It’s not uncommon for an A Level student to drop one of their subjects after a year, but this can cause trouble when deciding which one they should drop. There are many things you should consider when it comes to making the decision, some academic and some personal. Hopefully, this post will provide some guidance in choosing which one to drop.

1. The one in which you achieved the lowest grades in

The first thing to consider is obviously which one you achieve the lowest grades in. If you want to maximise your chance of achieving high grades then you typically don’t want to waste your time on a subject you find tough and are unlikely to do well in, especially if you’re aiming for a course that accepts based on UCAS points. If you get a much lower grade in one subject then you should first of all consider that one.

However, you should also consider which ones you need for university courses. Some courses require specific A Levels in order to get a place and meet requirements, so you definitely shouldn’t drop one of the required ones. Before making the decision you should look around at potential universities that you’d like to go to and see what they require for courses you’re interested in. Not all courses will have such detailed requirements, but for courses like medicine or law it isn’t uncommon for the restrictions on your A Levels to be very specific.

2. The one that will take up most of your free time

We’d also personally consider the amount of work you need to do for each course. Not that we’d say take the easy way out, just think about how much time you have to spend on each subject. If you are looking at doing more extracurricular activities, courses or volunteer work in order to boost your UCAS application then it may be worth choosing subjects that will take up less of your time so that you can have more time to do these things. Of course your studies and schoolwork should still come first.

3. The one you don't enjoy studying

A final thing to consider is how much you enjoy a subject. If you have to spend another year studying something and stressing over it during exam time, you should probably choose a subject you will enjoy. This is your chance to drop any subjects that you do not like so that you can make your last year of college a little more enjoyable. If there is a particular subject where you don’t like the teacher or the course at all then you should consider dropping it if possible rather than making yourself miserable for another year.

Of course, it all comes down to your personal preference. We’d prioritise the courses you need for university or an apprenticeship first so you don’t limit yourself when it comes to applications. If there are no specific courses that you need then it is much more up to your personal feelings towards your subjects and how well you think you’ll be able to do at the end of A Levels. Sixth form/college is meant to be a time for studying but also for fun, so try and remember that when choosing which subject you want to drop.