Open College, Author at Open College

Studying A-Levels for Personal Interest

16/12/202002/01/2022Open College

Studying A-Levels for personal interest might not be something that you have thought of or considered. But why not? As A-Level courses are equivalent to Level 3, they are classed as entry level courses and so they give people a great foundation understanding of the subject they are based on. Even if you have no intention of going to university or even doing the examinations at the end of the course, you can still enrol and study A-Levels for personal interest and development. Many mature students opt to retake their A-Levels to see if their understanding and ability with a subject has improved over the years. Do I have to… Read More

Online A-Levels: A-Level Physics

15/12/202015/12/2020Open College

A-Level Physics has a reputation for being one of the hardest A-Level subjects available, but even with this reputation, it is a very popular and very useful subject to hold. With the study of the course you get to look at the theoretical as well as the practical as you explore the phenomena of the universe. A popular requirement for degrees relating to Medicine and Engineering, it’s easy to see why you will have to complete tasks relating to experiments, formulas and calculations, graphs, and conceptual explanations and what’s more, all of them at the same time! Can A-Level Physics be Studied Online? Absolutely yes! Even though the course itself… Read More

What is a Mature Student?

14/12/202014/12/2020Open College

When you think ‘mature student’ you can be forgiven for thinking of someone in their mid 40s or older who have started studying again, but this isn’t totally correct. Although someone in their mid 40s would fall into this category, the classification of mature student actually covers students from age 21 upwards. In other words, the term applies to someone who has returned to studying after the traditional school finishing age. You can be a mature student on many different subjects and courses, such as GCSEs or A-Levels, but the term itself is usually put into play when you apply to university. Universities often have different requirements and application methods… Read More

AS Levels – Do People still Study AS Levels?

12/12/202012/12/2020Open College

When A-levels in the UK were reformed, the popularity of people opting to study AS Levels dropped. Unlike before where students could study an A-Level course and then either stop at attaining the AS Level or continue on to complete the A2 part in the second year. Now students have to actively decide whether they are going to study a full A-Level or just an AS Level from the start. AS Levels are essentially the first year (or first half) of an A-Level course, so they aren’t worth as many UCAS points as a full A-Level, but still can be used to attain additional UCAS points. In schools and colleges,… Read More

Online A-Levels Frequently Asked Questions

11/12/202012/01/2022Open College

If you’re thinking of studying A-Levels, you may have a few questions about what to expect and what you will get if you enrol online to study them. To try and help with this, Open College have written an article all about the top ten online A-Level frequently asked questions that our Student Support Team often have to answer when helping and assisting students who want to enrol with the college. Can I Study any Subject with Online A-Levels? Online A-Levels are available in many subjects and topics. Including courses that have a coursework element (like A-Level History) or even practical element (like A-Level Biology). However, there are some subjects… Read More

How Many UCAS Points is one A-Level Worth?

10/12/202002/01/2022Open College

When looking at going to university to study a degree, it’s important that you look at the UCAS tariff and the requirements you need to reach in order to be successful with your application. For most degree courses there is a minimum requirement of approximately 112 points for a student to be accepted. In this blog, we’re going to look at what these points are, how you can earn them with A-Levels and what one A-Level course will get you in terms of points. What are UCAS Points? UCAS points are a way for educational faculties to apply a relative value to all post 16 UK qualifications. They apply a… Read More

Which A-Levels are Popular with Students?

09/12/202002/01/2022Open College

When looking at studying A-Levels, it’s always interesting to look at which A-Levels are popular with students, as it can give you a good insight into which subjects are most requested by universities, which subjects are most enjoyable to study and which courses students are more likely to complete and get good grades for. Popularity of subjects does vary from year to year and can also vary depending on other influencing factors such as ease or difficulty and most useful to hold. Even with 2020 being an out of the ordinary type of year when it came to sitting A-Levels, the data of which subjects are most popular with students… Read More

When Should I Start Studying A-Levels?

08/12/202002/01/2022Open College

Deciding that you want to enrol and start studying A-Levels is a big step! Not only are you making a massive commitment to your future (both immediate and far reaching), but you’re also making a financial commitment to paying the fee, so it’s important to be sure you give yourself the best start you can, starting with deciding on the right time to start. So first, let’s look at A-levels themselves, one A-Level subject usually takes a student approximately 350 hours of study time, that’s covering the course syllabus from start to finish and including both the AS and A2 part of the course. Usually, if studying A-Levels at school… Read More

What A-Levels Involve more than Written Exams?

07/12/202002/01/2022Open College

It’s no secret that all A-Level qualifications are completed by students sitting written exams, but did you know that some courses also carry additional work requirements such as coursework or practicals? These additional components can carry a hefty percentage of your overall mark and so it’s important you complete them as best as possible. With science practicals for A-Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics carrying 20% of your overall mark they really can make the difference between you gaining an A or A* grade if you don’t get them quite right. Although not compulsory to do, believe it or not as a distance learning student you can opt not to do… Read More

A-Level Difficulty – Are all Subjects the Same?

06/12/202002/01/2022Open College

When it comes to A-Levels and A-Level difficulty, you may or may not be surprised to hear that they do vary greatly. Infact, if you take the time and effort to research all the A-Level subjects, it’s quite easy for you to carefully select less demanding topics which could in theory mean better grades for less or the same amount of work. It’s important to point out though, that A-Level difficulty varies but not to the point where someone doing A-Level Drama is going to have a vastly easier ride than someone doing A-Level Geography. Being Level 3 qualifications, all A-Levels are benchmarked to a certain difficulty, but can get… Read More