A-Level course, the full name of which is General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, is an advanced level course of British general secondary education certificate examination, which is equivalent to the British "College Entrance Examination" and has a high recognition in the world.
A-Level course, the full name of which is General Certificate of Education Advanced Level, is an advanced level course of British general secondary education certificate examination, which is equivalent to the British "College Entrance Examination" and has a high recognition in the world.
A-Level has more than 70 courses, which can be divided into 6 categories:
1. Core basic courses: including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, etc., are the basic parts of building a knowledge system.
2. Extended courses of core basic courses, such as social biology, human biology and human physiology, further expand and deepen the core basic courses.
3. Basic courses of social sciences: covering history, philosophy, languages, politics, economics, etc., focusing on the exploration of humanities and social sciences.
4. Applied science: such as computer, data/word processing, electronics, etc., emphasizing the practical application of scientific knowledge.
5. Art and design courses: such as music, fine arts, pottery, etc., focusing on cultivating artistic creation and aesthetic ability.
6. Basic knowledge and skills popularization: including business study, European study, general research, etc., aiming at broadening comprehensive knowledge and basic skills.
Applying for British universities with A-Level scores generally requires three or four courses, and the choice of its combination is extremely critical, which directly affects the admission results. Students who are new to A-Level should choose their subjects carefully, which is related to the study content and university major choice in the next two years.
Choose A-Level courses can refer to the following points:
1. Subject requirements of the target university major: In-depth study on the specific provisions of the target major on A-Level subjects to ensure that the selected courses meet the professional entrance threshold.
2. Self-expertise in disciplines: It is easier to get good grades and enhance competitiveness by combining with self-advantage disciplines.
3. A/A rate of subjects *: Understand the past A*/A rate of each subject, and know the difficulty and competition degree of the course, so as to make a reasonable choice.
4. Reference of popular course selection combinations: refer to the popular course selection combinations of other students or previous successful application cases, and learn from experience to optimize your course selection plan.
Determine the subject requirements according to the major of the target university
When students have determined their desired major and target university, they must go to the official website of the university to carefully check the specific requirements of the major for A-Level courses. If you only know your favorite major, but you haven't determined your institution, you can choose an A-Level subject closely related to this major or industry:
For example, if you plan to apply for medical, dental, veterinary and other majors, chemistry and biology are usually necessary subjects, and some schools may also require additional physics or mathematics.
For engineering majors, mathematics and physics are core subjects. Whether it is mechanical engineering or electrical engineering, colleges and universities will focus on the results of these two subjects. In addition, advanced mathematics is of great benefit to applying for top engineering colleges. For example, engineering majors in Cambridge University attach great importance to advanced mathematics scores.
The choice of business majors is relatively flexible, but mathematics is an important basic subject. If we aim at the accounting and finance majors of top business schools, such as the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the combination of mathematics and economics is the best choice. At the same time, some schools also recognize subjects such as business studies.
Mathematics is generally required for computer science majors, and subjects such as computer science or physics can also be selected. Computer science is helpful for students to master the knowledge of programming and algorithms, and it is of great help to the follow-up professional study.
Combine one's own expertise in subjects
Students can review their past learning experiences and make clear which subjects have better grades and which aspects they are more interested in. If you choose a subject that you have no interest in, the learning process will be extremely difficult and painful.
Reference account A*/A ratio
After each exam, the British government will announce the proportion of A and A in the exam results. After the end of the A-Level summer exam in 2024, ofqual officially released the results data, among which the A-Level subjects in England were clear at a glance. It should be noted that subjects with a high A rate do not necessarily mean that learning is difficult, and subjects with a low A rate do not necessarily mean that you cannot choose. Taking it as one of the reference factors is mainly to understand the overall performance of each subject.
Popular course selection combination reference
一、Popular course selection combination reference
During the A-Level summer exam in 2024, ofqual officially counted the 25 most popular A-Level subject combinations. It is worth noting that the top three popular combinations are closely related to science. Mathematics, as a core subject, occupies a very critical position in the A-Level examination, especially for students who intend to apply for prestigious universities in Britain. If they plan to study science and engineering, mathematics is basically a compulsory subject. Not only that, but also other fields such as economics and business may require math scores.
For students who have not yet determined their clear goals, understanding these popular subject combinations can provide inspiration and ideas for their course selection to some extent. However, it is strongly recommended that students determine the target majors and institutions as soon as possible, so as to have a clearer direction in the course selection process, so as to select subjects that are more suitable for their actual situation.
Suggestions on A-Level subjects from G5 University in the UK
(1) Oxford University
Summary of popular professional requirements:
Medical major:
Performance requirements: A*AA
Required subjects: Chemistry+Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, Biology or Physics.
Restricted subjects: Critical Thinking and Thinking Skills cannot be selected.
Engineering major:
Achievement requirements: AAA, and two A * subjects must be mathematics, advanced mathematics, or physics.
Required subjects: Mathematics+Physics
Recommended Subject: Mathematical Mechanics Module
Auxiliary subject: advanced mathematics (which may be helpful)
Computer science major:
Achievement requirements: AAA, subject A must be mathematics, advanced mathematics, or computer science.
Required Subject: Mathematics
Recommended Subject: Advanced Mathematics
Economic management major:
Achievement requirements: AAA, mathematics must be A or A.
