Studying A levels and GNVQ

Age: 17

College or University:
Gorseinon College.

Now studying:
Media Studies AS Level and Advanced GNVQ in Health and Social Care (also known as a Vocational A Level). Already has 8 GCSEs and an Intermediate GNVQ in Health and Social Care.

Career aim:
To do a degree and become a primary school teacher.

Why:
I enjoyed doing the Intermediate GNVQ and wanted to go on to do A Levels, but I didn’t think I could cope with them. That’s why I decided to do the Vocational A Level. Most people who do the GNVQ I’m doing, either want to go on to social work and nursing or into teaching. Coursework also gives people a different way of working, particularly if they haven’t done well at GCSE. It gives them a second chance to prove themselves, because of the group work and problem solving involved, which boosts confidence.

Why combine:
I was only going to do the GNVQ, but when I went to the college 'Open Day', I found the Media Studies course was very interesting, and that’s when I decided to have a go. The two courses complement each other. The GNVQ is equivalent to 2 A Levels, and there’s a mix of 2/3 coursework to 1/3 exam.

Other advice:
I’d tell anyone who’s considering this kind of combination that it’s been hard work at times, but it’s worked for me. The main advantage of doing a combination is that the A Level/exam-based element will mean that I’ll be more suited to the ways of working in university.