Choosing A Level subjects happens earlier and matters more than most Year 11 students expect. Since AS-year performance can carry real weight in how the rest of the course develops, and specific university courses have specific subject requirements, this decision deserves more thought than simply picking whatever you enjoyed most at GCSE.
This guide covers what to actually consider when choosing A Level subjects, and how to build a combination that keeps your options genuinely open.
Start With Your University or Career Direction, If You Have One
If you already have a specific university course or career in mind, work backwards from its entry requirements first. Some subjects are effectively non-negotiable: Chemistry for most medicine courses, Maths and Physics for most engineering courses. Checking a handful of specific university course pages for your target subject gives you a much clearer picture than general advice alone.
What If You Don’t Know Your Direction Yet?
This is completely normal, and the right response isn’t to guess at a career, but to choose subjects that keep options open. Certain subjects, sometimes called facilitating subjects, are respected and commonly required across a wide range of degree courses, including Maths, English, the sciences, and History or Geography. Choosing at least one or two of these, even without a fixed career plan, avoids narrowing your options prematurely.
Three Things to Weigh Up
| Factor | What to Ask Yourself |
|---|---|
| Genuine interest | Will I still want to study this in two years’ time, not just right now? |
| Academic strength | Am I already performing well in this subject or a closely related one at GCSE? |
| Future usefulness | Does this subject support my likely university or career direction, or keep enough doors open if I’m unsure? |
A levels are a significant step up from GCSE, so enjoying a subject genuinely matters. Motivation is harder to sustain across two demanding years in a subject you don’t actually like, regardless of how strategic the choice looks on paper.
Common A Level Combinations and Where They Lead
- Maths, Physics, Chemistry: A strong, versatile combination for engineering, physical sciences, and many STEM-related courses.
- Maths, Chemistry, Biology: A common combination for medicine, dentistry, and other clinical courses, alongside veterinary and biological sciences.
- English, History, a Modern Language: A traditional essay-based combination suited to law, humanities, and social science degrees.
- Maths, Economics, Business: A common choice for finance, economics, and business-related degrees.
These are starting points rather than fixed rules. Many university courses, particularly outside medicine, engineering, and other named-subject-required fields, accept a genuinely wide range of A Level combinations.
Practical Constraints Worth Checking
- Check your sixth form or college’s specific subject combinations, since most institutions structure subjects into option blocks, meaning not every theoretical combination is actually available together.
- Check GCSE grade requirements, since many sixth forms expect a grade 6 or 7 in a subject before allowing you to continue it at A Level.
- Consider your realistic workload, being honest about how much essay writing, practical work, or content-heavy learning you can genuinely manage across three subjects simultaneously.
- Ask current students and teachers, since they can offer a realistic picture of a subject’s actual demands beyond the course description.
Should You Include an EPQ?
An Extended Project Qualification, a research-based project taken alongside standard A Levels, can strengthen a university application, particularly by demonstrating independent research skills relevant to your intended course. It’s worth checking whether your sixth form or college offers this, and whether it adds a manageable amount of extra work alongside your chosen subjects.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many A Levels should I take?
Most students take three A Levels, though some take four, particularly in the first year before dropping to three, depending on their sixth form or college’s specific structure.
What if I don’t know what I want to study at university yet?
Choosing at least one or two well-respected, versatile facilitating subjects, such as Maths, English, or a science, keeps a wide range of options open while you decide.
Do all universities require specific A Level subjects?
No. Beyond fields like medicine, law, and engineering, which often have specific subject requirements, many university courses accept a genuinely broad range of A Level combinations.
Can I change my A Level subjects after starting?
This is sometimes possible, particularly early in the first term, but it depends heavily on your specific sixth form or college’s policy, so it’s worth raising any concerns with your teachers as early as possible.
Choosing A Level subjects well means balancing genuine interest, academic strength, and future flexibility, rather than optimising for any single factor alone. Once your subjects are settled, our A level revision guide covers how to actually study effectively once the course begins, and our guide to sixth form vs college is worth reading if you haven’t settled on where to study yet.
