GCSEs to A-levels...a tough transition. This period in time from Year eleven to Sixth form is typically known for the challenges students all across the country face in stepping up a level to A levels! From doing on average ten or eleven different subjects to only three or four of your personal choice, brainwashes many pupils into underestimating just how difficult this really is and therefore many of the new lower sixth students experience great shock upon beginning this journey.  

These views were clearly expressed by my peers at school, in which the majority of lower sixth students who have completed around two months of their A-level studies have described their experiences of it so far in this light. Overall, the general consensus of students suggested A-levels are much more “difficult and demanding” than GCSEs both in terms of the amount and level of content within their courses. A-level science students particularly focused on depicting the new introduced level of great “complexity” in their subject, in particular that of chemistry, where there was a general negative feeling towards the new and complicated ideas, almost completely contrasting the simpler content learnt at GCSE level only last year! On the other hand, those doing more essay-based subjects such as English and History argued “there is always work to be completed, with the constant and ongoing task of research and independent study.” Furthermore, math students quoted: “You need to learn a greater range of content in a shorter space of time”. However, despite this wide range of different subjects promoting different experiences for their students, all pupils collectively agreed on their significant reduction in free time in order to complete their heaps of schoolwork.  

Not only does this prove a difficult task when purely doing the subjects alone, but the additional pressure of extra-curricular activities, work experience, jobs, social life, other studies such as EPQ and taking care of your mental health, leads to this being extremely overwhelming and many become inundated with work. This is particularly relevant after completing much of the last academic year online and therefore, this academic year of upcoming sixth form students are automatically at a clear disadvantage, maximizing the harsh reality of A-levels!