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Secondary education

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Original poster

DD - difficult A'level choice - please help

94 replies

Candog · 09/01/2018 10:11

She wants to do music, history and French.
Has chosen these because she likes them.

I worry that this doesn't look great from a degree/employment perspective. She is interested in politics. I'd like her to leave open the option of economics (prob with politics), for which I am reliably told that she should take maths A'level, which the school says she is capable of. I gather that an economics degree makes you quite employable.
Maybe drop the French? Music is important to her.
School won't let her do French, history or maths to AS level only. She could do music at AS level I think, but insists on doing the full A level.
Any suggestions helpful - worried she will make herself close to unemployable if she ends up doing a music or history or straight politics degree. I suspect that taking 4 full A'level would lead to poor grades. She's not an "excessive worker".

OP posts:
Battleax · 09/01/2018 11:58

Grin @ Titchy

Original poster
Candog · 09/01/2018 11:58

She is very relaxed and "everything will be totally fine, a great job will land on my lap, I'll get into Cambridge" in nature - no worries about her over-stressing.

OP posts:
PETRONELLAS · 09/01/2018 11:58

These are fine. Employers want good grades and many look beyond the subjects at life experiences. History and French definitely seen as solid subjects esp for law. Music is respected too. Maths at a C grade won’t be seen as positive as an A in Music.

TeenTimesTwo · 09/01/2018 12:00

What kick-started DD's Spanish AS was doing a 3 week residential language camp in Spain after GCSEs. Perhaps you could look into something similar for French if she goes ahead. (££ though).

Dozer · 09/01/2018 12:01

Her choices sound fine, of the three music is least useful unless she wishes to pursue it but of course learning is about much more than that.

Economics is hard IMO and very marmite, big risk taking it with no prior interest or experience with it. Many people who like and are good at maths dislike economics!

Battleax · 09/01/2018 12:01

But I am concerned that if she doesn't feel she is a natural in maths, that might mean she doesn't end up with a high grade

Nevermind the grades, (my older two have both just done it one after the other), the workload is brutal. They got good grades but I was quite worried about the health of one of them near the end, just through late nights, and that was a keen student.

When posters are saying "hard", they really do mean extremely hard. If she's not brilliant at Maths and champing at the bit to do it, it's not worth even considering.

Please listen.

Original poster
Candog · 09/01/2018 12:02

OK. Thanks. I will stop worrying.

OP posts:
MyBrilliantDisguise · 09/01/2018 12:02

It's always frustrating dealing with teenagers making decisions like this. It's inevitable that someone older will think (know!) they know what would be better. All you can do is advise and then step back. If she doesn't spend enough time on French, she won't get a good grade. All you can do is tell her that. There are tons of French resources online now - there's really no excuse for her not doing enough. It's the same with music - if she thinks she's just going to stick to the syllabus, she won't get a great grade.

I'm so glad this time has passed for my children!

Original poster
Candog · 09/01/2018 12:05

But is it right that A level French is now very hard too?

OP posts:
GU24Mum · 09/01/2018 12:06

I did two of those subjects and managed to get a pretty respectable professional qualification and job so it will hardly make her unemployable or unable to afford to live!

FWIW, my father tried very hard to push me into Economics and I resisted because it was his choice not mine! Presumably the school/Sixth Form will have a parents' evening when you and your DD can talk about the options and what the subjects entail?

pepperpot99 · 09/01/2018 12:10

All A levels are 'hard' which is why is it absolutely vital that students take subjects they like and feel comfortable with. Pushy parents who coerce their dc in to taking STEM have got a lot to answer for IMO.

History and French are excellent subjects which are highly regarded by all RGUs. So what's the issue OP? let her do the ones she wants to do. If you force her to do maths you - and she, more to the point - will regret it.

