A-level choices and offer requirements
View ProjectA-Level Mathematics (with predicted A*) is integral. Economics courses are so mathematical nowadays that a low aptitude for Mathematics will result in large difficulty.
Do Further Mathematics if your school offers it, as it is a very relevant subject for the course (topics like matrices, surfaces, and vectors covered in Further Mathematics have many economic applications). Cambridge reports that 93% of students who successfully applied in 2018, 2019, and 2023 took A-Level Further Mathematics. However, do not worry about not doing it as you can 100% get in without it (we have several friends in our year who did so). If your school does not offer it, try your absolute hardest to self-teach the AS (Sam did this), to stand out and show commitment.
Note that Christ’s, Magdalene, St John’s, and Churchill all require Further Mathematics – this is a recent trend and will likely spread to more colleges in the next few years.
If offered, make sure you take the Economics A-Level. This not only builds up a good understanding of key macro events (which must be shown at interview) but also helps you to develop a good intuition of how economic analysis works. We know people who failed to get in having chosen not to do Economics A-Level and they were even asked at interview why they had made this decision! The Cambridge course also has a large essay component (especially in first year where Papers 4 and 5 are entirely essay based) so this A-Level further shows those skills.
Note that Trinity Hall requires an essay-based subject for admission.
Maths, Further Maths, and Economics are the strongest A-Levels to choose (in that order). A fourth A-Level subject will certainly strengthen your application – a large proportion of current Economics students did 4 rather than 3 A-Levels. Regarding subject choice, Cambridge advises subjects, such as physics, chemistry, geography, and history. Both Sam and I did physics A-Level – while this was pretty tough, it forces you to have to really understand complex models much like in Economics (as the saying goes ‘a bad mathematician becomes a physicist and a bad physicist becomes an economist’!). Overall, we think that adding a science, such as physics or chemistry, as your fourth A-Level is likely the strongest approach.
Cambridge Further Maths breakdown:
College
Number of applicants with A* FM
Number of offer holders with A* FM
Christ's
20
3
Churchill
12
4
Clare
23
8
Corpus Christi
10
<3
Downing
16
3
Emmanuel
18
<3
Fitzwilliam
19
5
Girton
13
5
Gonville and Caius
14
3
Homerton
18
4
Jesus
9
4
King's
19
5
Lucy Cavendish
13
5
Magdalene
3
<3
Murray Edwards
14
4
Pembroke
15
<3
Peterhouse
6
<3
Queens
17
<3
Robinson
14
<3
Selwyn
34
4
Sidney Sussex
14
5
St Catharine's
15
<3
St John's
30
8
Trinity
33
10
Trinity Hall
9
4
Source: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com
