The list of the best A-levels to take is determined by the difficulty, respect, value, online resources available, and importance of the subject. This list will help you select the perfect subject combination for your A-levels.
What are the Best A-levels to Take?
- A-level Maths
- A-level Chemistry
- A-level Biology
- A-level Physics
- A-level Economics
- A-level Further Maths
- A-level Computer Science
- A-level Modern Foreign Languages
- A-level Psychology
- A-level History
1. A-level Maths
A-level Maths is one of the most valuable subjects. It is an essential pre-requisite for several University courses such as Engineering, Physics, Economics, Accounting, Architecture etc.
A-level Maths develops mathematical reasoning in students. It allows students to critically and mathematically analyze any situation. It helps students become better problem solvers. These are some reasons why A-level Maths is the best subject.
A-level Maths provides students with a basic understanding of Calculus. Calculus is used practically everywhere in this technologically advanced world; to build bridges, to trade stocks, to make buildings, develop software etc.
Although A-level Mathematics is quite hard, the difficulty can be managed by practice. The plethora of quality online resources for A-level Maths make it easy to become good at A-level maths. This is another reason which makes A-level maths one of the finest and best A-level.
A-level Maths is highly respected amongst students, universities and employers. This is due to the importance of maths in our daily lives. It also explains why A-level Maths is one of the most popular subjects.
2) A-level Chemistry
A-level Chemistry is the second-best subject on this list. This is because A-level Chemistry is a pre-requisite for Engineering and Medicine related courses at university. A-level Chemistry is one of the most important subjects for a science student.
Just like Maths, A-level Chemistry has a huge amount of online resources available. You will have access to Youtube Videos explaining key concepts, concise notes to summarize topics, solved past papers, and revision guides. All these resources make studying for A-level Chemistry significantly easier.
A-level Chemistry is highly respected since it leads to several medium to high paying careers. A-level Chemistry can lead to a career in chemical engineering, forensic science, geochemistry, materials science, pharmacology and an academic researcher.
Much of the respect A-level Chemistry gets, is due to the extreme difficulty students encounter when studying it. In my opinion, it is amongst the top 3 most difficult A-level Subjects. It has challenging concepts, tough exams, and insanely hard labs.
A-level Chemistry teaches you several skills including time management, critical thinking, analyzing various situations, mathematical reasoning, applying prior knowledge in unfamiliar contexts, and lab skills.
A-level Chemistry will definitely stretch you, but at the same time, you will learn a lot. The only reason students are hesitant to take A-level Chemistry is because of how challenging it is. Otherwise, it is an extremely useful and important subject. This is why it holds second place in my list of best A-levels.
3) A-level Biology
A-level Biology is another top subject that you should definitely go for, especially if you want to study Medicine and related fields.
A-level Biology will open many opportunities for you. You can pursue a career as a doctor, nurse, biotechnologist, microbiologist, nanotechnologist, marine biologist, and a pharmacologist. As you can expect, all of these paths will lead to a high-paying career.
A-level Biology is quite a hard subject but relatively less difficult as compared to A-level Further Maths or Chemistry. The A-level Biology syllabus is massive but the concepts are straightforward.
There are quite a few Biology resources available to help students ace their exams. In fact, the entire Biology course is available online.
Medicine is one of the most competitive and respected fields. You must get top grades in Biology to stand a chance at a Medical career. Overall Biology is one of the finest and best A-levels you can choose from.
4) A-level Physics
A-level Physics is one of the best A-levels to study because of the value and respect it has in the real world, the transferable skills you learn, and as a pre-requisite for engineering courses at university.
A-level Physics is the study of energy and matter and how they are interlinked. Everything in this universe involves matter and energy. Thus the study of Physics is essential in this rapidly modernizing world.
The transferable skills you can learn in A-level Physics will remain with you for the rest of your life. You will learn time management, problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, analyzing physical situations, researching, and laboratory skills.
A-level Physics is highly respected since it is such an important and difficult subject. Few people take A-level Physics and even fewer get good grades in it. The high degree of mathematical application in unfamiliar contexts makes Physics an extremely challenging subject.
All of the engineering courses at universities require A-level Physics as a pre-requisite. Even for degrees such as Computer Science, Maths, Information Technology, Chemistry and Medicine it is highly recommended.
These are some of the reasons why A-level Physics is one of the finest and best A-level Subject you can study.
5) A-level Economics
A-level Economics is the best A-level subject alongside Maths for commerce students. Whether you want to go into Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, or Entrepreneurship, you need to have an Economics background.
Some of the best resources available online are for A-level Economics students. The entire A-level Economics course can be studied from home. Moreover, there is no practical component in A-level Economics, unlike Physics or Chemistry. The lack of practical labs in Economics makes self-study so much easier.
There are Youtube videos which clearly explain difficult concepts, revision notes for the entire syllabus, flashcards for remembering important details and solved past papers to assist students with answering questions.
Universities respect A-level Economics more than any other commerce; even more than Accounts and Business Studies.
Account related jobs are quickly becoming automated whereas Business Studies is considered a relatively easy subject. Economics, however, has retained its value in the market and its difficulty has remained consistent over the years.
