For many, it doesn’t bear thinking about, to be honest. Plenty of England's students have turned away from the idea of higher education altogether. In these economic times, who can afford to spend another few years in school? Instead, students direct their efforts to landing apprenticeships. Doing an apprenticeship, the difference between A-Levels and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) matters far less.

Starting an apprenticeship is one of three options open to students once they complete their General Certificate of Secondary Education - GCSEs. The other two, a work-learn hybrid and college, involve a formal education setting. Parents have a say in their learners' decisions, too. Some caregivers push for college and A-Levels, no matter what.

The current, tight jobs market and low wages speak for staying in school. Today's employers seem to prefer hiring those that have a university degree. That's another point in favour of prolonging one's formal education. Are there any more? Let's see what students have to look forward to as they start their A-Level studies.

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AQA General Studies A-Level From a Personal Perspective

One of the best things about GCSEs is that they signal the end of having to get up early and be in class all day, every day. Sure, what's ahead might be a bit anxiety-inducing. But there are bound to be good parts, too, right?

Four smiling students sitting in a row in a campus library, in front of computer monitors.
Your first few days in Sixth Form could be bliss if you meet pupils you click with!

You'll Meet New People

My Sixth Form was attached to my secondary school. Too bad so many of my mates chose another path! Only a few transferred over with me so we were very much a minority. Most of my friends from Sixth Form came from different schools.

Just like any student starting in a new school, you (and every other learner) will be somewhat nervous. You might not know too many people. But nothing is stopping you from getting to know them. It's a whole new chance to make friends who don't know about any of the moments you'd rather forget.

Aside from meeting new people and making friends, you’ll have the chance to help others. You might get some sound educational advice from them. You could even go over A-Level preparation strategies with some of your new mates. I’m not sure I would have survived A-Level Mathematics without the help of 'that new guy.’

AS Level Meaning: More Independence

In many ways, Key Stage 4 was just like the ordinary school experience. You woke up early and went to school. You were in class all day. Your teacher (may have) assigned homework. You revised for exams. Things don't work that way in Sixth Form.

Right from the get-go, you’ll find you aren’t in class all time.  You’ll have large stretches of time with no lessons to attend. Tempting though it might be to indulge yourself, you should make good use of all that free time. Start your homework or do some independent study.  Why the latter?

From a Learning Perspective: A-Level Marks and Grades

Not too long ago, the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) exams counted towards students' Advanced-Level (A-Level) marks. Also, AS and A-Level exams were modular. That meant the exam's questions were organised into discrete blocks. If you earned low marks on one module, you could resit just that module. All of this is no more.

Today, A-Levels have a linear structure, which means your marks are cumulative throughout the exam. If you fail to earn passing grades, you will have to resit the whole test. Also, you'll sit AS-level exams but those marks will not count towards your A-Levels results as they did in the past. There's nevertheless a very good reason for the two-year Advanced course of study.

AS Level vs A-Level: You Won’t Make it Just on Your Knowledge

Think of your AS year as a transition year. It's meant to give you the most opportunity to choose the courses you really want. Most students select five or six AS courses. After a year of working on them, they figure out which ones they will stick with for their Advanced year.

For a GCSE and AS levels, you'll likely find that, sometimes, studying a lot on top of your homework isn’t necessary.  If you know your stuff, more often than not, you'll get through it all just fine. AS Level might prove a bit more trying, but only just a little.

That doesn’t cut it when it comes to A Levels. You'll be introduced to many new concepts. That means you need to take more time to go over what you’ve learnt.  Sometimes, the material carries little real-world value (or so you’ll think) so you won’t be able to think ‘well, I’ll know it.’ Speaking of practical material…

Advanced Subsidiary Level: Things Will Get Theoretical

Remember in Science classes when you did Physics-type learning?  You’ll have learnt about electricity and voltage and other real-world stuff.  When you start on those A Levels though…

You might find yourself confronted with more theory and less real-world. In fact, you may be exposed to as-yet unproven theories. To stick with the Physics example, you’ll learn about leptons and quarks and gluons. The formation of atoms and even some about quantum mechanics. These are theories that even scientists do not fully understand.

