*This is a collaborative post
If your child’s thinking of going to university, they will need to think about what they will need to study in order to get there. That might be a specific BTEC or a series of A Level courses. If they’ve chosen to go down the A level route, they will have the choice of up to 4 to study. Around 20 hours of scheduled study time is expected and outside of that, independent study is a must for good grades. Unlike GCSE’s, the qualifications themselves are much more demanding and there’s increased individual responsibility which can be good practice for the future when at university. If you’re new to A Levels and want to learn more, here’s a short guide that we’ve created for you with an independent school in Somerset.
Study Hours
20 hours, or around 3 and ½ days of attendance are expected every week when studying A Levels. In addition to that, pupils are recommended to complete an hour of independent study for every hour that they spend in class. This is so that they can consolidate and expand their learning.
Options
There’s a broad range of options that your child will be able to choose from, however this will all depend on when classes run and whether they conflict with one another. For smaller colleges/sixth forms, classes only run at select times due to demand and is something that they will need to look at. An option is to also study them in conjunction with a BTEC. This will of course come down to the study hours required and whether feasible.
Longer Term Goals
They will also need to think about the future and what their long-term goal is. If that's to do medicine, it’s a good idea to consult university sites and UCAS to see what A levels are needed.
