BSc Mathematics and Economics (GL11)
BSc Mathematics with Economics (G1L1)
BSc Financial Mathematics and Statistics (GN13)
BSc Mathematics with Data Science (G140)
Programmes which are happy
to consider applicants offering A-level Maths,
A-level Further Maths and one other subject
BSc Actuarial Science (N321)
BSc Data Science (N3UD)
BSc Mathematics, Statistics and Business (G0N0)
BSc Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method (V503)
BSc Psychological and Behavioural Science (C800)
Programmes which are happy to consider applicants offering
A-level Maths and A-level Further Maths in combination with an essay writing subject
BSc Accounting and Finance (NN34) *
BA Anthropology and Law (ML16)
BA/BSc Social Anthropology (L601/3)
BSc Economic History (V300)
BSc Economics and Economic History (VL31)
BSc Economics (L101)
BSc Econometrics and Mathematical Economics (L140)
BSc Finance
BA International History (V146)
LLB Laws (M100)
BSc Management (N200)
BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics (L0V0)
BSc Philosophy and Economics (LV15)
Programmes where a combination
of A-level Maths, A-level Further Maths and one other subject may be considered less competitive
BSc Economic History and Geography (V3L7)
BSc Environment and Development (FK84)
BSc Environmental Policy with Economics (F9L1)
BA Geography (L702)
BSc Geography and Economics (L7L1)
BSc International Relations (L250)
BSc International Relations and History (VL12)
BSc International Relations and Mandarin (L2T1)
BSc International Social and Public Policy (L400)
BSc International Social and Public Policy and Economics (LLK1)
BSc International Social and Public Policy with Government (LL42)
BSc Language, Culture and Society (L3R9)
BSc Politics (L230)
BSc Politics and Data Science (N3UD)
BSc Politics and Economics (LL12)
BSc Politics and History (LV21)
BSc Politics and Philosophy (LV25)
BSc Politics and International Relations (L290)
BSc Sociology (L301)
* BSc Accounting and Finance and BSc Management prefer an essay writing subject but will consider other combinations.
Changes to International Baccalaureate Diploma Mathematics Courses from September 2019
IBO revised their Mathematics curriculum in September 2019, introducing two new subjects ; Mathematics: analysis and approaches and Mathematics: applications and interpretation .
Additional information is available on our Entry Requirements page.
Which LSE programmes use the TMUA in their selection process?
For these two programmes for September 2025 entry taking the TMUA is mandatory – all applicants are required to take the test.
For these eight programmes for September 2025 entry taking the TMUA is recommended but not mandatory – applicants are encouraged to take the test and a good score may make an application more competitive.
For more information please see our TMUA guidance .
Given the competition for places and the nature of assessment at LSE, we prefer students who have achieved high grades in their first attempt (and in one sitting) at relevant examinations. If extenuating circumstances have impacted your exam performance, you should include details of these in your application.
LSE welcomes applications from older students and values the contribution they make to the School community. LSE also has a large proportion of postgraduate students. This means that the student population at LSE is rather older on average than at many other universities; older undergraduates should not feel out of place. Information for mature applicants .
For applicants from the UK who are eligible for Home tuition fees, contextual information is used to gain a more complete picture of the educational and individual context of an applicant. This allows our admissions selectors to assess achievement and potential whilst recognising the challenges an applicant may have faced in their educational or individual circumstances.
You do not need to do anything in addition to the standard UCAS application, your application will automatically have the contextual information added when we receive it.
What contextual information is used?
The following nine pieces of contextual information will be flagged for the attention of the admissions selector:
1. Care experienced (This means you will have spent time living with foster carers under local authority care, in residential care (e.g. a children’s home), looked after at home under a supervision order, or in kinship care with relatives or friends, either officially (e.g. a special guardianship order) or informally without local authority support). This information is self-declared on the UCAS form and verified at a later stage.
2. The performance of the school/college where the applicant took their GCSEs (or equivalent qualification). Specifically, where the school’s or college’s performance is below the national average.
