The course is made of 16 units. Students take a maximum of 12. There is no choice in the AS units which must be taken, but there is flexibility in which A2 units can be chosen.
An AS qualification requires 3 AS units.
A double AS requires 6 AS units.
An A-level requires 3 AS and 3 A2 units.
A double A-level requires 6 AS and 6 A2 units.
- 01 Investigating Science at Work
- 02 Energy Transfer Systems
- 03 Finding out about Substances
- 04 Food Science and Technology
- 05 Choosing and Using Materials
- 06 Synthesising Organic Compounds
Units 1-3 count as one AS qualification. Units 1-6 count as two AS qualifications.
- 07 Planning and Carrying out a Scientific Investigation
- 08 Medical Physics
- 09 Sports Science
- 10 Physics of Performance Effects
- 11 Controlling Chemical Processes
- 12 The Actions and Development of Medicines
- 13 Colour Chemistry
- 14 The Healthy Body
- 15 The Role of the Pathology Service
- 16 Ecology, Conservation and Recycling
- 3 A2 units, plus units 1-3, count as one A-level qualification.
- The A2 units must include unit 7, one from units 8, 11 or 14, and one from 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 or 16.
- 6 A2 units, plus units 1-6, count as two A-level qualifications.
- The A2 units must include unit 7, two from units 8, 11 or 14, and three from 9, 10, 12, 13, 15 or 16.
Method of AssessmentEdit
Units 2, 5, 8, 11 and 14 are assessed by an exam. These are marked by AQA.
The other units are assessed by written coursework, which is initially assessed by the school/college and then checked by AQA.
1/3 of the units must be examined units.
Every unit is marked out of 100 (the 'UMS') and the final grade is awarded on this basis:
|UMS for each unit.||UMS for the AS Qualification.||UMS for the A-level Qualification.|
|A||80 - 100||240 - 300||480 - 600|
|B||70 – 79||210 - 239||420 - 479|
|C||60 – 69||180 - 209||360 - 419|
|D||50 – 59||150 - 179||300 - 359|
|E||40 – 49||120 - 149||240 - 299|
|U||0 – 39||0 - 119||0 - 239|
|UMS for the AS Double Award Qualification.||UMS for the A-level Double Award Qualification.|
|AA||480 - 600||960 - 1200|
|AB||450 - 479||900 - 959|
|BB||420 - 449||840 - 899|
|BC||390 - 419||780 - 839|
|CC||360 - 389||720 - 779|
|CD||330 - 359||660 - 719|
|DD||300 - 329||600 - 659|
|DE||270 - 299||540 - 599|
|EE||240 - 269||480 - 539|
|U||0 - 239||0 - 479|
Making the GradeEdit
For portfolio units, the work must be your own. Copying large chunks of text from a book or the internet is not allowed - even if you credit where you obtained the text.
Check the requirements of each unit and make sure your work meets those requirements. Work which is not on the syllabus will not improve your grade, so don't waste your time with it.
Tip: Use the specification to write headings for your assignments, and research material for each heading. This way you should cover all the topics required: It will be obvious which parts of your assignment need further work. Putting your research into headed sections will prevent you copying or paraphrasing a large chunk from one source, and then a large chunk from another source without comparing the two sources on what they say point-by-point.
Note every reference you use.
- Even note sources you read, but didn't find helpful - it is evidence that you have researched thoroughly.
Definitive details from the AQA website.