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How do the new AS/A-Level courses work?

I want to start off this thread by clarifying exactly what I am aware of. Namely, the fact that the A-Level courses have been reformed, and that AS qualifications are no longer necessary. I am also aware that some schools will choose not to take AS examinations, and instead choose to take the A-Level examinations at the end of Year 13 as the only external examinations. Please do correct me if I'm wrong here.

To give a little context: I am a 16-year-old who, having just finished her GCSEs, is starting Sixth Form in September this year. I am hoping to study A-Level Mathematics, Chemistry, Psychology and Religious Studies.

I have a couple questions in order to clarify some things for me about ASs and A-Levels that I’m unsure on:
1. For the AQA Chemistry specification in particular, it’s called ‘AS and A-Level’ and has a list of topics that it includes. Do the AS exams cover some of the content, then the A-Level exams encompass all the AS content and the remaining topics? And therefore, in sitting only the A-Level exams, you learn all of the AS content anyway, but yet do not have to sit external exams after one year?
2. For Religious Studies, there are separate courses for AS and A-Level. Again, for Mathematics, there are separate courses for AS and A-Level, yet, like Chemistry, Psychology has a joint ‘AS and A-Level’ specification. Can someone explain why AQA may list the courses as such?

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. If you have any answers to my questions, I implore you to let me know! I apologise if my questions are hard to understand. My brain is a little frazzled from attempting to fathom out exactly what I’m trying to find out myself, and I can completely understand if how I’ve phrased my questions makes them completely incomprehensible.

Thanks again!
(edited 5 years ago)
I do AQA Chemistry -- AS and A-level means that the AS content is identical to the first year on the full A-level course, hence you can be in classes with people doing just the AS course if you're doing the full 2-year A-Level.

Since I also study A-level maths, I'm pretty sure the first year A-level content is, again, identical to the AS-only content, even though we didn't enter anyone into the AS exams for maths this year. Maths was the final subject to move from modular (eg C1, C2, M1 etc) to a linear course, and it moved last September; so you going into Y12 will be on the linear course.

I can't speak for RS, however most A-level courses now are 2-years with the option of only doing Y12 content (first year) to take the AS exams.
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sonny.jim
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Original post by kurtwhite23
I do AQA Chemistry -- AS and A-level means that the AS content is identical to the first year on the full A-level course, hence you can be in classes with people doing just the AS course if you're doing the full 2-year A-Level.

Since I also study A-level maths, I'm pretty sure the first year A-level content is, again, identical to the AS-only content, even though we didn't enter anyone into the AS exams for maths this year. Maths was the final subject to move from modular (eg C1, C2, M1 etc) to a linear course, and it moved last September; so you going into Y12 will be on the linear course.

I can't speak for RS, however most A-level courses now are 2-years with the option of only doing Y12 content (first year) to take the AS exams.

Thank you for your comment, it's helped a lot!

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