A-level
General Certificate of Secondary Education |
The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the
A number of Commonwealth countries have developed qualifications with the same name as and a similar format to the British A-levels.[4][5][6] Obtaining an A-level, or equivalent qualifications, is generally required across the board for university entrance, with universities granting offers based on grades achieved.[7] Particularly in Singapore, its A-level examinations have been regarded as being much more challenging than those in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.[8][9]
A-levels are typically worked towards over two years. Normally, students take three or four A-level courses in their first year of sixth form, and most taking four cut back to three in their second year.[10][11][12][7] This is because university offers are normally based on three A-level grades, and taking a fourth can have an impact on grades. Unlike other level-3 qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate, A-levels have no specific subject requirements, so students have the opportunity to combine any subjects they wish to take. However, students normally pick their courses based on the degree they wish to pursue at university: most degrees require specific A-levels for entry.[13]
In legacy modular courses (last assessment Summer 2019), A-levels are split into two parts, with students within their first year of study pursuing an Advanced Subsidiary qualification, commonly referred to as an AS or AS-level, which can either serve as an independent qualification or contribute 40% of the marks towards a full A-level award. The second part is known as an A2 or A2-level, which is generally more in-depth and academically rigorous than the AS. The AS and A2 marks are combined for a full A-level award. The A2-level is not a qualification on its own and must be accompanied by an AS-level in the same subject for certification.[14]
In September 2023, it was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that the A-level would be scrapped in England and merged with T-levels to form the Advanced British Standard.[15][16] This would incorporate compulsory English and mathematics studies. There are no plans to scrap A-levels in Wales.[17]
Current usage
Several countries use A-levels as a school-leaving qualification. The A-levels taken by students in other countries may differ from the A-levels taken in the United Kingdom.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, the
Brunei
In
Cameroon
The Advanced Level of Cameroon is based on the
Hong Kong
The British A-level qualifications such as GCE A-level and International A-level are widely accepted in Hong Kong as an alternative to the
Relevant authorities such as the
India
In
Malaysia
In
Mauritius
In
Nepal
In
Pakistan
A-levels are offered in
Seychelles
In
Singapore
In
Sri Lanka
In
Passing A-levels is a major requirement for applying to local universities and for private universities in Sri Lanka. In the recent past, Universities in Sri Lanka have given the opportunity to apply for their foundation courses which only require O-level (Ordinary Level) results.[20]
Tanzania
A-level is an education structure after the completion of 11 years of Universal Primary Education (UPE). Universal Primary Education consists of two levels, the primary school level of seven years and ordinarily secondary level, of four years.
Students are then required to sit for the National Examination which is done on a specific month in a certain year. The exams are done throughout the country on the same date provided by the examination board. Examinations will depend on the cluster and core subjects in which a student shall take. There are three major clusters, namely science, business, and liberal arts plus core subjects of which are seven in total or more. Students who will then pass according to the National Examination Standards shall be selected to join Advanced Secondary Education and are selected according to the subjects they passed the most and by their will to pursue certain subjects.
There are only three core subjects to study in Advanced Level and one or more optional subjects to sit for the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE). Then students are awarded Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education only if they have passed. The pass marks are arranged according to grades and the grades will determine whether a student will qualify to join tertiary education.
A-level education is a two years education which is offered by the government and non-government schools. It is regulated by the Ministry of Education which assures both qualitative and quantitative subject matters and there is a special independent council that is responsible in composing the Advanced Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (ACSEE) namely The National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA).
Uganda
In Uganda, a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education is awarded to students who have passed their national examinations that are set and marked by the Uganda National Examination Board (UNEB). It is among the requirements requirements for one to join a university in Uganda. The advanced level takes two years for one to complete.
United Kingdom
A-levels are a college or sixth form leaving qualification offered in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These are not compulsory, unlike GCSEs. In Scotland, A-levels are also offered by some schools as an alternative school-leaving qualification in place of the Scottish Advanced Higher. The main examination boards which administer British A-levels in the UK are:
- Assessment and Qualifications Alliance(AQA)
- Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA Examinations (OCR)
- Edexcel (Edexcel Pearson – London Examinations)
- Welsh Joint Education Committee(WJEC)
- Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA)
- Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE)
- Learning Resource Network (LRN)
Oxford AQA, Edexcel,
The British variant of A/AS-levels is also taken in many Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries, as well as in examination centers worldwide. British international schools in foreign countries generally offer the British A-levels as offered through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations. At select examination centers, the British A-level exams may also be available to private candidates.
