There are many different A Level courses on offer when home schooling, and so choosing the right ones for you can seem like a maze to navigate. By having a clear understanding of what you want to pursue in your education and career, such as the A Levels to be a lawyer, picking your courses becomes much easier.
We have outlined the key things to consider when selecting your A Levels at home. You can find the full selection of our courses here.
What Do You Want To Study?
This is the most important question to ask yourself when choosing your A Levels. Do you want to be a doctor? Or a lawyer? Perhaps an engineer? Universities will have specific requirements for different courses, so once you have a path to follow, selecting the A Levels you need for that discipline are easier to pick out.
For example, to become a lawyer, you typically benefit from having the following A Levels:
• English
• Politics
• History
To be a doctor, you will always need specific A Levels, including:
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Maths or Physics (studying both will open up more options)
It is useful to select subjects that complement each other, like the above. You will sometimes need to have studied the GCSE equivalent before studying the A Level course. The prerequisites for each A Level can be found on their respective course page.
A Levels To UCAS Points
The grade you receive for your A Level is assigned a point score, which universities then use to determine your entry suitability once all of your grades are added up.
Aiming to achieve your best should always be the goal, but if you think your UCAS score may be lower, consider what universities will accept that total.
The UCAS points tariff is as follows:
A Level
• A* – 56
• A – 48
• B – 40
• C – 32
• D – 24
• E – 16
Choose What You Enjoy
This may sound a little obvious, but ensure you are choosing A Levels for subjects and a career you enjoy. Picking A Levels based on what your friends are studying for example does not guarantee that you will enjoy the courses in the long term.
Likewise, consider your strengths. It is considerably easier to build motivation for a course you are studying, if it is a skill you possess.
Benefits Of Home Schooling
There are unique benefits to home schooling that can make choosing your A Levels that little bit easier. One such benefit is the ability to choose exactly which A Levels to study and how. A traditional school curriculum will require you to undertake a set structure of courses, whereas home schooling A Levels gives extra freedom to select your own, on a timetable to suit you.
Each of our A Levels are also built to match the same study material in schools, so you know you are studying the material universities will be looking for.
University applications are sent out by the thousands each year, with the personal statement a key ingredient. So it is important that yours stands out for all of the right reasons.
Before you start writing, it is important to consider the purpose of your personal statement. It is of course to represent you and your passion for the course you are applying for. But it is also important to understand how universities will use your personal statement.
For Universities that Don’t Interview:
• You should use the statement to represent yourself in the way you would want to come across in an interview.
For Universities that Do Interview:
• You should still use the statement to represent yourself, but think along the lines of what might make the university decide to offer you an interview. Ask yourself, why should they want to meet me?
Don’t Just Focus on Academics
Your academic background, predicted results and interests are of course a core part of your statement. However, universities also want to know more about you as a person.
It is always a good idea to write about extra-curricular activities. However, when doing so, try not to focus on explaining what your activities involve – a common mistake. Instead, write about what skills you have developed through them and how they will be valuable to you and the university if they offer you a place.
Get the Structure and Balance Right
There is no hard and fast rule of how many lines each part of your personal statement should be. Here, though, is a suggested guide:
Introduction – maximum 6 lines
Academic – up to 30 lines
Extra-Curricular – up to 10 lines
Conclusion – maximum 4 lines
You don’t have to stick to this rigidly. But try and get your proportions right. Your introduction should be strong and concise, you should discuss your academic information in detail (and keep it relevant), your extra-curricular information should be shorter (about a third of the size of your academic paragraph) and you should have a short conclusion.
Writing a Strong Introduction
One of the hardest parts of writing a personal statement is knowing how to start. The trick is to be succinct (get to the point) and keep it interesting. A good way to start is by briefly explaining why you have chosen the course you are applying for. You could explain your motivation for selecting it, demonstrate your understanding of it and express why it excites you.
You don’t have to say, “I have always wanted to do this.”
Don’t be afraid to show passion for your subject, but when you do, be honest. If someone has wanted to study their course since they were little, they will not be favoured over someone who was attracted to the course during a university open day.
Whenever and however you decide upon applying to a course, just make sure that you justify your reasons. Show the university that you are truly passionate and enthusiastic about the subject.
For more information on Personal Statements, you can visit UCAS’ official site. They offer further information and examples of statements: https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/how-write-ucas-undergraduate-personal-statement
According to research published by National Numeracy, approximately 17 million workers in the UK only have numeracy skills of a primary school child. That’s a staggering figure, constituting over 50% of the UK’s 2017 working population.
Numeracy is the skill of being able to work with and understand numbers. This includes understanding the rules of addition and subtraction, division and multiplication. It also includes knowing the rules of BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction). There is also the skill of working with decimals and fractions.
