How Many A-Levels Should You Take?

How many A-Levels should you take? That all depends on the Degree course that you are looking to study at University. As a general guide, the usual requirement for any Degree is at least three A-Level subjects (or 112 UCAS points). The subjects themselves, can be a combination of both subjects of interest and required, for example, if you wanted to study Law at University, you would need three A-levels, of which one must be in English. Interestingly enough though, you don’t have to hold an A-level in Law to study Law at University!

The usual way for students to decide on the number of A-Levels they should take all starts with the Degree they want to study at University. A quick Google or UCAS search will quickly be able to tell you the number of A-Levels you will most likely need for a certain Degree, along with the subjects that you can choose from. Offers of places on Degree courses are based on the number of UCAS points you hold after completing your qualifications. So for example, an end result of ABB would mean you held a total of 128 UCAS points, as an A grade is worth 48 points and B grade worth 40 points.

What’s the Maximum Number of A-levels you can take at Once?

The maximum number of A-Levels any one student can take in one exam period is five. Which equates to approximately 1,750 hours of study time. Which even over 2 years, is a lot of study time to fit in. Some students opt to hedge their bets by taking more A-Levels than the stated requirement, this way, if they don’t quite hit the grades required, the spread of their results will still provide them with sufficient UCAS points. However, opting to take more than the needed amount of A-Levels can be detrimental to your final results, as you run the risk of spreading yourself too thinly with study time.

Do Mature Students need to take a Different Number of Subjects?

When it comes to mature students, things can be slightly different with the number of A-Levels they need. More often than not, if they already hold previous A-levels, they may only need to take one additional course, to top up the number of UCAS points held. In some cases, universities don’t even require the mature student to take any additional A-Levels, but do ask them to take or retake some GCSE subjects. Again though, the requirements all depend on the University and the Degree the student wants to study.

How do you pick which Subjects to take?

Choosing subjects to study is actually the fun part! Once you have decided what you want to go on and do at University, then you can sit back and take a look at where your strengths lie and which of those subjects you can opt to study. Remember, if you enjoy the subject you’re studying, you’re far more likely to get those all important higher grades needed.

Examples of A Levels you can take include:

Can Adults do A Levels?

Absolutely yes! There is no age limit, upper or lower, on taking A Levels. So if you’re an adult who is thinking of returning to education to get the right A Levels for you, you can go ahead and get started right away. Best of all, you don’t have to go back to school to do them. There are loads of online colleges (like Open College) where you can enrol and study from the comfort of your own home.

As an adult starting A Levels, you might be worried about how you will fit the study time in with other commitments. But if you opt for online A Levels and go down the distance learning route, then your A Levels will fit around you and your schedule. Just remember to make sure you have enough spare hours to fit in the actual study before you enrol.

Study A Levels Online in the UK

Studying A Levels online can actually be done from anywhere in the world, including the UK. That’s the great thing about learning online, it really does give you so much freedom and choice. A quick Google search will show you all the options available to you and then you just need to pick the courses you would like to study and register.

Due to the high demand and popularity of online A Levels in the UK, there are hundreds of centres all around the country that accept Private Candidates for examination. So finding a centre is really easy when the time comes and it’s just a matter of completing some forms to register.

Can I do an A Level in One Year?

An A Level is 350 hours of study time. So fitting one subject in over a year’s study would be very easy to do, even with working or being a parent. To be honest, students can easily fit three subjects into one year of study if they want to. The only reason traditional A Levels take two years is term times in schools and colleges. Once you take that factor out of the equation, it’s easy to understand how you can do A Levels in one year if you want to.