A2 Level, or AQA Baccalaureate?

[Hxc]

Hey all.

This is gonna sound wierd as it's generally the sort of thing you ask a teacher, but I've done exactly that and they've given me really rather poor answers.

I'm in the first year of sixth form, studying Maths, Computing A2, Physics and Geography. I'm predicted straight As and with a nice bit of work I know I can achieve them. For A2 (second year), the convention is to drop one subject, but due to doing Computing a year early, I'll already have only 3 subjects left over.

I will definitely be doing further maths in it's place, in AS form, as that is all that is offered by our sixth form. As I plan to do Maths at a well regarded university (OxBridge, Durham, the like), it is an utmost requirement.

However, our school is very keen to get students to do something called the AQA Baccalaureate, which is a european style qualification. Apparently Unis are very interested in this for whatever reason. In order to do it, I would have to take an AS Level in either Citizenship or Critical Thinking. This is not possible as I will already be doing 4 subjects next year, unless I drop one of them.

I would drop Geography out of the four (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Geography) in order to do either Citizenship or Critical thinking, and in turn do the AQA Bac.

Yet I can't seem to get any information on what's really worth more to a university, the Bac and an AS in one of those two, or completing my Geography to a full A2 standard....

Any ideas? The AQA Bac scheme has been running a year so it's possible some people here may have done it last year...

Cheers

 

[Hxc]

AS Further Maths is the only requirement. No university expects A2 further maths, with the exception of one college at Cambridge, and possibly a couple of colleges at Oxford.

I wouldn't be dropping maths for the Critical Thinking/Citizenship with Bac, I'd be dropping Geography.

 

[Hxc]

Unlucky mate! I dunno if I'll end up at Cambridge. It's a goal and I'll definitely give it my best shot.

 

[Hxc]

Understood. I'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

[Hxc]

I'm confused about what the AQA Baccalaureate actually is. Is it just an AS level in critical thinking, or is it that just a requirement for it?

I'd just carry on doing what you're doing now. Critical thinking is a pile of ****, as is general studies.

You've got to take the AS level, and then do about 100hours of your own work on a personal project and service.

STEP is required yes, but the subject choices are still important!

 

[Hxc]

90% of the advice in here is useless, he has to take Critical Thinking as a pre-resiquite, its not the actual qualification, hes not going to drop a full A level to do AS Critical Thinking ._.

Yes, I am.

In order to take Critical Thinking/Citizenship, I would have to drop Geography A2.

In order to do the Bac, I have to do Critical Thinking

I'm confident I could get high grades regardless of what I did. A in computing is already pretty much sorted, A in Maths shouldn't be a problem, A in Physics with a bit of hard graft and I can do an A in geography. Then hopefully an A in further maths would be nice as well. I'm confident I could do well in Critical/Citizenship and in turn in the AQA Bac.



The AQA Bac is not an A level alternative, the change is me doing citizenship/critical thinking. I do one of those as an AS and in turn do the Bac alongside it. I can't do the Bac without one of those two subjects.

 

[Hxc]

I realize they would prefer that, I'm not sure whether it'd be possible to do Further Maths easily outside of sixth form, but I'll look into it... I can definitely do Further Maths AS in the second year but I can't do A2.

 

[Hxc]

So effectively the AQA Bac isn't worth it to Cambridge, w11tho? (I remember it was you who helped out in another of my threads, many thanks )

I think I'll stick with Geography then. I'll do my best to somehow do Further Maths A2 but it's going to be odd as I probably should've tried to start earlier. I'll have to get some textbooks and try and work on the AS stuff as soon as possible, and move onto A2 when I can...

 

[Hxc]

The Trinity College website says however that it does not consider computing as an appropriate subject, disapointing but a tad expected.

That would mean I would be left with Computing, Physics, and Maths, plus Futher Maths AS. Hopefully I would have it to A2, but that is not a definite. I feel I could manage the workload of additional outside work so I think I'll stick to doing Geography and work on the rest outside of school.

If I drop geography I'll be forced to do Critical/Citizenship anyway. I'd have to get a special exception made in order to spend it going over STEP/FM.