If you are a mature student or private candidate taking your A Levels, you might find some of the information below useful.
Which exam board should I take?
I would suggest using the AQA Biology and the AQA Chemistry exam board wherever possible. AQA Biology and OCR A Chemistry is also a good combination. The papers for the above exam boards are well-structured and have a clearly defined mark scheme, so it is possible to get good marks with proper planning.
How many exams do I need to sit?
New specification (first exams 2017): You will need to sit three 2 h papers that cover the entire A-level module. In addition you will also be expected to complete a Non-Exam Assessment on practical skills. You will only be graded for the papers, with the NEA graded as ‘pass’ or ‘unclassified’.
Where can I register as an external candidate?
If based close to Bristol, 3A tutors offers registration for both exams and NEA (practicals). 3A offers registration for multiple exam boards.
Students based closer to Newport can use Western Tutorial & Examination Centre, which offers exams and NEA for the AQA exam board.
For the Midlands, ARC exams offers registration for exams and practicals across multiple exam boards.
If you have left school within the last two years, it might be worth contacting your school to see if they let you register as an external candidate.
Study Resources – Textbooks
AQA endorsed textbooks
AQA A Level Biology (Toole & Toole, Oxford University Press)
AQA A Level Biology (Lowrie & Smith, Holder Education)
AQA A Level Chemistry (Lister & Renshaw, Oxford University Press)
AQA A Level Chemistry (McFarland, Henry & Quigg, Hodder Education)
OCR A endorsed textbooks
OCR A A-Level Biology (Fullick, Locke & Bircher, Oxford University Press)
OCR A A-Level Biology, Year 2 (Hocking, Sochacki & Winterbottom, Pearson)
OCR A A-Level Chemistry (Ritchie & Gent, Oxford University Press)
OCR A A-Level Chemistry, Year 2 (Scott, Stutt & Holyman, Pearson)
Study Resources – Online Past Papers
AQA A Level Biology Past Papers
AQA A Level Chemistry Past Papers
AQA A Level Legacy Papers (scroll down till come to ‘Legacy Papers A Levels UK’)
OCR A A-Level Biology Past Papers
OCR A A-Level Chemistry Past Papers
MME Revise (Past Papers)
Study Mind (Biology Topic Specific Questions)
PMT (Topic Specific Questions – look under ‘Revision’)
How many hours will I need to devote to study each week to cover the syllabus?
If you plan to take the entire A-level in one year, then you will need to devote at least six hours a week per subject per module. From 2015 onwards, A-levels will only be taken once a year in the summer, so it is essential that you start your preparations by September in order to revise the entire syllabus and leave enough time to practice past papers.
Click here for a list of colleges in England offering registration to private candidates for the AQA exam board.
How do I apply to University?
You will have to apply to University via UCAS as an external/private candidate. This means registering for UCAS youself, and sending the relevant link of the form to your teacher/referee to obtain a reference and a predicted grade.
As a private candidate, you may be able to get a reference and predicted grade from your tutor, however you need to check with the admissions office of each University you are applying for, if they will accept a reference from an independent tutor.
From the UCAS website “Or you can request a reference independently from someone else – like a current or previous employer. Contact them and explain you’re looking for an academic reference to study so they know not to provide a standard HR reference. If they agree, head to the reference section of your application and fill in their details, we’ll email them instructions on what they need to do. Give them plenty of time to complete the reference. If you don’t hear back from them and decide to ask someone else, you can request another reference by clicking ‘Ask a different person to write reference’. Once the reference has been provided we’ll email you to let you know the section is complete.“
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