What are AS/A2?

Hey Everyone,

Well I am about to embark upon A-Levels this September however I am puzzled with this, "What are AS/A2s in A-Level?"
What are the differences between them, etc?

Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

Paralove

AS is what you do in Year 12. A2 is what you do in Year 13. You need to do both to attain a full A-Level, or if you only do it for one year you will get an AS-Level. You can't do A2 without having done AS first!

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Reply 2

Munrot07

AS are what you do in year 12 and can be a separate qualification or 50% of an A level. A2 is what you do in year 13 and bust follow the AS level and makes up the other 50% of the A level. You generally do 4AS levels and 3 full A levels, dropping 1 AS after year 12 :smile:

make sense?

Reply 3

username1022710

AS stands for "Advanced subsidiary"
A2 is "Advanced level"

AS is half of your full A levels but it is still a qualification on its own. If you decide to take the subject to A2 then your AS score and your A2 score will be added up together to make up your A level.

Also A2 is harder than AS

I hope that has answered your question :smile:

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Reply 4

nmanvi

Original post by ZainIbs

Hey Everyone,

Well I am about to embark upon A-Levels this September however I am puzzled with this, "What are AS/A2s in A-Level?"
What are the differences between them, etc?

Thanks :smile:

Like noted above AS is half an A level and a stand alone qualification in its own right.
A2 is the 2nd Half of the A level and completes the whole A level.
After Year 12 you will get your AS qualifications , you don't have to continue all your AS' into year 13

after year 13 you will achieve the full A level after completing your A2 exams. A level = AS + A2
extra info:
For AS the grades are limited to A-B-C-D-E-U

You can gain an A* grade in your A level if you achieve 90% in your A2 modules

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 5

User1254785

Thanks for your replies guys :smile:

Do you HAVE to drop one subject or can you continue with all 4?

Thanks once again

Reply 6

nmanvi

Original post by ZainIbs

Thanks for your replies guys :smile:

Do you HAVE to drop one subject or can you continue with all 4?

Thanks once again

You do not have to drop your fourth subject you can continue with all of them to year 13 if you wish

However it comes at a cost:
the reason you ideally drop a subject is so you can spend more time on your 3 other A levels so they are as good as possible.
if you take 4 you wont really have an advantage to others who take 3 (since most take 3)
you lose valuable time on your other subjects which could potentially saturate your grades.

Plus demanding universites may ask for good grades in all four A levels if you choose to continue all of them.
getting an A*AA is much easier than getting an A*AAA or even A*A*AA etc etc
but:
If you are confident by the end of year 12 that you can cope go for it :biggrin:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 7

username1022710

You don't have to drop a subject :smile:

it's just that some people may find it too difficult especially now that there are no January exams. It's all down to the individual though!

Good luck with your A levels and remember to work hard!

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