Course Structures
Subjects offered at AS Level/Single Award Applied AS Level in the Lower Sixth
All our students take General Studies and statutory RSP and have the opportunity to do English Speaking Board Exam. They also have a choice of various activities on a Wednesday afternoon. These are designed to enrich the core curriculum and hopefully provide some fun and stress relief. Most students do a sporting activity or Community work, but we are always open to suggestions if you have other ideas.
There are two available course structures.
(Listed here in order of usual popularity)
Can I study a subject at A Level if I didn’t take it at GCSE?
Students do not need to have studied the following subjects at GCSE in order to opt for them at AS/A2 Level:
Health & Social Care Economics
Business Studies Finance Film Studies
Media Studies Music Psychology
Theatre Studies Photography
Why do I have to do General Studies and The English Speaking Exam when the universities I want to go to say they don’t count them?
Universities that don’t count General Studies and English Speaking may still use
them to pick between candidates who have just missed their offer grades and as no-
Why do I have to do four AS Subjects if I am going to drop one anyway?
There are several reasons:
A broad education can’t do you any harm and may even do you some good!
Universities and employers do count the grade you get in your dropped AS Level.
By the Upper Sixth many students find they enjoy a subject they took as their
fourth option and drop a subject they felt sure they would continue with. It isn’t
always easy to predict what will interest you particularly with new topics or subjects.
So four choices give you some ‘wriggle-
YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY COMBINATION OF SUBJECTS.
OPTION BLOCKS WILL BE DETERMINED BY DEMAND.
(Once established to suit the majority of students blocks will then be fixed and any changes students make to their choices will have to be within the then established blocks)
Optional qualifications will be offered in areas such as ICT, sports leadership, Critical Thinking and Mentoring.
We hope that any reasonable ‘A’ Level combination will be possible, subject to demand.
The School is also part of the NW Leeds Schools Federation and courses may be offered at other sites or on a twilight basis.
GCE A Level single award subjects and their equivalent (AS/A2 courses, commonly called A Levels)
In the Lower Sixth you study four single award AS levels or equivalent plus enrichment activities, General Studies and statutory RSP. You therefore must choose four main subjects. Unfortunately, if there is insufficient demand for a subject you will have to choose again. You ‘drop’ one of these subject at A2 and continue to complete three A Levels. (You can’t continue with a subject if you don’t pass the AS.)
The applied ‘A’ Level double award course. (Also called Applied A Levels) You may choose up to two additional AS Levels with this course if you wish.
Applied Health and Social Care Double Award. This is ideal for students considering nursing and other caring professions.