Best A-level combinations: a comprehensive guide

This blog is written to support and help students.

If you’ve reached the stage in your secondary education where you’re considering your A-level subject choices, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed by the various options available.

There are certainly lots of questions to ponder at this time, particularly around the best A-level combinations to help you get a place at your desired university or to set you on the right path towards your ideal career.

On top of this, there’s the issue of personal interest and subject enjoyment to think about.

In this guide, we take a deep dive into:

• Why careful A-level subject selection matters
• The best A-level combinations for different fields of study in higher education
• The role of facilitating subjects
• Why you might want to balance passion and pragmatism when making your A-level subject choices

Why A-level subject combinations matter

It’s important to take a careful approach to choosing your A-level subjects because the particular combination you go for could have a bearing on your university or higher education options, future career prospects, or both.

You can also give yourself an advantage by choosing complementary subjects. There are clear parallels between maths and physics, for example, and the concepts and working methods you learn in one will often naturally feed into the other.

It’s also important to think about what you enjoy learning and how you can balance your enthusiasm for certain subjects with practical decisions about which ones will be the most useful.

Top A-level combinations for different fields

The field of study you’re interested in entering when you start higher education will be a major factor in your A-level subject selection.

Engineering and technology

There are plenty of STEM A-level combinations that will give you a good foundation to pursue engineering and technology degrees at university.

These include:

• Maths, further maths and physics
• Maths, physics and computer science
• Maths, chemistry and physics
• Maths, chemistry and biology

As you can see, A-level maths is pretty much essential if you’re interested in doing an engineering or technology degree.

Further maths is recommended if you’re interested in continuing to study maths at university, or if you’re looking at subjects such as aeronautical or mechanical engineering. A further maths A-level qualification could also give you an advantage if you’re hoping to seal a place at one of the UK’s top universities.

Sciences and medicine

If you want to study a science or medicine degree at university, you’ll need A-levels that relate specifically to your area of interest. This can prove particularly important for the most competitive courses – such as medicine, computer science and psychology – at highly popular universities.

Here are some examples of specific degree courses and the A-level subject choices best suited to them:

• Medicine: Biology, chemistry and maths
• Psychology: Psychology, biology, chemistry or maths
• Computer science: IT/computing, maths, further maths or physics
• Biochemistry: Biology, chemistry and maths
• Physics: Physics, maths, further maths or chemistry

These are intensive subjects that require a high level of commitment and capability at degree level, so universities often have strict A-level grade requirements for entry.

Business and economics

Business and economics degrees can be particularly useful if you have ambitions such as one day starting and running your own company, working in financial services or eventually progressing into a management or leadership role.

Particular subjects you could consider studying at university include:

• Economics
• Economics and finance
• Business economics
• Accounting, business and finance
• Business administration

As far as the best A-level combinations for these degrees are concerned, you can put yourself in a good position by studying economics, business studies and maths.

Other subjects that may be relevant include IT and computing, owing to the importance of technology as a cornerstone of modern business. Studying English can also help to improve your communication, critical thinking and analytical skills.

Humanities and social sciences

These courses study human culture, society and behaviour, within academic fields such as history, literature, philosophy, sociology and political science.

A-level subject combinations that could give you a solid basis for going on to study various humanities and social sciences degrees include:

• English, history and philosophy
• Maths, history and economics
• Politics, sociology and a foreign language
• English, politics and sociology

The role of facilitating subjects

Facilitating subjects are those that are particularly well-regarded by universities, due to their academic rigour and the fact that what you learn at A-level can be applied to a wide range of degree courses.

Examples include:

• Maths and further maths
• English
• Physics
• History
• Languages

Maths is one of the strongest facilitating subjects, since it provides the foundation for so many other disciplines that are explored in depth at degree level.

To put that into context, here are some examples of how certain degree courses apply mathematical knowledge and principles:

• Civil engineering: Analysis of statistics for quality control and risk assessment.
• Astrophysics: Using calculus to describe and predict planetary orbits.
• Biochemistry: Calculation of probability distributions to model random processes, such as the movement of molecules.
• Medicine: Application of mathematical models to predict medical outcomes and recommend treatments.
• AI and machine learning: Development of algorithms and use of mathematical processes such as linear algebra to advance AI tools and models.

When it comes to the realities of studying advanced maths, it’s important to be prepared for the fact that this is one of the hardest subjects (many would say the hardest) you can take at A-level.

If you’re considering this as your next step, make sure you have confidence in your abilities and feel ready for the challenges ahead.

Some final A-level subject selection tips

The most useful thing to do if you’re struggling with your A-level choices is to speak to the teachers who lead the subjects you’re considering.

They will be able to tell you more about what the course entails, what combinations are most relevant to your university plans and if they think their subject will be the right fit for you at A-level.

It’s also worth thinking about how much you enjoy certain subjects and have a genuine interest in them. A natural passion for the subject can be a big help when you make the step up from GCSE to A-level.

As far as maths is concerned, as we’ve already noted, studying this subject at A-level is a serious challenge. It’s important, therefore, to have some honest discussions with your teachers about the sort of topics and content you’ll be covering, the difficulty levels involved and if it’s the right option for you.

If you’re confident that maths will be one of your A-level subject choices, you can find lots of useful tips and resources on the Casio Education website, including blog posts on preparing for exams and the many possible uses of graphic calculators.