3. The performance of the school/college where the applicant took their A-levels (or equivalent qualification). Specifically, where the school’s or college’s performance is below the national average.
4. The home postcode of the applicant is compared against the POLAR 4 dataset. The Office for Students (OfS) assess how likely young people from different postcodes are to progress to Higher Education. We will flag applicants with postcodes in quintiles 1 and 2 (the 40 per cent least likely to progress to Higher Education). The Office for Students has a POLAR 4 postcode checker on their website.
5. The home postcode of the applicant is compared against the IMD (Indices of Multiple Deprivation) dataset. We will flag applicants with postcodes in quintiles 1 and 2 (the 40 per cent most deprived areas). The UK Government has this postcode checker for English postcodes on their website. For the IMD classification of Northern Irish postcodes see this postcode checker ; for the IMD classification of Scottish postcodes see this postcode checker ; and for the IMD classification of Welsh postcodes see this postcode checker .
6. The home postcode of the applicant is compared to CACI’s Acorn dataset. CACI classifies postcodes according to a range of socio-demographic indicators. We will flag applicants with postcodes in Acorn types 40 and above.
7. Participation in an intensive LSE Widening Participation (WP) programme. We will flag applicants who have completed LSE Springboard, LSE Thrive, LSE Pathways to Law or LSE Pathways to Banking and Finance.
8. Participation in any Sutton Trust Pathways programme at any UK university. This includes Pathways to Engineering, Pathways to Medicine, Pathways to Law (in-person or online), Pathways to Banking and Finance (in-person or online), and Pathways to Consulting online.
9. Where a student is known to have been eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) in the previous six years.
10. Other individual circumstances that may have disrupted or adversely affected an applicant’s education and achievement, as outlined in an Extenuating Circumstances Form .
How is contextual information used?
Applicants who have been flagged for the attention of the admissions selector will receive additional consideration.The selector may use this information in the following ways:
- to make an applicant a standard offer where the applicant’s academic record (eg, GCSEs/AS levels or equivalent) or personal statement may be marginally less competitive than the cohort overall
- to make an applicant a standard offer where the applicant is predicted marginally below the usual entry requirements
- when making confirmation decisions for offer holders that have marginally failed to meet the entry criteria (usually this means one grade below the standard entry requirements).
Eligible students (students flagged with a home postcode that is classified as POLAR4 Quintile 1 or IMD Quintile 1, as a care leaver, or a participant in a specified LSE WP programme or a Sutton Trust Pathways programme), may be considered for a contextual offer. The contextual offer will be one grade lower than the standard offer for the programme (with the exception of LLB Laws, BA/BSc Anthropology, BA Geography, BSc Geography with Economics, BSc Environment and Development, BSc Environmental Policy with Economics, and BSc International Social and Public Policy, where the contextual offer will be 2 grades lower than the standard offer). Any mathematics requirement must still be met. All academic departments are participating in the contextual offer scheme.
The contextual offer grades are listed alongside the standard offer A-level and IB entry requirements on the relevant programme pages .
Contextual information is used as part of the holistic admissions assessment and applicants are assessed alongside all other similar applicants, therefore having a contextual flag does not guarantee that an offer will be made.
If you have taken GCSEs or equivalent qualifications, these will be taken into account when we assess your application. All applicants who have taken GCSEs/iGCSEs are expected to have at least grade B/grade 6 in GCSE English Language and Mathematics or the equivalent. For some programmes this may be higher. Exceptions are made for applicants with extenuating circumstances. As competition for places at LSE is intense, we look for applicants who have achieved highly at GCSE (multiple A or A*/8-9 grades), particularly within the context of their school. If you have not taken GCSEs or iGCSEs, you will not be disadvantaged. The assessors will refer to the equivalent qualification in the curriculum that you have studied (if applicable) and consult the information provided by your UCAS referee to gain an understanding of your education history.
