Page 3 | Dropping 4th A level to maximise grades for uni

MiniMidiMaxi · 2025-09-10T08:05:07+00:00

DS is starting y13, currently doing Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics. He seems to be finally settling on Engineering as the subject he wants to study at uni (he knew he wanted to do some kind of applied maths, just struggled to work out what specifically). He’s predicted three A stars and an A in Economics. School are suggesting he consider dropping Economics - because he only needs three A levels for uni offers, and to maximise the chances of getting A stars, and because he has quite a lot of extra curricular stuff going on this year. Any downsides to doing so? I can see why they are suggesting it, but I find it a bit frustrating that the ‘system’ seems to prefer maximising marks to get A stars over the learning to be gained from the extra subject.

Original poster

MiniMidiMaxi · 21/05/2026 08:14

@GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor - you’ll see from the date of my original post that DS made his decision just before starting his UCAS application, so no need to declare it. He would have had to notify UCAS he was dropping a subject any time after he submitted his application - because that means uni’s would considering / making an offer on the application with out of date information.

For completeness of the story if you’re interested, DS did drop Economics, and got 5 offers including Bath and Warwick. He also has been offered a very competitive degree apprenticeship - those extracurriculars turned out to be very helpful for that! So in terms of offers it’s worked out well for him. Just the exams to finish now!

OP posts:

metellaestinatrio · 21/05/2026 09:11

Great that it all worked out @MiniMidiMaxi and well done to your DS!

bettyjane · 21/05/2026 09:52

Another anecdote re FM, my daughter received offers to study maths this year from 4 out of the 5 Universities she applied to, including Imperial with 3 A-levels, one of which is further maths. She does have a VERY high offer to meet though.

GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor · 21/05/2026 11:08

metellaestinatrio · 21/05/2026 07:34

Just out of interest, as I too am an oldie in whose day Further Maths was considered effectively half an A Level (and while my selective school was wary of anyone but the brightest students taking four A Levels normally, they were fine with Maths, FM plus two others) - why has that changed? Is it because the FM A Level syllabus has now expanded / got more difficult? Or to avoid penalising those who have only taken three including FM? To me as a non-mathematician, it seems easier to do well in another subject that is in effect an extension of one you’re already studying than to do well in two different but related subjects (e.g. French and Spanish).

Are you joking?

FM or perhaps the S level in a previous era is and has always been exceptionally hard. It’s very difficult for most people to think in the abstract. It’s completely different from the A level which, as in most subjects, is a harder and extended version of GCSE.

Some will take English, French and Italian and yes there is significant overlap there. Ditto History, English and Politics. These all use overlapping skills.

FM opens up a different part of the brain and many, even with an A star at A level, can’t do that.

Having said that, if you are a genius who ‘gets it’ yes, you are going to spend less time on it than learning screeds for eg History. But most pupils will spend a very long time getting to grips with it. Bear in mind also that these are all pupils who were deemed exceptional at Maths A level as otherwise they wouldn’t have been allowed to take FM.

In short it’s very hard and those who do it are to be commended.

metellaestinatrio · 21/05/2026 11:26

I’m not saying FM is not hard - as someone who never moved beyond GCSE maths I have nothing but admiration for those who take it.

However, my experience (and that of other posters on this thread) is that FM used to be considered an “extra” A Level and those taking it would still be expected to do three other subjects - similarly, I took two S Levels but was still expected to do the standard three A Levels plus General Studies. A couple of posters have said this has changed recently - as shown by the OP’s DS who has a run of excellent offers having dropped another subject leaving him with three A Levels including FM, which did not seem to happen 20 years ago. I am just trying to find out why the change happened. There is no need to be rude or defensive.

mathsapp · 21/05/2026 11:37

My DS started doing Maths, FM, Physics and Computer Science. He dropped CS after the first year and once the school was happy that his maths predictions were strong enough for him not to need CS as a fallback.

He applied for Maths and got offers from Oxford and Imperial among others. He doesn’t have a clean sweep of 9s at GCSE either.

So OP there’s no worry about “only” doing three A levels, even for the best universities.

mathsapp · 21/05/2026 11:40

Oh sorry! I didn’t see the update. Glad it’s all worked out so well OP.

GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor · 21/05/2026 11:56

metellaestinatrio · 21/05/2026 11:26

I’m not saying FM is not hard - as someone who never moved beyond GCSE maths I have nothing but admiration for those who take it.

However, my experience (and that of other posters on this thread) is that FM used to be considered an “extra” A Level and those taking it would still be expected to do three other subjects - similarly, I took two S Levels but was still expected to do the standard three A Levels plus General Studies. A couple of posters have said this has changed recently - as shown by the OP’s DS who has a run of excellent offers having dropped another subject leaving him with three A Levels including FM, which did not seem to happen 20 years ago. I am just trying to find out why the change happened. There is no need to be rude or defensive.

Happy to have clarified it (- I was just rather surprised by the belief behind the qu.).

GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor · 21/05/2026 11:59

MiniMidiMaxi · 21/05/2026 08:14

@GlobalTravellerbutespeciallyBognor - you’ll see from the date of my original post that DS made his decision just before starting his UCAS application, so no need to declare it. He would have had to notify UCAS he was dropping a subject any time after he submitted his application - because that means uni’s would considering / making an offer on the application with out of date information.

For completeness of the story if you’re interested, DS did drop Economics, and got 5 offers including Bath and Warwick. He also has been offered a very competitive degree apprenticeship - those extracurriculars turned out to be very helpful for that! So in terms of offers it’s worked out well for him. Just the exams to finish now!

Thanks for the update. (There is another thread running about Cambridge Maths and I assumed that was also about your son as the facts were so similar.) Well done to your son. It’s a stressful time and I’m glad it worked out for him.

SpanThatWorld · Yesterday 17:46

poetryandwine · 10/09/2025 11:09

HI, OP -

I am a former STEM admissions tutor. My School is high tariff, in the tier just below COWI.

I completely agree with the School’s advice. Admissions tutors want to see what you can do at your best, and three A stars trump two A stars and two As. Imperial may be something of an exception in that they may make both offers to an applicant take four A levels.

There was indeed a time when some degree programmes counted DS’ remaining subjects as something like 2.5 A levels. A few degree programmes at LSE were explicit about this. But those days are gone.

Some Cambridge colleges may want four A levels in some subjects if the large majority of pupils at the school take four but I know, from RL and this Board, of a number of Cambridge STEM students with the three exam combination you list.

I take @tringalung ’s point about appreciating well rounded students; most of us do. But Economics is DS’ weakest subject so I am not sure it really applies to him.

Although very few will make a three A star offer, a number now do tiered offers. Having top PGs may gain a applicant early offers, which does make life easier.

My son applied to Cambridge for Engineering with Maths, FM, Physics and DT. He was given an offer of A stars, A star, A which specified that the A* needed to be in Maths and Physics.

He attended our local Comprehensive so most people did 3 A levels and it was clear that Cambridge didn't really mind what he did with his 4th.