Subjects offered
A wide variety of subjects are offered at A-level by the five exam boards. Although exam boards often alter their curricula, this table shows the majority of subjects that are consistently available for study.
- Accounting[21][22][23]
- Afrikaans[22]
- Ancient History[23]
- Archaeology[21]
- Architecture[21]
- Bengali[21]
- Biblical Hebrew[21][23]
- Biology[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Business[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Chemistry[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Chinese[26]
- Classical Greek[23]
- Classical Studies[22][23]
- Communication and Culture[21]
- Criminology[21][25]
- Dance[21]
- Design and Technology[21][22][23][25]
- Textiles[22]
- Digital Technology[24]
- Divinity[22]
- Drama[25]
- Drama and Theatre[21][23][26]
- Dutch[23]
- Economics[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Economics and Business[26]
- Electronics[21][23][25]
- Engineering[26]
- English Language and Literature[21][22][23][26][25]
- Environmental Science[21]
- Environmental Technology[24]
- Textiles[21]
- Food Preparation and Nutrition[26]
- French[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Further Mathematics[21][22][23][24]
- Geography[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Geology[23][25]
- German[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Global Development[26]
- Global Perspectives and Research[22]
- Government and Politics[21][23][26][24][25]
- Greek[26]
- Gujarati[23]
- Hindi[22]
- Hinduism[22]
- History[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Humanities[23]
- IT[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Information Technology[22]
- International Relations[21]
- Irish[24]
- Islamic studies[22]
- Italian[26]
- Japanese[26]
- Journalism in the Media and Communications Industry[24]
- Latin[23]
- Law[21][22][23][25]
- Leisure Studies[23][26]
- Life and Health Sciences[24]
- Marine Science[22]
- Mathematics[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Modern Hebrew[21]
- Moving Image Arts[24]
- Music[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Music Technology[26]
- Food Science[24]
- Punjabi[21]
- Performance Studies[23]
- Persian[21][23]
- Philosophy[21]
- Photography
- Physical Science[22]
- Physics[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Polish[21]
- Politics[21][26]
- Portuguese[22][23]
- Professional Business Services[24]
- Psychology[21][22][23][26][25]
- Pure Mathematics[21]
- Quantitative Methods[23]
- Science in Society[21]
- Russian[26]
- Sinhala
- Sociology[21][22][23][25]
- Software Systems Development[24]
- Spanish[21][22][23][26][24][25]
- Sports Science[24]
- Statistics[21][23][26]
- Systems and Control Technology[21]
- Telugu[22]
- Tamil[22]
- Technology and Design[24]
- Thinking Skills[22]
- Travel and Tourism[22][23][26][25]
- Turkish[23]
- Welsh[25]
A-level reforms in England
Between 2015 and 2018 (first assessment Summer 2017), A-levels in England were reformed, transitioning from a modular to linear structure (initially across 13 subjects). This means all A-level exams are taken in one sitting as a set of terminal exams (three exams for the majority of subjects), and there is no coursework set for many subjects. For A-levels that retain a coursework element, the percentage of the final grade determined by coursework has been reduced. An example of this can be seen in Edexcel's new English Literature A-level, reformed in 2015, which reduces the amount of coursework to 20% (from 40% in the old modular specification). A-levels are no longer separated into units, and students must resit all of their exams if they wish to resit the qualification. While these reforms were expected to be complete for first teaching in 2017, this was extended to 2018 to include the reforms of less common languages such as Modern Hebrew and Bengali.
The AS-level is now a separate qualification and is not required for an A-level award, although it still encompasses the first year of the full A-level content. However, unlike AS-levels in the old modular courses, they are now worth only 40% as many UCAS points as a full A-level (from 50% in the modular courses), as content from the second year of A-level is considered more academically challenging than that of the first year.[27][28]
As these reforms took place in stages, many students took a combination of modular and linear courses before all reforms were complete, with AS-levels still being part of an A-level in older modular courses.
These reforms look to combat grade inflation, where the proportion of students achieving the highest grades increases year upon year, causing the value of those grades to be eroded. The modular system has also been criticised for nurturing a 'resit culture',[29] while new linear courses give no opportunity to resit individual units.
Controversially, some A-level course subjects have been abolished since 2017 as part of these reforms. These include archaeology, anthropology, creative writing, critical thinking, general studies, and home economics. Many universities criticized the scrapping of exams taken at the end of AS-level, which used to be worth 50% of the overall A-level grade. This is because the universities used the grades achieved at AS-level (available to universities after a student applies during the second year of A-levels) as an indication of a student's ability and thus whether to give said student an offer.[30][31]
Opposition to these reforms in Wales[17] and Northern Ireland has resulted in maintaining the modular structure of their qualification.
