Open College
Home Education A Levels

Home education and A Levels is a pairing that actually works really well for students. Regardless of whether the student is new to home education or has been home schooled for a long time. In a school environment, A Level courses aren’t well known for being flexible, but with home education they are very flexible.

When it comes to studying and learning A Levels, students are free to choose which subjects they wish to learn. But they do need to be aware of the ins and outs of how A Levels work when studying them with home education. Firstly, students need to understand that they will be classed as private candidates. Secondly, there are set times each year for examinations, that they will need to attend a centre for.

A Level Subjects you can Study

When being home educated, your range of A Level subjects is far from limited. With the exception of a few subjects, you can pick and choose from subjects such as the following:

Even subjects with additional elements to them like History or English can be studied at home. You just need to make sure you have a tutor who can authenticate your work ready for submission. When it comes to courses like A Level Biology, Chemistry or Phsyics, where you need to complete practicals. You simply go to your exam centre to practice and complete them.

A Levels and Entry Requirements

Each A Level subject is approximately 350 hours of study time. The main awarding bodies for A Levels are AQA, Cambridge, Pearson Edexcel and OCR. Any A Levels achieved with any of the awarding bodies hold the same value and come with the same UCAS points.

As a private candidate, the entry requirements for A Level subjects is much more flexible than at school. When studying A Levels in school, there is a requirement for a student to hold a grade 4 or above to go on and study A Levels. As a private candidate, you are free to study any A Level subject, regardless of if you have a GCSE in the subject.

Even though exams are at a set time each year, as a private candidate, you are free to start studying your A Levels whenever you wish to. Making it much more flexible for you.

When Should I Start my A Levels?

This entirely depends on you. If you want to follow term times with your home education, then the best time to start your A Levels would be in the September. This way you have the same schedule to follow as a school or college and can take the summer off. Alternatively, if you’re opting to be more flexible with your learning, then you can start at any time.

Actually, if you’re looking to fast track your A Level studies, then you should aim to start your studies as soon as possible. That way you get the maximum study time before the exam period and the best chances of getting a great grade.

A Levels and Assessment for Home Education Students

A Level courses are examined for in the May/June of each year. To find out when the exams are, you can either refer to the awarding body website or ask your exam centre for the timetable. As previously mentioned, as a private candidate, your process for having your A Levels assessed is different. First, you will need to find a centre that accepts private candidates for your chosen subject. We advise you register with your chosen examination centre in the January of the year you wish to sit your exams.

For courses that have additional elements like practicals or coursework, you will need to complete these with the help of a tutor and/or an exam centre. So ensure you check the full requirements for your course before you begin.

Ready to Start your A Levels?