Which University Course ?
There are more than 50,000+ courses available to choose from and the list grows each year. It is advisable to start your research early in year 12. A good starting point would be to use the UCAS website as well as some of the other course search sites such as ukcoursefinder, hotcourses and coursediscoveronline.
- Certificate of higher education: first year of a degree course
- Higher National Diploma (HND): 2 year course, which can lead to the third year of a degree
- Degree: 3 yr or 4 yr course leading to a batchelor’s degree
Spend some time thinking whether you want to continue with some of the subjects you are studying at A level or do you want to combine subjects you like. An alternative could be to choose a course that offers you something new that could help you develop different knowldege and skills.
Some universities are flexible and can offer combinations of subjects in one qualification:
- Joint Honours Degree: two subjects studied equally 50%/50%
- Major / Minor: time spent is usually 75%/25%
It is wise to think about specific aspects of a subject before you make a decision: eg employment opportunities, admissions tests, costs. Taking the UCAS Stamford Test may offer guidance on which course could be suitable.
You may be confused by entry requirements for some universities appearing as points score. This is because UCAS uses a tariff. Here is a table showing how grades convert to points:
AS Level
Grade |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
UCAS Points |
60 |
50 |
40 |
30 |
20 |
A2 Level
Grade |
A* |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
UCAS Points |
140 |
120 |
100 |
80 |
60 |
40 |
You may be surprised to know that many qualification other than traditional AS and A2 Level courses qualify for UCAS Points (see UCAS for details).
Remember that you do not get points for AS results in subjects you are continuing to A2 because they are included in your final A2 grade. If you have completed an AS and gained a grade, but are not taking the subject to A2 level, those AS points do apply separately.
Awarding of the A* Grade at A2
Summer 2010 sees the first awards of the new A2 level specifications in nearly all subjects, together with the first awards of the new A* grade at A level. This new grade will reward exceptional performance and allow for improved discrimination between the best performing candidates. The A* grade will be awarded for all A levels, including those in which new specifications have not yet been introduced, such as mathematics.
It is important to remember that the A* grade will be awarded for the A2 level qualification only, not for the AS qualification or at unit level.
The A* grade will be awarded to candidates who have achieved:
- An A grade overall in their A2 level, and
- 90 per cent of the maximum uniform marks (UMS) on the aggregate of their A2 units.
The way in which the A* grade is to be awarded will mean that it is achieved by learners who have consistently performed very well throughout their A level units and outstandingly on the A2 units, which incorporate the most challenging questions.
This means that there will be candidates in summer 2010 who do not achieve an A* grade but who have higher A level UMS scores (which arise from the total units, both AS and A2) than candidates who have achieved the new grade.
(It should also be noted that the percentage of A* grades is likely to vary from subject to subject, as does the percentage of A grades awarded each year. The new grade is not being awarded to a set percentage of the total candidates or a set percentage of those who achieve an A grade – it will strictly be awarded according to the rules set out above).
