… the T Level appealed to me more because it incorporated more skills-based learning and more hands-on experience, including the 9-week industry placement, than traditional A-Levels.
Charlie Gorham
What motivated you to study T Level Science?
I considered doing A-Levels at first, but the T Level appealed to me more because it incorporated more skills-based learning and more hands-on experience, including the 9-week industry placement, than traditional A-Levels. I also liked the idea of having more skills-oriented exams rooted in applying your knowledge rather than traditional exams where you sit down and answer seemingly random questions for a few hours.
What has been the most interesting topic you have been taught across the course, and why?
I’ve enjoyed most of the topics we’ve been taught across all three disciplines (biology, chemistry and physics) but if I had to pick a favourite, I’ve definitely found chromatography and separation techniques the most interesting. Partly because I worked with different types of chromatography a lot in my industry placement which really helped to solidify my knowledge of the topic.
Where was your industry placement and to what extent was it valuable to you?
I worked as a lab assistant at Kent Scientific Services during my industry placement. KSS is an enforcement lab so what I’d be doing would vary day to day based on the samples that came in and what they needed to be tested for, but the main things I did were, weighing samples, making up solutions like mobile phases for HPLC, and the part I found most fun, helping with extraction procedures and sometimes doing them on my own once I gained confidence. I was taught to use a wide variety of the equipment they had, from the relatively simple to operate like fume cupboards and water baths to the instruments with complex software like the mass spectrometers. I found it incredibly valuable because it really helped me to develop my scientific skillset.
Can you share an example of how the industry placement supported your classroom learning or assessments?
My time at KSS massively helped with my practical skills and manual dexterity which came in incredibly useful for my practical exams in the occupational specialism, but it also helped greatly with improving my understanding of the topics we’d covered at college by applying them to a work-based setting. For example, I spent a lot of time with analysts testing for pesticides in fruit and veg which helped me to gain a better understanding of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry because I got to see the instruments in action which is something you don’t get to see at most schools and colleges because they are so expensive.
What pathway are you considering taking Post T Level?
I’m planning to head to university to study an undergraduate degree in environmental science because I like the idea of combining my love of science with my love of the natural world and the environment.
Would you recommend studying T Level Science to others?
Another thing I like about the T Level is it only has two traditional paper-based core exams and the ESP, and the occupational specialism are more skills focused. You can also re-sit the core exam papers and the ESP in your second year which I found took a lot of the stress away because if I messed up, I knew I’d get a second chance. So, I would recommend studying T Level science to anyone interested in science that wants something a bit different to A Levels.
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