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Cambridge offers a choice of 55 subjects and schools can offer them in almost any combination. This means schools can build an individualised curriculum and learners can choose to specialise in a particular subject area or study a range of subjects.
Our Advice
Most students study three subjects at A Level. Four subjects would arguably only be of benefit if you’re planning to apply to take a competitive degree course at Oxford or Cambridge, or for Medical Sciences.
At INtuition we advise you to pick subjects with which you’re comfortable, which you will enjoy studying and in which you feel you can secure the highest grades. There will always be a good reason why a given university course will require you to have studied a certain subject at A Level. If you don’t feel comfortable or confident studying that subject, then it might be wise to reconsider your chosen university or career path.
Acquired Skills
For the majority of degree courses there are no mandatory subject requirements and admissions officers will look to the skills, rather than the specific knowledge, that you will have developed while studying your A Levels.
Thus, if you are aiming for a degree course that will involve essay writing, you should ideally undertake subjects such as English and the Humanities at A Level through which you can develop those skills.
Required A Level Subjects
Mathematics & Sciences
- Mathematics: Mandatory for all Mathematics degree courses and often mandatory for other degrees including Engineering, Economics, Business and Computing. Mathematics is usually considered a Science subject and thus meets the requirement to have studied a Science subject at A Level for degree courses like Geography and Psychology.
- Chemistry: Mandatory for Chemistry, Medical Sciences (Veterinary, Dentistry, Medicine) and Biological Sciences such as Neuroscience.
- Biology: Mandatory for Biological Sciences and Healthcare.
- Physics: Mandatory for Physics and Engineering.
Required A Level Subjects – Humanities
- Geography: Mandatory for Geography, Geology and Earth Sciences
- History: Very much preferred for History degree courses and very useful when applying for Law
Our Higher Education adviser is available for subject consultations should you require further guidance