Poor numeracy also comes at a price. It is estimated that it costs the UK economy an eye-watering £20 billion each year. It’s no surprise, either, that those with poor numerical skills are twice as likely to be unemployed.
At the same time that the UK is seeing such low levels of numeracy, the digital age is overloading us with more numerical data than we’ve ever encountered before. Whilst computers can help do the Maths for us, calculations do rely on good numerical skills to use and apply them. It means we still need the ability to enter the right data and apply our judgement skills to decipher whether or not the answer looks correct.
Almost everyone will need to apply numeracy skills to varying degrees in their lives, be it during employment or personal life. If people do have poor numeracy skills it can lead to financial problems, and if many people have these problems it will have a marked impact on the ability of the nation to understand and grasp personal financial planning. This gives banks and financial institutions an unfair advantage over their account holders.
Research published by Experian and the charity National Numeracy (NN) highlighted that consumers who are more confident with numbers are more likely to have a better credit score than those who aren’t. Evidently there is much improvement needed in terms of the relevance and practical application of numerical skills taught in the UK curriculum.
On the need to place financial education firmly on the UK curriculum, Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert has said: “The best place to teach is in the classroom”, alluding to the need for better, and perhaps more importantly, relevant financial education in schools. Do you know your APR from your AER? Or the basic tax rate from the higher rate? Navigating the murky waters of bank accounts, tax, pensions and credit cards can cause many people to feel out of their depth. The bottom line is that good numeracy counts.
The good news is that you can start working on your numerical skills today. If you are curious to find out how your numeracy measures up, you can visit the National Numeracy Day website. Held each year to raise awareness of numeracy skills, you can take its challenge on the subject here: www.nnchallenge.org.uk/home/index.html?partner_code=nnd18
Let me get straight to the point and tell you one thing you should not be doing during exams time: stressing!
Many of you have now reached that point you have been preparing for, for so long, and are in the thick of exam season. You have probably read loads of articles on how to revise, how to stay calm on exam day, and so on, but how about what you should be doing while in the momentum of exams?
Hopefully, these tips will help you stay calm, focused and exam-ready.
1. Maintain a Healthy Work/Relaxation Balance
Have you ever been in that situation where you are reading and re-reading the same line in a book but nothing seems to be going into your head? And then you walk away, and come back to it later on, and you only have to read it once?
It is of course important to work hard. But it is just as important to relax.
There is no hard and fast rule for the ratio of working to relaxing. You need to find what works for you and when doing this, the best tip I can give you is, don’t wait until your attention is waning. Take a break while you are still feeling fresh. That way, when you relax, you will simply be taking a break, not ‘recovering’.
Also, think about what you are doing to relax. Since you are in the midst of studying and trying to remember lots of information, try not to do anything that clutters your brain for instance, reading a challenging book. Physical exercise is brilliant.
2. Stay Calm – You Will Never Know Everything!
When looking at last minute Exams revision, it is easy to find topics that you may not know fully and try and cram. But ask yourself, how well are you likely to know that topic after studying it last minute?
In my experience, cramming can work, but only for very small chunks of information, usually to support what you already know. Not when learning something brand new.
You will never know everything, so instead of trying, focus on knowing what you know thoroughly.
3. Study Strategically
Strategic study is key when it comes to exam technique.
You will naturally spend most of your time revising and learning topics – quite rightly. However, make sure that you don’t neglect understanding the assessment objectives – i.e. the criteria the examiner will use to mark your papers.
If you are not aware of the assessment objectives, it doesn’t matter how well you know a subject, you will not be able to craft answers to collect the most amount of marks possible.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (more commonly known as a DofE award) is a multi-tiered scheme that young people can enrol on to boost their prospects. Founded in 1956 by The Duke of Edinburgh, young people aged 14-24 complete activities across three levels for a gold, silver or bronze award. The action takes place across a period of six to eighteen months per award in four sections; volunteering, physical, skills, exhibition and residential.
There are so many benefits that come with participation, both during the activities involved and after, and those who’ve taken part have never hesitated to celebrate its appeal. But what are the rewarding aspects of a DofE award? Why should one partake? Well, any of the following reasons would make for a good answer…
Developing Skills
Obviously, someone can’t be bestowed with awards until they’ve achieved something, and to achieve something they need skills! The DofE principally involves teamwork and leadership skills, but also the improvement of fitness, communication, time management and orienteering. Because of the varied qualities that the award demands, young people can find a sense of self-sufficiency, purpose and fulfilment through their participation. After all, it’s worth pointing out that not everyone is academically inclined.
Thanks to its inclusive format, the DofE award plays a vital role; it gives all young people an opportunity to play to their non-academic strengths, or to be temporarily free from the endless gravy train of vigorous study, exams, results, and resits. Once they recognise that other skills are valued in broader society, such as caring for others or playing sport, they in turn are more likely to feel more useful, content and determined in the years ahead.
