Would you let your child choose “easier” A-levels to get better grades?

[ainawatson]

My child is about to start sixth form and we're having a bit of a disagreement about subject choices.
They're considering subjects they genuinely enjoy and feel confident they can get good grades in, but I'm wondering whether they should choose more traditionally academic or “useful” subjects instead to keep more university and career options open.
Would you prioritise enjoyment and the chance of higher grades, or choose subjects based more on future career prospects?
Interested to hear what other parents and students would do!

"Easier" is of course a very subjective thing and depends on the pupil's particular skillset and interests. Plus some subjects are perceived as easy by people who have little or no knowledge of what they actually involve. (My particular bugbear is people who denegrate A level PE without having the faintest idea what the syllabus covers!) In reality I don't think any A levels are actually easy but some pupils will obviously find some subjects less demanding than others, either because of the actual content or because the assessment methods suit them better, or a bit of both.
As a general rule I think it makes sense to play to the individual's strengths and aim for the highest grades possible, unless they have particular next steps in mind which requires a specific subject. My DS knew he had to do maths in order to study the subject he wanted at University for instance. He wasn't bad at Maths but it was neither his best nor favourite subject and he found A level pretty tough but got what he needed for the next steps. There are subjects he would almost certainly have got a higher grade in and would definitely have enjoyed more but they wouldn't have helped him reach his goal so he had to get his head down and tackle the Maths.
On the whole, I think people tend to do better with subjects they enjoy, and for many, higher grades are going to be more important than specific subjects. But you do need to look ahead a bit and think about whether a particular subject combination is likely to help or hinder longer term ambitions.

My DS chose two subjects he really wanted (got good results) and one he thought would do him well in the future rather than an easier subject he knew he’d do well in. He struggled all the way through and hated the subject by the end of it. Although he passed it - it was a much lower grade than he’d hoped for. My advice, your DS should do subjects he enjoys.

I'd be interested to know what you think/perceive 'easier' A levels to be? (genuinely interested, not wanting to start anything controversial). In the bad old days, we were very restricted in what sort of A levels we could do - I ended up with Maths, English Lit and Geography.

I think it'll depend on what you think your child might be keen to pursue in university in the future. If they want to do engineering, then really, they'll need Physics and Maths. If they want to do law, then potentially any combination would be fine including some science subjects (I think). This is just to point out that some career paths narrow quite quickly, whilst others are alot more open. Having said that, I know a doctor who went to medical school via a social science degree (completed that, worked and then thought they wanted to be a medic, so went back to the 'drawing board' as it were, and sat the UCAT and got into medical school. Obviously this took longer than the usual 5/6 years, but hey...

I'd be interested to know what you think/perceive 'easier' A levels to be? (genuinely interested, not wanting to start anything controversial). In the bad old days, we were very restricted in what sort of A levels we could do - I ended up with Maths, English Lit and Geography.

I think it'll depend on what you think your child might be keen to pursue in university in the future. If they want to do engineering, then really, they'll need Physics and Maths. If they want to do law, then potentially any combination would be fine including some science subjects (I think). This is just to point out that some career paths narrow quite quickly, whilst others are alot more open. Having said that, I know a doctor who went to medical school via a social science degree (completed that, worked and then thought they wanted to be a medic, so went back to the 'drawing board' as it were, and sat the UCAT and got into medical school. Obviously this took longer than the usual 5/6 years, but hey...

Their choice entirely. You should be a sounding board for them if they want to talk things through. But you should restrict yourself to helping them clarify their own thoughts.

Do they need to go to better uni or uni at all?
huge drop in uni attendance snd huge rise in apprenticeships work experience

not your choice

the subject they enjoy will lead to career they enjoy

Let your child? What rubbish is this? My DC chose their own A levels, as it should be.

I wouldn't expect to 'let' my 16-year old do anything other than choose for themselves. If you didn't 'let' them choose the subjects they wanted, you would then be faced with persuading them to study them. Good luck with that!

I don't think there's a rule about the wisdom or otherwise of the binary choice of your question because there are so many variables. Here are two real examples.