Zimbabwe
The GCE Advanced Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC).[32] Before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the Council in Zimbabwe.
Former usage
Caribbean
In 2002, there has been a move away from the GCE Advanced Level to the CXC CAPE examinations,[33] making them a de facto university entrance examination. Some universities also require applicants to take separate entrance examinations. The International Baccalaureate and European Baccalaureate are also accepted.
See also
- Advanced British Standard, a proposed replacement
- General Certificate of Secondary Education(GCSE) – an entry qualification
- GCE Ordinary Level (O-Level) – an entry qualification that has been phased out in the United Kingdom
- Further / special
- Scholarship level (S-level) – last offered in 2001
- Advanced Extension Award (AEA) – 2002–2009, 2015 mathematics
- Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP) – used by the University of Cambridge and the University of Warwick for admissions to study mathematics at undergraduate level
- International A-levels
- Singapore-Cambridge GCE Advanced Level – harder examination in Singapore
- Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE) – now defunct
- GCE Advanced Level in Sri Lanka
- Scotland
- Higher (Scottish) – Scottish university entrance qualification
- Advanced Higher (Scottish)– Scottish equivalent to A-level
- Canada
- Vocational
- BTEC Extended Diploma – the highest level of the BTEC structure and is taken by people aged 16 or above (equal to A-levels)
- T Level (level 3)
- NVQ(level 3)
- Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education(AVCE)
- Europe
- Abitur – similar qualification in Germany and Finland
- Eindexamen – similar qualification in the Netherlands
- Maturità– similar qualification in some European countries
- Baccalaureate
- Baccalauréat – similar qualification in France
- European Baccalaureate – examination used mainly in the European School system
- IB Diploma Programme – alternative examination found across the world
- International alternatives
- Advanced Placement Program–similar qualification in the United States
- Bagrut– similar qualification in Israel
- Leaving Certificate (Ireland)
- Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia(Malaysian Higher School Certificate) – better known as "STPM", an equivalent examination in Malaysia
- Matriculation Certificate (Malta)
- Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (Australia)
References
- ^ "A level definition and meaning". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "University Clearing through UCAS". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Students, Office for (6 April 2022). "Schools, attainment and the role of higher education - Office for Students". www.officeforstudents.org.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Zimbabwe Health & Education". 15 October 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Zimbabwean students celebrate their outstanding exam performance". cambridgeinternational.org. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "Mauritius". cambridgeinternational.org. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ a b "A levels". UCAS. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "SEAB – About GCE A-Level". seab.gov.sg. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ a b Paine, Sam. "How Hard Are The A-Level Exams? Harder Than You Might Expect. – The British Exams". Retrieved 26 January 2022.
- ^ "Schools Parents – AS and A levels". BBC. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ gversion.com (14 December 2017). "How to Choose the Right A-levels: a Guide for GCSE Students". Oxford Summer School from Oxford Royale Academy. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "University courses requiring specific A Level subjects or grades". thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ "GCSE, AS and A level reforms". GOV.UK. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
- ^ Buchan, Lizzy (4 October 2023). "All about new Advanced British Standard as Rishi Sunak plans to scrap A-levels". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ "The Advanced British Standard: Everything you need to know - The Education Hub". educationhub.blog.gov.uk. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Why Wales has a head start in the future of post-16 education in the UK and internationally". www.bera.ac.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ "Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority - Benchmarking Studies on International Examinations - HKDSE". www.hkeaa.edu.hk.
- ^ Students, Office for (6 April 2022). "Schools, attainment and the role of higher education - Office for Students". www.officeforstudents.org.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ "Programmes - Foundation Programmes | NIBM Sri Lanka". NIBM. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf "Qualifications". aqa.org.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as "Cambridge International AS and A Level subjects". cambridgeinternational.org. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd "AS/A Level GCE qualifications – OCR". ocr.org.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "General Certificate of Education (GCE)". ccea.org.uk. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak "GCE AS/A". wjec.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as "Edexcel A levels qualifications". Pearson. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Get the facts: AS and A level reform". GOV.UK. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "A-levels and AS-levels, explained – Which?". Which? University. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Culture of retakes pushing rise in A level grades". 19 August 2010. Retrieved 2 May 2018 – via www.the times.co.uk.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
- ^ "Zimbabwe School Examinations Council About". Zimbabwe School Examinations Council. Archived from the original on 2 August 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ Caribbean Examinations Council Report Archived 21 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Reforming the Examination System. House of Commons, 26 March 2003. Retrieved 12 June 2006.