AFTER GCSEs · THE LEVEL 3 DOOR

Four routes, one choice

Everyone in England carries on to 18, but nobody has to carry on the same way. Four real routes, no ranking, no agenda: what each one is, who it suits, and where the genuine local options live.

A levels

Usually three subjects at sixth form. The classic route to university, and the most flexible if you are still deciding.

Find sixth forms near you

Real school-by-school data on whatschool.ai

T Levels

One technical subject, two years, with a 45-day industry placement built in. Equivalent to three A levels, designed with employers.

See colleges that run them

Via the colleges directory

BTECs and applied courses

Coursework-heavy and practical, at school or college, from one subject alongside A levels to a full programme. Well trodden route into both work and university.

Browse colleges

Via the colleges directory

Level 3 apprenticeships

A real job with training, paid from day one, A-level equivalent at the end. The strongest option if you already know the work you want.

Every Level 3 standard

Scored against AI like every card

Not sure which door? Ask Robin: a few friendly questions, then routes that fit, or start from a career you are curious about and work backwards through its real entry routes.

What your school or college actually offers

Built from 2,688 schools and colleges' own 2024/25 exam entries: every subject and qualification their students actually sat, not a prospectus promise.

Nothing searched yet. Try your own school, or one you are considering for sixth form. 2,688 schools and colleges are in the 2024/25 snapshot.

This is the 2024/25 snapshot of qualifications students actually sat, the closest public record of what a school or college runs at level 3. It is not a prospectus: a subject with no entries here may still be timetabled next year, and a small cohort can come and go year to year. Check with the school or college directly before ruling anything in or out.