AS/A2 Level 2012 Entry
General Studies
1987-2012
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We encourage all students to take General Studies as it is a very useful 25 Years part of your overall education
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The questions asked are great practice for graduate recruitment tests
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You will study a wide range of material divided into three areas – Social, Cultural and Scientific
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Carmel has excellent pass rates and is among the top performing Sixth Forms in this subject!
of inspiring individuals
1987-2012 25 Years of inspiring individuals
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Daniel’s Perspective I enjoy studying at Carmel as the teachers are very helpful; they promote independence and treat us like adults. In General Studies, learning about current events and what’s going on in the world is really interesting. The highlight of my time at Carmel was the German Exchange as it was such a fantastic opportunity. After leaving Carmel College I hope to study German and Spanish at Manchester University. I would encourage anyone to study at Carmel as it has a really great atmosphere, and it’s a great place to study.
AS/A2 General Studies Exam Board OCR What will I study?
How will I be assessed?
As its name suggests, the material is wide ranging but is broadly divided into 3 areas – Social, Cultural and Scientific. The AS Level consists of two papers: Paper 1 Cultural and Social Domains and Paper 2 the Scientific Domain. There are a series of short questions with some short reading material combined with short essays. You might be asked, for example, what it means to be British, or what qualities are required to be a successful Politician? Or again, what is required to lead a healthy lifestyle? Some basic Maths is required in the Scientific Domain.
General Studies is delivered in tutor group time with sessions just before the exams themselves. Students sit the General Studies exam in the second year of study, taking AS Level in January and completing A2 in June. Most of the skills and knowledge required for General Studies are transferred from your other subjects (GCSE and AS/A2) as well as Open Forum, Critical Thinking, etc. You should be following world news through the media as this will help you to widen your knowledge.
The A2 Level delves more into moral dilemmas. Again there are two papers with some short questions and essays. These papers usually ask you to link the Domains. Questions might include the onus on scientists to be responsible in their work, the problems of our transport system or how sustainable is Britain?
How will studying General Studies help me in the future? Participation and pass rates are high at Carmel, indeed we are among the top performing Sixth Forms in the subject! Some 90% of the student body sits the exam with a pass rate (A*-E) in the mid 90s. Many students and graduates applying for jobs have to do tests similar to those found in the General Studies papers – particularly on current affairs, logic, and issues of morality.
Daniel Rice Sts Peter and Paul Catholic College Studying: German, Spanish, Maths, Law, General Studies, Critical Thinking
What resources will I have? As well as the regularly updated section in the college Library, all teaching resources are available to students via the intranet and sharepoint computer systems. These include all past papers with model answers along with Powerpoint presentations detailing the layout of the exams. A range of text books is also available.
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