After previously introducing AP and IB courses,
this time CheersYou（清柚教育） will introduce the last of the three major international curricula: A-Level. Six questions to clarify everything about A-Level!
Q1: What is A-Level?
A-Level (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level) is the advanced level course of the British General Certificate of Secondary Education, and it is also the university entrance exam course for British students, roughly equivalent to the level of Chinese senior three to freshman year.
Overview
The A-Level certificate is accepted as an admission standard by almost all English-taught universities. With A-Level results, students can not only apply to universities in native English-speaking countries like the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK, but also to universities in the EU, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Offering A-Level courses in China aims to provide an effective way for Chinese students to enter foreign universities, with specific goals: to cultivate students with excellent performance in domestic junior and senior high schools to enter world-class universities; to cultivate students with average performance to enter top international universities; and to cultivate students with ordinary performance to gain admission to suitable universities.
The A-Level program lasts two years:
The first year is called the AS level, where students usually choose 3–4 subjects they are best at and most interested in, and obtain an AS certificate after passing the exams.
The second year is called the A2 level, where students can choose the 3 best subjects from the AS level to continue studying, and obtain the A-Level certificate after passing the exams.
A-Level exams are held every June and November, and students can apply for resits if they fail, which greatly reduces exam risks. Unlike the gaokao, which has a decisive impact on further education.
Q2: Is A-Level right for you?
The A-Level program requires a high level of English proficiency.
It is most suitable for students targeting universities in Commonwealth countries or the UK.
Most students are aged between 15 and 18.
Q3: Why choose A-Level?
Personalized development with less competition
A-Level now offers nearly 70 subjects for students to choose from, providing broad scope for personalized development. Compared to grades from regular Chinese high schools, A-Level has higher recognition and fewer competitors.
Wide recognition
The A-Level program has a history of over 50 years, and its rigorous curriculum and unified exam standards are recognized by 11,000 universities in 160 countries worldwide.
Credit transfer
Yale, Cornell, and UIUC all accept A-Level results for credit transfer.
Q4: What is the A-Level curriculum like?
The syllabus, curriculum, and exams of this program are designed and organized by four major UK exam boards: CIE, OCR, AQA, and EDEXCEL, whose authority is widely recognized internationally.
To date, over 5,000 educational institutions worldwide offer A-Level courses, and millions of students take the unified exams organized by these boards each year.
The A-Level curriculum is very broad, focusing on testing students' thinking, comprehension, and learning abilities. The A-Level program includes over 70 subjects to choose from, covering English, mathematics, science, languages, humanities, technology, social sciences, arts, general education, and other areas. The A-Level syllabus introduces much university-level knowledge, which also inspires some curious students to explore deeper knowledge.
When choosing courses, students generally consider their current strengths and future direction—which university and major they want, and then select courses strategically based on requirements.
However, for applying to US undergraduate programs, if you only choose subjects like math, physics, and chemistry in high school, you cannot demonstrate the well-rounded liberal arts and science qualities required by US universities, putting you at a disadvantage in applications.
Q5: Overview of A-Level exams
A-Level exams are uniformly organized by the respective exam boards globally in May-June and October-November each year, with results announced in August and the following February.
A-Level results are graded into six levels: A, B, C, D, E, and U, with A being the best, E a pass, and U a fail.
A: 80-100, B: 70-80, C: 60-70, D: 50-60, E: 40-50, U: below 40. If students are unsatisfied with a subject's result, they can retake the exam, and the best score counts. Once students achieve a passing grade, they can obtain the A-Level qualification certificate and apply to foreign universities.
