A2 outline
At A2, the specification asks candidates to further develop themes and concepts studied at AS. Candidates will be expected to make informed judgements and reach justified conclusions. Students will demonstrate understanding of how values can influence judgements.
The A2 specification has 2 units:
Unit 3: Culture and SocietyTopic listthe role and responsibilty of artists the dilemmas and complexity of a multi-faith and pluralist society the power of language and images to transmit, persuade or distort; 'spin' and propaganda processes, problems and responsibilities of a democracy social interaction at personal, local, national and international levels.
AssessmentWritten Paper: 2 hours
Weighting: 25% of total A Level marks
Section A: One compulsory source evaluation exercise.
Section B: One from four optional essays on culture.
Section C: One from four optional essays on society.
Unit 4: Science and Society
Topic list: the concept of life and matter the approach of different social sciences to our understanding of people and problems solving world problems; co-operation and intervention the nature of hypothesis and theory in scientific development commenting on data and representations of data; interpreting results and assessing implications the contribution of science and technology to lifestyles in different societies .
Assessment Written Paper: 2 hours
Weighting: 25% of total A Level marks
Section A: Short answer questions assessing pre-release Case Study and unseen extracts contained in the examination paper.
Section B: One from four optional science and society essays.