LSE requires students who study certain qualifications to complete the Undergraduate Admissions Assessment (UGAA) before a final decision can be made on their application. Only the most competitive applicants with these qualifications are invited to sit the assessment. Applicants cannot request to sit the assessment and invitations will be sent on a rolling basis from January. Further information about the UGAA
Arts Sciences
Arabic | Ancient History | Biology |
Art and Design* | Anthropology | Biology (Salters-Nuffield) |
Art and Design: 3D Design* | Archaeology | Biology (Human) |
Art and Design: Critical and Contextual Studies* | Economics | Chemistry |
Art and Design: Fine Art* | Economics and Business (Nuffield) | Chemistry (Nuffield) |
Art and Design: Graphic Design* | Environmental Science | Chemistry (Salters) |
Art and Design: Photography* | Environmental Studies | Computer Science |
Art and Design: Textiles* | Geography | Further Mathematics |
Bengali | Government and Politics | Geology |
Biblical Hebrew | History | Mathematics |
Business Studies* | Law | Mathematics (MEI) |
Chinese | Psychology | Physics |
Classical Civilisation | Psychology A | Physics (Advancing Physics) |
Classical Greek | Psychology B | Physics (Salters-Horners) |
Drama and Theatre Studies* | Sociology | Pure Mathematics |
Dutch | Statistics | |
English Language | ||
English Language and Literature | ||
English Literature | ||
Film Studies | ||
French | ||
German | ||
Gujarati | ||
Information and Communication Technology* | ||
History of Art | ||
History of Art and Design | ||
Irish | ||
Italian | ||
Japanese | ||
Latin | ||
Media Studies | ||
Modern Greek | ||
Modern Hebrew | ||
Music* | ||
Persian | ||
Philosophy | ||
Polish | ||
Portuguese | ||
Punjabi | ||
Religious Studies | ||
Russian | ||
Spanish | ||
Theatre Studies* | ||
Turkish | ||
Urdu | ||
Welsh | ||
Welsh (Second Language) |
Save £500 when you enrol by 30th September!
In previous articles, we’ve given you lots of advice on how to write the perfect essay.
However, the skills we’ve discussed up to now have been generic, and have not taken into account the fact that different subjects require different skills when it comes to writing excellent essays for them. In this article, we look at the particular skills needed to write great essays for individual A-level subjects, so that you can familiarise yourself with what you need to do to excel in whatever A-levels you happen to be studying.
Good English literature essays revolve around intelligent interpretation. The problem many students have with this is organising their interpretations into a tightly structured essay that flows well; many simply let their ideas run wild and flit aimlessly between one point and the next. To combat this problem, you need to consider the writer’s overall aims and then show how they have conveyed those aims, paragraph by paragraph, with each paragraph devoted to a particular technique or focus. A good structure to use is as follows:
Good English essays pay close attention to detail, noting specific words, phrases and literary devices a writer has used, and to what effect. They quote liberally from the text in order to support each point, deconstructing the writing and analysing the use of language; they look at different interpretations, seeing beyond the surface and picking up on possible deeper meanings and connotations. But they also consider the meaning of the piece as a whole, and the overall effect created by the specific details noted. All this should be considered within the framework of the genre and context of the piece of writing. For instance, a poem by William Wordsworth would be considered within the context of the Romantic poets, and might be compared with work by contemporary poets such as Shelley or Keats; the historical background might also be touched upon where relevant (such as the Industrial Revolution when discussing the poetry of William Blake).
