Which A levels

[Bambooomoon]

Looking for advice a bit ahead of time for DD as I know A level impact her university choices and GCSEs her A levels so basically you need to decide your future in the UK when you are 14.

DD is more creative than STEM oriented, struggles a bit with maths and science. She has an eye for detail and good long term memory. Looking at her last year school report she did better in Art, Geography, History, Spanish. She has mentioned careers like fashion designer, interior designer. I see her doing something like creative digital design; but will see. Not sure what sort of jobs you can do with a fashion degree. You change your mind a lot at that age.

What A levels will people recommend? Are BTEC any good for University applications?

I can see the following options that may suit her:

A levels:

Geography
Photography
Spanish (her second language) but needs improvement
DT textiles
Art: Not sure if the amount of work is too much?

BTEC:

Business
ICT : Digital Games productions
Creative Digital Media

Other option is going yo the Brit School which is more creative oriented.

Thanks in advance

I think the reality at the age of 14 is that she should take what she enjoys and what she’s good at!
Unless she’s fixed in a specific career most university courses are fairly open with subject requirements. You can study economics without ever having studied it before for example ( you may need maths for some unis but not all).

I wouldn’t worry too much about GCSEs - the main thing is she picks what she enjoys and is good at, and then develops good study habits. The only thing I would say is if she might go Art at A Level she should do it at GCSE to get an idea of the workload.
A Levels can be chosen in y11 when she’s got more of an idea and has more exposure to different careers. All of those are totally fine

14 is far too young to be thinking about A level subjects - has she even started her GCSEs yet? A lot changes in 2 years!

You are right for looking ahead but no you absolutely do not have to have your life mapped out at 14. Looking at Ds's sixth form I can't find a subject that says you have to have studied this at GCSE, Art and Design says "desirable" but not compulsory; History and Geography state if you have taken it for GCSE then you must have achieved a grade 4. The best advice for GCSE is to take subjects they enjoy and hopefully that ties in with subjects they are good at and get good grades in. The aim is for your child to get some enjoyment from their studies, find the subject interesting and aim for the highest grades that they can.

Then they can look at A level choices in the summer of year 10 with an understanding that they will narrow down to usually 3 subjects possibly 4 and so they will be spending more focused time on those, rather than the 9 or 10 subjects they do for GCSE. You can look ahead now at university courses for fashion/interior design to see what fields they can go into from there.

Re the struggles with maths and science I would focus on that for the rest of this year to see why that is. It is understanding concepts? FInd out from her teachers and work to improve that. She may just not have hit her stride yet, she may do well in maths beyond your wildest expectations. My own child who was average had an incredible teacher in yr 9, gave him confidence and later he achieved a 9 at GCSE.

The advantage of Art and Photography is the vast majority of the work is course work, and in Photography the exam was early so for my eldest this meant masses of time to revise the other subjects before the exam, resulting in excellent grades.
I think she's a bit young to be considering which A levels to do - some will hinge on GCSE results and also what interests she has later on. The school should give them some insight into the amount of work required for art and photography - FWIW eldest was advised NOT to do both as she had no clear idea what she wanted to do and wasn't destined necessarily for a career in the arts and it was felt the amount of coursework would be very high perhaps to the detriment of other subjects as she had a sporty hobby that took time too.

If she is struggling with maths/physics would it be worth considering a tutor, even if only over the summer holidays - or one of the summer schools, to consolidate her knowledge, ensure she knows the basics and to give a firm footing for the best grades with less worry about struggling?

“You need to decide your future in the UK when you are 14” – I would dispute that. Yes, if you want to do a degree in French then it’s a good idea to take French GCSE – but after all, a lot of schools insist on more able students taking a language at GCSE. Other than that, unless we are talking about art or PE (which surely at 14, you would know was your passion) then the compulsories have it pretty much covered.

A levels you need the GCSE for but it will be on your compulsories anyway: maths, eng lit, eng lang, biology, chemistry, physics

A levels you can certs take without the GCSE: psychology, sociology, history, RE, politics, media, business, economics, philosophy, classical civ, photography

A levels you can maybe take without the GCSE: drama? geography I’m told

A levels you probably do need GCSE for and may not have chosen it: MFL, art, PE, DT. So if any of those are likely to be an A level choice, I suggest taking the GCSE. Tho even with art, a good portfolio may be enough; and PE with decent science grades and a good sporting pedigree?

So basically I agree with others, if she is currently choosing GCSEs (tbh it’s not totally clear from your OP) then she should pick what she enjoys. So take Spanish GCSE if she likes it and geography ditto, then art if that’s a likely future career, and based on my list above it’s harder to pick up for A level (tho probably not impossible if you have a good portfolio tbh).

Thank you all, very helpful. She has a maths tutor, may get a science one and focus on that for the moment.

It is a big step up from GCSE to A level for foreign languages. Just worth bearing in mind, but if some of her other subjects are more creative/coursework based, that might free her up for more headspace during exam time, and indeed she could have Spanish audio playing whilst she's sewing/drawing or whatever.

However, A Level choices are some way off - as long as she picks subjects she enjoys and is good at, and includes anything she necessarily needs, she'll be fine. The people who usually come unstuck are those who pick the wrong A levels when the end up wanting to do something science-based (physiotherapy without biology is a classic).

Just to clarify a post above - at many schools, you don't have to have done separate sciences in order to do an A level science. The science department at my DD's school recommend anyone considering inidividual science A levels to do individual science GCSEs but its not compulsory, they just say you will have to work harder to start with if you do trilogy sciene (dual award).

OP I would do the subjects that your DC enjoys and therefore does well in. With only 3 subjects at A level, studying a subject you don't enjoy is hard. The grades are the most important thing (obviously save for a few specific degree course subjects),

If she is interested in things like fashion designer or interior designer, then university may not be the best route.

I agree with others- it's highly unlikely that GCSE choices will seriously impact any A Level/ Level 3 BTEC choices (subject to if you want to study a subject at A Level, you often have to study it at GCSE). She should pick a broad selection of subjects that she enjoys. I'd be very wary of mapping out a whole future plan based on a vague idea at 14. Leave choosing options for sixth form to when she actually gets there.

It is a big step up from GCSE to A level for foreign languages.

I'd agree with that. DD is doing Spanish, English and Psychology and says that whilst English and Psychology are a big step up from GCSE, Spanish is a massive step up.

@Bambooomoon Have a look at The London College of Fashion for a large variety of Fashion related degrees. DD has a degree from there in a fashion related subject but it’s very hard to get decent work. There are also a few Fashion degrees at Central St Martin’s I think. Both are UAL. There’s obviously more elsewhere but LCF is a good place to start.

She has now done a Diploma in Interior design. That’s been much better and she’s enjoying her work. She’s very switched on regarding using the relevant computer programs and is a quick worker. There are universities offering Interior design degrees. DD should be aware that they are a lot more technical than curtains and cushions! It’s more about use of internal space and working with contractors to ensure the end product is what the client wants. Some private courses give you a good overview of what to expect so take a look at KLC School of Design at Chelsea Harbour and Inchbald School of Design.

DD did Art and Photography A levels but her school had a Fashion designer in residence and the girls did a fashion show with clothes they designed every year. So her art was fashion oriented somewhat. She did standard GCSEs but they included art and drama in addition to English x2, maths, RE, double science, a MFL and History. Third A level was business studies. For many fashion degrees they will want a portfolio.

It’s early to be thinking about a career but at least look at some courses that coincide with her interests. As she matures and goes through GCSEs, you can see which is the best way to go. There’s a lot of choice in fashion. Interior design is more straightforward.