News

AQA offers schools the widest choice for GCSE students

29 August 2008

Following today's accreditation announcement from Ofqual, we now provide our widest ever choice of GCSEs.

There are 111 new GCSE specifications available to schools and colleges for first teaching from September 2009.

Dr Mike Cresswell, AQA's Director General, said:

We are delighted that Ofqual has now accredited our new range of GCSE specifications for teaching from September 2009.

AQA is proud of the range of GCSEs we provide as well as the excellent personal support and value for money we offer to schools.

Through our partnerships with teachers and students, we have created an excellent range of GCSEs. In doing so we have recognised that each subject has its own unique requirements that are reflected in our new specifications.

Our new GCSEs have engaging and accessible content for all levels of ability and will enable students to realise their full potential.

The new courses of study are relevant and equip students with the skills they need in the modern world. Examples include a unit in Personal Economics as part of the Business Subjects and Economics GCSE, which covers managing money and understanding changing markets.

Our Physical Education double award uniquely offers students the opportunity to broaden their studies and is excellent preparation for A-level, and maybe even some budding Olympians...

AQA awards over 800 English Baccalaureates

21 August 2008

845 AQA Baccalaureates are today being awarded by England's leading awarding body.

The new AQA Bacc is intended to recognise and celebrate the achievements of students who have studied A-levels and demonstrated a gift for wider learning and personal development.

The awards being made today are for students who took part in a pilot. From September, over 100 centres will offer the AQA Bacc to their students.

Mike Cresswell, Director General AQA said:

AQA is delighted to offer this innovative qualification to schools and colleges from this September. The AQA Bacc, which has A-levels at its core, recognises students' achievements in both academic study and wider learning and personal development.

Because it is based on A-levels, any school or college can make it available to students who wish to have the breadth of their learning formally certificated. We believe the AQA Bacc will greatly enhance young people's opportunities and success in further education and employment.

AQA Bacc students study three A-levels and a further paper in critical thinking, citizenship or general studies. They also write an extended essay, project or thesis designed to show the important skills of self-management, planning, research and presentation, as well as their ability to develop an argument and their writing skills. Students must also complete at least 100 hours of other personal development activity, work-related experience or community work.

With highly competitive environments for employment and higher education, the AQA Bacc gives students the opportunity to stand out from the crowd, by completing a qualification based on GCE A-levels to achieve a grade of Pass, Merit or Distinction.

Peter Avery – Principal at Richard Huish College in Taunton which took the enrichment part of the AQA Bacc this year said:

We set great store by the contribution that enrichment makes to the personal development of young people and the AQA Bacc recognises and rewards the enrichment work that our students are undertaking. It also helps to quantify the contribution that they make to their communities and so helps to redress the often negative press that young people receive.

Franklin College in Grimsby is an open access Sixth Form College, preparing students in North East Lincolnshire for higher education and employment.

David Whittaker, Deputy Principal for Curriculum and Quality said:

We are delighted that, in this pilot year, over 80 Franklin College students have been awarded the AQA Bacc. The students were all keen to respond to the challenge of demonstrating their ability to study in depth and breadth through their specialist A level programme but also accrediting their achievements in the community and personal development.

The AQA Bacc has provided the framework for them to do this. I believe it will help them to perform effectively in Higher Education and that it will increase their future employability. All staff at Franklin College are passionate about developing young people with the qualifications and skills needed to serve others throughout their lives and to become effective leaders and followers. The College has expanded its range of enrichment opportunities for students including international challenges. For next year, students will be able participate in links with Germany, France, Spain, Ghana and Poland.

In the future, we expect that more and more young people will follow the example set by these students. All those who have achieved the AQA Bacc have demonstrated considerable all round ability and skills. We are very proud of them all, but we must especially congratulate those who have a 'merit' or 'distinction': these are outstanding performances by any national or international standards.

Students at The Sixth Form College Farnborough were the first to be awarded the AQA Bacc. Dr John Guy, Principal of The Sixth Form College said:

The AQA Bacc reflects not only students' A-level performance but also their research and writing skills, as demonstrated by the Extended Project, their more general education reported through Citizenship, General Studies or Critical Thinking, and also their wider activities reported in the Transcript of Enrichment. It is by embracing all these aspects of their sixth form studies that the Bacc begins truly to reflect the breadth and depth of a challenging sixth form curriculum.

See photos of students receiving their results.

Mike Cresswell speaks out

11 August 2008

Ahead of this year's A-level and GCSE results, AQA Director General Mike Cresswell is interviewed by leading political news website ePolitix on the key areas of interest.

New GCSE specification success

7 August 2008

We are delighted to announce that all 91 specifications submitted to QCA have been accredited.

Final copies of the specification documents and specimen assessment materials will shortly replace the original draft documents on the individual subject pages.

