Science, language, arts and humanities subjects are all available at A-Level. Many of these subjects build on knowledge students have gained at GCSE. As a result, it is necessary for students to pass and achieve good grades in relevant GCSE subjects before moving onto A-Levels.
New subjects, offered for the first time at A-Level, may require high grades in related GCSE courses – for example, an A in Maths is often necessary to study A-Level Economics and students hoping to take A-Level Italian are recommended to have strong grades in another language at GCSE. Some subjects, such as Geography and Drama, are exceptions to these rules and can be taken without GCSE study.
Law, Accounting and Media Studies are examples of vocational subjects that can be taken for the first time at A-Level. Vocational courses provide an interesting glimpse into professional life for students. They are considered ‘soft’ subjects in comparison to many academic subjects. Students wishing to apply to competitive courses at renowned universities, such as Law or Finance at Oxbridge or University College London (UCL), are strongly advised to take a greater number of academic rather than vocational subjects at A-Level.