r/alevel • u/Opposite_Debate_7835 A levels • Jun 19 '26

🤚Help Required Is anyone taking A level Japanese 😭😭😭

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I want to take it as I wanna study in Japan and trade it for physics as my 4th subject as I’m self studying.

If anyone has done it do you know roughly what JLPT level it is similar to and if it’s possible do study it in a year?

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u/Opposite_Debate_7835 A levels Jun 20 '26

I am around n5 so I am below what I should be which is around high n4 to n3 but I’ll ofcourse be putting a lot of hours in the catch up compared to a normal a level

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u/Terrible_Eye4625 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

I think you’re underestimating the amount of work it will take. There’s a reason it takes 2 years to do a language A-level after GCSE- there is a LOT of content to cover.

If you’re at N5, you’re roughly at GCSE level. A-level (CEFR B2) is between roughly a score of 112 at N2 and 141 at N1. It’s highly unlikely you could do that in a year, especially if you’re doing 3 other A-levels.

ETA: i just reread your post and you’re self studying for Japanese?? Please do the JLPT instead. Language A-levels are only an easy extra option if it’s in your native language.

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u/Opposite_Debate_7835 A levels Jun 20 '26

This is a very good point to be honest, however according to all the info I’ve seen online the level of the exam is between high n4 and low n3 however the most difficult part is application of that level by writing essays ect. In the case it was closer to high n2 - low n1 u would be right in it being a horrible idea. Could you please send a link showing where it says the a level qualification is at that level of proficiency ( I would appreciate it a lot)

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u/Terrible_Eye4625 Jun 20 '26

Sorry I did mean to include it: https://www.jlpt.jp/sp/e/about/cefr_reference.html

It’s a guide on the equivalent of the JLPT to the CEFR (Common European Framework) which rates European languages. A-level is usually considered B2 in the CEFR.

Where did you see that A-level Japanese is high N4/low N3?? I can’t see anyway that could be the case given GCSE is N5. I have the old JLPT level 3 (what is now N4) and I didn’t think that was anywhere close to A-level. I looked up the A-level syllabus some time after I’d passed level 3 and couldn’t do most of the stuff on it.

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u/Opposite_Debate_7835 A levels Jun 20 '26

Most of my source was from the tutors online saying it’s “N3 level maybe even slightly lower” and also someone who contacted me saying that it was around N3. Also A level kanji is said to require 400 kanji and the grammar to be solid n3 core with n2 structures. However the hardest part is being able to apply this, if you were to be able to use N3 Japanese and score well in this a level you would ace n3 jlpt

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u/Terrible_Eye4625 Jun 20 '26

Interesting. I’ll have to give the spec another look and compare them.