What are the Main Streams of Studies for AL Students in Sri Lanka

Bunny Denol
3 min readJan 6, 2022

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By Wavebreakmedia

Advanced Level largely defines a student’s future career. It is the first stepping stone to leading the life that one always aspires to have. So, choosing the perfect stream for your advanced level studies would secure you university entrance, better opportunities in the job market, and a life-changing experience at school. Local as well as international schools in Sri Lanka offer a few main streams that students can follow, and we will be giving a brief introduction into each of them in this article.

Biological Science Stream:

One of the most competitive streams available for Advanced Level is the Biological Science Stream. A student would have to perform exceptionally well in their Ordinary Level exams to be qualified to sit for their A/Ls in this stream. This consists of four main subjects in general which are biology, chemistry, physics and agricultural science. Candidates are allowed to pick either physics or agricultural science, while the other two subjects are mandatory. Career options for those who study the biological science stream include becoming doctors, scientists, surgeons and such. You could also contribute to causes like reducing environmental depletion, elimination of threats to human health, and the maintenance of viable and abundant food supplies.

Physical Science Stream:

Not too different from the biological science stream, the Physical Science Stream includes much of the same subjects including physics and chemistry. The third and the deciding factor of the stream is that it also includes combined mathematics. Candidates can also choose to study ICT instead of chemistry. The popular career option for this stream is engineering. However, the knowledge acquired from this stream can also be used in social sciences, statistics, and robotics.

Arts Stream:

Arts Stream is quite wide and varied compared to the rest. Students are given many options including a variety of languages such as French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, German and Hindi. Other subjects include economics, religion, political science, history, geography, and even psychology at popular international schools in Colombo like Stafford. Students can also choose to study English literature, aesthetic subjects, and Greek Roman Culture. The options are endless, giving the students the freedom to truly embrace what they want to study. Because of the plethora of choices, the career opportunities are also many. It’s all up to what the student would like to specialize in.

Commerce Stream:

The Commerce Stream is probably the most commonly chosen field among Sri Lankan students. The stream mainly consists of the studying of economics, business studies, and accounting. The career choices include becoming accountants, stockbrokers, entrepreneurs, business managers, bankers and auditors.

Now that you have a rough idea about what the main Advanced Level study streams in Sri Lanka are, take your time to think it over and make a wise decision that will benefit you in the years to come.

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