Advanced Level courses are intellectually demanding. Only consider taking on these courses if you are sure you can cope. Ensure that you choose wisely; your decisions will directly influence your future career and further education prospects.
Select subjects you will enjoy and are good at - studying a subject that does not interest you can prove very difficult! You will almost certainly need to consult your teachers in relation to this but do bear in mind that Advanced Levels are often very different to GCSEs.
Certain university courses require specific A levels. Most of these are fairly obvious, for example, if you want to study pharmacy you need to do chemistry (plus at least one from biology, physics or maths). Some are less obvious, for example, if you want to study economics, you sometimes need to do maths but not necessarily economics. You do not need to do A level law to do a law degree.
Certain subjects open up more university options. These are referred to as ‘facilitating’subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, English, geography, history, maths, or a language.
Some universities have a list of subjects that they do not accept for certain courses and some universities discourage certain combinations. For example, some universities do not like students doing both economics and business studies as they think they are too similar.
Many universities and courses will consider you whatever A levels you may do. For example, courses such as law, archaeology, politics and surveying do not normally have essential course requirements. A levels are possibly the hardest exams you will have to do so make sure you choose something that you are going to enjoy or at least put up with!
Get advice. There are some really good websites that will give you information, for example the Which University guide. It is also worth looking at the UCAS (university admissions) website to find out about the courses and A level requirements from specific universities
BTECs have a vocational focus and are completed in stages rather than be assessed on terminal examinations. The BTEC level 3 is equivalent to studying A levels. Most universities will accept BTEC qualifications but choices can sometimes be more limited.
If you intend to go to university bear in mind that it is not just about A levels or BTECs! Make sure you make the most of the opportunities to develop yourself in other ways, such as getting involved in extra-curricular activities as well as ensuring you get good references. You will have lots of opportunities to do this in the Campion Sixth Form.
BTEC courses offered at Campion are:
A-Level grades are awarded based on examinations taken after 2 years. If the course has a coursework element, this is also submitted at the end of Year 13. This means that from the start of Year 12, the vast majority of students will do 3 A levels and supplement their programme of study with options from a range of enrichment activities, such as the Extended Project Qualification.
University offers are based on 3 A levels. Students are also encouraged to show evidence of independent learning and extended interest in their chosen field. We ensure that there are opportunities to do this at Campion. In limited cases some students may be able to take 4 A levels. This is at the discretion of the headmaster.
Students are invited to choose A levels from the following:
Please note that certain courses may not run if there is insufficient demand. Certain subject combinations may prove not to be possible due to how subjects are allocated in blocks.