Though it’s also a humanities subject, History requires its own very particular set of skills that differ to an appreciable degree from those expected of you in English. A history essay is unequivocal about its writer’s opinion, but this opinion must be based on a solid analysis of evidence that very often can’t be taken as fact. Evidence must be discussed in terms of its reliability, or lack thereof. The good historian considers what biases may be inherent in a source, what vested interest the source might have, and what viewpoint that source was written from. For instance, you might analyse a source by discussing whether or not the person was present at the events they are describing; how long after the events they were writing (and therefore whether they are remembering it accurately if they were there, or whether they are getting their information second or third hand from someone else; and if so, how reliable the original source is); whether they are trying to show evidence to support a particular political view; and so on. So, each time you make a point, back it up with evidence, and consider the strengths and weaknesses of that evidence. A good history essay makes connections between what’s been written about, considering how issues interrelate, so think about how what you’re writing about ties in with other things; what was the impact of the event you’re discussing, did it happen in isolation, and what were the events that led to it?
It’s vital to look at both sides of the argument – or, where many possible viewpoints exist, to acknowledge these nuances. It’s fine to contradict yourself, provided you do so consciously; that is, you can build up an argument and then turn it on its head, observing that you are doing so (for example, “So far, so compelling; but what about the less well-known evidence from such and such?”). You can use quotes from historians you’ve read, but use these in the context of discussing scholarly opinion. Don’t quote a historian’s words as evidence of something, because this is only someone’s opinion – it’s not proof. Finally, where possible, use specialist terms to show that you know your stuff (“proletariat” instead of “workers”, for example).
The primary task that lies ahead of you in writing a French essay is, of course, to demonstrate your superior language skills. Keep the content itself very even-handed, sitting on the fence rather than presenting a forceful opinion that could distract attention away from the quality of your use of French. Focus on using as wide a variety of vocabulary and tenses as you can. It will help your essay if you can learn how to say more sophisticated phrases in French, of the sort you would use if you were writing an essay in English. This useful document from RealFrench.net, Writing Essays in French, will give you numerous useful French phrases to help you put together an impressive essay, including the vocabulary you need to present a balanced argument.
Geography is a subject that crosses the divide between the sciences and the humanities, considering both physical processes and human activities (and their effects on the world around us). Essays for Geography may differ depending on which of these focuses the essay is discussing, and the evidence you might include in your essay could vary from phenomena observed and data gathered in the natural world to the results of population censuses. To write a good Geography essay, you’ll need to include both theory and detailed, real-world case studies to support your answer. Mention specific places by name, and communicate the facts accurately. Your teacher will be assessing not just your knowledge, but your ability to support what you say with relevant information that proves it. You shouldn’t just rattle off everything you know about a particular case study; you should deploy relevant facts from the case study to support a specific point you’re trying to make. Keep linking each point back to the question, so that you’re always working towards answering it; this also helps you ensure that everything you include is actually relevant to the question. Showing that you’ve thought about an issue from multiple perspectives, and that you appreciate how they interrelate, is important in Geography. You can do this by organising the content of your essay into categories, considering different factors in turn, such as the scale of the issue, and the timeframe and environment involved. Discuss the various factors involved logically, one by one, such as the environmental impact of climate change or a natural disaster (such as a tsunami or volcanic eruption), followed by its physical, economic, social and political implications. Acknowledging the numerous nuances of the situation will demonstrate your appreciation of its complexity and show that you are thinking at a high level.
As the study of the ancient world (primarily ancient Rome and Greece), Classical Civilisations combines archaeology and history, looking both at what survives materially (from small finds, to art and sculpture, to temples) and what survives in the way of texts by ancient authors. A good essay for this subject analyses, evaluates and interprets. The historical elements of the subject will require the same set of skills we discussed for History earlier, while the archaeological components of this subject require slightly different skills. With your archaeologist hat on, your job becomes similar to that of a detective, piecing together clues. Archaeology crosses over into science, and with that comes scientific considerations such as how archaeological evidence has been gathered – the methods used, their reliability, whether or not they could have been tampered with, how accurately they were recorded, and so on. You’ll look at a variety of different types of evidence, too, from the finds themselves to maps of the local topography. As with Geography, for which you’re required to learn lots of detailed case studies and names, you’ll need to learn plenty of examples of sites and finds to use as sources of evidence in building up a picture of the ancient world. And, as with any subject, looking at both sides of any argument is crucial to good grades. If the evidence you’re discussing could show one thing, but it could also show another, don’t just present one possibility – show that you’ve thought in depth about it and consider all the possible interpretations.
