Academic Rigour
Academic Rigour underpins our approach to A Level study.
At The Marist, highly qualified teachers with a genuine passion for their subjects work with you to ensure that you are guided and supported to excel academically. Small class sizes and a strong relationship between teacher and student allow you to benefit from individual attention and personalised support. In contrast to Years 7-11, VI Form lessons have more of a university-like tutorial feel that enable you to achieve academic success whilst preparing you for the demands of Higher Education and beyond.
We offer a wide range of subjects at A Level and aim to make all combinations possible. We strive to give all students the opportunity to study their first choice of subjects. Most of our VI Form take three A Levels, however it may be possible to take four A Levels.
The Marist VI Form’s academic programme goes well beyond the traditional three A Levels. Our students leave school and enter the world with an impressive portfolio of cutting-edge qualifications, and a focus on innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Our ambitious, curriculum allows students to control their own learning, selecting subjects that inspire and enable them to ‘arrive ahead.’
Students studying three A Levels also take a ‘4th Qualification’ in Year 12.
These have been carefully selected to enable students to stand out from the crowd when applying for university and develop all-important employability skills. Current ‘4th Qualifications’ include:
- AS Computer Studies
- AS Sociology
- AS Further Maths
- The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)
The Extended Project Qualification is a Level 3 qualification that’s worth half the UCAS points of an A Level, taken in addition to A Level choices. This popular qualification helps bridge the gap with school and university-style learning. The students themselves get to choose their direction of learning, as they work independently to select and analyse sources to answer a question that they have identified themselves. Examples of recent EPQ questions are ‘Should people pay a token charge to see a GP?’, and ‘Does racial profiling cause police brutality.’
The EPQ develops soft skills and culminates with a formal Presentation Evening, where students share their findings with a large audience of invited parents, teachers and friends.
There is no doubt these tasks stretch students and help them develop invaluable skills for life after school. We do not leave the students completely to their own devices though! Twice weekly skills lessons help prepare them for the demands of the EPQ and regular individual one-to-ones with EPQ teaching staff helps guide students smoothly through the whole process.
For more information about our VI Form subjects please click below.
A Level Results 2022
Our examination results show a proven track record of distinction; we are consistently in the top 1% of schools nationally.
68% A* – A
84% A* – B
MOOCs
Another component of our ambitious academic curriculum is timetabled Massive Online Open Courses or MOOCs. These courses, offered by a range of universities worldwide, challenge our pupils well beyond the A Level curriculum. VI Formers have the chance to feed their intellectual curiosity with subject matter at the forefront of contemporary academic research. Many of our students use MOOCs to delve deeper into subjects they wish to study at university, or to experience aspects of 21st century careers.
