According to Eccles' expectancy-value model of achievement motivation, students' expectations and values relate to their performance and are influenced by goals and identities. When specific identities are important to an individual the tasks associated with them will have value and the individual will be motivated to act them out. This study explores students' perceptions of the relationship between their identities, goals, task demands, and their expectations and values for A-levels. Purposeful sampling of 20 A-level student participants and semi-structured interviews were employed. The results indicated that students attached value to doing well in their A-levels, they were perceived as important for the way they saw themselves, for their educational and occupational goals and future lives. Seemingly A-levels both confirmed aspects of students' identity but were also perceived to facilitate change and have positive effects. Overall, it appeared that A-levels are perceived to be important for the development of young people and illustrates ways in which these qualifications might shape how individuals see themselves and the impact upon them. The relationships are however complex and warrant further explanation including research methodologies employing student voice.