| GCEs (General Certificates of Education), also known as A levels, are usually taken by students aged 16 to 19 after two years’ study, but can be taken at any age. AS (Advanced Subsidiary) is the first half of an A level, and is also a qualification in its own right. A2 is the second half of an A level. |
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A new suite of GCEs has been developed for first teaching from September 2008. Find out more about the new GCEs here.
Read more about the current GCEs here, or learn more about GCEs in general.
Applied GCE timeline
We have updated our Applied GCEs to bring them in line with our 2008 suite of GCE qualifications. The updated specifications will need to be introduced for first assessment in June 2010. Overall, there are some changes, but you’ll find that you can easily accommodate these within your current teaching and learning approach.
What are the changes?
As with the new GCEs, extended answer questions have been added where appropriate to allow for the stretch and challenge that will allow us to award an A*. This will allow your high-performing students to achieve the grades that they truly deserve. Quality of Written Communications (QWC) has been added to all GCEs; please refer to the new specification to see which units are affected. We will send you the new specification in June.
When do the new specifications and exam papers come into effect?
These new-style papers will be first used in the June 2010 exam series, while the current approach will still be used in the January 2010 series. From June 2010, students will be assessed on their QWC for their portfolio.
New nine-unit GCE for the Double Award qualifications
We will also be able to award a new nine-unit qualification, which is called the Advanced GCE with Advanced Subsidiary (Additional). Students will be able to 'top up' from a six-unit award to achieve this. Also, students unable to complete the full twelve-unit award can complete the new nine-unit award. This will allow them to claim one and a half GCEs and get recognition for their efforts. The updated specification will state which units need to be completed in order to achieve the nine-unit qualification.
How do I find out more?
We will send you an updated specification and sample assessment materials in June so that you can see the improvements.
To help you with the changes, we’ll be holding subject launch events around the country to explain and highlight all the changes to the current specification. We will send you an invitation to these events in the near future.
