Editing Advanced Extension Award

{{short description|School qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
The '''Advanced Extension Awards''' are a type of school-leaving qualification in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, usually taken in the final year of schooling (age 17/18), and designed to allow students to ''"demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and skills to the full"''. Currently, it is only available for Mathematics and offered by the exam board [[Edexcel]].

They were introduced in 2002, in response to the [[UK Government]]'s ''[[Excellence in Cities]]'' report, as a successor to the [[S-level]] examination, and aimed at the top 10% of students in [[Advanced Level (UK)|A level]] tests. They are assessed entirely by external examinations. 

Due to introduction of the A* grade for A level courses starting September 2008 (first certification 2010), they have since been phased out, with the exception of the Advanced Extension Award in Mathematics which continues to be available to students.

== Results ==
According to EducationGuardian.co.uk,<ref>[http://education.guardian.co.uk/alevels2004/story/0,14505,1285758,00.html EducationGuardian.co.uk | Advanced extension awards 2004]</ref> in 2004, 50.4% of the 7246 entrants failed to achieve a grade at all (fail), indicating that the awards are fulfilling their role in separating the elite. Only 18.3% of students attained the top of the two grades available, the Distinction, with the next 31.3% of students receiving the grade of Merit. Given that only the top students in the country sat these examinations, these results indicate that the AEAs were successful in rewarding only the 50-100 students that were most able in a particular subject.

It was possible to obtain an AEA distinction in more than one subject; however, given the rarity of AEA distinctions, this was uncommon.

== Available subjects ==
Due to the small numbers of candidates for each subject, the exam boards divided the subjects offered amongst themselves, so that – unlike A-levels – each AEA was only offered by one board.
* [[Biology]] (including [[Human Biology]]) ([[Assessment and Qualifications Alliance|AQA]])
* [[Business]] ([[OCR (examination board)|OCR]])
* [[Chemistry]] (AQA)
* [[Critical Thinking]] (OCR)
* [[Economics]] (AQA)
* [[English studies|English]] (OCR)
* [[French language|French]] (OCR)
* [[Geography]] ([[Welsh Joint Education Committee|WJEC]])
* [[German language|German]] ([[Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment|CCEA]])
* [[History]] ([[Edexcel]])
* [[Irish language|Irish]] (CCEA)
* [[Latin]] (OCR)
* [[Mathematics]] (Edexcel)
* [[Physics]] (CCEA)
* [[Psychology]] (AQA)
* [[Religious Studies]] (Edexcel)
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]] (Edexcel)
* [[Welsh language|Welsh]] (WJEC)
* [[Welsh language|Welsh]] as a second language (WJEC)

== Partial withdrawal ==

The last AEA examinations across the full range of subjects took place in June 2009, with results issued in August 2009. The Advanced Extension Award was then withdrawn for all subjects except mathematics.<ref>[http://www.jcq.org.uk/attachments/published/449/13a.%20Withdrawal%20of%20AEA%20specs.pdf JCQ | Withdrawal of Advanced Extension Award (AEA) specifications] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725050804/http://www.jcq.org.uk/attachments/published/449/13a.%20Withdrawal%20of%20AEA%20specs.pdf |date=July 25, 2011 }}</ref> This came after the [[Joint Council for Qualifications]] (JCQ) decided that the new A* grade being offered at A level would overlap with the purpose of the AEA, rendering them unnecessary. However, the AEA in mathematics was extended until June 2012, as confirmed by [[Edexcel]] and the [[Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency|QCA]]. This was because it met a "definite need", since the A* grade was still not viewed as being challenging enough.<ref>[http://www.edexcel.com/notices/Pages/aea-extend.aspx Edexcel: Advanced Extension Award (AEA) Extended!]</ref><ref>[http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4115.aspx QCA | Advanced Extension Awards] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314062108/http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_4115.aspx |date=March 14, 2009 }}</ref> In June 2011 Edexcel announced that the AEA was being extended further for mathematics, until June 2015, which was later extended until 2018.<ref>[http://www.edexcel.com/quals/gce/aea/9801/pages/viewNotice.aspx?notice=2445 Edexcel: Mathematics Advanced Extension Award (AEA) extended further until 2015]</ref> 

In 2018, Edexcel introduced a new specification, meaning the Advanced Extension Award in mathematics would continue to be available to students in 2019 and beyond, as a qualification aimed at the top 10% of students at A level.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Mathematics {{!}} Advanced Extension Award|url=https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/edexcel-a-levels/advanced-extension-award-mathematics-2018.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-21|website=Pearson qualifications}}</ref> All other subjects remain withdrawn, though opportunity exists for examination boards to offer AEAs in other subjects should they choose to in the future, subject to certain expectations.<ref>{{cite web|date=June 2018|title=Decisions on regulating Advanced Extension Awards|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/716791/AEA_Decisions_document_-_FINAL__1_.pdf|access-date=15 February 2022|publisher=Ofqual}}</ref> 

== Effect of 2020 pandemic ==
In response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 pandemic]], in summer 2020 AEA (mathematics) grades were awarded according to [[2020 UK GCSE and A-Level grading controversy|assessments made by teachers]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Changes to awarding of GCSE, AS and A level: guide for teachers, student, parents & carers: summer 2020|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-awarding-of-gcse-as-and-a-level-guide-for-teachers-student-parents-carers-summer-2020|access-date=2020-08-21|website=GOV.UK|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Sixth Term Examination Paper]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.direct.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/QualificationsExplainedArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10039019&chk=y/EGuQ Directgov: Advanced Extension Awards]
*{{official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20071224052332/http://www.qca.org.uk:80/qca_4682.aspx}}, archived December 2007

{{National Qualifications Framework}}

[[Category:Mathematics education in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:School qualifications]]
[[Category:Standardised tests in England]]
[[Category:2002 introductions]]
[[Category:Standardised tests in Wales]]
[[Category:Standardised tests in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in England]]