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Prospectus Sixth
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For full details of all Sixth Form Courses updated to November 2008 please follow the links on the left.
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The Two Year A and AS Level Course Before you start: Our aim is success for all. A and AS Levels are academic courses of study which require a firm foundation at GCSE. Experience shows that to give you the best chance of success a general requirement of at least 5 subjects at GCSE grade C or above is essential. For a few subjects there is a strong recommendation that only those with an A or B grade at GCSE should study the subject. To balance that there are also many subjects that can be studied without having been taken at GCSE. What are AS Qualifications? For many years there has been concern that the studies of A Level students are undesirably narrow. Students have had to abandon subjects which they have taken up to the age of 16, often with considerable success and interest, in order to pursue a limited range of A Levels. Humanities students have had little opportunity to continue with mathematical, scientific and technical studies, science students have often had to discontinue their studies in English and foreign languages. Advanced Subsidiary courses were introduced for the first time in September 2000. They are designed to broaden A Level students’ studies by providing the opportunity for them to continue with more subjects. An AS course will require an intensive one year of teaching time and represents the first year of a full A Level course. Examinations in the AS will be taken in January or June of the Lower Sixth. Passes will be graded A-E as with A Levels and an AS qualification is awarded. To achieve the full A Level qualification you will have to study units called A2 units in the Upper Sixth and take exams in them. Choosing Subjects You must consult with the staff that teach you and know about your chances of success in the various subjects which interest you. It is important that you plan very carefully, not only to be sure of taking the subjects you need for your career (career importance of the subjects is given with the subject descriptions), but to be sure that you are taking the subjects in which you will succeed. Finally, remember that the subjects you choose will fill a large part of your life for the next two years. Choose subjects that you will enjoy studying. For full details of the courses available follow the links on the left How many subjects should you choose? For many students the equivalent of 3 A Levels will still be the most appropriate choice. The most
common patterns will be: N.B. You
must have followed the AS course before taking an A2. Structure of AS/A Levels Most A Levels are divided into four units. The first two make up an AS (Advanced Subsidiary) level and the remaining two are called A2s. The norm for those wishing to take the complete course is to take the AS in the Lower Sixth and A2 in the Upper Sixth to achieve full A Level certification. Sosubjects, eg maths and sciences still have six units. Most exams for the AS units are taken in May/June of the Lower Sixth. However, some subjects enter students in the January of Year 12. Students wishing to re-sit any unit can do so in the January of the Upper Sixth, or, if it is not available then, in the following May. The A2 units will be examined in January and June of the Upper Sixth. Most students will follow these study routes: o Four AS Levels in
the Lower Sixth followed by 3 A2s in the Upper Sixth In addition to this, students can do a qualification in Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Italian, General Studies and Greek as well as a programme in our enrichment curriculum, such as Community Service, Young Enterprise, Physical Education and Community Sports Leader Award.
Firstly we will check with your teachers that you have chosen suitable subjects. We will then decide how many groups we will run in each subject. It is sometimes not possible to offer your preferred combination of subjects. In such cases we will contact you immediately so that you can make an alternative choice. What happens if you change your mind? Don’t worry! You will be able to make a new choice as long as it fits in with the timetable block. After A and AS Levels In general terms, A and AS qualifications are the usual means of entry to universities and other institutions of higher education. Not all A Level students however, will wish to go in that direction and A Levels are essential or desirable for many careers open to eighteen-year olds. Entrants to accountancy, for example, or to most branches or surveying, need A Levels, while other professions look increasingly for the A Level entrant. Some Case Studies Many different combinations of G.C.S.E, Intermediate GNVQ, AVCE, A and AS Level courses are possible and it is rare for any two students to follow exactly the same path. These examples show the kind of progress Castle Sixth Form students have made: ANN: Ann had eight G.C.S.E. passes at grades C and above and her interests were in the sciences. She studies for A Levels – Maths, Chemistry and Physics and took AS in French as well. She decided that she would like a year out before going to University and applied for a deferred place. She did well enough to be offered several places at University in her Upper Sixth year and, when the results were known, she was able to confirm her place to read Engineering before leaving Kenilworth to do community work in an inner city area. JOHN: John gained six G.C.S.E. grades at C and above but got a D in Mathematics. He was still able to take up A levels in English and History and AS Business Studies. He also followed a Mathematics course in the Lower Sixth. This meant that he had very little free time, but he coped and gained a grade C. In his Upper Sixth year he applied for courses in Business Studies in Higher Education. JANE: Jane did well at G.C.S.E. and achieved five grade A’s and three grade B’s. She knew that her main interest was in languages so she studied for A Levels in French, German and Latin contrasting these with AS Mathematics. In her Lower Sixth year, subject staff suggested Jane might apply to Oxbridge. After some thought she did so and sat the entrance examination in the fourth term, winning a place at Oxford to read Modern Languages. MICHAEL: Michael achieved five G.C.S.E. qualifications at grade C and above. He had done well in Mathematics but clearly needed extra help to pass English. He decided to start a combined course and studied for A Levels in Biology and Mathematics and AS Geography. He found much of the work hard but persevered gaining excellent reports for endeavour and determination in his Record of Achievement. Although his A Level grades were low, he successfully used the Compact to gain a place at Coventry University. SALLY: Sally had three G.C.S.E. qualifications at grade C but had an E in Mathematics and a D in English. Sally joined the Connect Course and in one year improved her G.C.S.E. results. Sally went on to join the A Level programme and is now training to be a teacher at university. |
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For full details of courses, the Castle Enhancement Programme,and personal tutors please follow the links on the left |
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