To its advocates the A' Level is the gold standard for post-16 education. To its detractors, it demands too much focus, too early.
There is no doubt as a qualification it delivers the goods when it comes to university entrance. The exam is widely accepted and widely respected at tertiary institutions around the world.
Students normally sit three A' Levels, but some sit four, and others as few as two. This would still deliver the points required for some UK universities - and pretty much every UAE institution which often accept lower level GCSEs and AS Levels.
A Level students tend to choose subjects of a similar type, usually split between humanities (English, History, Economics...) or sciences (Maths, Physics, Chemistry...). Languages tend to sit fairly easily within both camps.
Largely as a result of this specialisation, over the last five years the International Baccalaureate has begun to nip at the A' Levels heels. You can read more of IB versus A level in articles across the site, but the key to which one to choose lies with the student: Does he or she want to specialise, or does he/she enjoy and perform equally well at science, art, languages, and social science?
IB students take six subjects, three at higher level and three at standard level. These subjects are studied for two years and are examined at the end of that two year period.
What's new
New AS and A levels have been taught from September 2015. The first results for the new AS levels came in 2016, and for the A levels will come this year (2017). Further subjects will be introduced over the following two years.
The new A' and AS levels move the qualifications closer in many ways to the original A' Level examination, and is part of a process to allow greater differentiation between the most able students.
The main features of the new qualifications are:
Assessment is mainly by exam, with other types of assessment used only where they are needed to test essential skills.
AS and A levels will be assessed at the end of the course. AS assessments will typically take place after 1 year’s study and A levels after 2. The courses will no longer be divided into modules and there will be no exams in January.
AS and A levels will be "decoupled" – this means that AS results will no longer count towards an A level, in the way they do now. Under the old system AS Levels were studied in Year 12 with exams taken in May-June. They were worth 50% of your overall A Level qualification.
NOTE: This is NOT the case for the international A' Level where the AS Level will continue to count towards the A' Level.
In many countries, including the UK, both UK and International A Levels are offered - although more rarely within the same school. Those with higher numbers of students from the UK tend to offer the UK A' Level. Those whose demographic is more international tend to offer International A' Levels.
AS levels can be designed by exam boards to be taught alongside the first year of UK A levels - meaning AS Levels can be gained during the course of studying the A Level exam. An AS Level is an examination in its own right, and therefore still has value of its own.
Timetable for the new A' Levels
New AS and A level to be taught from: | First AS results will be issued in: | First A level results will be issued in: | Subjects |
---|---|---|---|
September 2015 | Summer 2016 | Summer 2017 | art and design biology business chemistry computer science economics English language English language and literature English literature history physics psychology sociology |
September 2016 | Summer 2017 | Summer 2018 | ancient languages (classical Greek, Latin) dance drama and theatre geography modern foreign languages (French, German, Spanish) music physical education religious studies |
September 2017 | Summer 2018 | Summer 2019 | accounting ancient history archaeology classical civilisation design and technology electronics environmental science film studies further mathematics geology government and politics history of art law mathematics media studies music technology philosophy statistics |
School name | Community | Region |
---|---|---|
Akeley Wood School | Buckinghamshire | South East England |
Ardingly College | West Sussex | South East England |
Ashbourne College | Kensington | Greater London |
Bedales | Hampshire | South East England |
Bede's Senior School | East Sussex | South East England |
Benenden School | Kent | South East England |
Bradfield College | Berkshire | South East England |
Brentwood School | Essex | East of England |
Brighton College | East Sussex | South East England |
Bromsgrove School | Worcestershire | West Midlands |
Brooke House College | Leicestershire | West Midlands |
Bryanston | Dorset | South West England |
Canford School | Dorset | South West England |
Cardiff Sixth Form College | Cardiff | Wales |
Caterham School | Surrey | South East England |
Cheltenham Ladies College | Gloucestershire | South West England |
Chetham’s School of Music | Lancashire | North West England |
City of London School | Westminster | Greater London |
City of London School for Girls | Westminster | Greater London |
Concord College | Shropshire | South West England |
Cranbrook School | Kent | South East England |
