First-hand experiences
Phoebe Campbell completed her A Levels in 2018, studying Chemistry, Maths, Latin and Greek, along with completing the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). She read Classics at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University and now works as a Development Manager for the Centre for Social Justice in Westminster.
Going into Sixth Form, I was quite certain that I wanted to study Classics at university. However, I also didn’t want to give up studying Science so I chose A Level courses in both languages and sciences.
I found it really helpful having each of my subjects on most days meaning we were able to go into a lot of depth regularly. Having quite a few free periods encouraged me to be independent in my study and take initiative. This has proved to be really useful at university where the onus is on me to organise my time effectively.
Even though not many people wanted to study the same A Level subjects as me, I was still able to study what I really loved at Headington - I had 1:1 Greek lessons and there were only three others in my Latin class! This meant I had a lot of attention from the teachers and has been very similar to my supervisions at university where, in addition to lectures, five times a week I have individual or paired classes.
I would definitely recommend the EPQ as it allowed me to research a topic I was really interested in. It was really exciting to go into depth into something I was passionate about, which there isn’t always time for in class. It has been hugely beneficial to my study at university as we were taught how to extensively research and write a longer academic essay and therefore I felt more comfortable making the transition to university where it is safe to say we were ‘thrown in the deep end’.
Katie King-Smith completed her A Levels in 2017, studying Art, Geography, Biology and Maths. She went on to read Liberal Arts at Yale University where she rowed for the crew team. Katie is now a research intern at the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment in Belize, working on its Marine Science Research and Monitoring Programme.
I chose A Levels because I liked the idea of specialising in fewer subjects. More teaching hours per week for a single subject allowed me to apply more focus, effort and time to each subject. There were not only more hours per subject but more free periods which allowed me to learn how to manage my free time, which there is a lot more of at university. Overall, the weekly structure of A Levels and rowing was an excellent transition into my current studies at Yale, where my week involved 2-3 classes daily, much more independent study time and roughly 25 hours of practice for the crew team.
During my A Levels, I became closer to teachers due to more class time and free time to be able to meet individually with them. This aspect was crucial for university because there were significantly fewer teaching hours and additional weekly office hours where the responsibility was on the student to ensure you were approaching a task in the right way and working with the professor to develop your ideas.
Throughout my four years, I chose from hundreds of humanities, social science and natural science courses, studying a broad range of classes as well as developing important skill areas (writing, quantitative reasoning and foreign language). Following a four-week study of Marine Megafauna at the SFS Center for Marine Resource Studies in Turks and Caicos, I was keen to look at doing an internship to gain greater experience of conservation efforts.
Dearbhla Connell, 2016-2017 Head of Day, completed A Levels in Geography, Economics and Biology, along with an EPQ. She studied for a BSc(Hons) Agriculture with Farm Business Management degree at Harper Adams University in Shropshire. She spent her placement working for a pig feed company, spending six months on a farm in Lincolnshire and the other six at the company’s Peterborough head office. Dearbhla is now an account manager at ABN, where she initially carried out her university placement.
A Levels and the EPQ gave me a really good starting point for university in terms of academic reading and research. My subjects balanced really well and made the transition to university simpler. I did a lot of work experience to help me choose between farming and veterinary science - A Levels were a great way to pursue those interests alongside my studies.
Alexia Roberts completed her A Levels in 2021, studying Geography, History and Politics, along with the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). She worked as a gap tutor at Harrow International School in Hong Kong before heading to Newcastle University to study Geography.
Upon entering the Sixth Form I knew I wanted to focus on my passion for humanities but was also looking for a new challenge. Consequently I made the decision to take up Politics. I would certainly recommend taking up a new subject in the Sixth Form. I loved the challenge but also the novelty of studying something I had limited knowledge of and while studying a new subject seemed daunting to begin with, it's certainly equipped me with many new skills. It was exciting to start from scratch with a subject as well as heartening at the end of the course to see just how much progress I had made. The timetable structuring in Sixth Form is designed to ensure that you are well supported but also encouraged to work independently. As someone with a busy extra curricular programme this was an incredibly useful skill to learn as I had to manage my time effectively and I learnt to be far more independent with my learning. Skills I’ve already seen are important in the short time since I’ve left.
During your A Levels you build a strong and trusting relationship with your teachers, with more frequent lessons but also more free periods, providing a fantastic opportunity to regularly meet with them. Once again this shows how Headington is preparing you for university and encouraging you to take charge of your own learning. The trusting relationship I established with my teachers was fundamental to me gaining confidence in my academic ability and making progress in my subjects. Teaching in the Sixth Form is quite different from lower down the School, smaller class sizes allow for more classroom discussion and debate and this encourages you to speak up as well as ask questions. I would really recommend taking on an EPQ. The independence the EPQ offered me was enjoyable and certainly changed the way I approached my other A Levels. I enjoyed going into depth about a topic I was passionate about but I also valued the skills the EPQ equipped me with. Extensive research, referencing and managing tasks are all skills that I developed, learnt and improved whilst taking part in the EPQ. Certainly they have proved valuable at university but the EPQ also gave me a huge amount of confidence in my own academic ability.
"When it came to choosing my A Level subjects, I felt no pressure to choose any subjects in particular so I chose those that I really enjoyed at GCSE and was eager to explore further.
This turned out to be a great decision because I really loved every part of Sixth Form life including my lessons! I looked forward to using the skills I have gained from A Levels to help me in whatever I choose to do in the future."
- Didi, class of 2020
"I chose to do A Levels because I could select the subjects I really wanted to do and the ones I had a passion for. I ended up with specific, in-depth skills which helped with applying to universities and will help me in the future when I consider my career.
You’re encouraged to do wider research and learn more about the subject and learn it in greater depth which encourages you to enjoy it even more.
- Emily, class of 2019