The sciences – Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics – are generally less essay-focused, so we’re grouping them together here because the essay skills required for each of these subjects are very similar. While the fundamentals of scientific essay writing are the same as any other subject – having a logical structure, well-developed argument, and so on – there are a few subject-specific considerations to bear in mind, and some common pitfalls to watch out for. The first is that there is no room for opinion in a scientific essay; unless you’re specifically asked for it, leave your own thoughts out of it and focus instead on a completely objective discussion of the evidence gathered through scientific research, which will most probably be quantitative data. Avoid vague language such as “it is thought that…”; be as precise as possible. Start with a hypothesis, and then discuss the research that supports or disproves it. Back up every statement you make with solid data; it’s not enough simply to drop in the name of the research, so briefly describe what the findings were and why they prove the statement you’ve just made. Another mistake many students make is to confuse cause and effect; this arises because of the tendency to assume that correlation implies causation, which is a common logical fallacy. Just because two things appear to be related, it doesn’t mean that one caused the other, and committing this error in an essay is a major faux pas that will lose you marks. It’s also a good idea to ensure that you’ve included every piece of research that could be relevant; if you don’t, you could be leaving out a crucial piece of evidence. Finally, mention any limitations there may have been with the methodology used to gather the data you discuss.
Psychology essays are best approached with a scientific mindset, but it’s far more difficult to prove anything in this subject – and this should be acknowledged in your essay. The task becomes one of assessing which theory is the more probable one, based on an analysis of the data from various studies. Make liberal reference to named and dated psychological experiments and research, but acknowledge the fact that there may be more than one theory that could account for the same set of results. When these experiments are quoted as evidence, this should be done with reference to any possible limitations of how the experiment was conducted (such as a small sample size). If you’ve reached the end of this article, you’re now equipped with the knowledge to write fantastic essays guaranteed to impress your teachers. You’re also well on the way to thinking in the right way for university-level essays, so keep working on these skills now and you’ll find it much easier to make the leap from sixth former to undergraduate.
Image credits: banner ; Wuthering Heights ; Diet of Worms ; factory workers ; Charioteer ; Hubble Space Telescope ; Psychology .
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COMMENTS
I've heard Economics is essay based. Yes it is. Some application with maths involved. Accounting is very techinical / skill based at AS with a few written questions for any exam board. Much more prose quesitons at A2 though but many international students do it as they stand a better chance given their level of English.
If you want to have your say, please vote in the poll at the end of this article. 10. A-Level Maths. 2.12% of the poll considered A-Level Maths as the easiest A-Level, putting it in 10th place. In 2022, 78.5% of students achieved a grade C or above and 22.8% of students achieved an A*.
The minimum requirement even for the best universities is that you take three A-levels (excluding General Studies); these will be the basis of your offer. Some students choose to take on additional AS or full A-level subjects, giving them a total of four or five A-levels with which to apply to university. With the possible exception of the ...
Least popular A-Levels based off entry rates. Below you can find the visualisation of A-Level subject popularity (top - Least popular, bottom - 11ᵗʰ least popular). ... Each exam counts for 33% of the A-Level, made up of multiple choice, short answer, and essay writing questions. A-Level Law has 3 compulsory units: the English legal ...
A-Level Psychology students will particularly study topics such as attachment, memory, social influences and research methods in psychology. To learn more about the A-Level Psychology course, check out this page by AQA. It may be considered one of the most respected A-Level subjects as it is both one of the sciences and an essay-based subject.
Taking on Further Maths teaches you about other areas of maths and is another good A-level to have if you want to study a maths-based degree such as Physics or Engineering (or, indeed, Maths). Maths is assessed through exams and sometimes optional coursework, and you're usually allowed a calculator for most of the papers. 2. English Literature
The most popular subject taken by Art and Design students was Psychology. Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics was the most common A-Level combination in 2019. In the top 10 list of popular subject combinations, only one entry featured no STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and that combo was: English Literature, Psychology ...
