A Parent’s Guide to Understanding A Levels

This is a collaborative post

A Levels have the potential to be some of the hardest exams your child may ever take. They are known for their jump in difficulty in comparison to GCSEs, but there’s a lot of support and direction for students at this stage. All Sixth Forms have to provide the right care and direction for their students in order to succeed, like this Sixth Form in London for instance, who pays particular attention to their curriculum.

Here are some key areas to understanding A Levels in order to help your child succeed in their studies.

How do students transition from GCSEs to A Levels?

For students keen to go forward with their studies, A Levels will be a continuation of what a child has studied at GCSE level. This means that in order for your child to progress to the next level, they should be well versed in their skills from Year 11. If they want to continue their studies they can either go through their school’s on Sixth Form, a private Sixth Form, or heading to college to take on A Levels.

This will give your child a bit more direction in what they are studying. Naturally, a child that is interested in studying History at a more focused level will be studying it at GCSE level before advancing on to A Level. The subject matter will, for the most part, remain the same, but it will soon be a lot more complex and tailored.

How often should my child be studying?

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact time when your child should take on the next stage of their revision. Your child will be hard at work revising for their GCSEs, so starting too early can become problematic to their other areas of study. Starting revision too late and you run the risk of your child falling behind and having to cram in work.

The jump to A Level study is very difficult, so getting your child to study early on helps with their confidence, as well as the reassurance information can be retained. But it varies from person to person. Your child may benefit from revising after Christmas, with others finding the most benefits in revising just after the Easter break.

When are A Level exams?

A Level exams are taken around the same time as GCSE exams would have been taken – so around May – June time. There’s a lot to give your child the environment to prepare well in advance for these exams, as they can be make or break for some students. It is important to remember that any of these exams can be retaken or studied elsewhere if necessary.

Once the A Level exams are over, your child can now get prepared for the next level in their studies. Whether it is to go on to university, take on an apprenticeship or explore a foundation degree, it’s important to facilitate your child’s needs.