On the whole, decoupling the AS from the A Level has not yet affected students’ AS and A Level subject choices, according to recent research from Ofqual.

However, some schools try to influence subject choice more than prior to reform, discouraging students from studying subjects seen as being harder, or subjects which students have not studied before.

The research, carried out to inform Ofqual’s thinking around the maintenance of standards over time, also found:

• Some students were less motivated to do well in AS than previous cohorts because the results no longer count towards the A Level
• Where schools were entering some students but not whole cohorts for the reformed AS, these tended to be lower ability students who were not carrying the subject on to A Level
• Following reform, some schools were encouraging lower ability students to study AS/A Level alternatives
• Schools who had decided to start students on 3 subjects in year 12 instead of 4 had increased the amount of teaching time and/or enrichment.