Geography

At AS level in Geography students’ study a balance of human and physical topics that include Energy and Resources, Population issues, Coastal zone and the river system. Students also sit a written exam based on fieldwork they have undertaken in the local year.

At A2 level students study a balance of human and physical topics including Development and Globalisation, the Geography of Contemporary Conflict, Tectonic Hazards and Climatic Hazards. Students also sit a written exam based on fieldwork they have undertaken in the local year.

The certificating exam board for A-level is AQA and past papers, mark schemes and specifications for the units can be found here.

Philosophy and Ethics

Philosophy and Ethics is a KS5 option subject. This qualification builds upon the GCSE, developing a deeper understanding of the roots of Philosophy during Ancient Greece and using the works of Plato and Aristotle to analyse the ideas of more modern thinkers. Within the Ethics course students learn about a range of ethical theories and apply these to modern dilemmas such as the right to life and the right to a child. This course is 100% examination at the end of Yr 12 and Yr 13.

The certificating exam board for A-level is OCR and past papers, mark schemes and specifications for the units can be found here.

History

In AS History there are 2 exam assessed units in (one in January and one in June.)

The first unit ‘The USA 1890-1945’ provides an overview of USA history in the period 1890–1945 as it responded to a series of challenges both from outside and within the USA. Students will examine the role of individual presidents, the factors working for and against change, and how foreign and domestic policy changed to meet the various crises. There will be opportunities to study events such as prohibition, the role of the US in WW1 and WW2, the role of the mafia, and the Klu Klux Klan.

The second unit is A Sixties Social Revolution? British Society, 1959-1975. This unit provides an opportunity to investigate the nature and the extent to which there was social and cultural change in Britain during the 1960s; a period which has been so instrumental in shaping our modern lives. An examination of the 1960s will focus on the extent to which British values were transformed and will include a study of new trends in popular culture, the changing status and roles of women and youth, the importance of government legislation and the impact of immigration on Britain by 1975. Vivid and colourful case studies include the impact of Roy Jenkins liberal reforms, the repercussions of the introduction of the pill, the rise of the ‘teenager’ and the influence of mass media.

In A2 History there is one exam assessed unit which is sat in June of your A2 year on ‘Aspects of international relations.’ The course allows students to chart the slow degeneration of the relationship between the USA and the USSR across the so called ‘Cold War’; from the crushing of the Nazi’s in Berlin, via the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the failed (but Nobel Prize winning) attempts of Gorbachev to save the USSR in the late 1980’s. There is also a coursework unit based on Russian history from 1855-1964, the focus of which can be chosen by the student, but which must result in a 4,000 word essay showing change across a period of 100 years.

The exam board is AQA and further details of their assessment criteria, as well as past papers and mark schemes can be found on their A Level History site.

Psychology

A Level Psychology aims to provide students with a broad introduction to the scope and nature of psychology as a science. ‘Psychology: The scientific study of the mind and behaviour’. The course includes practical work and an opportunity to explore some of the main areas of psychology such as memory, stress, prejudice, phobias, gender and social influence.

At AS, the specification offers a broad range of topics, with research methods in context. At A2, there is a range of topic-based options which bring together explanations from different approaches and engage students in issues and debates in contemporary psychology.

The certificating exam board is AQA specfication A. This course is 100% examination.