For students and parents · Year 11, from January
Choosing A levels: what universities ask for
Most university offers are made on three A levels, and some degrees require particular subjects among them, so the first step is to check the entry requirements of the courses you might apply for. If you do not yet know what you want to study, choose subjects you are good at and enjoy, and keep at least one that many degrees ask for, such as mathematics or a science, if it suits you.
Which degrees require particular A levels?
Some courses cannot be started without a subject studied at A level. Mathematics degrees require A level mathematics, and physics and engineering degrees usually require mathematics and often physics too. Medicine usually asks for chemistry, often with biology or another science, and many economics degrees at the more selective universities ask for mathematics. The exact rules vary by university, so read the entry requirements on the course pages for two or three places before choosing.
Other degrees, such as law, history or psychology, rarely require a named A level, and universities are more interested in the grades and in subjects that show the skills the course uses, such as essay writing or handling data.
What if you do not know what you want to study yet?
Then choose subjects you enjoy and are likely to do well in, because the grades matter for almost every course and a subject you dislike is hard to sustain for two years. It is also worth keeping one subject that opens a wide range of degrees if it suits you: mathematics is required or preferred for a long list of science, engineering, economics and computing courses, so dropping it closes more doors than dropping most other subjects.
You may hear the phrase facilitating subjects, used for the A levels most often asked for. What counts in the end is the requirements of the particular courses you apply to, so the course pages are a better guide than any general list.
How many A levels should you take?
Three is the usual number and what most offers are based on. A fourth can make sense for a student who wants to take further mathematics alongside mathematics, or who is choosing between two directions, but universities do not usually ask for four, and three strong grades are worth more than four weaker ones.
The Extended Project Qualification is an optional extra alongside A levels: a piece of independent research of about 5,000 words, or an artefact with a written report, with around 120 guided hours. An A* is worth half the UCAS points of an A level A*, which the UCAS points calculator shows, and the EPQ guide says how universities treat it.
What should parents ask the school?
Ask which combinations the timetable allows, since some subjects run at the same time; what grade at GCSE the sixth form expects for each subject, because A level mathematics and the sciences usually build directly on the higher GCSE content; and whether a student can change a subject in the first few weeks if it turns out to be the wrong choice.
Where to check
Checked against these on . The rules change from year to year, so the pages above are the ones to trust if anything here disagrees with them.
Common questions
What A levels do you need for medicine?
Usually chemistry, and often biology or another science as well, but each medical school sets its own requirements. Check the entry requirements of the medical schools you are interested in before choosing.
Is it better to take three or four A levels?
For most students three. Offers are usually based on three, and three strong grades are worth more than four weaker ones. A fourth mainly makes sense for further mathematics, or while choosing between two directions.
Which A levels keep the most options open?
Mathematics is required or preferred for many science, engineering, economics and computing degrees, so it keeps a wide range open. Beyond that, choose subjects you enjoy and are likely to do well in.
Does the EPQ count for university?
It earns UCAS points, up to half an A level at A*, and gives you something substantial to write about in a personal statement. Whether a university changes its offer for it is set by each university, so check its course pages.