Biology or Chemistry A level: Any advice, tips, help to decide?

[Toomanyminifigs]

My DS is just about to start 6th Form. He has ASD (with an EHCP) and finds making decisions difficult and probably needs a bit more support than a NT 16-year-old.

I posted about an issue with another of his A level choices and got such incredibly helpful and experienced replies I thought I'd bother people again!

DS is struggling to choose between taking Biology or Chemistry at A level. He did triple at GCSE and got high 8s in both. He tells me he loves them both equally. I've talked to his teachers and they said they'd like him to take both. This isn't an option (for now) as he's dead set on his other 2.

I've heard that it's very difficult to get top grades in Biology at A level as the mark scheme is so prescriptive. However, I'm worried about the maths in Chemistry as maths really isn't his thing.

Does anyone have any insights that could help us? I guess if he does make the 'wrong' decision for him, he could always re-start and do an extra year.

His other A levels are History and Geography and he's thinking maybe archeology at uni.

Everyone has been so helpful and generous with their time. I'm humbled how strangers are prepared to try and help me and my DS.

I believe students can swap before the October halfterm so there's a little time for him to change if whatever subject he chooses isn't what he thought it was.

As an aside, his school does allow students to take sciences with a 6 so I'm hopeful that with 8s, he has a fighting chance with whatever one he picks.

It was a long time ago but I attempted both and found Chemistry a lot easier for my ASD brain to get my head around. Biology had a lot of very specific terminology that was like learning another language ( definitely not my strength!). I ended up giving up Biology ( my school encouraged starting with 4 A levels). Saying that my other A levels were Maths and Physics and those overlap with Chemistry quite well ( less so with Biology which others have said requires more essay style answers).

I don’t have anything to add about biology vs chemistry that others haven’t posted, but I think biology is the better fit. I mainly wanted to post to say congratulations to you and DS after reading his GCSE results. We have interacted before about SEN matters and such results make all your hard work and all the stress worthwhile.

Thank you! You have been so helpful and supportive on many occasions when I've posted on the SEN boards.

I may be hijacking my own thread but I get emotional about how far my DS has come. He couldn't read until he was 9 and we weren't even sure if he would be able to attend a mainstream school.

He still can't tie his shoelaces or cross the road though but everything in time!

I’m not surprised you are emotional. It has been a long old journey which hasn’t been easy. DS’s achievements are amazing.

https://analytics.ofqual.gov.uk/apps/Alevel/SubjectCombinations/
Just posted on another thread in case it is if interest Biology is more commonly combined with History and Geography than Chemistry (210 vs 35).

The shoelaces make me wonder, is he ok with practicals? Or is there ‘reasonable adjustment’ for his SEN so he doesn’t have to do anything he’d find too fiddly or dangerous? Presumably the teachers who want him to do their subject know what, if any, limitations he might have already?

I think biology is the more obvious combo. Dd just finished a levels in chemistry, biology and ancient history. She’s going to uni to study biological sciences with a year 2 module on dinosaurs being the main draw to that specific uni. She did chemistry because she knew she’d need it for biology degree but she found it hard. But that’s her.

i think it’s one of those things where there is no wrong choice and your ds needs to just go with his gut.

Well done to your DD and I hope she enjoys her course.

Just wanted to say that you don't need chemistry specifically for a bio degree. DS did bio sciences and no chem A level. He had maths but psych, physics or yes, geography would all have been acceptable as a second science.

@Toomanyminifigs also a big well done to your DS, he has clearly come so far. I hope he is able to make a choice he is happy with. Has the summer bridging work not given a steer?

It’s relevant/helpful for her areas of interest so are felt it was necessary.

Ah OK @TeenLifeMum fair enough. If she needed it or felt it would make things easier then happy days.

Argh! Thank you so much. I hadn't even thought about the practicals (you tell I'm not a scientist!). That's such a good point. I will definitely need to raise this with his new teachers.
From what he's told me at least, there wasn't a great deal of practicals done in GCSE science but I'm assuming that steps up massively at A level. He is definitely going to need some level of support.
He does have an EHCP which references his dreadful fine motor skills - he can't really write (he typed his exams).
I will need to check how the practicals are marked and what percentage they count for in exams.
Thank you again.

My DC is not a mathematician by any means and got an A in chemistry.

At A level there is the practical endorsement. It isn’t part of the A*-E grade, but whether they have passed the practical endorsement or not is reported separately. A practical assistant isn’t allowed but an exemption can be requested if a candidate cannot demonstrate competence in one or more of the required practical skills, use of apparatus and techniques because of their disability.

Knowledge of practical skills is also tested in the papers but DS not being able to do the practicals himself won’t prevent him getting those marks.

Unless he is going onto do science at uni (which doesn’t seem likely) then don9t worry about the practical endorsement. The vast majority of uni courses don’t require it and no one outside of uni even knows it exists.

As a previous poster says the practical endorsement is reported separately so I wouldn’t worry or let him stress about it.

Oh gosh I've got some absolutely terrible practical skills in one of my groups but we are working on them together! As others have said it's not a deal-breaker at all- he needs to know the practicals as part of the written exams but he will pick up everything he needs for that by being in the sessions (and ideally having a go so that he can aim to get ticked off for the endorsement). I seem to remember AQA have a thing where if you grade at an E and don't have the endorsement you don't pass? I'll check that though- the odd one we've not been able to endorse have graded higher than that so it's never been an issue.

@PensionPuzzle I don’t think it’s the case that someone who gets a grade E and not classified for the practical endorsement doesn’t pass now.

Thank you for that. DS's school does OCR for all sciences at A level. They do AQA at GCSE so I wonder why they switch? This is just me thinking aloud!

His school is pretty good with reasonable adjustments. Maybe he could do the practical elements without the other students if he gets flustered? He does struggle with remembering long sequences of instructions and his fine motor skills are really poor - he even struggles with drinking out of an open cup so I visions now of him pouring chemicals all over himself!

It's so helpful to know that this is something I need to address, which ever science A level he decides on.

@inthequietofdawn is absolutely right, you can get any grade with or without the practical endorsement. I've just checked the document I thought I read that in and I'm totally wrong 🙂 I'll edit my post to remove the incorrect info but didn't want to just do it on the quiet!

Oh I can't edit it, never mind.

I wouldn't read too much into the exam boards changing either, we debate every year if we're happy with the exam board we use for physics and the answers is usually just about positive enough to stick with them! I've changed board for a different course in recent years because I preferred the style of assessment but if I left there is a good chance somebody might prefer the older one and swap it back.

Thanks as ever for sharing your expertise. It's a relief to know there are systems in place to take account of a young person's additional needs and that it shouldn't hold him back in his studies and ambitions.