Can A-level PE Lead to a Degree in Medicine? Part 2

In December 2021, I unknowingly wrote my most popular blog post ever. It was “Can A-level PE Lead to a Degree in Medicine?” and the post has received tens of thousands of reads. The post was based on the experiences of my elder daughter who, in summer 2021, was a student about to embark on a potential A-level path that might lead to a degree in medicine. 

Now, 20 months after our initial family conversations and 15 months after the first blog post, Anna has begun to receive conditional offers from universities for degrees in medicine. 

(Final part now available - read "Can A-level PE Lead to a Degree in Medicine? Part 3" to find out how the story ends.)

 Let’s go back in time… 

In Summer 2021, neither our daughter Anna nor we (James and Marta, mum and dad) knew for certain whether A-level PE would be an acceptable qualification for an application to medicine. We researched and read. We emailed admissions tutors and received replies. We discussed and surmised. Our daughter, a very diligent student, was desperately keen to study A-level PE alongside biology and chemistry but needed to know whether A-level PE would be a vehicle for her future. 

As you may have read in "Can A-Level PE Lead to a Degree in Medicine?" Part 1, A-level PE very much is a vehicle for the study of medicine and Anna went on to study her preferred choices of A-levels including PE. 

So, where are we now and what learning has taken place since the initial post?

But there are also nuances to this process. There is nuance in how the college supports different students. There are nuances in what a student includes in their personal statement. There are nuances in how the student broadens their profile (see below) so that they are not merely a set of grades on an application form. There are nuances about how a student prepares for an interview and so on. In my first blog post, I focussed on a more binary question: “Can A-level PE lead to a degree in medicine?” It’s a yes or no and the answer is yes. In this post I want to address why A-level PE is a valuable part of a medicine application.

Many people reading this article will know that the most common combination of A-levels to move onto a medicine degree are A-level biology, A-level chemistry and A-level mathematics. It is estimated that well over half of all medicine applicants opt for this combination. But I wonder how many students would opt for that combination if there was not an assumption that biology, chemistry and maths is the “best” combination. I want to be clear here: there is nothing wrong with studying biology, chemistry and maths. On the contrary, it is absolutely the “right” path for many students. What I want to stress here is that it is also the “wrong” path for many others and I am hopeful that students, parents and teachers reading this article may choose to ponder this concept. You see, different A-level courses, including A-level PE offer a range of experiences that are varied, challenging and, crucially, relevant to future students of medicine. I happen to be a PE teacher, so I will focus on the role of PE but other subjects ranging from textiles to geography, from drama to business studies should also be considered when paired with the right scientific core and for the right student.

Let’s focus on A-level PE, then. Why would a University admissions officer and the policies they employ value this course? Pleasingly, the answers to this question are very clear. Firstly, A-level PE is a very well-established and very well-respected qualification. It is rigorous, stimulating and varied. The final adjective here is very important: A-level PE is varied. Let’s break this down further.

A-level PE requires a student to show knowledge and skills across five different paradigms:

1. Scientific knowledge and skills including that of applied anatomy, physiology and biomechanics.
2. Psychological knowledge and skills including that of how human beings learn movement skills and how the mind influences performance in the study of sport psychology.
3. Sociocultural knowledge and skills including studies of contemporary society, opportunity, provision and esteem.
4. Capacity to represent one’s knowledge in a highly applied environment via either a written or spoken coursework piece. Crucially, this paradigm is focussed on a student’s capacity to use knowledge, making it highly vocational (in the best sense).
5. Capacity to represent learned skills and fitness through performance.

So, variety is a given but let’s focus on some of these points. Starting with point five. If a young person has spent part of their childhood learning performance skills in (almost) any activity, these experiences and the progression attained are valued in this qualification. Much like a musician working through grade levels and receiving A-level marks for this achievement or a computer coder writing advanced programmes for recreation and receiving value for this skill on an A-level computer science course, A-level PE values young people that spend time investing in movement, fitness and sport. These potential doctors of the future are benefited by this as, one would assume, their tendency to use exercise to manage work-related stresses and promote physical, social and mental well-being are enhanced. Being a doctor is not simply about having medical knowledge. It is about being a broad and balanced person and being a carer for others whilst maintaining one’s own health and well-being. Nothing should be clearer than this right now, in 2023, when simultaneously to me writing this piece, the reality of being a junior doctor and, eventually, a doctor in the NHS, is becoming starker and starker. A-level PE students are learning lifelong, varied skills that can enhance their lives. 

