A levels are British high school qualifications that students complete in two years before going to university. They are evaluated through end-of-year exams in the subjects of their choice and their grades often determine their future education options.
A-level qualifications were introduced in the UK in 1951 and since then, have proven their effectiveness. As a result, a lot of students abroad also choose to take A-levels in high school. In that case, they are to sit more or less the same exams as students in the UK and their papers will be graded by one of the two international exam boards: Cambridge or Edexcel.
In New Zealand, the A-level pathway can be taken by students instead of the NCEA. It consists of the international GCSE in year 11, AS levels in year 12 and A2 levels in year 13. As both the international GCSE and A levels are recognised as equivalent to internal British exams, they can present certain advantages for students.
Namely, A-level qualifications are recognised by most top international universities in Britain and the US. Students can apply to degree programmes directly with their results and compete with local students based on their grades.
You can get more tips about high schools pathways in our article.
A-level qualifications are equally recognized inside New Zealand as equivalent to NCEA level 3, so students who choose that pathway can also get higher education at home. GCSE- and A-level courses cover advanced topics in their respective subjects, so they are a great way for students to prepare for university and their future careers.
In this article, we will talk about one of the central A levels-related issues that are A-level exams and how to get good grades on them.
Choosing the right A-level subjects
Students complete A-level qualifications in two years and in most cases, they focus on the same subjects during that entire period. The reason for that is that the year-13 or A2-level courses are the continuation of year-12 or AS-level courses, which means that you can only start the former after you have completed the latter.
Now, to meet the University Entrance requirements in New Zealand, high school students need to gain a certain number of UCAS Tariff points (namely, 120) by passing A-level exams.
You can learn more about NCEA exams in our article.
What's important here is that the number of points you get is directly proportional to your grade. For example, if you score an A in an A2-level exam, you will be allocated 120 points, which is actually enough to enter university, if you score a B, you will get 100, for a C, you will earn 80 and so on.
AS-level exams can also bring you UCAS Tariff points but their number will be two times lower than for A2 levels. For an A, you'd only get 60 points; for a B, you'd have 50, etc.
That means that even though you are allowed to take both A2-level and AS-level subjects in year 13, it is more advantageous for you to opt for the former because that way you can earn more UCAS Tariff points and increase your chances to enter the university of your choice.
That system makes, of course, a lot of sense, as A2-level courses are more advanced than AS levels, so if you do well in them, it means you are better prepared for higher education.
Still, the possibility of taking an AS-level course in year 13 shouldn't be completely discarded in cases you want to slightly modify your choice of subjects.
Students should always try to enrol in courses that better fit their higher education projects because, that way, they will be prepared to study advanced university subjects and have better career prospects afterwards.
Why is the A2 exam timetable important?
Year 13 is an excellent opportunity for students to improve their GCSE and AS-level results. At that point, they should have more experience preparing for exams and be able to organise their revision more effectively.
One of the most important pieces of information for that is the exam timetable. It is crucial because you won't necessarily have the same level of knowledge in all the subjects and some of them may require more work than others.
You can read about IGCSEs in more detail in our article.
A good reference that you can use when planning revision is your GCSE and AS levels results. They are two external exams graded by Edexcel or Cambridge and whose assessment criteria are almost the same as for A2 levels.
If you take the same subjects in year 13 as in the previous levels, you should naturally pay more attention to those in which your results were less good. For example, you can even do some revision during the summer holidays to start year 13 with a better level of knowledge.
In general, summer revision is important for the simple reason that students forget a lot of material while at rest. As a result, they may need several weeks of lessons before they can follow each detail of their year 13 courses.
On the other hand, students who didn't completely forget about their courses in the summer will make a better start at the A2 level and thus gain an edge over the rest of their classmates.
Of course, summer holidays are also meant to let students have a break and gather energy for the final push, so you should spend all your time studying either. You should rather try to strike a balance between the two and then you will be bound to achieve outstanding results.
When do the A2 exams take place in 2022?
Similarly to other years, the A2 final exams in 2022 are planned for the end of school between mid-October and mid-November.
Schools that offer the CAIE pathway to New Zealand students are likely to organise mock exams and intensive revision courses just before those dates. However, we recommend that students start revision much earlier.
Private tutors can also help you prepare for AS levels.
For example, May or June could be good if you feel comfortable with a subject and don't need to study extensively for it.
On the other hand, if your AS grades weren't completely satisfactory, it may be a good idea to start earlier, possibly during the summer holiday.
How to get ready for A levels?
Most New Zealand students who take A levels prepare for them at their schools. CAIE schools usually employ teachers who are perfectly familiar with the system and can offer courses centred on A-level material.
In your courses, you will not only explore new theoretical topics but also train yourself to do the different exercises that you may face in the final exam.
Among others, an important place is given to working with past exam papers. They can be a helpful tool to get an idea of what the exam is like and what assessment criteria the exam board uses.
As students need to do their examination assignments in a limited time, getting used to the exam format is crucial for your success. Even those who have a very good knowledge of the subject may struggle to understand the instructions of a particular task and lose valuable time.
On the other hand, if you already know what kind of assignment to expect in an exam, you can set to work right from the start and spend your time more effectively, focusing on the most challenging parts of the test.
Schools usually provide students with the most important information about each exam but if you want to earn an even better understanding, you can use the Edexcel or Cambridge official website as well as A-level revision books.
Finally, if a student feels overwhelmed by the material, they can always turn to the help of a private tutor who can offer them personalised assistance and quickly boost their skills.
Find the perfect tutor on Superprof
If you decide to contact a personal tutor to improve your grades, it is really important that you find a qualified specialist who is familiar with the specific features of the test and the assessment criteria. The best place to get in touch with such a tutor is Superprof.
On our website, there are numerous outstanding teachers who offer lessons in New Zealand. They will provide you with all the necessary information about the exam and draw up an effective learning plan so that you can steadily move forward.
Each Superprof tutor has a profile on which you can read about their classes and browse through other users' reviews, containing useful firsthand remarks.
In our article, you can find useful information about the IB.
When you come across a good profile, you can contact the tutor directly through our platform, ask them for further details or schedule lessons with them.
As most of our tutors offer their first class for free, you will have an opportunity to test their teaching methods and make sure they work for you. With Superprof, you will study only with the best tutors around and achieve outstanding grades thanks to their professional support.
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