Centre policy and reasons for offering AEAs
Most of the centres contributing to this case study have been entering students for AEAs since they became available in 2002.
The majority of centres agreed that their policy is to encourage the most able students to sit the AEA. No centres included a policy statement on AEAs in their centre literature or had a formal written policy as part of the teaching and learning policy. Most centres leave final decisions on whether to participate in the AEA to subject departments or individual subject teachers.
While there is no formal policy on AEAs, candidates with a good chance of obtaining a merit or distinction are considered for entry.
"Thus our sixth form experience or programme aims to provide you with opportunities to maintain breadth in your curriculum, to challenge yourselves over the range of options in order to find new interests and to test your limits, to encourage good work habits and to help you sustain self-education throughout life…" (a case study centre)
Reasons for offering the AEA
Subject teachers gave the following benefits of offering the AEA.
- Helps support UCAS applications for Oxbridge candidates.
- Stretching and challenging for students.
- It encourages the student to express their individuality and take responsibility for their own learning.
- Gives students an opportunity to enjoy a subject they are passionate about.
- A positive opportunity for discrimination amongst the most able.
- A good bridge between A2 and university.
- It will be good for their CV.
- They encourage independent study skills.
- They develop higher-level analytical skills.
- They are valuable for their own sake and have individual currency.
One teacher said "AEAs are an opportunity to prove oneself and give a unique indicator of how good a student is."
All centres reported that some of their most able students did not elect to enter for the AEA. There was close agreement on the characteristics of those students who did.
In general, the students fell into one or more of the following categories:
- those who were aiming to develop a career in the subject
- those with a real interest in and who wanted harder challenges in the subject
- those who were aiming for places at the most prestigious universities
Students’ comments on their reasons for taking AEAs:
‘They encourage thinking.’
‘To prove myself.’
‘You can’t lose anything by attempting the paper.’
Marketing and recruitment
The approach for marketing and recruitment was quite similar across centres. A few centres made information about the award available to all students through course literature or oral briefings at the beginning of year 13. In a few cases students were ‘primed’ in year 12 as some teachers felt students become more cynical in year 13 and tend to think ‘What’s in it for me?’.
Some distributed the AEA specification, awarding body guidance and past examination papers and mark schemes at this early stage to help students and parents decide on entry. In other centres the departments were reactive to student interest.
In one centre the AEA is mentioned in the admissions brochure with information about Oxbridge entry. Students who seem likely to obtain high grades at A level may choose, in most subjects, to take an extension paper. Although university admission is rarely conditional on particular grades being achieved at this level, the extra challenge can sometimes be of benefit to a student.
Arrangements for supporting and preparing students for AEA tests
Nearly all subject teachers agreed that, in general, there is a good match between the content and higher-level skills required by GCE A level specifications and the demands of the AEA test specification. A number of centres felt that the A2 offers a satisfactory range of topics and transferable higher-order skills that are needed in AEA questions, particularly those of evaluation and analysis.
Most subject departments visited provide timetabled enrichment classes for their most able students; a few provide more informal individualised support as and when requested by students, particularly where only one or two have opted to sit the AEA. Generally, this support takes the form of guided further study, marking past AEA test questions and further learning support on specific areas of A level content or topic areas identified by students.
In one centre students receive one-to-one help and are directed to the awarding body website. In another centre preparation involves extra lessons during a common free lesson. This amounts to one session a fortnight in a total programme of about 10 sessions.
Another centre commented that although candidates receive much of the support and guidance materials stated above they are expected to teach themselves for the examination.
Although most centres agree that no extra teaching is needed for the AEA, some centres still include a number of extracurricular sessions and one teacher believes that it is harder to do well without extra teaching, which can also make a difference between receiving a merit and a distinction grade.
Some subject departments provided enrichment of A level subject content to all GCE A level students, integrating it into A level courses by using:
- visits to local/national/international businesses, industries or research establishments
- lectures provided by higher education institutions, subject societies or professional bodies
- extension notes to accompany aspects of A level subject content.
Where subject departments offered enrichment classes, they did not do so exclusively for AEA preparation. Many departments have a tradition of using enrichment classes to provide additional stretch and challenge students with a real interest in the subject and prepare them for entry to prestigious universities and/or courses. Often these enrichment classes continue to be provided in year 13 to help students prepare for AEA tests.
Enrichment classes normally take place once a week in the lunch break or at the end of the day, and run for 45 to 60 minutes. Subject departments, even within the same centre, varied greatly on when these enrichment classes started. Some started early in year 13 while others did not commence until the summer term.
Teachers often manage classes differently depending on their purpose; the content of some enrichment classes is tightly planned and delivered by subject teachers, while others only require teachers to provide supporting guidance.
Centres generally used enrichment classes for one or more of the following purposes:
- work on past papers or other AEA-style test questions, particularly old papers requiring essay-style answers and/or feedback on marked responses and how effectively students organised and presented information/arguments. Some teachers used past papers to run timed tests under examination conditions
- debates and/or individual presentations on relevant topics or current issues
- revision and enhancement of understanding of the more difficult or complex areas of GCE A level content
- personal extended study (including personal research and opportunities to read and summarise articles and extracts from relevant reviews, textbooks, academic journals, periodicals).
Activities and resources offering opportunities to enrich and enhance understanding and skills
Subject teachers suggested the following activities and resources.
- IEA State of the Economy lecture.
- Annual economics conference at Manchester Metropolitan University.
- Pro-Share essay competition.
- The Bank of England 2.0 challenge.
- IEA essay competition (for all sixth form economics students).
Also see
> Teaching advanced level subjects
> AEAs
QCA web links
> AEAs
> GCSE, GCE, VCE, GNVQ and AEA code of practice 2007
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Page updated: 12 June 2008