The VI Form I am Head of runs three different sorts of courses:
AS/A2s - in subjects like English Lit, Maths, Biology, Psychology (ooo - ologies. But all academic and widely accepted at university level) and History.
Applied AS/A2s - in things like Business Studies and ICT - still an academic A Level, but syllabi includes an element of practicality rather than pure theory or academic study.
BTEC Level 3 courses in Vocational Subjects such as Health & Social Care, Travel & Tourism and Sport. These are more likely to be taken by students who are thinking about work/work-based training after 18, but are widely accepted by universities, for appropriate courses, when combined with other qualifications.
I teach BTEC Performing Arts, which is a vastly different syllabus to A Level Theatre Studies - the BTEC is structured around a number of practical projects, all of which have a vocational element (ie they somehow relate to working in the Performing Arts industry) and most are assessed through performance to an actual audience, rather than just performing for an examiner. There is no written exam, though the assessment is continuous. This suits some students, though it is not necessarily the "soft" option, as students have to be consistent throughout the two years of VI Form.
I am disappointed, though not in the least surprised, that the majority of replies to this thread are sneery. Not everyone has the ability nor the desire to take subjects from the revered Russell Group list.