Talk:GCE Advanced Level (United Kingdom)

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Can someone explain the actual legal process around OBTAINING the A-Level qualification?

From the point of view of a foreigner adult, this page lacks a lot of information.

  • can someone pass A levels exams without enrolling for any course? (self study alone with books for exemple)
  • why do people take 2 years to study a subject, is it because there are 2 exams per subject? Or is it because they take the exam twice and hope to get higher scores on the second attempt?
  • if there are 2 exams per subject, can someone register to sit both exams on the same week? (for exemple if you already know everything, having studied oversea, but just need the A-Level to prove it, you want to sit all exams straight in a row, even on consecutive days, you don't need to study, can you do that?)

Basically what is missing is a description of the actual process. Not what people make of it, not how 99% of the population choose to go about it (it's their choice), but instead: the actual constraints, the requirement to sit an exam (if any), the requirements around the number of exams per subject (at least one exam I guess), and time constraints (for example, exams for the same subject must be separated by at least a week, or at lest a year, or whatever)

Currently there is even a sentence in this Wikipedia page saying <<A levels evolved gradually from a two-year linear course with an exam at the end, to a modular course>> This is false. A-Level is not a course. A-Level is a qualification, and one can study a course in order to learn how to pass the exam to obtain that qualification, but A-Level itself is not a course. I know for a fact that one can register to sit exams as an external candidate, without having followed any course. So this sentence in the current wikipedia page is wrong and misleading. This wikipedia page needs to make clear what the A-Level actually is, and stop confusing it with the way 99% of the population studies it.

Basically, if you come from oversea, have studied Biology for 5 years but somehow for whatever reason need to obtain the A-Level (in order to prove it to your employer or whatever), do you actually need to study a 2-years course and pass an exam at the end of each year? This wikipedia page about A-Levels is not answering this question because it does not provide a sufficiently clear description of what A-Levels are and the strict minimal process around it.


Agree. See my related comment below, "The article needs a High Level Overview" and "Article should separate History of A Levels from Current Situation". Ttulinsky (talk) 19:42, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

What is General Studies exactly?

Bogger (talk) 11:45, 25 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Good question, didn't exist when I was at secondary school. AQA, one of the exam boards that offers "General Studies" at A Level has a specification on their website: [1]. As the name suggests, it seems to be very much an overview of many fields rather than a detailed study of one particular field. I gather it is not considered very helpful towards receiving an offer from a university. Alex McKee (talk) 22:12, 1 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

British Council Australia Education UK?

What is "British Council Australia Education UK" doing in the middle of 'non-traditional combinations are becoming more common ("British Council Australia Education UK")'?

The entire paragraph seems to have been lifted from http://www.examtestprep.com/OCR/About-OCR/Process-of-A-Level.html without acknowledgement. 31.52.253.135 (talk) 14:14, 14 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

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AS not always part of Study

AS levels at the end of year 1 are no longer part of all A levels so the articles reference to these is incorrect. There should be a whole section explaining what AS levels area and also how they differ from the supplementary 'Special papers' that used to be sat by more able students. These used to be referred to as 'S levels' but were at a higher level than the a-level rather being a preliminary qualification. This is all very confusing for employers... Stub Mandrel (talk) 07:10, 17 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Article does not reflect the situation in Wales (and Northern Ireland?)

The lead states that students sit all exams at the end of Y13 and that AS is not part of the A level, following a decision by Ofqual. There are several things wrong with this. Ofqual is not relevant in Wales - the equivalent body is Qualifications Wales. Their website states that "A level qualifications will consist of Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and A2 units. The AS is a stand-alone qualification and also contributes 40% towards the full A level qualification." I don't have time to rewrite the page now, but this is a major issue with the page! Casper Gutman (talk • contributions) 21:52, 15 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

"school leaving qualification" is for SECONDARY school, right?

The link in the lead, "school leaving qualification" is really a school leaving qualification for a SECONDARY school, correct? I assume it's assumed, but it wouldn't hurt if I added 'secondary' to it, with link to 'secondary school' for secondary, right? UnderEducatedGeezer (talk) 06:09, 13 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Very outdated

This article does not seem to have ever been properly updated to accommodate for the linear reforms, and I've tagged the article appropriately. I'll try to update it section-by-section and maybe do other restructuring, input welcome. --Caliburn · (Talk · Contribs · CentralAuth · Log) 16:22, 15 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

"compromise" or "comprise" two or three modules

Under the Curriculum, Structure heading, I think the writier meant "comprise" when they wrote "compromise" here, but since I am American I would like confirmation from a native British English speaker:

It was typical for an AS course to compromise two or three modules, with the A2 half of the course comprising two or three modules, for a total of four or six modules.

Ttulinsky (talk) 19:21, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The article needs a High Level Overview

The article needs a High Level Overview, especially for non-UK readers. Currently it has a lot of detail for without defining basics. For instance what is a "Module"? It is never defined. How does it relate to a Subject? Is an exam given after each Module?

I cannot see the forest for the trees.

Article should separate History of A Levels from Current Situation The article mixes history with the current rules or procedure in several sections, adding a lot of material that must be skipped for the reader who simply wants to know how it works NOW. Worse, current and obsolete procedure is mixed together, some earlier rules still seem to be in force, others superseded. For instance is the system now (2023) Modular or Linear?

There should be two sections, one describing how the system works now, and a separate History.

Ttulinsky (talk) 19:40, 21 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

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