A-Level stands for Advanced Level and AS Level stands for Advanced Subsidiary Level. AS Level contains 50% of the content of the corresponding A-Level and normally takes one year to complete. This allows for flexibility, as learners can complete AS Levels as qualifications in their own right. Learners take all the assessments for their full A Level at the end of the second year.
They are the gold standard of Cambridge and can act as entry qualifications by universities around the world. Students usually take A-Level examinations after 12-13 years of education. Also, they are based on approximately 360 hours of guided learning per subject, normally over a two year period.
The qualifications aim to develop students’ knowledge, understanding and skills through:
- in-depth subject content
- learning to work independently
- applying knowledge and understanding to new as well as familiar situations
- handling and evaluating different types of information sources
- thinking logically and presenting ordered and coherent arguments and explanations
- studying and communicating in English.
A student will normally take three subjects due to the highly specialized nature of the qualification. However, some students may choose to study up to four or five subjects. The Cambridge International Examinations are reported on a grade scale from A* (highest) to E (minimum required performance). Although, there is no A* grade for Cambridge International AS Levels, which runs from grade A to E.
Typical university entrance requirements are at least three passes at grade C for academic courses. Very popular courses will often require higher grades.
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