Printed copies will be available to centres early in the autumn term.

First English Baccalaureate gets the green light

28 July 2008

The first English Baccalaureate, designed to offer students a broader range of studies has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Already there is significant interest in the new qualification. From this September, over 100 schools and colleges will be offering the AQA Bacc to their students.

It has been developed to offer greater 'stretch and challenge' than A-levels, so that university admissions staff can select the brightest students for their most popular courses, as well as providing a fully round course for all post-16 students.

Our decision to bring in a new qualification follows growing interest in alternatives to A-levels and the need for universities and employers to identify really exceptional students. The AQA Bacc is designed to complement students core A-level subjects. It therefore allows them to build on their A-level studies, adding value through wider learning and enrichment activities. With highly competitive environments for employment and higher education, the Bacc gives students the opportunity to stand out from the crowd, by completing a Bacc based on GCE A-levels to achieve a grade of Pass, Merit or Distinction.

Mike Cresswell, Director General AQA said:

AQA is delighted to offer this innovative qualification to schools and colleges from this September. The AQA Bacc, which has A-levels at its core, recognises students’ achievements in both academic study and wider learning and personal development. Because it is based on A-levels, any school or college can make it available to students who wish to have the breadth of their learning formally certificated. We believe the AQA Bacc will greatly enhance young people’s opportunities and success in further education and employment.

The first trial of the Bacc took place at The Sixth Form College Farnborough in summer 2007 and students at the college were the first to be awarded the AQA Bacc. Dr John Guy, Principal of The Sixth Form College said:

The AQA Bacc reflects not only students A-level performance but also their research and writing skills, as demonstrated by the Extended Project, their more general education reported through Citizenship, General Studies or Critical Thinking, and also their wider activities reported in the Transcript of Enrichment. It is by embracing all these aspects of their sixth form studies that the Bacc begins truly to reflect the breadth and depth of a challenging sixth form curriculum.

• For the 36 pilot centres who have already had enrichment schemes approved, there are 20 Sixth Form colleges, seven comprehensive 11-18, five grammar schools, two FE colleges and two independent schools
• A further 67 centres have given a firm indication that they are going to register to start courses in September 2008
• In addition, 34 centres have indicated that they are thinking of launching in September 2009.

Students doing the AQA Bacc study three A-levels and a further paper in critical thinking, citizenship or general studies; these can come from any GCE awarding body. They also write an extended essay, project or thesis designed to show the important skills of self-management, planning, research and presentation, as well as their ability to develop an argument and their writing skills. Bacc students must also complete at least 100 hours of other personal development activity, work-based learning or community work.

See more information on the AQA Bacc.

Have your say on the proposed revisions for GCSEs in English, Mathematics and ICT!

30 June 2008

The revised draft criteria and associated documents for the new GCSE specifications in English, Mathematics and ICT, for first teaching from September 2010, are now available on the QCA website.

Between Thursday 26 June and Tuesday 30 September 2008, QCA is carrying out an online consultation on these subject criteria.

We will be formulating our own response, based on feedback from practising teachers and senior examiners. We would, however, encourage all teachers to study these documents carefully and to participate in this consultation so that those who will be responsible for delivering these revised qualifications will have had an input in shaping the criteria on which they are based.

The draft GCSE criteria should be studied in conjunction with the relevant Functional skills standards as 'in order to qualify for the award of grades A*–C in England, candidates must achieve a functional skills qualification at level 2 in that subject'.

We would be more than happy to receive a copy of the feedback you provide to QCA or any comments you may have about the criteria. Please contact us for English, Mathematics and ICT.

Our specifications for these new GCSEs will be available at least a year before teaching begins.

House of Commons Select Committee visits AQA

5 June 2008

Phil Willis MP, Chair of the House of Commons All-Party Select Committee on Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills, together with other MPs and officials from the Select Committee recently made a fact-finding visit to AQA's Guildford office.

Met by AQA's Director General, Mike Cresswell and other senior members of the AQA team, a wide range of topical issues relating to assessment was discussed and the MPs were shown some of AQA's innovative electronic assessment techniques including on-screen testing. The MPs were keen to try a few of the on-screen GCSE Science tests for themselves but the results remain a closely guarded secret!

Mike Cresswell with Phil Willis MP and Ian Stewart MP / Tim Boswell MP with Mike Cresswell

Ofqual report on customer service and electronic marking systems

2 June 2008

AQA welcomes the interest Ofqual is taking in these two important areas.

Customer service is a key factor in supporting schools, colleges and their candidates who take our examinations.

We are committed to the use of new technologies where they improve the quality of our assessments and the service we provide to centres and examiners. The reliability and validity of our assessments remain at the heart of all our work.

Further information about the support we provide for teachers and schools, new technology and e-Assessment is available on our Website.