Cranleigh School | Surrey | South East England |
d’Overbroeck's | Oxfordshire | South East England |
DLD College London | Westminster | Greater London |
Downe House | Berkshire | South East England |
Dulwich College (UK) | Surrey | Greater London |
Durham School | Durham | North East England |
Earlscliffe | Kent | South East England |
Eastbourne College | East Sussex | South East England |
Eaton Square (Senior & Sixth Form) | Westminster | Greater London |
Edgbaston College | Warwickshire | West Midlands |
Elmhurst Ballet School | Warwickshire | West Midlands |
Epsom College | Surrey | Greater London |
Eton College | Berkshire | South East England |
Fettes College | Edinburgh | Scotland |
Frensham Heights | Surrey | South East England |
Godolphin and Latymer | Hammersmith & Fulham | Greater London |
Gordonstoun | Moray | Scotland |
Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls | Hertfordshire | East of England |
Haileybury School | Hertfordshire | East of England |
Hampton School | Middlesex | Greater London |
Harrow School | Harrow | Greater London |
Highgate School | Camden | Greater London |
Hurstpierpoint College | West Sussex | South East England |
Hurtwood House | Dorking | South East England |
Kent College, Canterbury (Senior School) | Kent | South East England |
King Edward's Witley | Surrey | Greater London |
King's College School, Wimbledon | Westminster | Greater London |
King's InterHigh | Westminster | Greater London |
King's School Canterbury | Kent | South East England |
King’s Ely | Cambridgeshire | South East England |
Kingham Hill School | Oxfordshire | South East England |
Lancing College | West Sussex | South East England |
Latymer Upper School | Hammersmith & Fulham | Greater London |
Leighton Park School | Berkshire | South East England |
Lord Wandsworth College | Hampshire | South East England |
Loretto School | East Lothian | Scotland |
Magdalen College School | Oxfordshire | South East England |
Malvern College | Worcestershire | West Midlands |
Malvern St James Girls’ School | Worcestershire | West Midlands |
Mander Portman Woodward (Birmingham) | Warwickshire | West Midlands |
Mander Portman Woodward (Cambridge) | Cambridgeshire | South East England |
Mander Portman Woodward (London) | Kensington | Greater London |
Marlborough College | Wiltshire | South West England |
Millfield (Senior School) | Somerset | South West England |
North Bridge House (Senior Canonbury) | Barnet | Greater London |
North London Collegiate School | Harrow | Greater London |
Oakham School | Rutland | East of England |
Oxford International College | Oxfordshire | South East England |
Queen’s College, Taunton | Somerset | South West England |
Queenswood School | Hertfordshire | East of England |
Radley College | Oxfordshire | South East England |
Reigate Grammar School | Surrey | Greater London |
Roedean School | East Sussex | South East England |
Rossall School | Lancashire | North West England |
Royal Grammar School Guildford | Surrey | Greater London |
Royal High School Bath (Senior School & Sixth Form) | Somerset | South West England |
Rugby School | Warwickshire | West Midlands |
Ruthin School | Denbighshire | South West England |
Sedbergh School | Cumbria | North West England |
Sherborne School | Dorset | South West England |
Shrewsbury School | Shropshire | South West England |
St Albans High School for Girls | Hertfordshire | East of England |
St Catherine's, Bramley | Surrey | South East England |
St Mary's Calne | Wiltshire | South West England |
St Mary's School, Cambridge | Cambridgeshire | South East England |
St Mary’s School, Ascot | Berkshire | South East England |
St Paul's | Richmond | Greater London |
St Paul's Girls' School | Hammersmith & Fulham | Greater London |
Stonyhurst College | Lancashire | North West England |
Stowe School | Buckinghamshire | South East England |
Taunton School | Somerset | South West England |
The Abbey (Junior School) | Berkshire | South East England |
The Abbey (Senior School) | Berkshire | South East England |
The Hammond School | Cheshire | North East England |
The Mount, Mill Hill International School | Barnet | Greater London |
The Perse School | Cambridgeshire | South East England |
The Purcell School | Hertfordshire | East of England |
Tonbridge School | Kent | South East England |
Tring Park School for the Performing Arts | Hertfordshire | East of England |
Uppingham School | Leicestershire | West Midlands |
Warwick School | Warwickshire | West Midlands |
Wellington College | Berkshire | South East England |
Wells Cathedral School | Somerset | South West England |
Westminster School | Westminster | Greater London |
Whitgift School | Surrey | Greater London |
Wimbledon High School | Merton | Greater London |
Winchester College | Hampshire | South East England |
Windermere School (Senior School & Sixth Form) | Cumbria | North West England |
Woldingham School | Surrey | South East England |
Worth School | West Sussex | South East England |
Wycliffe Senior School | Gloucestershire | South West England |
Wycombe Abbey | Buckinghamshire | South East England |
Wymondham College | Norfolk | East Midlands |
Yehudi Menuhin School | Surrey | South East England |