A levels, is 4 too many?

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My child is going into year 11 but is starting to think about A-Levels.

He has mock results of 7,8,9 accross the board so is an intelligent and capable lad.

He wants to do a levels in geography, history, maths and biology.

Is 4 too many, especially with the heavy subjects he wants to do or should he be capable with those mock grades?

I think 4 of those type of subjects is too much. A levels are a BIG step up from GCSEs and doing those 4 would be a huge amount of work. I did 4 but one was a joke subject that we were forced to do and the 3 I chose were more than enough. I had no time for extra study for that extra one.
Stick to 3 and do them well.

DS did four but the school arranged for him to do Maths in year 12 and further maths in year 13 so effectively he was only ever doing 3 at a time.

Unless it's maths and further maths there's no need for 4 and could compromise their final results if they have to work on 4 subjects instead of 3.

My niece is doing 4 and was encouraged to do so by teachers but she achieved ten 9 grades and one 8 grade. Psychology, physics, maths and French. I think 4 is tough going so they need to not only be extremely capable but be a self starter.

He doesn’t need to do four. Universities only offer on three and it’s better to have three high grades that four medium. Four might also limit his ability to take up additional opportunities as they come up.

There are only three reasons to do four a levels

1. when they include maths and further maths
2. when a student is torn between two uni degrees or careers and isn’t ready to close options off
3. when a student is truly exceptional and needs the challenge

this sounds a bit harsh but I’m coming off a results day where I had to reject quite a lot of students on the basis of four slightly lower grades instead of three higher, so might be slightly touchy about this!

It’s not that it’s too much, it’s just not needed. It basically means no study periods during the day and for what?

Mostly because he loves those subjects. I'll have him speak to his form tutor when he's back for further advice

Four is too many (exception for maths and further maths).
Some schools still seem to be working on the same basis as when AS levels were a thing.

I get that I really do, but they aren’t hobbies, he wants to maximise the chance of being able to access his next step, as well as have a social life and maybe get some work experience. It’s always a risk that grades will drop if you take in too much.

DS did 4, Maths, F Maths, Chem & Bio.

He did great, got his 1st choice uni, BUT it was a lot of work with hardly any free time, and if you're throwing in the extra work of trying out for Oxbridge or BMAT exams etc that's even more.

And don't forget the actual exam schedule - 13 papers to take for that lot, this year I think he had 1 prior to half term and then the remaining 12 papers came thick and fast within the next 3 weeks.

In hindsight, I maybe going for 3 would be a better option.

Depends on the student, I did 5 A levels, several people I know got 7 A's in fairly rigorous subjects (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology and Music if I recall, was one combination)

Four is not needed usually. Concentrate on getting there excellent A levels rather than four very good ones. DS2 did Maths and Biology. Maths is a big step up and the Biology content is huge and quite different from GCSE.

Also check if he will have to do an EPQ. That's extra work.
He could always do an EPQ on a topic related to whichever subject he doesn't take.

I don't see the point in that. 5 or 7 A levels aren't going to get you any further in life.

I did 4 and did real well on all because I loved my subjects and I worked hard plus I have autism and I learn super quickly lol

What does he want to do at uni? The only reason I’d encourage 4 usually is if they’re torn between two uni courses with different entry requirements and didn’t want to close a particular door yet.

My niece’s school has most of them start on 4 for this reason with option to drop one at some point. A lot of work though.

This is one of the reasons I wish the IB was more widely offered. I know you have to choose your HL and SL subjects carefully but 16 is so young to narrow your choices down to 3 subjects.

At my dc’s school it seems that most start with 4 and drop one. Ds dropped physics at the end of y12 but took the AS so it wasn’t a waste. DD dropped one almost immediately when she got the bridging work!!

He wants to go into teaching. Unsure about whether he wants to do history, geography or maths as he loves all those subjects . Biology a level is because he loves that subject and does well in it

My ds is doing 4 (maths, physics, biology, design technology) and did an engineering cadet scheme in yr12. It is a lot of work and he doesn't get the time off at school that others get. But he thrives on pressure, and went into it with the knowledge that the DT (which he loves and finds very relaxing) would have to drop if he couldn't keep it up.

I did 4 but one was General Studies and if I remember correctly we only had a few lessons then winged the exam 😀. I wouldn't have done a 4th 'proper' subject that needed intense studying or revision.

I think he'll find 4 hard going. DS did 4, but only because his 4th was a subject he was already pretty much an expert in, so he didn't have to learn the content.

What I would also say is that maths is hard, unless you are an absolute natural. And biology also seems to be a huge step up, particularly if you are not taking chemistry.

Tbh, in his position, I'd drop biology.

Do 3 and do them very well. A levels are a huge step up from GCSEs. 7,8,9 in gcse are good but doesn’t mean he’ll find A levels easy. Universities prefer 3 A’s to 4 A/B. Do 3 and use free time to do something interesting and different to stand out from the crowd.

He's doing triple science at GCSE. And seems a natural at the maths. That's what he got a 9 at in mocks. Also got 100 % in his year 6 sats and always at least 98% in maths tests at school. That's why he wants to do maths

I think it’s too many when they are so different. It’s very common to do maths, further maths, physics and chemistry but there is a lot of overlap there, and I did 4 but 3 of them were languages so again a lot of overlap on the syllabus.

The vast majority of students do 3 because that is all universities require. A very small percentage do 4 and half of those do further maths on top of maths A level.

I know you are saying he does really well in maths now but those that achieve a 9 at GCSE just under half get an A star at A level but the other half don't, about 36% of them get an A. It is a step from GCSE to A level for all subjects. Some schools that offer 4 expect children to drop one at the end of year 12. I wouldn't stop him doing 4 but he needs to know he doesn't need 4. Better to ace out 3 than get a lower grade over 4.