To take A level English or not?

[NotDonna]

DD has just received her gcse results and done much better than expected obtaining 9’s in History, Eng Lit & Eng Lang. This was not expected but she does have amazing English teachers. They were VERY shocked that she’s not taking English to A level and their surprise has given DD a bit of a wobble over her choices.
She is moving schools and had chosen sociology, politics, psychology and business. They must take 4 to AS then choose one to drop. She’s NO clue what she will do in the future. Should she reconsider and swap one out for English? They’re all new subjects but she’s looking forward to that aspect. She’s not great at sciences (6;6;7). I don’t think she needs English for any uni course other than English does she? Maybe law at some unis. Huge thanks!

I would drop either sociology or psychology for English, yes. Gives her a broader range and therefore more Uni options.

I got an A in A-level English but if you're not passionate about it then I can see it being a grind (Shakespeare, Chaucer, Austen, Brontë for me).
I'd stick with her gut.

In what way? Dropping psychology for example would mean not having a ‘science’ so business at Bath for example would be out. What doors open with English? That’s what I’m trying to understand.

All depends if it's English Language or English Literature. Literature is easier. Language is more like linguistics and bears no real relation to GCSE English. Language IS a valuable subject, but is quite hard.

@KeepCalmAndCarryOnScrolling she really doesn’t like poetry so that’s the major downside. She’s moving schools to do sociology and I think she’ll love it. I’m just wanting to ensure she’s not restricting too much by not taking English.

It would be literature. They don’t offer language.

Does she like English Literature? The step from gcse to a level is big. Also sociology has lots of writing in it. Personally I would stick with what she’s chosen. Could she sit in on a few A level English lessons if she is unsure? I know when my daughter did A levels they could swap in the first few weeks.

English Literature used to be considered as one of the 8 facilitating subjects for Russell Group unis, so it is definitely worth taking. None of those you have mentioned are facilitating subjects . (This list has been phased out recently, but nonetheless is valid as a list of more difficult subjects which universities regard as indicators of academic potential.)

Well, it was Keats in my day and Ode to a sodding Grecian Urn was less than inspiring.
I'd go with what she has chosen - decent combination as any. And possibly drop the psychology, even though it is interesting, as so many psychology grads out there without jobs in that field. Annoys me when they're crying out for Ed psychs.

Why not drop business? A level business is not needed to study it.

None of those subjects are considered top tier so how about history instead of English lit?

History, Politics, Psychology and Sociology could be a good mix.

Some universities will place less value on subjects like sociology and business so she might consider swapping one of them for eng lit or history.

If she’s not keen on sciences, I’d be wary of Psychology. It’s really sciency. When I was teaching it was the subject most students said they were surprised at, as it’s so different from their expectations.

As an English teacher, I’d disagree that Language is harder than Lit at A Level ( I’ve taught both). Lang is very analytical and technical, whilst Lit is much more interpretive. Just depends what you’re good at.

There’s a massive choice of texts at A Level - pretty much open for coursework, so a starting point would be checking that out. I’ve taught Gatsby, A Clockwork Orange, Streetcar - but also tons of Shakespeare and 19th century classics. Have a look at the texts and see if they appeal?

I do think English is a good subject to have, but I would say that wouldn’t I? It is very well respected but it’s hard if you don’t like the books. However I would also say there’s a lot of variety and I rarely (if ever) had anyone drop it once they’d started.

That's a tricky one.
On the one hand, she's chosen the subjects she was interested in and she doesn't like poetry.
On the other hand, she's done very well in English and History and English Literature A-level is well regarded by top universities, more so than business.

Also worth considering, she's had excellent English teachers and that will have played a major role in her success, if she's not 100% behind doing A-level English and it turns out that the new teachers in the new school are not as inspirational it could go pear-shaped.

If she does decide to do English she should drop Business. You don't need an A-level in it to do a degree in it so it doesn't matter if she doesn't do it.

Be aware of what others have said about how much science is in Psychology.

