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School groups > Benefit to A levels & UCAS
Benefit to A levels & UCAS
Entry to University has become increasingly more competitive and
most Universities require evidence of commitment to their chosen
subject and the development of key personal skills.
Apart from the obvious benefit of going on an expedition, such as
contributing to conservation, excitement, and the challenge and a sense
of adventure, the experience can also benefit your chances of
gaining entry to University or applying for a job after school.
There are a number of significant academic opportunities available
to you when you go on an expedition:
Your Science A levels have recently undergone
significant ‘make-overs’ and OpWall have made a conscious effort to
try and match your expedition experiences with your A level subject
matter e.g. the lectures you listen to (as far as possible) are
directly relevant or linked to your A level studies. If you email
cope@opwall.com with details of
your A level exams and exam board we can send you details of which
areas of the syllabus will be covered in your field lectures.
Academic opportunities on offer
In the last few years there has been an increasing emphasis on
acquiring personal learning skills and there are now schemes (such
as CoPE) that allow you to gain an AS level in these skills.
There are also other schemes such as the EPQ (Extended Projects
Qualification), which allow a student to gain credit for researching
a topic in depth of their own choice: again worth an AS level.
We have described over 100 ‘research topics’
for you to browse through which you might experience ‘first-hand’
on your expedition and one of these could be the basis of
an extended project or CoPE research topic.
Many exam boards also require an extended project or visit as part
of their A level assessment process. An OpWall expedition can
provide an ideal opportunity for a number of these schemes and these
are summarized in the table below.
Academic
opportunities at a glance
|
Academic Opportunity |
Awarding body |
Description |
|
CoPE – Certificate of Personal Effectiveness |
ASDAN |
An award that tests 6 skills based around a number of
challenges that you will meet whilst preparing for and going
on an expedition. It is demanding and requires 150 hours
study and the production of a portfolio which is moderated
by OpWall. It costs £60 (non-refundable) and is worth 70
UCAS points (an A grade at AS level). A student either
passes or fails and there are no in-between grades. The
scheme is recognized by UCAS and some Universities actively
encourage the adoption of CoPE. CoPE may be unsuitable if
the University you apply to offers grades as opposed to
points. It is an important motivator for you going on an
expedition. It requires significant support from your tutor
and OpWall.
More information |
|
UA – Universities Award |
ASDAN |
This uses similar criteria to CoPE but the award is given
automatically to any student who completes an expedition.
OpWall have an ‘customized agreement’ with ASDAN that
ensures that each student has followed a set of challenges.
You will fill in a simple logbook to verify you have
completed each stage. The award is well recognized by UCAS
and allows a you to demonstrate a range of personal skills.
It costs £15. OpWall have to renew their agreement annually
and demonstrate that they cover all of the desired
criteria.
More information |
|
EPQ – The Extended Project Qualification |
AQA and WJEC
(WJEC is similar to AQA although slightly different in
hours etc) |
An
increasing number of schools are taking part in this
‘stand-alone’ qualification. The EPQ is a single piece of
work that requires research skills and presentation. The
EPQ is supervised and tutored by your school and the role of
OpWall is to help you observe your research topic when you
go on your expedition. OpWall can provide a relevant list
of research areas for each expedition site. It is worth
between 20 and 70 UCAS points depending on the quality of
your final dissertation. The qualification has a similar
commitment to CoPE although the school will also provide
some hours of support teaching. The report is either 5,000
or 1,000 plus a presentation. (150 hours) |
|
AQA-BACC The Extended Project |
AQA |
This qualification contains the extended project with the
same criteria as the EPQ. The EPQ evolved from this
component of the AQA Baccalaureate Diploma. The
qualification is for students studying 3 A levels and is a
complete curriculum programme, adding value through broader
study and includes the EPQ and further enrichment
activities. As with the EPQ, OpWall can provide research
areas for the EPQ component. |
|
IB – extended essay |
IB |
The extended essay is part of the IB Diploma. It is a 4,000
word essay with the emphasis on the research process. As
with the EPQ, there are some excellent opportunities topics
available to choose from for students going on an
expedition. |
|
EdExcel – Bio. A level 9.4 – 9.6 Visit report |
EdExcel |
One optional component of the AS practical assessment is a
visit to a research institution. Students are expected to
write a full report of their visit. This will contribute
towards your A level qualification. An OpWall research site
would be well suited to this option. There is a problem of
timing as the report should be completed by the end of their
AS year. This timing may be more flexible and will depend
on your school. |
|
BTEC – Report based activities |
EdExcel |
In some BTEC courses (core and specialist sections) there
are a number of topics that fit in well with an expedition
experience and take the form of a report based activity e.g.
an investigative project involving ecological sampling. An
expedition experience could be very useful to many of the
topics found in an Environmental Conservation or Countryside
Management course. |
|
Cambridge Pre-U Residential Field course |
Cambridge |
Although very new, this award is becoming increasingly
popular. Within the Pre-U Certification a student could opt
for a 3-4 residential course based on conservation ecology
(in this case, animal adaptation): this option would be
possible to carry-out on an OpWall expedition. |
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