How To Choose A Levels

There are many different A Level courses on offer when home schooling, and so choosing the right ones for you can seem like a maze to navigate. By having a clear understanding of what you want to pursue in your education and career, such as the A Levels to be a lawyer, picking your courses becomes much easier.

We have outlined the key things to consider when selecting your A Levels at home. You can find the full selection of our courses here.

What Do You Want To Study?

This is the most important question to ask yourself when choosing your A Levels. Do you want to be a doctor? Or a lawyer? Perhaps an engineer? Universities will have specific requirements for different courses, so once you have a path to follow, selecting the A Levels you need for that discipline are easier to pick out.

For example, to become a lawyer, you typically benefit from having the following A Levels:

• English
• Politics
• History

To be a doctor, you will always need specific A Levels, including:

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Maths or Physics (studying both will open up more options)

It is useful to select subjects that complement each other, like the above. You will sometimes need to have studied the GCSE equivalent before studying the A Level course. The prerequisites for each A Level can be found on their respective course page.

A Levels To UCAS Points

The grade you receive for your A Level is assigned a point score, which universities then use to determine your entry suitability once all of your grades are added up.

Aiming to achieve your best should always be the goal, but if you think your UCAS score may be lower, consider what universities will accept that total.

The UCAS points tariff is as follows:

A Level

• A* – 56
• A – 48
• B – 40
• C – 32
• D – 24
• E – 16

Choose What You Enjoy

This may sound a little obvious, but ensure you are choosing A Levels for subjects and a career you enjoy. Picking A Levels based on what your friends are studying for example does not guarantee that you will enjoy the courses in the long term.

Likewise, consider your strengths. It is considerably easier to build motivation for a course you are studying, if it is a skill you possess.

Benefits Of Home Schooling

There are unique benefits to home schooling that can make choosing your A Levels that little bit easier. One such benefit is the ability to choose exactly which A Levels to study and how. A traditional school curriculum will require you to undertake a set structure of courses, whereas home schooling A Levels gives extra freedom to select your own, on a timetable to suit you.

Each of our A Levels are also built to match the same study material in schools, so you know you are studying the material universities will be looking for.