Updated 26 October 2026
How to choose your A/L stream
The stream you choose after your O/L decides which three subjects you study for two years, and which university degrees you can apply for afterwards. Here is what the official rules say, and how to think about the choice.
The streams
The Department of Examinations' results reports and the University Grants Commission's handbook list six A/L streams: Physical Science, Biological Science, Commerce, Arts, Engineering Technology and Bio Systems Technology. Schools often group the last two together as the Technology stream.
What you sit
Every candidate sits three subjects plus the Common General Test. To be considered for a university place, the University Grants Commission asks for at least an S in all three subjects in one sitting, within three attempts, and at least 30% in the Common General Test.
The subjects each stream needs for its main degrees
These are the minimum subject requirements the University Grants Commission sets for each stream's main degree courses. Your school's own combination rules may be narrower, so check with your school before you choose.
| Stream (main degree) | Subjects needed |
|---|---|
| Physical Science | Combined Mathematics or Higher Mathematics, plus Chemistry or Physics, plus a third from Agricultural Science, Combined Mathematics, Biology, Higher Mathematics, Chemistry or Physics |
| Physical Science (Engineering) | Chemistry, Combined Mathematics and Physics |
| Biological Science | Biology and Chemistry, plus a third from Agricultural Science, Higher Mathematics, Mathematics, Combined Mathematics or Physics |
| Commerce (Management) | Business Studies, Economics and Accounting, or two of these with an approved third subject |
| Engineering Technology | Engineering Technology and Science for Technology, plus an approved third subject |
| Bio Systems Technology | Bio Systems Technology and Science for Technology, plus an approved third subject |
| Arts | Subjects chosen from the approved Arts subject groups |
How to decide
Start from the end. If you already have a degree or a career in mind, find its subject requirements in the handbook and work backwards to the stream.
Look honestly at your O/L. The A/L builds directly on O/L Maths and Science for Physical and Biological Science, and on Commerce and Maths for the Commerce stream. A subject you found hard at O/L will be harder at A/L.
Choose subjects you can face for two years. You will study them nearly every day; interest carries you through the difficult units better than a stream's reputation does.
Talk to students one or two years ahead of you, and to your teachers, before the school's deadline. Changing stream later costs time.
Sources
- Department of ExaminationsUniversity Grants Commission: Student Handbook 2024/25 (opens in a new tab)
- Department of ExaminationsDepartment of Examinations: Performance of candidates, G.C.E. A/L 2025 (opens in a new tab)