Youth Talk

Those of you who have been following this column will be aware that I will have just finished sitting my AS exams around the time of this article’s publication. Interestingly, I will be part of one of the last batches to sit AS exams that contribute to the final A Level grade, due to new government legislation.

For those who are not aware of the workings of the British education system, traditionally students would spend their first year in the Sixth Form, i.e.Y12, preparing for their AS exams. After completing the AS exams, students would begin preparation for the A2 exams they would sit at the end of Y13.

The final grade would be determined by a combined AS and A2 score.

The UK government has recently decreed that the education system shall now transit to what is known as a ‘linear’ format.

Indeed in many schools in the UK, students are no longer required to sit AS exams. Instead full preparation across the two years of Sixth Form will be devoted towards A2 exams.

While this might come as a relief to younger age groups, I wouldn’t be so pleased. While AS preparation has made Y12 considerably harder, it has prepped us all on proper work ethic and academic rigour. Of course, younger students will still be taking internally set exams at the end of Y12. However, these do not truly prepare students for the challenge of that final external exam, in my opinion.

The valuable insight provided by taking external exams would be lost. Hopefully, the new legislation proves to do more good than harm.