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The Rapid Demise of AS Psychology

Jim Riley

17th July 2017

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The latest exam entry statistics for summer 2017 exams indicate that AS Psychology is in rapid and possibly terminal decline.

AS Replacement Exam Papers for AQA & Edexcel Psychology

No surprise of course that AS entries fell compared with last year, but the scale of the fall is significant.

AS entries in nearly all the reformed A Levels fell sharply in summer 2017 compared with the first sitting in May 2016 as a result of:

  • Schools opting for a genuinely linear approach
  • The need to significantly cut costs (AS entries are a big drain on school funds)
  • Centres encouraging students to take three, not four subjects from the start of Year 12

As the chart below indicates, AS Psychology entries in summer 2017 fell by 46,750 candidates, a drop of 57.3%.

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Jim Riley

Jim co-founded tutor2u alongside his twin brother Geoff! Jim is a well-known Business writer and presenter as well as being one of the UK's leading educational technology entrepreneurs.