that A-Level Bio is harder to do at night school than some A-Levels.

I'd see if he can do AS Bio in Y13.

I had one very clever student who aced AS Bio by sitting in on about half of my classes!

MollyButton · 17/08/2019 18:41

The NEC (national extension college) do offer Biology and will help with the practicals and exams.

titchy · 17/08/2019 18:42

Three options:

  1. One year at an FE college - he'd have to pay.
  2. Foundation year - QMUL don't have one that doesn't need Bio, but Southampton, and others, do and he could then transfer.
  3. Drop Physics or French and persuade his sixth form to let him cram it into a year.
YourDaughter · 17/08/2019 18:51

Can I ask what’s attracting him to QM? Is it the location, course etc?

Original poster
Biologyquestion · 17/08/2019 19:07

Thanks for all the info and suggestions - it’s very helpful.

QM because he thinks it’s good (is it?), and because he wants to stay in London.

OP posts:
YourDaughter · 17/08/2019 19:09

Well they’ve just been given Russel Group status so they hold that accolade! The course does look good, wasn’t sure if it was because he liked the look of the year in industry?

If it’s location it means I can look for similar courses nearby that don’t require Biology. Just need to know what my search criteria are!

berlinbabylon · 17/08/2019 19:18

Wolsey Hall also offer A level courses.

Shadowboy · 17/08/2019 19:18

He could do an As next year alongside completing his A level. This may help him access some courses. However, this can be tricky because If he then wanted to complete the AS and have an A Level in biology and he tried to complete it at an FE college, he would need to find the same spec otherwise some first year content will be different/PAGs may be different - also to get the practical endorsement he will need to have shown evidence in competence that meet each board’s requirements. I don’t know any sixth forms that would allow biology in one year alongside normal A levels due to the intense nature of the A level. He could do a third year but pay for college?

Banana770 · 17/08/2019 19:36

I teach Biology and even without taking into account the practicalities of the required practicals, you couldn’t cover all the content of AS and A2 in a year on top of studying those other A-levels. I think he needs to have a chat with his head of sixth form about the best way forward! I think his most realistic approach to get on a Zoology course at this point would be to apply for a course that includes a foundation year that will cover the content. He could always try to apply to QM while on the foundation year and see if they’d accept him after the foundation year if he performed well and had good A-level grades in the bag at this point? Could potentially be worth a try? No idea how strict they are though!

helpmum2003 · 17/08/2019 19:43

You can do A levels for free until the summer you're 19 so why not ask school if he could do A level biology y13 and 14? He could work in y14......

From personal experience I would be wary of starting zoology without A level biology.

TemporaryPermanent · 17/08/2019 19:47

I did Human Biology with the National Extension College in a year while working part time and with a 2 year old (very supportive partner). TBF i think he could do it. He needs to be focused. At a crucial moment i had 3 face to face tutor sessions which were helpful.

Frith2013 · 17/08/2019 19:53

My dad did A level Zoology. That doesn’t exist now, sadly.

Branleuse · 17/08/2019 19:57

Try one of the online schools

msmith501 · 17/08/2019 19:58

I have a degree in zoology. I could not have done it without Biology. A big chunk of the course includes cellular histology, anatomy, biochemistry, genetics, evolution, animal behaviour, environmental and behaviour modelling... all things touched on during A level biology. I'm not suggesting that he couldn't get by with a lot of extra work but he'd struggle a lot less with A levels in chemistry and biology in my opinion. I went to the University of Liverpool in 84 - 87 and I still think it's one of the best courses in the UK for Zoology.

Moonflower12 · 17/08/2019 20:45

I did my biology Alevel at the local FE college one evening a week in my gap year. I got a C which probably would have been a lot higher if I'd done some work more work.

Original poster
Biologyquestion · 17/08/2019 21:05

Thanks a lot for all the info - I have been passing it all on to ds and we really appreciate it Smile.

OP posts: