Advanced extension awards
Last updated on: 11/03/2008
First examined in June 2002, the advanced extension award (AEA) was introduced for 18-year-olds as part of the government's response to its report Excellence in cities. AEAs superseded special papers.
The AEA should:
- challenge the top 10 per cent of students nationally in each subject
- ensure that the most able students are tested against standards comparable to the most demanding to be found in other countries
- be accessible to all able students, whatever the specification they are studying
- help differentiate between the most able candidates, particularly in subjects with a high proportion of A grades at A level.
AEA qualifications:
- are included in the UCAS tariff - 40 points for distinction and 20 for a merit
- are based on advanced GCE subject criteria, where they exist, rather than individual specifications
- test candidates' depth of understanding and their ability to think critically and creatively
- test candidates' ability to demonstrate an understanding of the connections between different elements of the subject
- require no additional teaching content
- will have an external assessment of 100 per cent.