A level choice for English degree

[another mother]

I feel sure there will be some good advice out here! DD1 is in year 11 and the AS choices are looming. She's always been an extremely able English student. She has 100% in both bits of GCSE course work so far, critical and creative, (I have to add, I do question how anyone can get 100% in creative writing though in fairness I would have been proud to write her Pride and Prejudice paper in first year uni). Despite warnings about how hard it is to make a living these days, she is pretty sure Eng Lit will be at least part of what she opts for at degree level. She certainly wants to take both it and History to A level.

She's doing IGSCE maths at the moment and her maths teacher is keen she takes it on to AS (though not the A!). Her French teacher thinks she could do French to A level though she's not a very natural linguist. She's also interested in Classical Civilisation as an AS but thinks this isn't serious enough to do as an A - it is very well taught at her school and girls do really enjoy it. But it is another big 'essay' subject - and doing that too doesn't necessarily show a broad range of skills. And is it a bit soft?? Economics and politics are also possibles- or history of art. Sadly she gave up Latin and Geog for GCSE which she slightly regrets - for Art and RS both of which she is happy to drop.

She is pretty bright and will be aiming fairly high in terms of university choices I think but does anyone have any thoughts on what the best combination might be. Eng, Hist, Maths and French seems a bit solid - and also won't leave her flexibility if she can't cope with the French! 5 AS's won't leave any room for much else - which doesn't seem healthy or wise. Any thoughts welcome..

And we're about to go and look at sixth forms .... but I won't ask for help on that here...yet!

[Looking for help]

Hi another mother,
My older son has just left 6th form, going to uni next week (help) and my older daughter is in year 13. My advice to them was to take subjects into the 6th form that they liked and had proved they were capable in at GCSE level. Both took 4 subjects plus General Studies ( a complete waste of time, but no choice there). They took the subjects they got A/A*s in at GCSE, and both made changes to their choices after they had their GCSE results.
My son had an ambition of what he wanted to do at Uni, so his choices were based around that, my daughter on the other hand has not a single clue what she wants to do. But the advice was really the same, if you like a subject and you are good at it take the A Level, if you don't like the subject and you are good at it consider it for A Level. If you like the subject but find it hard, don't take it to A Level. Otherwise sixth form will be very hard indeed, I think.

Your daughter obviously wants to do English and History, lots of essays but they pair up well. If there's a little doubt over the French and maths, my advice to her would be to take the one she prefers, and then one of the softer options as a fourth, again whichever one she has the most interest in. Unless of course she knows exactly what she wants to do at Uni and might need the French and the Maths for that.

It might not be a bad idea to have a look at the UCAS website at courses she might be interested in to see what is required.

I hope some of this helps.

LFH

[Freya]

I would say that if your DD is definitely going to take English and history then French would be a good option as it offers a different format to the tedium of endless essay writing. There are chances to pick up marks all over the place on the bits you are good at e.g. oral, aural, comprehension, translation, do they still do dictation and French literature? If your DD loves English literature then she will enjoy doing the literature aspect of French and it would sit very well with what she wants to do at degree level.

[another mother]

Sadly Freya, as far as I can gather, there is no literature component left in French - otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to advise that. (I wouldn't have passed my French A without it!) And it's such brilliant work. The attraction of classical civilisation is that it is so much literature - in translation - and I would think will be a good grounding for Eng lit. But still worried it's 'soft'.

I will advise her to look up the UCAS sites LFH - did your son do four subjects to A level? Many of her friends are planning to but I'm wary. Who knows but I'm not sure the GCSE results, as such, will be a huge indication as she's predicted high grades all round. But I do agree about inspiration and studying what you like - and where the great teachers are. I had the best teaching of my life for French Lit - and learnt more about criticism in a year than in all my English lessons. And still love it.

I did Latin and Maths to Higher and then eng hist and fr A. - was it you LFH who did highers then A's (vague memory - a different post I know). A bit of me hopes she'll do something entirely different like history of Art or philosophy and then I won't be able to help.

[Looking for help]

My son took 5 subjects including General Studies at AS Level and dropped one to leave him with 4 A Levels, unfortunately he had to keep General Studies. My daughter also took 5 in year 12 and dropped one going into year 13.

Yes it was me,I did highers because I was in Scotland and then transferred to another school for a sixth year there because my parents deemed me to be too young at 16 to go to Uni -not because I'm highly intelligent, I wish , just becuse that's the way it is in Scotland.

There I did a couple of A Levels - most schools did Sixth Year Studies, but the one I went to only did A Levels, actually Maths and French funnily enough, but didn't set the world on fire - my excuse only one year to do a two year course - however my horrible teenagers find a D and an E highly entertaining, especially when I'm trying to crack the whip!

I know what you mean about them taking subjects you know nothing about ! My daughter is doing Maths, and although some many years have passed you'd think it'd be the same Maths. Some of it seems like Greek to me

LFH

[Rob Clark]

Hi, I was in an almost identical position to your daughter 25 years ago.

English and History were both definites, then I had Economics, French and Classical Studies as other options (Maths was most definitely not an option in my case!). I opted for Economics and French as the more solid academic subjects, but not being a natural linguist I found I hated the French (though like you, loved the literature).

I dropped French after 1 year and managed to do the Classical Studies ‘A’ level in a year as my fourth subject. I absolutely loved it (even did it as an option in my first year at university) and I think as a fourth ‘A’ level it is academically rigorous enough to warrant inclusion.

If you are concerned it might not be taken seriously enough, why not ring a couple of universities of the sort of calibre your daughter is likely to target and ask them their opinion of it?

One further thought: a niece did Geography ‘A’ level despite not having done the subject for GCSE. I don’t know if your daughter’s school would allow this possibility, but might be worth asking them…?

Personally, I wouldn’t worry over-much about the essay writing. If your daughter loves those subjects, chances are she actually enjoys the research and planning of essays.

HTH
Rob

[another mother]

thanks Rob. Her Geog teacher did say to me she could pick it up as'they'd covered nearly the whole syllabus by the end of year 9' (?! - makes you wonder what they are doing now!!) but DD says her friends are floundering with course work and she's less sure.

I think the advice from school seems to be that it is important to show that you have different skill sets - an attraction of both maths and french in different ways. I did economics for a year at Uni - completely befuddled at the end..But they have a very funny economics teacher so I guess it could be a gas?!