Thoughts on doing 5 A-level subjects

[dynamicequilibrium]

What is it like to do 5 A-level subjects? e.g Physics, Chemistry , Maths, Further Maths and Biology.

I am still considering being a medical doctor or an engineer so somehow the above subjects give me the best options. However, is this manageable or will this even be a burden to myself?

Should I concentrate on 4 subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths) for two years of A-level courses or drop one (e.g. biology) from the above 5 subjects after AS level?

Thank you very much.

The reformed A levels are now harder than previous years and at many schools, only pupils doing Maths and Further Maths are allowed to take 4 A levels. In my area this is the rule across both state and private schools. There are no As levels any more

I think you would be best to look at courses you want to do - e.g many engineering courses want further maths, but it won't be needed for Medicine. Biology and Chemistry are both notoriously content heavy and difficult subjects which i think would be very challenging to combine with 2 other A levels.

Have you someone at school that can advise?

You don't need biology for medicine.

Why do you want to do 5 subjects? Is it even possible on your school timetable? Don’t underestimate how much work you will need to do outside of lessons, and while other students will have study periods to do some of this in, you’ll be in lessons generating more work, all that will have to be completed in the evenings and weekends.

It’s not necessary to do 5, so even if it’s possible, what will you gain overall?
You might think that you are holding doors open by doing more, but as medicine is so competitive, you may find that you lose out anyway as people who are sure they want to do medicine will be busy doing work experience etc while you are sweating over the further maths books in case you want to do engineering.

I tried to do 5 - a decade ago now - but it was so much work I failed a couple of exams and ended up doing 3 in year 13.
There is a massive jump in difficulty & effort required between GCSE and A level. Don't underestimate it like I did.

If you desperately want to keep both doors open, then drop biology. Your best bet would be to research and decide now between medicine and engineering. If you decide on medicine, then ditch physics. If you’re really good at maths, take further maths as a fourth. Ask your maths teacher for advice on your suitability for it.

Also my engineering course was fine with me not having Further Maths. It essentially gets taught in your first year at uni.

I did five, including further maths.

Again over a decade ago. Workload wasn’t a problem - STEM subjects don’t have the same time requirement that essay subjects had.

I didn’t have A* to aim for in my day, but I’d say most of my further maths class would have got over 90% in most subjects. This was at a shitty northern sixth form.

But, and it’s a big but, you have to be confident you are at a standard where you work fast and hard, and can aim for top marks in everything.

It’s an amazing grounding, and certainly is a massive boost to University applications, but if you might struggle, then start off with a more manageable workload. For four years running, the only people to get into Oxbridge from by sixth form did five subjects.

At this stage, you should have a point of view as to whether you want to do medicine or engineering.

If you want to do engineering, you don’t need biology.

If you want to do medicine or chemical engineering, you don’t need further mathematics.

The vast majority of universities make offers on 3 A-levels. Go to UCAS and look at their requirements.

I don't really see a clear upside to doing 5 but plenty of potential risk.

The upside to doing five is that it differentiates you.

With regards to uni applications, I know for my old subject at Oxford, their three A level offer is AAA, but AAAA for four A Levels. If you do five, then not only are you more likely to get an interview, but you need less A, and if you drop to a B in one subject it doesn’t effect you.

It’s a risk, but like I say, if you can manage it then it makes you stand out.

Yeah, if your dream is Oxbridge then take 5 by all means, but otherwise it's overkill for no real gain. It's worth noting that by your second year of uni, no one will give a shit what your A level subjects / results were. I don't mean this in a rude way, just that the things that are or seem hugely important at one stage of your life, fade into the background as you move on.

Both mine did five finishing them two and four years ago. Not a major deal as far as I could see. The fifth subject was optional but one they both enjoyed.

Neither were perfectionist nor particularly hard working, which probably helped. Doing homework quickly for five subjects does not take too much longer than doing homework quickly in four. Still plenty of time for gaming (DS) and sport (DD). The main issue was for DD was that she had no frees at all during the school week.

There is no upside and plenty of downsides I think. You don't need to do 4 A levels even if you do further maths. DS is at Oxford studying maths now. His A levels are maths, FM and physics. That's all.

Think carefully about what else you could be doing with your time, other than taking 2 more A level subjects than you actually need - more reading/research, work experience, attending lectures and events, taking part in workshops, competitions, pursuing hobbies, sports, music etc - all things that are likely to make you a more interesting and rounded person than someone who spends every waking hour studying. If you want to make your application stand out, there are other ways to do it!

I would have thought it's a complimentary stereotype at worst?

Complementary stereotype is a good way to put it. For what its worth i've known two boys do 5 A'levels and yes both were British Asian.

I wouldn't recommend it! Unis no longer ask for more than 3 as standard, 4 for the AimHighers and with the switch to linear, you are looking at doing 3x2-3hr long exams in June of your second year in each of your subjects; so if you were doing 5 subjects you'd be doing up to 15 exams in a period of 2-4 weeks!!! Completely unnecessary pressure to add to an already stressful time when it's not actually needed.

Also, due to A-Levels going linear, it's no longer as simple as starting off with more, and then dropping one or two after the first year, and many schools/colleges no longer allow for that as they would now take a hit on their retention & success figures, if students quit halfway through a qualification.

For most pupils they are far more likely to do worse with 5 A Levels than with 3 (eg. 3 A/A* vs AABBB. Unless you are absolutely top notch and have excellent time and stress management (this is key - it’s not just about being clever. Some are badly suited to more than 3 A Levela temperamentally) then there’s no advantage and likely an actual disadvantage.

I teach at a v high achieving selective independent at the moment. Only Maths and Further Maths pupils are doing 4 at A Level. Quite a few doing 4 in Lower Sixth and then dropping this term to 3. High numbers for Oxbridge and Medicine and I think you’d be advised not to do that many. The new A Levels are demanding and there’s simply no need.

It depends on how good at Maths you are and how flexible your teachers are. A couple of years ago I had a student who were very good at Maths so in the normal Maths lessons I let him do other subjects’ work and in the Further Maths lessons, he often finished the work early and then worked on STEP. He coped well with 5 subjects and still had plenty of time for other interests. It only worked because I had been teaching him for a few years. Eventually he dropped Biology in year 13 because he didn’t need it for his offer and spent the time doing STEP instead.

If you want to do medicine then I’d say work experience in a care home will be far more beneficial to your application that a 5th a level. To do medicine you need to prove your commitment and dedication to it and don’t underestimate the amount of work experience others will have done.

@EllenJanethickerknickers it’s a judgemental stereotype based on the made up concept of race - yes you’re being racist