Improving Mental Health
Of course, once other skills come into play, things like self-worth and mental health can improve. What about those who are academically inclined, but still struggle with their own demons, though? Well, the DofE can still be rather therapeutic to such individuals, so it’s still worth the taking part!
Because much of the DofE involves orienteering and physical activity, spirits can be lifted on that level as well. After all, exercise and nature are proven to enhance moods and mental wellbeing, causing chemical changes in the brain that can boost one’s own self-esteem. It’s a different kind of challenge to rise to, and even things like fresh air and countryside tranquillity can help calm and relax people too!
The award is not isolating, either. Much of the DofE requires interaction with others and teamwork to problem solve. New friendships can develop and existing bonds can be nurtured, and in the end, no one goes through it all alone. Some of it is a literal adventure with camping and companions, so it might just provide the stimulating shakeup many young people may need in their lives.
Enhancing Applications
These days, everyone is desperate for a standout application. University degrees are more commonplace now than they were a few decades ago, and there’s a greater volume of people vying for the best entry level positions or university placements. Ambitions and aspirations have never been so high, but unfortunately, there’re only so many perfect opportunities to go around.
However, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award award is certainly an appealing addition to any application. In fact, both employers and universities are known to be impressed by those who have a DofE award on their CV and UCAS applications. It shows that they have outside interests, and lives that are built around goals that aren’t always academically charged. This can indicate to them that the applicant has a broader world view, a more varied lifestyle, and a willingness to engage with new activities and ideas.
A Break From City Life
Contrary to popular belief, cities aren’t everything. After all, for those living in them, it can be tough to consider life outside the urban sprawl. They often struggle to contend with the drawbacks of city life, too. Toilets that charge per use, endless concrete, tarmac, cars, crowded streets and parks, and more. While urban life can be extremely appealing in terms of entertainment, activity and stimulation, sometimes the best kind of life is a varied one.
The DofE provides an opportunity for young city-dwellers to literally get out into the world. During their camping exhibitions and rigorous activities, they’ll come across stretches of fields and woods seldom visited. There are beautiful landscapes to view in all their majesty, and an endless supply of fresh air that’s completely free of pollution. For those who’ve grown up in the big city, a DofE award will help them recognise that there’s a big wide world out there.
Prison Rehabilitation
Many young people lose their way, and unfortunately end up in places like young offenders’ institutions or prisons. Some serve sentences for less serious offences. Others are more violent in nature, caused by the rise of things like knife crime across the cityscape. However, sooner or later, these young people will be released. Therefore, it’s in everyone’s best interests to ensure that when they’re free to go, they’re the best versions of themselves so that they don’t re-offend.
This is where the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award comes in. It has played a part in rehabilitating young people as they have served their sentences, and has ultimately improved their outlook and attitude on release. Some convicts use the award to escape a poor upbringing or to break free of their destructive circumstances. Whatever their reasons, the chance to turn criminals into law abiding members of society is an opportunity too good to miss.
Would you agree that finding the right university can be challenging? In the UK, there are approximately 130 universities offering academic courses, so many of us can feel overwhelmed by such an abundance of options. You will find some tried and tested techniques below to help you find the best university, whether in the UK or internationally.
Finding your preferred university options is a project in itself. It is a bit like planning a trip. The more you investigate the route, read about the sights in advance, and ask people who have already visited, the more successful your trip will be. So let’s get started…
Researching University is Key
Begin with a three-step approach: researching alumni, faculty and university rankings. If the university provides an opportunity to connect you with alumni members, take advantage of it. Talk to former students about their university experience. Ask them about what they enjoyed most and what they wish had been different. Do not forget to explore the list of faculty members who teach at the university. You can browse their profiles online and find out what academic projects they have been involved in. Being taught by remarkable academics is one of the things which will make your university experience most rewarding.
Meet Face-to-Face
Universities like to represent themselves at student recruitment fairs. It gives them an opportunity to meet face-to-face with aspiring candidates. Shortlist a number of your university choices based on your research. Keep in mind that first impressions are paramount. You really want to make sur all your interactions are positive, professional and polished. Take a business card of the admissions, marketing or student recruitment officer you have talked to and do stay in touch with them if you have further questions.
Explore the wider city or town you will be living in. Are there inspiring events taking place outside of the university you are considering? Oxford, Cambridge and London provide a lavish range of events like no other UK cities. There will be plenty of things to do in most major cities of course, as you’d expect. Conferences, festivals, science and academic events offer vibrant opportunities to be involved in and enhance your student experience. Whether you are interested in art, literature, dancing or science, there will be no shortage.
Finding your best university is also similar to planning a trip. The more you investigate, the more likely you are to make the right decisions. Ask lots of questions. Research online and face-to-face. And enjoy the journey.
