Requirements for A-level study at QE

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Locked
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
WP
Posts: 1331
Joined: Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:26 am
Location: Watford, Herts

Requirements for A-level study at QE

Post by WP »

Many schools stipulate academic requirements for entry to their sixth forms, and require students who do not meet these standards to leave. The School Admissions Code stipulates that the requirements must be identical for external applicants and students already at the school, so they are usually specified in terms of GCSE grades.

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet (QE) is unusual (perhaps unique?) in that it does not accept external applicants for its sixth form, and therefore does not publish its academic requirements, which are based on internal testing rather than GCSE results. The following table (derived from DfE performance tables) shows the number of boys in several recent cohorts on the roll at Years 11, 12 and 13:

Code: Select all

End year  | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
----------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+-----
Year 11   |  179 |  177 |  179 |  176 |  178 |  176 |  173 |  180 |  175 |  174 |  181 |  182 |  172
Year 12   |  147 |  146 |  147 |  151 |  140 |  146 |  145 |  142 |  122 |  121 |  133 |  136 |  136
Year 13   |  142 |  134 |  137 |  145 |  134 |  139 |  142 |  139 |  120 |  122 |  134 |  128 |  127
That is, the cohort that finished in 2014 had 177 boys two years earlier at GCSE, reduced to 146 in the lower sixth, of whom 134 finished the upper sixth. The numbers fluctuate from year to year, but a substantial fraction of each cohort does not complete A-levels at the school. There may be a variety of reasons for boys to leave the school, but from accounts we have heard (e.g. this thread, this one and this newspaper article), a substantial number leave because the school does not allow them to take the A-levels they want (the so-called "cull").

GCSE

From the results tables, it seems that at GCSE all boys take English, English Literature, Mathematics, sciences plus 4 more subjects, including at least one language and at least two from Economics, Geography and History. QE is unusual in offering GCSE Economics, which has taken by more than three quarters of the cohort since 2011. As one would expect from its superselective Year 7 intake, GCSE results are high at this school, particularly in Maths, where about 160 boys achieve A* at GCSE Maths each year, and the sciences.

According to the school website, all students follow the same GCSE course in all three sciences (Biology, Chemistry and Physics) in Years 9 and 10, but in Year 11 students in the upper sets take the three sciences as separate GCSE subjects, while the remainder sit GCSE double science. This division is based on results in internal examinations taken at the end of Year 10, with some consideration of past performance in borderline cases. From 2009 to 2014, no more than 97 students took separate sciences each year (before that it was no more than 50), and almost all of them achieved A* in each subject. In 2015, the number increased to 119. About three quarters of the group doing double science achieve A*, and almost all of the rest achieve A. (At most other superselective schools, all students take three sciences.)

Offers of study at A-level

To take a subject at A-level, a student requires an "offer of study" or "recommendation" from the school for that subject. The decision whether to make such an offer is based on the school's own testing during Years 10 and 11. The requirements for each subject are laid out in detail in a document entitled Subject requirements for A-level offers of study on the school's internal website. The offers are made in two batches. Students who achieve high standards in a subject receive an offer in November of Year 11. Those who achieve a slightly lower level over a longer period receive an offer in the following February.

For example, Maths is assessed with four internal tests taken through Years 10 and 11, after one practice test. (in previous years, there were two practice tests and five real ones.)
  • To receive an offer for Maths in November, one must score 75% on each of the first three tests (which will have been taken by that time).
  • To receive an offer for Maths in February, one must score 75% on three of the tests.
  • To receive an offer for Further Maths in November, one must score 90% on the first test, 95% on the third, and a grade 8 in the Year 10 summer exam.
  • To receive an offer for Further Maths in February, one must score 80% on each of the first two tests, and 90% on each of the other two tests (or 85% in an extra test if one component is missed).
There are similar rules for other A-level subjects that continue GCSE subjects, namely Art, Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, French, Geography, German, History, Latin, Music, Physics and Technology. Offers for both Politics and Sociology are automatically made to anyone with an offer for Economics, English, Geography or History. Offers for Philosophy are automatically made to anyone with an offer for English or History. (The above is for transfer to the sixth form in 2019, and may be different in other years.)

Continuing to Year 13

Parents have reported that students are not permitted to take a subject to A2 level unless they achieve at least a B in that subject at AS level, though they may repeat the year to attempt to improve their grade.

A-level subjects taken

The following table (based on tables on the school website) lists the number of candidates at A-level for various subjects in recent years:

Code: Select all

2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | Subject
-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+----------
 117 |  121 |  118 |  104 |  110 |  103 |   92 |   93 |   95 |   85 |   75 | Mathematics
  27 |   27 |   20 |   16 |   15 |   14 |    9 |    9 |    9 |    6 |    5 | Further Mathematics
  46 |   41 |   51 |   34 |   50 |   51 |   45 |   57 |   49 |   49 |   41 | Biology
  59 |   66 |   69 |   56 |   70 |   66 |   53 |   71 |   61 |   54 |   41 | Chemistry
  59 |   60 |   50 |   46 |   43 |   45 |   39 |   27 |   33 |   40 |   37 | Physics
-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+----------
  30 |   29 |   25 |   39 |   32 |   46 |   34 |   35 |   34 |   38 |   18 | English
   6 |    6 |    5 |    8 |    6 |    3 |    7 |    9 |    8 |   11 |    6 | French
   5 |    6 |    6 |    6 |    9 |   12 |   10 |   12 |    6 |   15 |   12 | German
  19 |   23 |   19 |   25 |   21 |   30 |   42 |   44 |   37 |   28 |   32 | Geography
  32 |   24 |   32 |   26 |   29 |   43 |   42 |   37 |   46 |   50 |   28 | History
-----+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+------+----------
   - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    2 |    5 |    6 |    9 | Accounting
   9 |   12 |    7 |    6 |    6 |    7 |   11 |    6 |   17 |    8 |   13 | Art
   - |    - |    - |    6 |    7 |    2 |    7 |    3 |    8 |    7 |    9 | Computing
   7 |    3 |    5 |    3 |    - |    3 |    6 |    5 |    6 |    4 |    8 | Design
  21 |   33 |   33 |   33 |   36 |   42 |   36 |   50 |   26 |   49 |   38 | Economics
   - |   19 |   15 |   14 |   19 |   12 |   10 |   10 |   10 |    - |    - | Economics & Business
   - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |    - |   23 |   22 | Business Studies
   1 |    3 |    7 |    6 |    5 |    8 |    9 |   11 |    4 |    7 |    4 | Music
  19 |   19 |   20 |   29 |   15 |   23 |   19 |   18 |   20 |   27 |   21 | Politics
   7 |    7 |    4 |    8 |    6 |    8 |   10 |    9 |   15 |   14 |    5 | Sociology
It seems Accounting was dropped some years ago. The documents for 2016 and 2017 transfer also do not mention Computing or Economics & Business. Latin is a new option for 2017 transfer.

The number of Further Maths students has increased in recent years, but is still quite low in comparison with similar schools.

Please contact me by PM if the above is inaccurate or incomplete.
hermanmunster
Posts: 12749
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 9:51 am
Location: The Seaside

Re: Requirements for A-level study at QE

Post by hermanmunster »

rolland wrote:https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B88tlo ... sp=sharing

Please note, its in Black and White from the school when the time comes for your DS to seek GCSEs and their expectations towards A-Level choices.

All the pupils (and/or parents) aware at least 2 years ahead, lets not debate in the usual fashion as if this is known for the first time.

This forum has given enough indication, therefore no complaints/remarks about me!
Locked
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now