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Programmes & Qualifications

  • Carrying forward AS Level to A Level
    • Carry forward rules
    • The 13-month carry-forward rule
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  • Carrying forward AS Level to A Level
    • Carry forward rules
    • The 13-month carry-forward rule
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  • Carrying forward AS Level to A Level
  • A2-only route

A2-only route

How would you summarise the key points about the A2-only route?

  • Available to candidates whose AS Level credit is an AS Level school-assessed grade.
  • Entry is via the relevant carry-forward entry option.
  • The A Level grades are determined using only performance in the A2 components.
  • The AS Level school-assessed grade is not used to determine the final A Level grade.
  • For ‘best-of both’ route candidates, AS Level marks taken via the exam route are prioritised.

What is A2?

The second part of the A Level syllabus is sometimes referred to as the ‘A2’ part or ‘A2 Level’. A2 Level components are not included in the AS Level part of a syllabus. A2 is not a standalone qualification.

What is the A2-only route?

The A2-only route allows candidates who have an AS Level school-assessed grade to complete their A Level as a staged route assessment. They do not need to sit the AS papers again, even though there are no AS Level marks that can be carried forward.

A2-only grading does not consider the candidate’s AS Level school-assessed grade. However, the candidate must have a valid AS Level school-assessed grade, and no other AS Level credit achieved via the exam route relevant to their entry option, to be entered for A2-only.

How do I enter a candidate for the A2-only route?

Choose an entry option code that only includes the A2 Level components and the carry-forward component from the series where the candidate achieved their AS Level school-assessed grade.

All entry option codes are in your Cambridge Guide to Making Entries, available on Direct. See the example scenarios here.

FAQs about the A2-only route

  • How will you set grade thresholds for the A2-only route?
    • We will set appropriate grade boundaries for A2-only A Levels. For each syllabus, we will do this by:

      • Determining the grade thresholds for each A2 Level component. This is part of our usual grading process.
      • Calculating the sum of the grade thresholds for each A2 Level component at each grade. We will apply any weighting factors shown in the syllabus.
      • Applying a marks adjustment to the sums at each grade. This accounts for the difference between the A2 Level standard and the A Level standard.
  • How do you calculate marks adjustment?
    • To calculate the marks adjustments for each syllabus we considered the typical percentage of candidates achieving each grade at A Level across the whole cohort of A Level candidates. We then matched this against typical candidate performance, if we had considered only their performance in the A2 components. Looking at the difference in the corresponding marks shows us the marks adjustments needed.

  • Will the standard be the same as staged assessment grades achieved using the exam route?
    • We are confident that the standard of each grade is the same in the A2-only A Level as it is for an A Level achieved by any other route.

  • Which candidates are eligible for A2-only grading?
    • Candidates sitting an A Level in the November 2021 series or in 2022 who were also entered for the same syllabus in the previous 13 months and who received a valid AS Level result (A–U) via the school-assessed grades route are eligible for A2-only grading.

  • Will candidates be disadvantaged by taking this option?
    • Candidates are not advantaged or disadvantaged by following the A2-only route.

  • Will these candidates end up taking more papers?
    • No. The number of individual papers the candidate takes at A2 Level is the same as those taken by a normal staged assessment candidate who sits AS Level and A2 Level exams. A2-only candidates differ in that they have not taken AS Level exams.

  • What about Percentage Uniform Marks (PUMs)?
    • We cannot generate a PUM for candidates taking the A2-only route. In countries where we provide a PUM, candidates who only have AS Level results achieved using the school-assessed grades route should be entered as linear route candidates in the November 2021 series or in 2022.

  • Do the AS and A2 Level evidence requirements for school-assessed grades relate to the A2-only grading route?
    • The requirements for the evidence portfolio for school-assessed grades for AS and A Level candidates is not linked to A2-only grading.

      • A2-only grading only relates to candidates taking exams in the November 2021 series or in 2022.
      • AS and A2 Level evidence is only needed from countries using school-assessed grades to complete A Levels in the November 2021 series.

      You can find the most recent guidance on this topic on page 3 of our guide How to Use Portfolios of Evidence to Decide School-assessed grades (PDF, 198KB).

  • Why does the statement of entry for an A2-only candidate still show carry-forward options?
    • A statement of entry shows the components of each syllabus a candidate is entered for, some of which have component titles that include the term 'carry forward'. We have repurposed some existing carry-forward components and, instead of indicating that marks should be carried forward from a previous series, these components tell us the candidate wishes to follow the A2-only route.

      This means a statement of entry where the A2-only route has been chosen will still include a component labelled as, for example, ‘June AS carry forward’ even though, by definition, there are no marks being carried forward.

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