Why we should reintroduce AS-levels into standard curriculum

Photo Courtesy: David Schaffer/KOTO

I am a student currently completing a Neuroscience degree at University College London. And here’s why I think my Religious Studies AS-level, unlikely as it may seem, will make me a better scientist.

An AS-level is essentially the first year of an A-level, the sixth form qualification which normally spans two years. They are currently regarded by universities as worth approximately 40% of an A-level. Few schools across the UK still offer AS-levels, and their uptake by students has declined since the education overhaul in 2015, which aimed to make A-levels less modular. According to Ofqual, in 2023 there were 62,785 provisional entries for AS-levels in England, down from 1,330,660 in 2015.

I was personally lucky enough to go to a sixth form where AS-levels were encouraged. Everyone was required to start with four subjects in Year 12; you could later drop to three, but were strongly encouraged to continue the fourth until at least AS-level. This required funding and timetabling flexibility, without which many schools would struggle to do the same - such a move would need to come from the government, along with the required funding.

It would be worth it: allowing a greater flexibility of choice in sixth form gives students the opportunity to hone in on which subjects they really enjoy, rather than choosing without having studied them at A-level yet. This encourages passion in learning, and students who are more likely to put the work into subjects they truly enjoy.

My school carried out many google forms surveys to show how many students ended up dropping their initial favourite subject, and continuing their least favourite. This figure ended up at around 25%. For a quarter of students, the top three subjects they would have chosen for A-level were not the final three they would go on to keep. This came true, unexpectedly, for me too. Religious Studies was initially in solid first place, given how much I enjoyed it at GCSE. But by Year 13 there wasn’t enough enjoyment to justify the workload and I dropped it in favour of Chemistry, which was more interesting than expected.

This is not the only reason I think AS-levels should be nationally reinstated. As it stands, the education system is too quickly narrowing people’s choices down. We are forced to drop foreign languages, or subjects not required for degrees, by the age of 16, and in doing so we lose out on the transferable skills and wider general knowledge a broader education system could afford us.

I believe, as a science student, that this also deepens the divide between those who study science, and those who find it intimidating. Allowing those who want to pursue science to take another year of history or philosophy before they specialise might culminate in more scientists with the “soft skills” for good communication.  People doing languages might also take Chemistry as a (very) niche interest, without the pressure of it needing to be exactly the right choice for their career until the point of retirement. This culminates in a student body with wider general knowledge, and a better grasp of the subjects they enjoy.

A generation of people with transferrable skills is a generation of people better equipped to do any job and who can communicate with others more easily. Of course, this way of doing things isn’t for all sixth-formers. Some people find these transferable skills outside of A-levels; some would find the additional workload too much, or just simply wouldn’t enjoy a subject outside of their sciences or arts. But making the choice of a fourth subject the default whilst providing the option to drop it at any point caters to these students too. Make it elective, but make it accessible.