AQA Baccalaureate

Introducing the AQA Baccalaureate

With effect from September 2008, we shall be offering the new AQA Baccalaureate as an option, to be studied alongside their normal A level programme, for some of our Lower Sixth students.

The AQA Baccalaureate is a new sixth form qualification which is being introduced nationally in September 2008. It is a baccalaureate qualification that has A levels at its core and that is designed to sit alongside a student’s normal A level programme.

What is the AQA Baccalaureate?

The AQA Baccalaureate is an innovative qualification that extends the current, world-renowned, UK A level system through the addition of extra educational elements, bringing genuine breadth to sixth form studies. It asks students to complement their intended choice of A level subjects with:

  • — engagement in a variety of enrichment activities;
  • — the completion of an extended and original project; and
  • — the study of Critical Thinking to AS level.

As well as providing students with a competitive edge, when applying to top universities, it will also give them the opportunity to develop the real-world skills of self-management, planning, research and presentation.

How does it work?

Unlike other baccalaureate qualifications, such as the IB, the AQA Baccalaureate retains A levels at its heart. The core requirement of the programme is the completion of three standard A levels, in any combination; and success in these is key to success in the Baccalaureate. Alongside their standard A levels, there are three additional elements that a student must complete to receive an award:

  1. An Enrichment Programme, recognising students' achievements away from the classroom, whether these be through schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, work-related activities, community involvement, sport, etc. The Baccalaureate encourages students to get out into the world, to develop people skills in a non-academic context and to broaden the scope of their interests.
  2. The Extended Project. The possibilities for this are diverse – in pilot schemes which have been conducted already in a small number of schools around the country, projects have varied from academic reports to art exhibitions and musical performances. The key is for the student to find something that they care about and then to put in some concerted work on it.
  3. An examined AS level in Critical Thinking, taken alongside the student’s normal programme of 4 AS levels. Critical thinking is a high-end AS Level that focuses on the critical analysis and deconstruction of written argument and on the interpretation of data, whether in graphs, tables or embedded in text. It should provide an ideal intellectual preparation for any student thinking of applying for a highly competitive degree subject such Law or Medicine and indeed for students hoping to apply to Oxford, Cambridge or any other top-ranking UK University. For those students who have English as their second language, it should also provide an education in English language use that goes beyond IELTS.

For further information about the AQA Baccalaureate, please contact us.