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[The Local Dialect]

Has anyone here ever taught a-levels?

Obviously I have a general notion of what A-levels are, but, being an American, the whole system is quite foreign to me. I currently teach AP courses. Anyone familiar with both systems able to give me a bit of a comparison between A-levels and AP?

[AMonk]

A Levels are 2-year courses, sat when a student is about 18, before they enter college/university.

You can get past papers (for the Cambridge-Singapore syllabus) by checking out
http://www.seab.gov.sg/aLevel/aLevel.html

[The Local Dialect]

A Levels are 2-year courses, sat when a student is about 18, before they enter college/university.

You can get past papers (for the Cambridge-Singapore syllabus) by checking out
http://www.seab.gov.sg/aLevel/aLevel.html

Thanks for that AMonk. I actually didn't realize that A-levels are two year courses. Interesting.

Without saying too much, I am thinking about going to a school that has an A-levels program. Most of the students, however, apparently DO want to go to the USA. Speaking with them, I've been trying to convince them to switch over to an AP program, since it seems to me that A-levels are not very widely understood or taught in America, but they are resistant for some reason.

I am a little bit hesitant myself because I am not really familiar with A-levels. Since, as I understand, they are the equivalent of college coursework, I do not imagine the standards would be so very different from AP, but I could be wrong.

[MK]

Have not taken nor taught them, so can't help much. 

However, I know they also have 'AS-Levels' which are a one year course which can lead to the 'full' A-Level. 

Students generally take 3 subjects, occasionally 4.  The A-Level is pretty demanding and considered a significant bridge into uni coursework - Degree courses in England are very short - only 3 years for an undergrad degree, so students hit the ground running. 

Most of the Chinese students doing A-Levels I have met seem to be doing a science (usually physics or chemistry), Maths, and Further Maths (not stereotyping themselves at all there!). 

Other subjects, expect perhaps Economics, seem way less popular.