Making Your Choices

Choosing a handful of subjects to take at A-level isn't a decision you should take lightly.

The A-levels you pick now can impact what you do later, namely the courses you can apply to at university (and which universities will consider you). There is some helpful advice here.

That said, if you don't know what you want to do in the future, you can still make smart choices now that will leave you in the best position in two years' time. Facilitating subjects are a handful of A-level subjects commonly asked for in universities’ entry requirements, regardless of the course you’re applying to – this makes them a good choice to keep your options open.
 
The facilitating subjects are: Biology, Chemistry, English, Geography, History, Maths, Modern and classical languages, Physics.

If you don’t know what you’ll want to study at university, it can pay off later to take one or two of these. Be aware, some universities openly discourage students from taking certain combinations of A-level subjects, particularly when subjects are very similar like business studies and economics – something to bear in mind when you're making your choices.

 

UCAS Subject Guides

UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) provide a really useful overview of typical entry requirements on many of the most popular courses in the country. You can find this information here