Alevels Linear or Modular (this year as-level students)??????

Can someone please explain to me how I could find out if my courses (chemstry/ physics AQA) are linear or modular. My school is forcing us to do our as exams this year whether or not they count towards the A2 grade. Is anyone else facing the same problem and please tell me how I can find out whether my course is linear or modular?!

I start A-levels next year and my school is literally on a witch-hunt against AS exams. I understand why though, and we are a high ranking grammar school so they obviously know what they're doing. So next year we'll have no AS. They're so against AS exams in fact that they introduced Maths Pre-U and Further Maths Pre-U, and you have to take both to do further maths - they don't offer further maths a-level anymore and maths pre-u is compulsory if you do further maths pre-u. -.-

This confuses me. Don't you always have to take Maths if you're taking FMaths?

If you end up doing badly after 2 years, you'll end up having to retake ANOTHER 2 years,

This confuses me. Don't you always have to take Maths if you're taking FMaths?

They still offer Maths A-level but if you want to take Further Maths you have to take the Pre-Us, they won't offer Further Maths A-level anymore.

That makes more sense to me now. And is it too much of a problem? They're essentially the same qualification, aren't they? Or am I a bit misguided on the topic of Pre-Us?

No, it's not necessarily bad, it means I'll have no exams in year 12 except internals in June But it means I also won't have AS grades in Maths/Further Maths or UMS scores when other people will...