A16-year old mad about textiles. Parents, one an internationally respected art historian, have doubts and worry about university entrance. 16-year old does A level textiles, works for a high-street fashion brand at the weekend and then at 18 does an apprenticeship with a mid-range high-street brand in pattern cutting. No degree. By the age of 28, she's working in the corporate office of a couture French fashion brand.

A 16-year old chooses music, French and English literature A levels, after much deliberation. 2 x A*s, 1 x A and an MFL place at Oxbridge. 2:1 degree followed by a further year of self-funded study in a new humanities subject discovered as an undergraduate. First job in a field related to the new subject.

No STEM eg. Sorry!

Anyhow, two young adults who chose for themselves, both happy, both earning.

Several points to challenge here.

1. Not much ownership by the young person eg 'we went', 'it worked for us'.
2. 'really all about UCAS points '. Not so, for two reasons. The preferred degree course of the young person may be low tariff. C.50% of young people go nowhere near a university.
3. 'If you want Russell Group'. If the DC is likely to achieve Cs or lower, based on GCSE grades, Russell Group is likely out of reach.

It's all relative surely? No A level is easy to start with. And xxx subject will come easier to one student and not another. DS2 would have floundered in Eng lit, while DD would have hated maths.

It's up to the student in the end. They need to love a subject the do for five hours of teaching and five hours of outside work a week. What are they choosing? What do you think they should choose? No point them picking bio and chem to keep medicine open if they want to teach history. Agree with PPs that their chosen subjects will most likely fit with their chosen career.

As others say, if there is a specific career they have in mind, they need to make sure their A level choices don't exclude it (most years there is a thread on MN along the lines of "my DC wants to be an engineer but didn;t chooe A level physics") so that is a valid point to make.

If they are not sure what they want to do and could easily take a level maths and physics (had high GCSE grades and appeared to like the subjects) but have chosen drama and Eng lit, you could I guess point out that they are closing the door on engineering; but be prepared for the response from them that they have no wish to go through that door.

@Ilovemyshed sociology and psychology are certainly not soft subjects. Sociology is a well respected essay/hums choice and psych (the second most popular A level) is a challenging maths-based science subject.

Just make sure their A level choices are aligned with their uni aspirations

I would let them choose what they like without reservation. Learning is never wasted. If they later realise they don't have the required subjects for what they want to study at university, they can do an access course or a foundation year in the field they want to get into. Doors are never fully closed, you just may have to side-step at some point.

I would let them choose

What is 'easy' depends on the child. DD2 calls FM her 'just for fun' subject 🙄.

Get them to check what subjects are essential for the degree they want to do and if they are not sure what keeps their options open, e.g. if they want to do a STEM subject they will need 2 science A levels but which ones will depend on the degree. Humanities are more flexible and only need one humanity A level. So DD1 did 2 sciences and 1 humanity and is about to start a medicine degree. Not every university will accept BTECs, DN did a BTEC in a relevant subject for his degree alongside his Highers but despite him getting a Dist star his University disregarded it.

My child was advised by the school to take a easier subject after choosing 3 stem subjects, they had the grades in gcse to be able to do them all but the school told them they would be better swapping 1 subject for an easier one to give their brain a rest. That’s why they ditched chemistry and took history instead. They thoroughly enjoyed history.

Well, it's their choice. I did the wrong A levels. By this I mean, I did traditional/ very academic subjects because I had a career in mind and I thought doing these very academic subjects was just what you had to do. I didn't allow myself to do the subjects I actually enjoyed. I missed my university offer by 5 points in one subject. In hindsight I COULD have done slightly different A levels and probably got on to my chosen course. And it would have been easier because I would have been more interested in the subject. But anyway I studied something else at university, then did a graduate course and now I have the exact career I always wanted. It worked out, I'm happy in my job. But I often think about returning to education once the kids are older. I'd love to study something that truly interests me. Do they know what they want to do after A levels? I'd encourage them to study what they're interested in.

Well first of all it’s them who has to study it, not you, so while of course guidance is commendable, it’s down to them not to me to “let” them.

secondly depends on how academic they are and what they need grade and subject wise for what they want to do after school.

It’s none of your business. My DC picked the easiest subjects they could think of, none of which they’d done at GCSE. They hated most of their GCSE subjects. They picked Media studies, photography, sociology. Did really well. Went to a top RG university. Got a first and then a distinction in a masters. Has a good job they enjoy.

