1. Introduction
New AS and A levels will be taught in schools in England from September 2015. The first results for the new AS levels will be in 2016, and for the A levels in 2017. Further subjects will be introduced over the following two years.
2. What new AS and A levels will look like
The main features of the new qualifications are:
Assessment will be mainly by exam, with other types of assessment used only where they are needed to test essential skills.
AS and A levels will be assessed at the end of the course. AS assessments will typically take place after 1 year’s study and A levels after 2. The courses will no longer be divided into modules and there will be no exams in January.
AS and A levels will be decoupled – this means that AS results will no longer count towards an A level, in the way they do now.
AS levels can be designed by exam boards to be taught alongside the first year of A levels.
The content for the new A levels has been reviewed and updated. Universities played a greater role in this for the new qualifications than they did previously.