Priestley College is an inclusive college. This commitment to inclusivity is a commitment to all Priestley students, telling them that Priestley will support them to leave the college with the best outcomes possible for them.
Our commitment to inclusivity means that we offer a wide range of courses and programme types, with purely vocational, purely A-Level, mixed vocational and A-Level, and T-Level programmes on offer.
This guidance is designed to help high achieving students who would be candidates for our Graduate programme (LINK) to ensure that the course combination that they choose will facilitate their future plans.
This advice is primarily aimed at students applying to Oxford, Cambridge and other competitive Russell Group universities.
Why is subject choice important?
According to UCAS’ 2021 ‘What Next?’ Report, as many as 20% of students say they were unable to study degree subjects that interested them because they didn’t receive good advice from their school on which A-levels and GCSEs to pick.
Subject-specific advice
Science in General:
A student intent on studying a Science degree at Oxford or Cambridge ought to be taking at least three science subjects out of: Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Further Mathematics.
Engineering:
Students wanting to study Engineering at a top Russell Group like Oxford, Cambridge or Imperial ought to be studying all of Maths, Further Maths and Physics at A-Level.
Psychology:
Psychology is a science, so most universities like students to apply with Psychology alongside another science, like Biology. Some universities consider Psychology to meet their science requirements, though this should be checked on a case-by-case basis. For Oxford and Cambridge, Biology, Maths, Psychology and another subject like Chemistry is a good combination.
Medicine:
Students wanting to study medicine at a Russell Group university ought to have taken Chemistry with either Maths, Further Maths, Biology or Physics. The most sensible combination for a medic is Chemistry, Biology and Maths. The fourth subject can come from any discipline, so long as it adds to your skill set. A language, History or English Literature can be a good option if you would like to mix up your combination.
Economics:
For Economics at LSE and Cambridge, one should take Maths and Further Maths alongside two additional subjects. History, Geography, Economics and Languages are good subjects to add.
Humanities and Social Sciences, including Law, PPE and Politics:
The best ‘core subjects’ to take from are English Literature/English Language and Literature, History, Mathematics and Languages. These subjects can then be complemented by a range of other subjects that we offer at Priestley including Classical Civilisation, Economics, English Language, Further Mathematics, Politics, Law, Music, Philosophy, Psychology, Religious Studies, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Sociology and Geography.
Top tips for choosing your A-Level subjects
Do your research: start from university admissions criteria and work backwards.
We do not want you to be in a position where you are unable to make a competitive application for a particular university or degree course because your subjects aren’t suitable.
If you are really intent on going to Oxford or Cambridge, have a look at subjects that have less applications per place. These tend to be things like Classics, Languages and English.
The ‘This Subject Matters’ pamphlet from the University of Cambridge is a great place to start, as is Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge’s guidance.
Take subjects that will upskill you.
These tend to be subjects that will stretch and challenge you, at once teaching you content and giving you the tools for academic literacy. Languages are a prime example of this. Even if you aren’t keen on pursuing a degree in modern languages, taking a language at A-Level will serve you well both in university admissions and also when looking for a job later on down the line.
The requirement to take four subjects at AS at Priestley College means that you have the opportunity to add value to your standard three subject A-Level package. Use your fourth subject wisely to upskill yourself.
Remember that narrowing your choices at this stage may be necessary to open more doors later down the line.
This may mean choosing one or all of your A-Levels in accordance with university admissions criteria.
Useful links
This Subject Matters from the University of Cambridge sets out Cambridge’s A-Level subject guidance. LINK: chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/the_subject_matters.pdf
Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge have produced a webinar and a concrete matrix on subject choice. LINK: https://www.lucy.cam.ac.uk/subject-choice-guidance
Any questions?
If you have any questions that you would like to be answered by the Graduate Tutor, please complete this Google form to receive a response via email: https://forms.gle/kAYBxCE9RNMJZPq59
