This article focuses on  A Levels and AS Levels, which are the most common general (academic) qualifications taken by young people aged 16 to 18/19 in full-time (ISCED 3) education. A Levels are also the most common entry qualification for higher education.

A Levels and AS Levels are single-subject qualifications available in a wide range of subjects. Students typically take three or four subjects at AS Level in Year 12 (aged 16-17), and continue with two or three of these subjects to A Level in Year 13 (age 17-18). Some applied A / AS Level subjects are available.

The GCE Qualification Level Conditions and Requirements (Ofqual, 2019, page 3) state that A Levels and AS Levels have the following purpose.

A Levels:

• define and assess achievement of the knowledge, skills and understanding which will be needed by students planning to progress to higher education, and set out a robust and internationally comparable post-16 academic course of study to develop that knowledge, skills and understanding
• permit UK universities to accurately identify the level of attainment of students
• provide a basis for school and college accountability measures at age 18* and a benchmark of academic ability for employers.

AS Levels:

• provide evidence of students’ achievements in a robust and internationally comparable post-16 course of study that is a sub-set of A Level content, and enable students to broaden the range of subjects they study.

*The qualifications offered in schools and colleges are influenced by the accountability system. The results of A Levels and AS Levels are an important component of the school and college performance tables , which are published each year to inform parents and those responsible for monitoring educational standards in England (including school governing boards, government bodies, local authorities, and schools and colleges themselves). The tables include measures of progress and attainment, along with information on retention on and completion of study programmes, and on student destinations after they have completed their programme of study. The Government’s statements of intent on the school and college performance tables provide further information.

Pupil/students assessment 

Responsibility for the assessment of students on A Level and AS courses is shared.

The Secretary of State for Education is the Cabinet Minister in charge of the Department for Education, and approves all qualifications taken by young people under 19 years of age. This is under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000.

Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation regulates the qualifications taken in schools and colleges, including A and AS Levels. It is a non-ministerial government department, operating under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 and the Education Act 2011.

Awarding organisations, or AOs, design and develop qualifications in line with Ofqual’s regulatory requirements. Those that provide general qualifications are also known as exam boards.

Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, is responsible for the inspection of schools, sixth-form colleges and further education colleges. It makes judgements on the quality of the curriculum, teaching and assessment as part of the overall judgement on the quality of education during inspections. Ofsted is a non-ministerial government department responsible for school inspection under the provisions of the Education Act 2005 (as amended).

Schools and colleges decide which qualifications to offer from the range of approved A Level and AS Level qualifications available from awarding organisations. They are also responsible for tracking student progress towards the final exams (formative assessment).

Progression of pupils/students 

Progression of students is a matter for individual schools and colleges.

A Level courses last two years (Years 12 and 13 of post-16 education, ages 17-18); AS Level courses last one year (Year 12). Schools or colleges may determine that a student’s progression to Year 13 is dependent on the outcome of the AS Level qualifications taken at the end of Year 12.

Certification 

A Levels and AS Levels are provided and certified by external awarding organisations, working within a common regulatory framework. For further information on the regulation of qualifications, see the article on the ‘ National Qualifications Framework’.

Assessment arrangements form part of qualification specifications; all available qualification specifications can be accessed via Ofqual’s Register of Regulated Qualifications.

The qualification-level requirements and subject-specific requirements for A Levels and AS Levels outline the assessment arrangements for each qualification. Assessment objectives form part of the assessment arrangements for these qualifications.

Assessment is mainly by written examination. Other types of assessment are used only where they are needed to test specific skills. For example, for the A Level in dance, a proportion of the total marks are for a performance task and a proportion are for a choreography task. 

Marking and grading

After students have taken their exams in May and June, their papers are marked by the awarding organisation’s examiners. A Level and AS Level passes are graded on a scale of A* to E. The A* grade was introduced in 2010 to reward the most exceptional candidates. The grade U denotes a fail. An A Level pass is a Level 3 qualification on the Regulated Qualifications Framework.

The awarding organisation’s examiners are trained to mark to a required standard using a mark scheme and, once all papers have been marked, grade boundaries are set.

All awarding organisations must have awarding processes that meet Ofqual’s (the regulator’s) rules. The basic principle (known as ‘comparable outcomes’) is that, if the ability of the group of students taking a qualification is similar to previous years, the results are expected to be similar.

Results and certificates 

Awarding organisations release results to centres and candidates in August. For candidates who are holding provisional offers of places from universities, the results are sent directly to the universities by the awarding organisation. Results are deemed to be provisional to allow any queries to be resolved before certificates are issued.

Certificates are sent to schools about eight weeks after results day. They include the following information:

• date of exam series (e.g. May/June 2019)
• awarding organisation
• centre (e.g. school or college)
• student details
• qualification name and number
• grade awarded.

Reform of A Levels and AS Levels 

A Levels and AS Levels were reformed during the period 2015-2018. This was part of a major package of reforms to the curriculum, assessment, qualifications and the accountability framework, introduced by the Coalition Government in office from 2010 to 2015.

The reforms introduced changes to both subject content and assessment, and aimed to increase the rigour of the qualifications. They included:

• an increased focus on externally marked written examinations; written exams are now the main form of assessment, with other forms used only where they are needed to test specific skills, e.g. practical skills
• a focus on linear, end-of-course assessment, to replace assessment at the end of units or modules
• the uncoupling of A Levels and AS Levels – previously the modular AS Level qualification contributed 50% to the final grade of the full A Level; AS Levels are now standalone qualifications assessed at the end of the course.

Article last reviewed April 2021.