What is an Advanced extension award?

First examined in June 2002, the advanced extension award (AEA) was introduced for 18-year-olds as part of the government's response to its report Excellence in cities. AEA's supersede Special Papers.

The AEA should:

• challenge the top 10 percent of students nationally in each subject
• ensure that the most able students are tested against standards comparable with the most demanding to be found in other countries
• be accessible to all able students, whatever the specification they are studying
• help differentiate between the most able candidates, particularly in subjects with a high proportion of A grades at advanced GCE.

AEA qualifications:

• will be included in the UCAS tariff 40 points for distinction and 20 for a merit.
• are based on advanced GCE subject criteria where they exist rather than individual specifications
• test candidates' depth of understanding and their ability to think critically and creatively
• test candidates' ability to demonstrate an understanding of the connections between different elements of the subject
• require no additional teaching content
• will have an external assessment of 100 per cent.

The links in the table below will direct you to guidance material, test papers and mark schemes for the one awarding body that is responsible for coordinating the AEA for all centres, regardless of their own specification.

Subjects	Awarding body	Test specification/download
Biology (including human)	AQA	Biology
Business	OCR	Business
Chemistry	AQA	Chemistry
Critical thinking	OCR	Critical thinking
Economics	AQA	Economics
English	OCR	English
French	OCR	French
Geography	WJEC	Geography
German	CCEA	German
History	Edexcel	History
Irish	CCEA	Irish
Latin	OCR	Latin
Mathematics	Edexcel	Mathematics
Physics	CCEA	Physics
Psychology	AQA	Psychology
Religious studies	Edexcel	Religious studies
Spanish	Edexcel	Spanish
Welsh	WJEC	Welsh
Welsh as a second language	WJEC	Welsh as a second language