General Studies

AS / A2 General Studies

Many students not only value the experience of learning which is offered by the preparation for this subject, but find that the qualification itself enables them to gain access to an increasing number of university courses which would otherwise be denied to them. University entry can be so intensely competitive that the ‘points’ gained in a General Studies pass can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful application.

As with all other Advanced level GCE subjects, two separate qualifications, the AS and the A2 are embodied in the full ‘A’ level. Students will take the AS examination in January of the 2nd year and, if successful, will progress to the A2 paper in June, in order to permit the widest possible range of enrichment activities to be taken in the first year (year 12).

Three broad areas of study are tested in the AS examination:

Module 1 Culture, Morality, Arts and Humanities

Beliefs, values; religious experience; nature and importance of culture; creativity and innovation; aesthetic evaluation; media and communication.

Module 2 Science, Mathematics and Technology

Characteristics of the sciences; scientific objectivity, progress; scientific method, application; moral, social, environmental applications; science, technology, culture and ethics; social and economical constraints.

Module 3 Society, Politics and the Economy

Ideologies and values in society; political processes and goals; objectivity in social sciences; evaluation of human behaviour; law, culture and ethics; social and economic trends and constraints.

The A2 exam is based on the same broad areas, but ranges more deeply and widely and consists of the following modules.

Module 5 Culture, Morality, Arts and Humanities

Beliefs, values, moral reasoning; religious belief and experience; nature and importance of culture; creative and innovation; aesthetic evaluation; media and communication; foreign language comprehension.

Module 6 Science, Mathematics and Technology

Characteristics of the sciences; scientific objectivity, progress; scientific method, application; moral, social, environmental implications; science, technology, culture and ideology; spatial and mechanical relations.