My child was advised by school to do RE because she got a Grade 9 in it and they thought it would be easy for her to get a high grade at A Level. My child had no interest in RE and did not want to take it. School were quite forceful - I backed my child 100% to do what they wanted to do and not what the school wanted them to do. That was my job - to ensure my child had access to the subjects they wanted to pursue.
One of my friends planned to chose her son's A levels - I asked her what kind of message does that send to her son - that he's not capable of making decisions for himself? It's not a great thing to think you know better than your child, A levels are very dull and hard to work on if they are of no interest to you - I've seen the parent choosing go badly wrong too many times.

A few things here.
Firstly, generally higher grades are better. AAA in ‘easier’ subjects will get you further than CDD in ‘harder’ subjects.
Secondly, most universities are less fussy than people think about subjects and qualification types. If you want to check this, you can look at entry requirements easily.
Thirdly, not all STEM has strongest employment outcomes. Computer science has taken a hit for example I think.

One more! The % getting A star and A in maths and physics A levels is higher, if you are good at them.

They need high grades to get in to uni. They should definitely prioritise something they will do well in.

I'm always interested in why some subjects are perceived as easier (and therefore of less value). I teach English, in all its A Level forms. It's not easy, unless you are good at the skills. You have to have something extra to get the A and A*. Same as History and Philosophy and Ethics.

I found languages and physics easy. Dh finds language impossible. So does that make physics an easy subject?

I've let ds make his own A level choices- on the proviso he knows he's cutting off certain pathways at this point. He's also been told that he needs a clear idea of where uni is taking him. Which makes me a massive hypocrite, because I went to uni thinking I'd have 3 more years to think of an idea.

I think where parents can help is encouraging their child to think about likely/preferred pathways after A level and research subject requirements (if any). This can help clarify thinking, flush out potential issues and correct misconceptions (by the parent as well as the child).

I found guidance at school could be erroneously black and white or deterministic eg 'you really need to do History A level to be a lawyer'. There are examples of this upthread eg it is possible to study Business Economics BSc or Economics BA (ie with more of a policy than quantitative emphasis) at a wide range of Russell Group unis without taking Maths A level.

So identifying possible degree pathways, even if several, and then using the Complete Uni Guide subject league table to drill into courses at, say, the top 10 is time well spent.

Where someone is taking an A level not taken at GCSE, typically the likes of Psychology, Sociology or Politics, then it is sensible to encourage some research of the actual syllabus and exam format (all available online), so that expectations align to the reality eg Politics A level has a major focus on political process and constitutional frameworks and that is not necessarily everyone's cup of tea.

Make sure they're fully informed about what universities want. I taught a pupil one time who picked chemistry, French, and something like textiles, as they were her favourites. But most French degrees wanted an essay subject as well; most chemistry degrees wanted another science, and so she by default ended up in the creative path - which is fine, but wasn't a choice she realised she'd made age 16 ,and said later that she might not have done it had she really realised what she was choosing. (She was warned, but she took the advice of 'choose your favourites' very strongly, and wasn't keen on advice).

I also know a law tutor at Cambridge who said that they don't particularly want Law as an A-level (gives the wrong idea about what univeristy law will be like, apparently) and choosing Law and a couple of other unrelated A-levels is actually a worse combination for entry than a mix of a couple of good essay-related and/or logical thinking A-levels. But unfortunately those with less experience with university, particularly Oxbridge, and less good advice, were the ones more likely to choose those subjects because on the face of it, it sounds sensible. And those are often the groups they were trying to encourage to apply to Cambridge - people who didn't have a strong family background of university, those at schools without experience of sending many people, etc. So she was quite keen to do outreach about what A-levels were more or less useful. However, that was quite a few years ago, before the idea of 'facilitating subjects' became less of a thing, and other aspects of the A-level and University courses could well have changed in that time. I think Pyschology can suffer from the same problem - what university psychology departments often want is biology and/or maths and/or essay writing, and really aren't fussed if it's psychology (though I don't think that one is as actively un-wanted as Law, just not particularly needed).

So make sure she really has done research about the university options, even if it seems so far away to a 16-year old who may have no idea what she wants to do - just know what are good combinations or not could still be helpful.

Beyond that, yes, let her choose