When deciding upon your choice of A Levels you must try to balance five important factors:

- what you enjoy

- your own abilities, aptitudes and skills

- your academic interests

- the subjects available

- the breadth of higher education and career choices these will support

The key questions to ask yourself are “Am I good at these subjects?” and, perhaps more importantly, “Am I really interested in them?” You must look realistically at your strengths and weaknesses, and match these to your interests. A Level work is demanding and is unlikely to be sustained in a subject which you do not enjoy. Give serious consideration also to those subjects you have not studied before. Assessing your own abilities and interests is not an easy thing to do, and you are urged to seek advice on your suitability for A Level work from your subject teachers and tutors. An uncommitted student will gain little from two years in the Sixth Form.

It is particularly important to research further into your proposed subjects, and investigate career prospects and the implications of different combinations. In this way, you can more easily begin to identify and define just what it is you want and expect from your proposed studies. You should also include in your research the increasing number of Apprenticeship and Degree Apprenticeship routes that are becoming available as well as traditional Higher Education courses. Try to balance your academic abilities and interests with your plans for the future. Those of you who have little idea of likely future careers should aim to keep your options open by a wise choice of A Levels. Consult subject and careers staff. In choosing each of your subjects, bear in mind that you must satisfy the School that your performance so far in this and/or related subjects justifies your continuation to A Level work in that department.

In general, there is more flexibility on the Arts side because very few courses have a strong vocational element. It is important to note that many degree courses and careers accept students who have studied any combination of subjects at A Level, as long as they have shown reasonable success in doing so. Good qualifications in, for example, Classics or English or History or Modern Languages indicate an able, flexible, disciplined and thoughtful mind.

Most employers are more concerned with the level of achievement and with personal qualities than with particular subjects.

A Level selection on the Science side must be the result of informed consideration. It is worth noting too that many of the non-scientific professions also accept students with Science A Levels. If you are considering entering a scientific or technical career, you should choose at least two, but preferably three, subjects from the Sciences and Mathematics. This will give you a much greater choice of Science careers and courses at the end of the two years.