If I was feeling more provocative, I may even ask potential A-level students and parents this question:

It’s not just PE that values movement. Courses in drama, art, dance and music value the coordination of the mind and the body, not just the mind alone.

We should also be willing to look very closely at the application of acquired knowledge and skill through a course of study. It is true that every A-level course requires application but A-level physical education is one of the only subjects that could be considered as placing application at the core of the experience. Yes, PE students learn definitions and concepts but, in 100% of cases, these principles are applied to health, movement or sport. Now, if we ignore the word “sport”-a more exclusive concept- for a moment, can anyone reasonably argue that applying principles to health and movement is not critical for almost every young person? I would argue that it is. I am not arguing that every student should elect A-level PE but, rather, that more students and parents may choose to value the centrality of applying learning to lifelong concepts such as health and movement. Considering that admissions tutors for medicine degrees seem to agree, it is right that we promote this idea to more young people.

Finally, I want to draw your attention to points one, two and three. Students on A-level PE study a range of skills and concepts that spans a relatively holistic perspective. Once again, A-level PE delivers (like I’m sure many other subjects do) in providing a breadth of opportunities and insights to young people. We should all be proud of this.

 So, what is my summary? 

Well, firstly, A-level PE should never be discouraged by a parent, teacher, Head of Sixth Form, careers advisor for a student aiming for the very highest levels of study. Assuming that the student has the requirements for the degree programme or equivalent they are applying to, it is unethical for an adult to tell a young person that PE is of lower value. It isn’t! I implore our responsible adults to recognise this and adjust their guidance as required.

Secondly, I want every PE teacher and PE student out there to stand tall. Our subject counts and, whilst we will never ever diminish the value of any other course, we should never ever allow a derogatory assumption, comment or policy to go unchallenged. Furthermore, schools who are seeing their A-level numbers fall in the era of “three A-levels only” need to fight back and share articles like this one with those who need to be challenged.

Finally, being a parent of  children in the teenage years is incredibly hard and parents need high-quality, balanced information made available to them. The time, thought and, at times, worry that Marta and I have invested in this process are immense. We never push our daughters in directions that they do not wish to pursue. Rather, we talk openly about facts allowing our children to make their own decisions. Once at this point, we back them completely with time, energy and resources to help them succeed. We are very, very far from perfect parents but we do try our best and we feel that this is the right approach for us. 

As three final summary points, I would like to share the following with you:

1. The deeper I have gotten into the UCAS, university and medical applications, the more I have realised the grades are not the most important thing. Many, many people achieve As and A*s in their A-levels but do not receive an offer for medicine. As far as I can tell, the UK has a very rigorous application and recruitment process that values the diversity of people in addition to grades. I think this should be celebrated. Anna, for example, is a good student but she is also a devoted player and coach of table tennis. She has a part-time job working at reception at a really nice gym and spa. I honestly believe that these experiences, more than just looking good on paper, have allowed her to present herself as the broad and varied young person she is. 
2. Whilst this article is not specifically about my daughter, I also thought that student readers might be interested to know that Anna is determined to defer her university place for a year and to work and travel for a year. The rigours of achieving at GCSE and A-level are heavy and she feels that she wants “to live a little” before hitting the books again in the near future. Whilst Marta and I are reticent (what parent isn’t when they tell you they will be on the other side of the world…), we completely understand her perspective and back her completely in this decision.
3. I want to honour the many wonderful people who have posted interesting and exciting messages on the initial blog. I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and for reading the article. I have shared some examples below.

"The role of third A-Levels"

"Experience of a child applying for medicine"

"Requesting a follow up post"