Lang/Lit A-Level ??

[RockinHippy]

My yr 11 DD was keen to take this in year 12, but came home yesterday saying that she's changed her mind as she now knows that it's a "useless A-Level, as Universities see it as half an English A-Level, so rarely accept it to get in😐

When quizzed, she says a girl at school told her, whose dad runs the university new intakes admin so she knows how it works. So DD is now looking at just Literature instead just to give us more stress about her weird combinations choices

Is this rubbish

Sorry, that's English obviously, one of those days 🙄

erm..what exactly did your DD want to do as an A'level? English lang OR Eng lit?
To my knowledge you can't do English Language as an A'level, you can only do English Literature and that is a full A'level.

Load of rubbish!
At our uni English combined is an acceptable academic subject for all courses.

I did the lit/lang A-level, albeit 20 odd years ago, and actually chose my sixth form because they offered it. No issues at all with getting into university.

What are the rest of her choices and rough predictions?

When I did mine (in the last ten years) there was a distinction between English language and English literature. We were advised that literature was seen as more “academic” than language by universities. What is your DD planning on reading at university?

Should add that the uni I work for is competitive and Russell Group.. so a pretty good indicator of whether good unis will accept or not. We wouldn't at all say lit is preferred over lang.

Oh so it seems it seems it if offered combined. I didn't know that.Not offered at my dc schools.

A teacher friend of mine says that they gear top stream (A-level) to Eng Lit, middles to Eng Lang, and the lowers to Media Studies. My DD did Media Studies (got a B) and a practical art subject, and one academic subject and is at a Russell Group university doing an academic subject.

We do the Eng lit A Level and the combined at my sixth form. Having taught both, I think the Lit is harder but prefer the combined for the wide ranging subject matter covered.

We have had 3 go to Oxford to do English with the combined course (for many years we only did the combined) so IMO go for what will reflect strengths and engage.

You can do language, literature or a lamg/lit combined.

The Russell group say literature is a facilitating subject and I queried why they seem to give literature more status than language. Someone from the RG explained yo me that the facilitating subjects tend to be the ones universities may specifically request, not that they are considered better a levels.

E.g. a literature based English degree will tend to ask for Literature at A Level as it gives a wider understanding of texts. A history degree will want to see a history a level over politics.
But if you're applying for joint honours sociology and politics or BA Linguistics then you'll get your offer and your a levels are your a levels.

Many English courses at top universities tend to be literature focused and if that's what she's considering then I'd take literature. If she enjoys language then tjere are lots of excellent linguistics courses at top universities and they will tend not to stipulate either way (largely because some colleges don't offer both English at a level).

Thanks everyone, sorry I wasn't clear in my OP

& that's all really very reassuring as she really wants to take the combined A-Level as she loves & usually excels in both subjects. She's just suddenly panicked at being told is not a worthwhile choice.

So, Yes it's the combined English Lang/Lit A-Level that she had originally chosen, but was warned off it in favour of Literature A-Level. She's chosen the college because they offer the combined one too.

Her 6th form college choices are a worry, but mostly because after years of knowing she wanted to study medicine or forensics, at very least something science based or similar. She's done a complete about turn & is dropping all sciences, even biology which she's always loved & has no clue what she wants to do at university or afterwards. Her anxiety over it all is off the scale right now so it's difficult to talk sensibly with her about it & she seems to be making rash decisions. Thankfully her chosen 6th form college are very open to switching A-Levels when they start next year.

Her current choices are based on what she enjoys & feels passionate about & seeing her enthusiasm & engagement with tutors & knowledge on the subjects at the open evening, they do look like the best fit A Levels for her.

She does well in class, is very determined, excels in subjects she's passionate about due to good teaching or just interested, but she has significant health problems & can struggle to stay focussed & not let her symptoms take over, iyswim. Predictions mostly 6/6+ across the board, with 7+ & even 9s possible in the subjects she's giving most attention to IF she can get to grips with her raging exam anxiety & isn't too ill on exam week.

English Language & Literature are both very strong subjects for her & have always been on her A-Level list, but she's suddenly switched away from maths & biology, which she was doing well in, to Photography & Psychology, which she wasn't doing well in, but now is. Were told that Photography might be another potential 9. Psychology is a bit of an unknown as she isn't enjoying the GSCE format, but lives the subject, were also feeling that this particular teacher perhaps isn't understanding her health issues & DD has said that she feels judged by him as lazy, which we felt from him too. He's been quite harsh about his expectations of her for GCSE, even though she's often getting full marks in tests, he focuses on the one bad one taken on a day she was really unwell etc. She is determined to do well though, but it spoils classes for her & leaves us unsure if the subject is best fit for her

At the Psychology open evening though, she lit up, we saw her talking to the head tutor for about half an hour, discussing what she knew & what they taught. The tutor commented to us afterwards to "please let her do Psychology, I need more kids like her on the course" DD is normally quiet in situations like that but really showed a different side & blossomed discussing psychology. Similar story with combined English. We were standing there thinking "who is this kid"😂 - relevant, she may be autistic too, currently on the path to diagnosis for that too.

No idea what Photography, Combined Eng Lang/Lit & Psychology can lead to afterwards though. I know she still likes the idea of being Dr, but not a medical doctor anymore but she also knows she has to do something creative

But English Lang/Lit

& now she's telling me she prefers English Literature & always did, fickle mare so wants to take that.

So it's now looking English Lit, Psychology & Photography & it'll probably be something else again nest week

I would look at suitable/possible degrees and work backwards. If she might want Psychology at university, Biology and Maths can help with the course although many universities won’t actually ask for them. Look at what is studied in a psychology degree and ask what is best prep for this. Probably not photography for the most competitive degrees.

My DD did an arts degree and did do Photography A Level. So whilst I fully understand the enjoyment of photography, you have to consider whether it’s useful for a degree or not. Sometimes picking your favourite subjects are not the best choices for a future degree.

If she wants psychology at university she will need at least one science A level. She will also need at least B for maths GCSE (is that a 6 nowadays?) a couple of places wanted an A.

My daughter is in her first year of a psychology degree. She did psychology A level plus Eng Lang/Lit and drama. Not a single facilitating subject, but she got offers from everywhere she applied (all Russell Group).

She made a definite choice to do Lang/Lit but by the end of the lower 6th she wished she had done Eng Lit instead. By then it was too late to change.

I did A Level English Lit and Lang (dropping 24 points out of 600). I read English at university, I got a First. I have a Masters in English.

Sure, Oxford turned me down...but not on the basis of my A Level title.

It’s not the ‘easier’ option over straight Lit.

DD’s friend got a Cambridge offer with English Language A level (not even Lang/Lit). The language aspects are quite relevant to psychology and sociology actually - her friends found a lot of English language/psychology crossover.

If she has a look at a few courses she might have in mind to see what their entry requirements are (as others have said, science is sometimes required for psychology). Most English lit degrees require an a level in English Lit OR English Lang/Lit - no discrimination between the two.