None of her current options are classed as facilitating subjects - eg you can study all of them at uni without having studied the same subject at A Level - and Business is especially not a particularly well-regarded qualification compared to something like Economics. If she thinks she would potentially enjoy English or History at A Level, I'd encourage her to give one of them a go.

You’ve hit the nail right on the head here thank you!

I do wonder that she’s done so well bc of the brilliant teaching and perhaps if she was staying at the current school then English would be a great option (instead of sociology as it’s not offered). BUT she’s moving because she really fancies sociology- here’s hoping that stays true.

Yes I’m not too bothered about science in psychology as my other two DDs both did psych and it really isn’t that sciencey at A level. She got 6’s and a 7 in her 3 gcse sciences so although not strong nor will it be a major issue.

It’d be tricky choosing one to drop to be honest - maybe business but she’s wondering about that as a degree. 🤷‍♀️

It’s not really about kudos or ‘giving them a go’. It’s about potentially closing any doors by not having English. If she gets 3 As in those subjects will it limit her choices? If so, what and where? Other than English Lit?

@doglover90 yh I know what you mean about business compared to economics but the school don’t offer economics so business is the next best thing. If they offered econ she’d take that alongside politics, sociology (and psych).

Who and where please? For which courses at which universities? Most universities just say 3x As etc and don’t specify subjects. I’m trying to ascertain IF having English lit will open more doors than her politics for example, and if so which doors where?

Do you mind sharing her full set of grades OP?

Unfortunately not as they start with 4 subjects and there tent space on the timetable - only 4 blocks of choices.

I think you’re asking for specifics that there’s no answer to. For example, one of my DS’s had all A* at A level, but didn’t get an offer from Warwick when he exceeded the grade requirement. Why? Could have been they were inundated, they only had already had loads of deferred offers, they’d already made too many offers, he was from the wrong sort of school, wrong sex etc etc.

Offers are not an exact science. Your DD could apply with the right predicted grades but an admissions person/ tutor might not offer for any number of reasons. So asking whether she will be disadvantaged by her choices is impossible for anyone to answer in any exact way.

And so much will depend on which subject she wants to study. If she wants to do Business, Sociology and Psychology might be a good fit - but even better might be Maths.

Most schools will have a ‘grace period’ - you can change in the first two weeks. Probably best to start with the ones she has chosen and make a switch if it isn’t working.

9, 9, 9 - English lit, lang, history
8, 8 - PE, Food & nutrition
7, 7. Maths & physics (1 mark from an 8 maths)
6, 6. - biology & chemistry (3 marks from 7 chem)

Caveat would be that she worked hard for everything. I doubt she could work much harder without sacrificing her sanity (ie sports). As you can see she’s better at ‘writing’ subjects than ‘sciences’ albeit I do think her choice of psychology will be fine. I actually think her choices are great for her - just the teachers were blown away that she’d not chosen English for her new school. So much so it’s making her wonder. So I thought I’d ask here if not having English A level would close doors that politics / sociology etc wouldn’t keen open? So many universities seem to prefer super high grades without preferred subjects.

Thank you @theresnolimits sorry to hear about your DS! That’s really tough. You’re probably right in that I’m asking an impossible question!
I think if she chooses each subject from each of the 4 blocks carefully leaving Business in the same block as English. Then if that’s not the best she can switch relatively easily (maybe). I think if the subjects she’s least likely to feel with it’ll be business but… 🤷‍♀️

I would not swap. She is solid in her GCSE subjects that she wants to take onto A-levels, and so is likely to do well enough at those A-levels. I would have thought that her A-levels reflecting subjects that she might want to take further (to uni, teach in, etc) will count for more than having the highest A-levels she possibly can!

With those grades, she should not be considering a business degree. She should be aiming for something more academic such as politics and international relations. I suggest she looks at some uni courses with offers of BBB and above, as I would suggest that she can achieve at least these grades with those GCSEs.

For A level, I would go for English, History, Sociology.