A level

The A level qualification stands for 'Advanced level', but is officially called a GCE (General Certificate in Education). A-levels are qualifications taken in the UK, usually when students are 18 (year 13), although in Scotland many students take Highers, and Advanced Highers. Also, the International Baccalaureate Diploma is a popular alternative qualifiction for 16-18 year old students.

A level tuition is one of the most common requests that we receive at Blue Tutors. A levels are studied directly after GCSEs, and immediately before a university degree. The grades a student achieves in their A-levels will have the biggest effect on which university they attend.

In 2000 A levels became known as AS levels (studied in year 12), and A2s (studied in year 13). This was done so that all students took an exam at the end of their first year of studying A levels, and these AS level results give universities a much better indication of the ability of students, because previously universities could only look at a student's GCSE results.

The importance of achieving good A level grades could not be clearer to us at Blue Tutors, and we recruit many of our A level tutors from Oxford and Cambridge; those who performed best when they studied A levels. As a result you won't find an organisation more dedicated to the excellence of A level tuition.

A level Subjects

Unlike GCSEs, there are no compulsary subjects at A level, students are free to choose whichever subjects they like. Traditionally three subjects were chosen, but now it's more common to choose 4 or 5 subjects to study as AS levels, and then drop 1 or 2 of those subjects for the 2nd year of the A level.

Despite no longer being compulsary, English and Mathematics are still the most popular subjects to be studied at A level, with the three sciences, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and History and Psychology also being very popular.

A level Examining Boards

In the UK A level exams are set by examination authorities. Rather than one exam per subject set by a central body, each examining board is able to offer A level assessments, and students may choose which board they use (although it is more commonly the student's school which will choose the board).

The most popular boards in the UK for A level exams are: AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC.

Grading System

Many A levels are now modular, meaning that students will take exams during the two year A level course, which will count towards their final grade. Generally, these modular exams can be retaken up until the end of the course. However, a student's final exams still count for a large proportion of their overall grade.

2010 was the first year when the A* grade was offered for A levels. Until then A was the highest grade attainable. The grades range from A* to E, but students can also be awarded an N (nearly), and a U (unclassified).