CHOICE OF SUBJECTS

Please remember that you need not take the subject option of which is related to the degree of your choice. Thus you must have a pass in three science based subjects.

This recommendation allows you to have the option of any Science based degree. It is also good to note that a Science qualification allows you to venture into an Arts or Humanities degree but not the other way around.

Bear in mind that the A Levels is an excellent preparation standard for you and it would benefit you immensely at your degree to gain the knowledge and experience the A Level examination provides you. Statistics have proven that students who take the options at their degree level which correspond with their A Level options do better with the preparation. This is why many universities even recommend the A Level programme to mature students even though they have a right of enter direct into the degree programme.

Once you have chosen the core subject[s] which corresponds with your degree, you may find that there are options for you to take non degree related subjects. There are two schools of thought to aid you in this decision. The first is that you do subjects which are complimentary to your degree for example, maths and physics. The other school of thought is for the students to take non related subjects so that you can have a broad based development in the same vein of many who pursue degrees other than medicine and dentistry for example food science or actuarial science. In today’s world of convergence such cross qualifications make the student more employable. Then again students may simply opt for a subject of their interest or a subject in which they have existing talents in. Take the easy subjects to score for the A Levels is merely a stepping stone. The choice is yours.

SUBJECTS OFFERED

• Physics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Mathematics
• Further Mathematics
• Psychology
• Food studies
• Applied Information & Communication Technology
• Computing
• Design & Technology
• Economics
• Sociology
• Law
• Accounting
• Business Studies
• Thinking Skills

CHOICE OF SUBJECTS

Do you know what you want to specialize in when you start to practice?

If the answer is yes then you should take papers that coincide with your choice and gain maximum knowledge in the field. Science should not be looked at in isolation since there are many subjects that are complimentary to each other. A student interested in Food science should have Biology, Chemistry and Food studies are complimentary subjects. A good way to decide would be to look at the First Year syllabus of your degree at the university of your choice. Don’t take it for granted that the subjects are relevant without checking.

Do you just want to pass the exams, specialization will come later?

Don’t worry too much if you’re in this category, its normal and many students who populate this category end up doing very well. It’s a myth that you cannot practice in a field that you did not take as an option. Take the general sciences so that you have as much flexibility as possible for your degree. Don’t drop subjects. Many students invariable drop physics for medicine then realize that India for example is closed to them as there physics is mandatory. Consult us first before deciding on your options.

How do I decide my subject options?

CHEMISTRY

This is the study of substances. For example why graphite is soft and diamonds are hard. You will look at the makeup of substances, the molecules, atoms and what happens when you combine them. You will see the relevance of this is everyday life e.g how it helps to make detergents and fibers and the optimum temperature for washing clothes to minimize energy.  It is a heavyweight subject. It is a good and necessary preparation for medicine and dentistry as well as food science or chemical engineering. You need to be numerate but not as numerate as a mathematician. You don’t need to memorize as much as biology as logical analysis is at play here. Students with a C or above at SPM can take this subject fairly easily.

Practical work is essential to chemistry, more than the other sciences. There is not much lab work at AS but it intensifies at A2 level. Although it has a reputation of being hard the Board has made it more accessible. The experiments however make the subject fun and since it relates to life it can be very interesting. We will at President give you the opportunity to add value to this subject with trips to forensic and medical labs as well as hospitals.

Subject combinations:

• Mixed with physics and maths for medicine
• Mixed with biology for healthcare
• Mixed with geography for environmental scientists
• Mixed with physics for engineering
• Researchers around the world are sought after if they have a sound background in this subject.

MATHEMATICS

This subject solves problems with numbers. At A Levels the subject is divided into four parts, pure, discrete, mechanics and statistics. Pure maths is for its own sake and does not correlate to the real world. Discrete math uses math to make decisions, often in a business context, mechanics is the study of the movement of objects and statistics deals with the analysis of data.

You will get a lot of satisfaction from working out tricky problems. It is also a subject that applies to almost anything from law to economics and computing.

You need to have a flair for maths to get an A. You need at least a B at SPM maths and add maths to do well. If SPM math was difficult then this may not be for you. There is very little course work or objective assessment. Most papers deal with structured questions.

Statistically it is interesting that more boys take this option than girls but more girls score an A than boys in proportion to their size. – Source Cambridge OCR

Rev Dearman an examiner states that there are two kinds of students, either they love math and consider it very cool or they struggle through it and take it as a necessary evil. It’s nice not to have long essays to write.

BIOLOGY

This is supposed to be the easiest of the three sciences. At AS level you start off with cells and molecules, how a cell is built and what in it - carbohydrate, protein and fats. You follow up into animals and plants looking at reproduction [yes the birds and bees] and ecology. At A Levels you take a few topics in greater depth for example respiration and photosynthesis. You also cover more sophisticated genetics as well as evolutionary biodiversity.

At degree level on its own there are only research based options or you could teach. But it is a stepping stone to many degree options like medicine and dentistry.

You must be able to soak up facts like a sponge, and then be able to synthesize the load of information as well as explain things fully and accurately.

There is a fair amount of lab work but not as much as chemistry. It is also on the whole more popular than physics or chemistry especially amongst girls. – Source Cambridge OCR

>It is fun since you will be an expert in the human genome, global warming, environmental protection and healthy eating. You can distinguish the myth from the facts. There are a lot of degree prospects here for example biotechnology and biomedical/biomaterial science.

PHYSICS

At As you study the basic principles of physics, including mechanics, waves and electricity. At A2 you branch out to deeper aspects of the course. There is no need for too much background in the subject as it begins fairly from scratch. To get good grades however you ought to be numerate and literate.

There is a fair amount of practical work. There is a common misunderstanding the boys are better at physics than girls; this is not true as some of Cambridge’s best students are girls.