2. A-levels are a lot tougher than GCSEs. Here are three of the most common reasons for choosing to study an A-level subject: you need it to pursue a particular career. it's a subject you enjoy and are good at. it's a subject you've not studied before but you think will suit you.
A Levels are two-year qualifications that give students a chance to study an existing GCSE subject in greater depth or try a completely new subject like Law, Drama or Economics. ... Take advice from your school careers advisor and university admissions departments so you can make an informed decision based on accurate and up-to-date information ...
We asked one of our Admissions Specialists, Lorna Stevenson, to give us some tips about things to think about when choosing your A levels. Since you can choose only three or four A level subjects it's important to make a good choice. There are four things I would encourage all potential A level students to consider: 1) Subjects you enjoy, and ...
A. SillyEddy. 18. None of my A levels were essay based: Mathematics with Mechanics. Physics. Product Design Technology (coursework, yes, but it was mostly drawing, testing and documenting information) Electronics (again, a lot of testing. I wouldn't call it an essay though, it was more about answering questions as to why you did the things you ...
Similarity of subjects. When picking your A-Level studies, try to acquire a good balance of disciplines to demonstrate that you're a well-rounded individual who can think critically in complex ways. For example, instead of Economics, Business Studies and Accounting, consider throwing an essay-based subject into the mix, like English or Sociology.
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A level and International Baccalaureate (IB) subject combinations you choose to study at high school, sixth form or college could have an impact on what you can study at university. How many A levels or IB subjects should you take. You should take at least 3 A levels or 6 IB subjects. These are standard entry requirements for most undergraduate ...
Cambridge International AS and A Levels are available in 55 subjects. They are regularly updated and extended, well-resourced and supported. ... Our innovative products and services for learners, authors and customers are based on world-class research and are relevant, exciting and inspiring. Academic Research, Teaching and Learning; English ...
A-Level Choices: Essay-Based Subjects. It is no secret that a law degree will involve a huge amount of writing essays and, therefore, it is usually recommended to take at least one subject that will develop these skills, which you can talk about in your personal statement. Universities and certainly employers in the legal sector look for candidates who showcase the ability to write coherently ...
**** The Department of Accounting considers Accounting equally with other generally preferred subjects. Therefore, they will consider Accounting alongside one other subject from the non-preferred list. However, the majority of departments continue to regard Accounting as a non-preferred subject. Essay based A-Level subjects: Art History
LSE publishes a list of A-levels it considers essay based (as well as its preferred and non-preferred subjects) which you can find on its admissions pages, which may be indicative. There is probably no exhaustive list though because there are so many A-level courses, including some very niche ones that might only have a couple hundred entries each year (particularly IAL exclusive subjects). It ...
Subjects marked with an asterisk (*) will only be counted as an essay-based subject if there is a minimum 50% essay-based or written response assessment as part of the overall award. This may vary by exam board so please contact us if you have any queries about this. Mathematics and Further Mathematics can be considered as two separate A Levels.
Would this put me at a disadvantage for the essay based subject (find it more difficult) since a majority of the A levels I chose are non-essay based? Psychology is a social science so it is a bit of both really. I would definitely swap it for History or English Lit tho, these seem to be highly regarded as subjects for Law. Posted from TSR ...
French. The primary task that lies ahead of you in writing a French essay is, of course, to demonstrate your superior language skills. Keep the content itself very even-handed, sitting on the fence rather than presenting a forceful opinion that could distract attention away from the quality of your use of French.
I am going into year 12 and I am planning to take maths, further maths, physics and spanish for a level. I think I want to go into engineering but my heart isn't set on it and I am considering doing a law degree if I decide that engineering isn't for me during my a levels. I just wanted some advice (possibly from law students who did similar subjects to me) on whether not doing an essay-based ...