Of course, you might not study A-Level Physics. You might select A-Level IT - Information Technology. Many say that's where all the future jobs are, after all. But guess what? There, too, you'll have a theory component to contend with. What if your interest runs to psychology? There's theory there, too. And remember the A-Level's linear structure. You have to pass the theory as well as practical parts of your exams.

A class full of seated students with one young woman standing, with a backpack over one shoulder and a green-covered book in her arms.
Your college teachers expect you to adapt to real-world conditions while in college. Photo by javier trueba on Unsplash

Year 1 A-Level Courses From the Teachers' Perspective

Should you care about what teachers think? Probably not about every little thing. But you should consider that Sixth Form teachers are not like the teachers you had in secondary school. They don't have a mandate to ensure every student keeps up with class. That responsibility fell onto you somewhere between secondary school and college. They won't even subject you to exams after every study unit.

They're not going to coddle you or excuse you if you're having a bad day. They will expect you to behave like the nearly young adult that you are. They will be far more impersonal than any other teacher you've ever learned from. But you'll likely learn more from them than any other teacher. For instance, if you ask your teacher what use you'll get out of studying A-Level politics, you'll probably be treated to an extended discussion over the need for young people to be more politically aware.

Depending on your college, your teacher probably has advanced teaching credentials. Somewhere in the doctorate range. They most likely have extensive teaching experience, too. What does that do for you?

You Chose to be Here

First, you had to sit GCSEs.  Now you’re in Sixth Form… and don’t the teachers go on about it. You’re there because you chose that option. You wanted to further your education. You had other options, didn't you?

You’ll find that teachers will use this as a clever way of heaping the pressure on you. You used to be able to say ‘Well, I have to bear it’ about anything education-related. But your educational 'have-to's ended once you sat your school leaving exams. From then on, you'll be held accountable for every choice you make, maddening or not. So why do teachers pile on the pressure?

In the first place, to get you used to that sort of accountability. You'll be held to that standard for the rest of your life, after all. Beyond that, it's most likely because your teachers just want to see you succeed. I guess that’s not the most obvious answer. It seems as though there must be something in it for them, too. The best advice is to take their grumblings on the chin and keep your focus on what you are working towards.

Teachers Can’t Wait for You to Leave

Not you, personally. Your entire student group. I’m not being mean or nasty when I say this, but teachers really do want their students to move on.

My Sixth Form head said that the whole point of college is to prepare students for their next stage of life. Suddenly, that accountability theory makes sense, doesn't it? As you currently hang halfway between childhood and adulthood, it all stands to reason that things will be a little bit different. The level and type of support you get from your Sixth Form teachers will be different. Your workload and the expectations placed on your will be greater.

You might have to fill out a Progress File and mark out different achievements. Maybe you will have to include a CV, which implies you will have to write one.  All of these tasks seemingly unrelated to education will be useful in later life. So what if your teachers act like they can't wait to be done with you? Just think of it as them being keen for you to spread your wings and take flight once they've loaded you up on real-world experience.

A woman in a tan jumper cradles a thick book in her left arm while looking at a full bookshelf with a worried expression
Plotting your university study path can be stress-inducing. Photo by Eliabe Costa on Unsplash

A-Level Pass Grades: the Real Stress Inducer

If you’ve ever felt that something was really important for your future… yeah, you’ll get that again. I am, of course, talking about the UCAS application. Have you combed through the UCAS course catalogue yet? If so, did you happen to notice that most courses list a minimum required grade series for enrolment?

Under Qualifications Requirements on each UCAS subject page, you'll find that specification. A-Levels AAA or maybe ABB or some combination thereof. For Physics - to stay with our example, you'll need A*AA. The A*, of course, stands for a perfect result.

