As your child approaches the end of year 11, they will need to consider what they want to study at sixth form or college. A levels are an option and they are studied by the majority of post 16 students. You might know them as O Levels, the name that they were given decades ago. The now hallmarked “A level” qualifications follow a letter grading system , similar to GCSEs and are studied as a gateway to university. Despite a higher number of them accepting vocational courses, the fact still remains that students will need strong A levels to get into a prestigious university. If you would like to learn more about A Levels, take a look at FAQs that we presented to a senior school in Hertfordshire below.
How Long Do A Levels Take to Complete?
Like GCSEs, A levels take 2 years to complete.
What Is The Difference Between Them and Vocational Courses (BTECs)?
A levels are predominantly exam based. Your child may have some form of course work to complete such as a controlled assessment but will inevitably need to do exams. BTECs on the have are more practical. They are mostly coursework based. Recently however, a few have changed to include an exam element.
When Do These Exams Take Place?
At the end of the academic year between May and June.
How Much Revision Is Needed?
Despite studying a fewer number of subjects at A Level, there are more study hours that your child will need to put in. A level involves far more independent study compared to GCSEs and for every 1 hour that they are taught in class, they must complete another 3 hours of study within their own time. This is because there is far more content to cover which is why we suggest that children start revising as soon as possible (ideally 6 months in advance).
We hope this guide to A Levels helps!
*Collaborative post