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A Level History or English Literature
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
i have decided 3 subjects for my AS / A levels (Chemsitry / Physics / Maths)but for my last 1 i am not sure whether to do english literature or history. i am good at english literature (GCSE level) but i also enjoy aspects of history eventhough i have not chose it as a GCSE. what would be your advice?
Does AS /A level history demonstrate skills needed to be very good at english?
Does AS /A level history demonstrate skills needed to be very good at english?
Post edited by JustV on
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i'd weight up what you are best at vs what you enjoy most, but if the ratio in achievement isnt that great, go with what you most enjoy
before deciding on the subject, check out what the modules involve...
if you want to do history, ensure your interest is covered... are you interested in medieval times or nazi germany? for example...
at the end of the day it is your decision...
way up the good points of each, and take it from there
They are one in the same if the courses you are looking at in the future don't require Higher English specifically so I would go with the one you think you would enjoy more.
*I am Scottish so have referred to them as Highers but I suppose the same would apply for A Levels.
Also, it depends on what you are intending to do afterwards, and whether either is specific. As littlemissy said, the skills and approaches are rather similar for both.
On a personal note, I did A-level History, really enjoyed it and now am studying it at university level
Yes. I would absolutely consider the teacher whilst making your decision, if you know who the teacher will be. A good teacher can make the difference between an A and an F.
Consider which subject you enjoy more, and consider which subject's teaching staff you prefer.
In my experience history would tie in more closely with your current subject choices, being a social science as opposed to an art; your analytical skills will be more suited to History than English.
Am I right in thinking you're at Oxford Brookes?
I'd say that, for History particularly you should have a look at what the syllabus covers and make sure it's something you'll enjoy - I'm doing A-level history and finding it really tough because I find the material so incredibly dull, whereas others in my class enjoy it so don't mind doing all the extra reading and stuff, so they'll do better in the long run.
I'd say go with the one you think you'll enjoy most rather than the one you think you'll be better at, if it comes down to that. But that's just my opinion.
You are right in thinking that. Why?
Because I think I want to study History and English Language there - it's one of the few (if not the only) place I've applied which has a good choice of the history modules I enjoy.
However, not doing GCSE history may be a drawback because there are certain skills that are needed for A Level history that you may not be familiar with from the work you will have done up to year 9.
Yes, the choice of History modules here is quite good-there aren't many first year ones, but for second and third year there are quite a lot. The lack of first year choice doesn't matter so much for people doing joint rather than single honours though.