After you have finished your GCSEs you will have decisions to make about your future. You may decide to get a job, stay on at school or to go to college. This leaflet looks at the options available if you decide to stay on and do A levels/AS levels or Vocational A levels.
In Year 13 you will be offered the chance to take a variety of AS qualifications. An AS level (3 units) covers the first half of the full GCE A level course. It
is a qualification in its own right. Then in Year 14 you may progress from AS level to an A level qualification. The second half of the A level course (3 more units) is called A2. An A2 is
not a qualification in its own right. The three AS units together with the three A2 units give a complete Advanced level qualification.
AS and A levels are not the only things to change. To help mix and match your qualifications, Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education (AVCE) formerly known as Advanced GNVQ can now be taken as 12 unit awards (broadly equivalent to two A levels) or 6 unit awards (equivalent to one Alevel) and will be graded on the same A-E scale. There are also three unit AVCE awards in business, engineering, health and social care and ICT, which are called vocational AS levels.
You will have choices to make. It is important to speak to your Careers Teacher and Careers Adviser to discuss these and the other choices available to you.
DecisionsBefore you decide which route to take, stop and think about what you want to do with your life. Get to know yourself a little better by asking yourself the following questions and writing down your answers.
• Which subjects do I like?
• Which subjects am I good at?
• Which subjects will I need for my chosen career?
• What is my preferred way of learning?
• What is my preferred type of assessment, ie. exams or coursework?
• What are my hobbies and interests?
• What are my skills and abilities?
• What am I good at, ie. a good listener? good with computers? being creative?
Having drawn up your own personality profile, you then need to think about what type of job or career suits your personality.
What’s right for you?Once decided on the type of job or career you want, you need to think about how to get there. For some jobs and careers, you will need the right qualifications so you will have to do some research into what course tutors want. Do they prefer GCE A levels/AS levels or Vocational A levels?
If you are interested on taking a degree course, some courses will require particular subjects at A level or AVCE. You may even need a combination of subjects at A level for some degree courses, especially science based courses. Check the entrance requirements for the courses you are considering. Once you’ve started your research into entry qualifications for higher education courses, you may find out that it isn’t just a question of picking the right subjects but also of getting the grades. This means that you will have to work hard for at least another year or longer if you decide to take GCE or Vocational A levels. Knowing in advance that any course you take after your GCSEs is a big commitment should help you think about which type of course would suit you better.
Given that you have so much choice about what to do next, you need to do a lot of research. Visit the careers library, talk to Careers Advisers, Careers Teachers or tutors about the course you would like to take after your GCSEs.
You might also find it helpful to talk to university admissions tutors if you intend going to university. Visiting colleges and universities during open days will give you the chance to gather useful information and meet the staff. Most colleges and universities have web sites which will give you some idea about what’s available in terms of courses, resources and teaching staff.
Selected Subjects – where they may lead toThe following covers selected subjects; the careers they may lead to; and courses in higher education where they are entry requirements.
A/AS Subjects
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Useful for Careers in
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Normally Required for Courses in HigherEducation
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Humanities
English
History
Modern language
Geography
Sociology
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Banking, building society work, secretarial work, personnel, advertising, marketing, sales, journalism, library work and the legal profession etc.
Museum and archive work, banking
journalism, public service and the legal profession etc.
Secretarial work, sales and marketing, accountancy, engineering, banking etc.
Town planning, travel agency work,
surveying, landscape architecture, architecture and meteorology etc.
Social Sciences and management careers etc.
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Studying English at degree level.
Studying history at degree level.
For single honours degree courses in French, German and Spanish these subjects should be studied to A/AS level.
Studying geography at degree level.
Not essential to have studied sociology at A/AS level to go on to do a degree in the subject.
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Mathematics
Mathematics
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Accountancy, actuarial work, banking,
computing and insurance work etc.
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A degree course in mathematics, engineering, physical sciences, statistics, optics and architecture.
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Business Studies
Computing
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Financial areas - accountancy, banking,
actuaries, statisticians etc.
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Not essential to have studied computing at A/AS level to go on to do a degree in the subject.
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Science
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
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A huge range of careers, some directly related to physics and some not. Architecture, all medical and scientific careers etc.
Many types of laboratory work in research institutions, industrial laboratories producing chemicals, food, drink, nursing, and pharmaceuticals and in hospital laboratories etc.
All medical and scientific careers. Biologists find employment in research work, environmental health, the food industry, brewing and with animal foods etc.
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Engineering, medical areas such as optics, astronomy and teaching physics etc,
Entry to most medical, dental, veterinary medicine, biological sciences, material sciences, pharmacy, food science, dietetics, chemical engineering degrees and teaching chemistry etc.
Entry to zoology, biology, biochemistry degrees and teaching biology etc.
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Creative Subjects
Art
Music
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Occupational therapy, beauty therapy, art
restoration, cartography, photography, fashion
buying, printing and advertising etc.
Music recording and other careers related to
the music industry, arts management, librarianship, teaching, orchestral playing,
computing etc.
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Not a requirement.
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FURTHER INFORMATIONCouncil for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), 29 Clarendon Road, Belfast BT1 3BG. Tel: 028 9026 1200. Fax: 028 9026 1234.
E-mail: info@ccea.org.uk Website:
www.ccea.org.uk