Required Subject: Mathematics
Mathematics major:
Performance requirements: AAA, if advanced mathematics is tested, the two A * subjects are mathematics and advanced mathematics.
Required Subject: Mathematics
Recommended Subject: Advanced Mathematics
(2) Cambridge University
Cambridge University has given clear guidelines for the selection of A-Level subjects.
Art, social science or humanities courses, if you are interested in such courses, it is recommended to choose 2 courses from the following A-Level subjects:
English literature
A language (such as French, German, Spanish or Latin).
history
Mathematics (valuable for many courses in Cambridge, including law)
Mathematics or Science courses, if you prefer this kind of courses, it is strongly recommended to select 3 courses from the following A-Level subjects:
biology
Chemistry (very useful if you plan to study chemical engineering, biological science or medical science)
physics
mathematics
Advanced mathematics (if studying mathematics or computer science is essential; If you study engineering, economics, chemical engineering or natural science and want to specialize in physics, it is also very important)
It should be noted that Critical Thinking and Key Skills can not be used as an independent A-Level subject, but can be used as a fourth supplementary subject.
(3) Imperial College London
Official website, Imperial College London, did not directly indicate the specific preference or suggestion of course selection, but emphasized that it should be determined according to the specific courses applied for. However, judging from the overall admission trend and academic environment, all colleges generally attach great importance to mathematics subjects. Moreover, Imperial College requires the major of A-Level Mathematics, and the Use of Mathematics cannot replace Mathematics, so attention should be paid to avoid confusion to meet the admission requirements.
Summary of popular professional requirements:
Electrical and electronic engineering:
Achievement requirements: AAA or A*AAA
Required subjects: Mathematics A*, Physics A*/A (A * is required when applying for three A-levels; At least a) when applying for four A-levels.
Recommended subjects: advanced mathematics (strongly encouraged but not compulsory), chemistry, computer science/calculation, design and technology, electronics.
Not accepting: General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Mathematics and computer science:
Performance requirements: AAA
Required subjects: Mathematics A*, Advanced Mathematics A*
Recommended subjects: computer science, physics
Useful subjects: ancient language, biology, chemistry, economics, electronics, English literature, history, language, law, philosophy, politics, psychology.
Not accepted: ICT, Business Studies, General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Physics:
Performance requirements: AAA
Required subjects: Mathematics A*, Physics A */A.
Recommended subject: another subject A (advanced mathematics is recommended, but not necessary). Although chemistry is not necessary, it is beneficial to expand knowledge and understand the course, so it can be used as the third subject.
Not accepting: General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Economics, Finance and Data Science;
Performance requirements: A*AA
Required course: Mathematics A*
Recommended subjects: The other two subjects are A (advanced mathematics and/or economics are very useful, but not necessary).
Not accepting: General Studies and Critical Thinking.
(4) University College London (UCL)
When applying for UCL undergraduate course, the applicant must submit at least two subjects in UCL “preferred A Level subjects "list, and the third subject can be selected by himself. At the same time, the school clearly stated that it would not accept General Studies, Critical Thinking and Global Perspectives and Research. The school divides "preferred A Level subjects" into three directions: social science/science and technology/art and humanities.
List of social sciences:
List of science and technology categories:
List of arts and humanities:
(5) London School of Economics and Political Science
According to LSE's official proposal for selecting courses for A-Level subjects, the school is more inclined to recommend the following subjects:
In addition, the school published a list of non-preferred subject:
And, the school will not consider some A-Level subjects:
The course selection process of A-Level is like a carefully planned strategic layout, and its complexity should not be underestimated. It is by no means determined by a single factor, but requires comprehensive consideration of many key factors in an all-round and multi-dimensional way.
Personal interests play an extremely important role in it. When students have strong enthusiasm and curiosity about a subject, they are often more active and enthusiastic in the learning process, and can devote themselves wholeheartedly to it, so they are more likely to achieve excellent results in this subject. This intrinsic driving force based on interest will not only help students overcome many difficulties in the A-Level learning stage, but also lay a solid emotional and knowledge foundation for their future academic study and career development.
The specific requirements of the target institutions are the core guidelines for course selection. Different universities and different majors have different regulations on A-Level subjects. Some majors may clearly specify the required subjects, while others will give a list of recommended subjects or helpful subjects. Only by studying the enrollment policies and professional requirements of the target institutions in depth and in detail can students ensure that the courses they choose match their future college entrance qualifications and avoid missing the admission opportunities of their favorite institutions due to mistakes in course selection.
Career planning can't be ignored. The choice of A-Level courses is directly related to the future career direction. For example, if students are determined to devote themselves to the medical field, the choice of chemistry, biology and other related disciplines is particularly critical; If you are full of expectations for the engineering industry, mathematics and physics are indispensable cornerstones. By forward-looking consideration of career planning, students can build their own knowledge system at the A-Level stage, paving the way for smooth entry into the ideal career field in the future.
In addition, the combination of popular courses can also provide useful reference for course selection. Knowing those course combination models that are favored by many candidates and have performed well in their further studies and future development can help students broaden their horizons, grasp the relevance and synergy between disciplines from a macro perspective, and then create a more competitive and adaptive course selection scheme based on their own actual situation.
To sum up, only by comprehensively integrating personal interests, target institutions, career planning and popular course combinations can students make wise, reasonable and most suitable choices in the key decision-making process of A-Level course selection, and make a good start for future academic and career success.