6) A-level Further Maths
A-level Further Maths is a highly respected subject that is extremely valuable in Engineering and IT-related fields. I have put this subject lower than other A-levels in the list of the best A-levels to take, as it is not a requirement in Medicine, Psychology, Literature and other commerce-related fields. In fact, it is not even in the recommended list for several subjects.
Furthermore, the online resources for A-level Further Maths are few and far in between. Less than 2% of all A-level students take Further Maths. It is highly unpopular and there are not enough Youtube videos and other online sources to make self-study a reasonable venture. It is definitely possible but quite difficult to do without a good teacher.
Furthermore, the workload associated with Further Maths deters students from taking it. Many students want to have fun rather than spend 2-3 hours every day studying mathematics. Unless your definition of fun is solving problem sets you should seriously consider the workload before enrolling for A-level Further Maths
Despite the workload and difficulty, A-level Further Maths is extremely popular amongst and important for students wanting to pursue Maths, Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science at university. All these degrees require a strong mathematics foundation and studying Further Maths at A-level will give you a jumpstart.
Having a strong grade in A-level Further Maths will give you the competitive edge at the top universities in the country; especially in the Maths and Science fields.
7) A-level Computer Science
A-level Computer Science is becoming increasingly popular amongst students thanks to the ever-increasing tech jobs. The reason Computer Science features so low on the list of the best A-levels to take is due to the lack of available online resources and the fact that universities generally do not require A-level Computer Science to study an IT related course at university.
A-level Computer Science is a relatively new subject; as a result, there are few online resources to cater to students. More importantly, the textbooks available for Computer Science students are not of the same quality as those available for the traditional sciences such as Physics and Chemistry.
IT and Computer Science related courses at university are very maths heavy. Universities would rather see maths prowess than programming skills when selecting students for the course. It is no wonder that A-level Computer Science is only a recommended subject whereas Maths is a pre-requisite. In fact, having Further Maths can make your application significantly stronger.
Overall Computer Science is amongst the best A-levels since it gives students the closest introduction to an IT and Computer Science. Moreover, A-level Computer Science is quite respected thanks to the difficult exams and complicated concepts involved.
8) A-level Modern Foreign Languages
A-level Modern Foreign Languages gives students a chance to study Frech, German and Spanish. It is an extremely difficult A-level, is highly respected, improves students’ mental capabilities, and allows students to learn a second language and its associated history and culture.
Modern Foreign Languages is a very hard A-level. This is because your speaking, written and hearing competency are tested in the exams. You will be penalized for the smallest of slips in grammar and punctuation. Moreover, you will also be asked to study various aspects of the culture and history of the country where the language is spoken.
Learning a second language can provide huge benefits to your brain and overall personality. Mastering two languages make you sharper, enhances your ability to multi-task, increases your visual and hearing abilities, improves your creativity, and magnifies your concentration.
However, studying A-level Modern Foreign Languages will force you to sacrifice one of your more important A-levels such as Maths or Chemistry unless you are willing to study the 4th A-level. Moreover, the foreign languages are not very popular since they offer little utilitarian value and restrict the type of jobs you can apply for.
Although a great subject it is quite low on the list of the Best A-levels to take
9) A-level Psychology
A-level Psychology is one of the most popular A-levels since it is quite relaxing and fun. The subject content is relatively straightforward and the exams are essay-based.
However, the job market for those pursuing Psychology and related fields is quite saturated and the wages are not top-tier either which explains why it is not at the top of the list of the best A-levels to take.
A-level Psychology lectures are full of lively discussions, interesting case studies, and many group projects. The overall atmosphere is quite relaxed and people are not really stressing about the exams as you would see in a Physics or Maths lecture.
It is not practical or possible to carry out complex research on human brains at the A-level. Hence A-level students rely on the case studies of former scientists and psychologists.
For the most part, A-level Psychology is a great subject and you should definitely make it part of your subject combination. The consensus of students is quite positive regarding Psychology.
10. A level History
A-level History will help you develop critical thinking skills and learn about your past at the same time. You have probably heard the quote, “history repeats itself;” undoubtedly history has the power of teaching you timeless lessons.
The downside to taking A-level History is that you might miss out on the chance of getting as many high paying job offers as someone who went the traditional science or maths route. This explains why A-level History is not at the top of the best subjects list.
Nonetheless, A-level History is very interesting and students can verify how much fun they have whilst studying it. The two difficult aspects of A-level History are getting familiar with the rigid essay structure examiners demand and memorizing a massive syllabus.
Examiners expect an in-depth analysis of historical events rather than a mere regurgitation of facts.
There is a vast number of online resources to help fascilitate your studying of A-level History.
Overall, you will not regret taking A-level History especially if you need it to fill the pre-requisites of your course at university. Having a strong passion for the subject will make the subject enjoyable and less challenging.
Conclusion
Choosing the right subjects for your A-levels is a difficult decision and you must carefully explore the options. This website has several articles about individual A-level subjects to inform you of what to expect.
The list of the Best A-level Subjects to take is a reflection of the general view of students. This list was created by comparing the respect, value, difficulty, importance, future scope, and resources available for different A-level subjects.
The subjects not mentioned in this list are perfectly good options. This article should not discourage you from exploring subjects other than the ones on this list. Ultimately, only you can determine what subjects to choose; depending on your preferences, goals, capabilities, and future aspirations.