What is the AS and A Level in Thinking Skills?

AS and A Level Thinking Skills is designed as an academic one or two year course for students in schools and colleges who are taking other AS and A Level examinations. It has the same value as any other AS and A Level in terms of university entrance or acceptance by employees.

Candidates for both AS Level and A Level should study all the Problem Solving and Critical Thinking subject content.

The AS consists of two papers. Paper 1 consists of a variety of Problem Solving scenarios testing various skills. Some questions will be simple scenarios with just one question. Others will be multi-step questions exploring various aspects of a scenario or breaking a more complex problem down to smaller steps. Paper 2 consists of two sections, Section A focuses mostly on evaluating and using evidence and Section B focuses mostly on reasoning and argument.

For the A Level, candidates must also take two other papers. Paper 3 consists of structured questions exploring more detailed problems, where the skills tested are more advanced and more often combined. Paper 4 comprises questions on analysis and evaluation of an argument, evaluating statistical evidence and claims, and the construction of a reasoned argument using the documents provided.