Ndotto · 09/01/2018 12:11

My son chose Maths, Economics and Politics, thinking Politics would be quite an easy option. It isn't. And he likes Maths and found it easy at GCSE but admits it is hard at A Level - luckily he has a good teacher. A Levels are such a huge step up from GCSEs that if you don't really like the subject you will find it really hard to apply yourself to the degree that you need to get a good grade. And Economics degrees (or at least the ones DS applied for at Russell Universities) have a very high entry requirement with an A in maths being standard and either another A* and A or an A and a B if contextual. I think Music, History and French is a very well rounded set of choices and if she enjoys them she will study harder and do better. There are so many courses at Universities that I am sure she will find the right one when the time comes. Best of luck to her.

DodoPatrol · 09/01/2018 12:12

Are many sixth forms still doing four A-levels, or three plus an AS? Ours seems very resistant to the idea for DS2 (despite it being completely standard three years back, when DS1 was choosing).

I'm told that the change to linear A-levels plus changes to the funding model mean that 'most' schools are now only offering three. Would be good to know to what extent this is bollocks before going to the 6th-form interviews shortly...

DodoPatrol · 09/01/2018 12:14

(I should say that DS2 is no dimmer than DS1, so I don't think it's personal judgement of the student that's the issue here.)

devondream · 09/01/2018 12:18

I took French history and English.
I now work overeseas for an international organization and earn around GBP 200.000 per year.

Please don't worry about her chances of employment and let her choose what she wants to study.

BeyondThePage · 09/01/2018 12:22

From this year most seem to be offering 3.

DD15 is applying for 3 local 6th forms - only 1 - a grammar school - is offering 4 (with no option for AS) and most of the children are expected to drop one of the 4 during the first year.

Intercom · 09/01/2018 12:22

There are some interesting combined degrees out there.

Music with Political Studies BA at Royal Holloway

Liberal Arts BA Hons at King's College London - you choose modules from 14 subject options which include French, History, Music, Politics and others

Or any combination of two from the above four subjects will have many universities offering courses. There is so much choice these days compared to what I remember! The combination she's thinking of is a strong set of subjects.

I do understand your concerns and see no problem with giving your DD ideas to think about. I certainly didn't realise all the choices which were available at that age.

catwoozle · 09/01/2018 12:24

DD1's school does IB. DD1 is already indicating (in Y8) that she would prefer to focus on three subjects and so go elsewhere to do A Levels in y12. I'm asking her to keep her mind open to all possibilities at the moment but she has a definite leaning to Drama. I'd be really happy for her to pursue this though she is capable of doing well in more traditional academic subjects.

Intercom · 09/01/2018 12:24

(Obviously university applications aren't for a while, but I'm trying to show that the subjects work well together and there are future opportunities with them).

TheDrsDocMartens · 09/01/2018 12:27

Dodo only three here since the change over. Exception is made for further maths or creative writing on top of Maths/English

DodoPatrol · 09/01/2018 12:34

Thanks - looks like it is indeed fairly normal then. Shame, as I have a very undecided child who would like to do any or all of his current GCSE options barring maths (which then tends to rule out physics, chemistry, engineering and probably biology too).

Iprefercoffeetotea · 09/01/2018 12:54

after A'level it would still be pretty basic

this is not true. I had a very good level of German after A level, in fact I was better at German at that point than I was 2 years into my joint degree, it was the 3rd year in Germany that made the difference. A language A level is more useful than Maths in my view.

Please listen to the people on here. Firstly she should make her own mind up what she wants to do. And secondly high A level grades are more important than the subjects you do unless you want to do medicine and need sciences. That is not the case here. Please let her do the subjects she loves and will do well in. I agree with you that 3 A levels is enough. Nobody needs 4.

Original poster
Candog · 09/01/2018 12:55

Thanks Intercom. Music and politics def worth a look. Maybe she should just take 3 subjects.

OP posts:
KittiesInsane · 09/01/2018 13:09

I'd amend that, actually, to 'nobody needs 4 unless it's Further Maths and you want to do engineering/physics'.

I spent years playing catch-up because I didn't have further maths at A-level (had maths, physics and chemistry, all of which were vv useful).

Randomlywondering · 09/01/2018 13:14

A Level maths is so abstract that I doubtful it's really useful.for any degree other than maths.