THE AS LEVEL
9. In 1989 a new examination was introduced
for 18 year olds: the Advanced Supplementary (AS). The aim of
it was to broaden the experience of those taking A levels and
its standard was to be the same as that of the A level, on half
the content. This was contrary to the perceived need for an intermediate
examination between GCSE and A level, and the AS was not taken
up by as many students as the Government had hoped it would be.[9]
10. The 1996 review undertaken by Lord Dearing
recognised the lack of appeal of the AS and proposed a new Advanced
Subsidiary examination, which could be taken either as a freestanding
qualification or as a precursor to the Alevel itself.[10]
The new AS was to be set at a standard appropriate to the end
of one year's study in the sixth form, thus similar to the intermediate
examinations proposed earlier.
9 The Story of the General Certificate of Education
(GCE) Advanced level - Colin Robinson
September 2001. Commissioned by Statistics
and Information Management Team; Communications and Knowledge
Management Division; QCA. Back
10
Lord Dearing: Review of Qualifications for 16-19 Year Olds 1996. Back
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