Katie Knowles
NHS Healthcare Assistant · York, North Yorkshire
A-Level Biology (AQA)
“My experience setting up to study an additional A-level could not have gone smoother. Lucas answered every question I had and made the whole process incredibly straightforward – I was studying within days of my initial call.”
The Challenge
Katie had two A-Levels from school – Psychology and Sociology – but when she researched degree entry requirements for medicine and physician associate programmes, she found that Biology A-Level was a non-negotiable entry requirement she had never taken. At 28, working as an NHS Healthcare Assistant in York while building clinical experience, she needed to add the Biology A-Level to her qualifications without disrupting her NHS work or the research experience she was accumulating. A college course requiring weekly attendance was simply not compatible with her unpredictable shift rota.
Why learndirect
Katie found learndirect through a search for online A-Level Biology providers and called immediately. Lucas, the enrolment adviser, was thorough in confirming that the AQA A-Level Biology specification used was the same one used by sixth forms – the same examination, the same certificate. “He was so clear about how everything worked – the external candidate process for the exam, how to find a centre in York, what the practical endorsement involved. Nothing was vague,” Katie said. She enrolled the same week and immediately appreciated that her personal tutor was an actual Biology specialist with examining experience, not a generalist teacher.
The Outcome
Katie completed AQA A-Level Biology online, sitting her papers as an external candidate at a York college, and achieved a grade B – 112 UCAS points. Combined with her existing A-Levels, she now has 320 UCAS points and the Biology qualification required for her target Physician Associate MSc programmes. She has submitted applications to the University of Leeds and the University of Sheffield PA programmes for entry the following year. Physician Associates in the NHS start at Band 7 salary (£46,148), rising to Band 8a for experienced PAs (£53,755).