15
Abingdon
Academic
Facilitating Subjects
English Literature
History
Modern Languages
(French, German, Spanish etc)
Classical Languages
(Latin, Ancient Greek)
Maths & Further Maths
Physics
Biology
Chemistry
Geography
The Sixth Form
Curriculum
Important Changes from
September 2015
September 2015 sees big changes
to A Level qualifications at a national
level. We are tremendously excited by
the opportunities this has offered us to
rethink our sixth form curriculum. We
carefully considered all the possible
models over a number of months and
consulted with schools that are similar
to us in terms of academic strength and
size. We are certain that the route we
have chosen gives Abingdonians the
best of all worlds - a breadth of rigorous
academic study within a framework that
has been freed from the limiting nature
of the bite-sized, modular system.
The AS qualification, which used to
comprise 50% of the complete A Level,
is being decoupled from A Level. This
means that, whilst AS qualifications will
still exist, they will not contribute to the
overall A Level any more - they will be
completely stand alone qualifications.
The new A Levels will be linear courses,
which means that exams will all be at
the end of the two-year course.
Subjects are being reformed in three
phases, so for a period of time there will
be a mix of old and new qualifications
in Sixth Form. Abingdon has chosen
to move to an entirely linear approach
for its Sixth Form from September
2015, regardless of whether a subject
is reformed or unreformed. Boys will
choose four subjects to pursue in the
Lower Sixth until at least the summer
of that year. They will then decide
whether to drop a subject for Upper
Sixth or to take four subjects. We will
not be offering the stand-alone AS
qualifications for reformed subjects and
there will be only limited sitting of units
in the Lower Sixth for the unreformed
subjects until they have been reformed.
Sixth form pupils will have the space
and time to explore their subjects
properly without the spectre of an
exam coming at them almost as soon
as they’ve started. It is the triumph of
‘education’ over ‘exams’.
Enjoyment and vocation
Enjoyment is vital to the route for success
and we strongly advise boys to take
subjects they find interesting. However
it’s not always possible to have the luxury
of choosing the subjects you enjoy. A
student wishing to study engineering at
university almost always needs Maths and
an aspiring Medic, Chemistry. Whether
they like the subject is irrelevant, with these
university courses there is rarely an option.
Aptitude
A certain aptitude for a subject is
recommended, but you do not have to be
top of the class. A good work ethic and
enjoyment is as important. Many boys
are influenced by their GCSE results but
Abingdon counsels against pinning subject
choices solely on this. A minimum of an A
grade at GCSE is usually recommended
to go on to study a subject at A level but
an A* is not essential – a far better guide
is a teacher’s assessment of a pupil’s
ability. At Abingdon, the iGCSE is widely
used because it gives a more rigorous
preparation for sixth form study. If a pupil
has coped well with the iGCSE, then this is
a good indication that he will go on to enjoy
and succeed at the next level.
Breadth and balance
Pupils are also asked to consider the
‘breadth and balance’ of their choices.
Abingdon is happy for pupils to mix arts,
sciences and humanities. Choosing
four subjects to study in the Lower
Sixth enables a pupil to do the subjects
recommended by a university course
and also allows for a fourth choice as an
‘interest’ subject. Pupils are also asked to
consider ‘workload’: are four essay-based
subjects really a good idea? Would an
arts or language subject add diversity to a
science and Maths combination?
There is a choice of 23 subjects to study
in the Sixth Form, giving enough variety to
accommodate the very diverse interests
and further education pathways chosen
by our pupils. Traditional arts, Maths and
science subjects are popular but more
recent introductions such as Psychology
have a good up-take. Unlike many
schools, Abingdon offers flexibility in
subject combinations, aiming for everyone
to study their preferred subjects. It’s this
that determines the timetable and not vice
versa.
All subjects have to pass our rigorous
academic requirement to be made
available to study. All the “facilitating
subjects” - as defined by the Russell
Group - are taught at Abingdon.
Making the Right Choice
Deciding which subjects to study in the Sixth Form is, for some, relatively
straight forward. If you are lucky enough to know what you want to do
as a career and have the ability to do it, then your subjects are often
dictated by the course you wish to follow. But for others, and this is
probably the majority of 16 year olds, choosing the subjects to study for
the next two years can be quite daunting.
Further information:
