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

[MeJuly]

If you look at the entry requirements for the top universities, the very top don't ask for four As but have interviews and tests to differentiate the top students. Below that none of them ask for four As and apart from Maths/FM none ask for four A-levels at all as far I know. AIBU to think that working so hard to get four A*s at A-level is actually a bad thing? It doesn't get you anything and is a huge amount of work at a sensitive time in your life.

(I think there might be one degree at Imperial that once asked someone for four A*s. That is really an exception though.)

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.