Of course, you'll strive for the best marks so these minimum requirements shouldn't matter too much. Still, you need to know what your preferred course of study requires. That knowledge could serve as your motivation to keep your nose to the grindstone, study-wise. As for completing the UCAS registration process...

You’ll get some help and guidance with it when you’re in Year 12, nearing the end of the summer term.  Ironically, it’ll be some of the best support you’ve ever received at school. But it comes only towards the very end of your time there!

UCAS enrolment can be a stressful process. Keep that in mind. You have to be meticulous and pay attention to details. As for that personal statement you have to write?  Getting the wording right is never easy. Luckily, your teachers are ready and willing to help you. But you have to ask.

In Conclusion: Are A-Levels Important?

The job market seems to be built for those who are leaving university with a degree in hand and a mortarboard on their head. What does that mean for you, who are 16 years or maybe a bit older? You and everybody else who is in your shoes are trying to work out what they’re going to do. Should you/they leave school at the first chance or forge ahead with formal education?

Some wonder whether they should go off and start an apprenticeship. Maybe earning a Higher National Diploma (HND) or a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) would be the better path? Or should you enrol in a Sixth Form College?

If you choose the latter, what options do you have? You could go for your International Baccalaureate (IB), which is considered an A-Levels equivalent. That route will open a lot of doors, particularly if you want to study abroad. Or you could just stick with the standard, go-to route. You can select up to five AS-level courses and winnow your course load down to three A-Levels for your second year at college.

Going to Sixth Form is the most attractive route for many students. Speaking from the jobs perspective, you could land a decent apprenticeship with well-graded GCSEs. And maybe taking the IB route is a step too far. Going back to the first sentence of this article though…

The prospect of two more years in school doesn’t appeal to everyone. Even after reading this article, some learners might be a little unsure as to what to expect. Some people want to choose a different option, but their prospects don’t look so bright. And plus, there's all that family pressure; your parents and other relatives insisting that university must be in your future.

That’s why many students ultimately decide to go down the Sixth Form path. Throughout this article, we've looked at what you should expect when you get into a Sixth Form. Studying for your IB isn't much different than for A-Levels. Indeed, you can expect many of the same features we've already pointed out. You’ll meet new people, experience different challenges and get prepared for the next phase of your life.

A woman in a black jumper with her hair in a bun holding a book over her face
Your A-Level results depend on how well you see the challenge through. Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Are A-Levels Important? Please Just Persevere!

Studying college-level courses will be tough. Sixth Form is a massive step up from secondary school and GCSEs. That will be apparent from the start. But even if you're not looking forward to another two years of school, your intellectual curiosity will embrace the challenge. Soon, you'll find yourself relishing your course work.

On a personal note, now. When I chose communication and culture as one of my subjects, I had no idea what I was in for. I just thought it would be an easy subject I could sleepwalk through. I was aiming for a completely different university degree plan; one of a more scientific nature. I wanted an effortless subject so I could focus my studies on the two courses I thought I wanted.

That throwaway subject was an eye-opening experience, to say the least. I learned about so many cultural markers that have shifted in just the last 20 years! And it delivered so many transferable skills: public speaking, leadership, critical thinking and more. What if I had discarded it, as I intended to do?

Just keep this in mind: success in college is just as much about sticking with it and never quitting. If only you get it into your head that this is what you’ve been building up to. It’s time for you to start thinking about what you want from and for your life. Like, me, you may find yourself taking a completely different direction than you originally intended.

Will you get everything you’ve ever wanted? Out of life or, indeed, out of school? Who can say, when you're only just getting started making your choices. Whatever you do, though, just face the challenge head-on. Now you know that GCSEs are/were a comparable walk in the park. A Levels and the IB are not easy. But you've got the drive to succeed, so you will be OK. Best of luck to you!

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Brentyn

Avid movie-goer, reader, skier and language learner. Passionate about life, food and travelling.