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TSR Wiki > Study Help > Exams and Qualifications > A Levels > A-star grades at A-level

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Contents 1 What's all this about A*s at A-level? 2 So will I be able to get an A*? 3 Wait! That's unfair! I've taken A2/AS early, can I not get an A*? 4 What mark do you need for an A*? 5 Can I get A* at AS level? 6 What have universities said about the new grade? 7 What about the AEAs? 8 Where do you get this information from?

What's all this about A*s at A-level?

I've created this article because TSR seems to be filled with queries about the new A* grade for A-levels, so this will hopefully answer some questions.

So will I be able to get an A*?

The answer is it depends. Firstly, the A* is only being awarded to people sitting their final A2 exams from 2010 onwards. This means that people who've just taken their AS-levels (in summer 2008) will not be able to get A*s. However, people who've just finished their GCSEs will be able to get an A*.

Wait! That's unfair! I've taken A2/AS early, can I not get an A*?

Unlucky. If you've already started/completed an A2/AS, or if you're planning to take an A2 early next year, you won't be able to get an A* on the current syllabus that you're doing. The syllabuses (syllabi?) are being reformed for first teaching starting September 2008, so I'm afraid you can't get an A* unless you're following one of these new syllabuses. However, don't worry about it. In the Cambridge letter (linked to below) it says that candidates will not be disadvantaged by taking A2s early, so if you have/will be, it'll be reet.

What mark do you need for an A*?

To get an A*, you must meet the following two requirements:

• 80% UMS overall (i.e. the current requirements for an A).
• 90% UMS overall in the A2 units.

That's all there is to it. You don't get an A* for 90% overall. Only the A2 units (i.e. the units normally taken in Year 13) count towards the award of an A*. Even if you get 100% in your AS units, 89% in your A2 ones isn't enough for an A*.

Can I get A* at AS level?

No, you can only get it at A2.

What have universities said about the new grade?

There has been a lot of speculation as to how universities will use A*s in offers, and rumours such as "Oxbridge will want 3 A*s". This can't be answered definitively, but this is the University of Cambridge's official stance on the use of A* in offers, which will hopefully be of use: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/responses/astar.doc

What about the AEAs?

Bad news, folks. When A*s come in, AEAs are going out. The last sitting of AEAs will be in 2009. I was pissed off when I found that out, too.

A reasoning for this can be found in a document issued by the JCQ here [1].

Where do you get this information from?

The information about A*s is in all of the new A-level specifications, and the news about the withdrawal of the AEAs was shown to me in an e-mail from QCA sent to one of my teachers, and I've also seen it on the internet somewhere. I'll post a source if I can find one.