New way to escape the straitjacket of A-Levels

For students ambitious to enter top universities, the qualification could be the vital differentiating factor.

The AQA Baccalaureate (AQA Bacc, for short) promotes initiative and commitment on the part of students.

While A-Levels continue to allow in-depth specialisation, the AQA Bacc encourages students to look beyond the confines of their chosen subjects - and to broaden their knowledge.

The qualification requires a considerable degree of commitment, alongside a capacity for self-directed work - both qualities, of course, being amongst those most prized by top-tier universities.

Unlike the International Baccalaureate (IB), the AQA Bacc complements rather than replacing standard A-Levels.

Those taking the qualification will study three or four standard A-Level subjects - and the results they receive in these will not only count as normal towards UCAS totals, but will also contribute towards their Baccalaureate grade.

By contrast, the IB requires that students take specific subjects, reducing students' power to specialise.

For d'Overbroeck's Principal, Sami Cohen, the AQA Bacc offers "all the advantages of the IB, but none of its drawbacks. We are able to offer our students the breadth and opportunity characteristic of the Baccalaureate, without compromising with regard to the choices open to them."

The AQA Bacc requires that students include in their programme of study an AS level in one of three subjects - Critical Thinking, General Studies or Citizenship.

Of these, d'Overbroeck's will concentrate on Critical Thinking, an intellectually challenging course, during which students learn to deconstruct arguments and carry out rigorous analysis.

Whether in the context of Oxbridge application interviews, university seminars and tutorials, or the workplace, these skills are valuable - and the study of Critical Thinking alone is likely to be of enormous benefit.

As Oxford University states on its website: "admissions tutors are not so much interested in the level of your knowledge as in your ability to think analytically".

The AQA Bacc, however, goes beyond classroom learning and purely intellectual challenge. A major part of the qualification is the Extended Project, in which students devote sustained effort in an area of their choice. The array of possibilities, therefore, is vast - but whatever the topic, the Extended Project offers the chance to show a capacity for self-management, commitment and long-term focus on a task.

Again, these are qualities likely to catch the attention of any university admissions tutor: Cambridge University looks specifically for evidence of "motivation, commitment and organisation" in its applicants.

The final requirement of the AQA Bacc is that students participate consistently in an out-of-classroom activity. They may join a local sports team, volunteer, or work towards a Duke of Edinburgh award, for example. Again, this is a means by which students may prove their ability to make long-term commitments.

Central, though, is the idea of developing skills beyond those normally associated with academic study - through participation in larger-scale initiatives or ventures.

By involving themselves in such projects, students stand to broaden their experience, developing the ability to work and communicate effectively with others. In making the transition from school to university or working life, such skills are likely to be valuable.

Farnborough Sixth Form College worked closely with AQA during the development of the qualification, in advance of its wider piloting. From an initial pool of 68 in 2007, this year's scheme has expanded to 138 students.

Farnborough College principal, Dr John Guy, believes that "an advanced level education is about more than three or four A-Level grades"; and the college - which already offered students the opportunity to carry out extended project work - recognised the potential of the AQA Bacc to encourage and reward efforts and achievements beyond the standard curriculum.

Farnborough's experience has been fruitful: "The AQA Bacc has been fantastic developmentally. It's provided stretch and challenge for students, as well as finding a way of rewarding extra-curricular activity".

Following Farnborough's piloting of the qualification, a small number of other schools are now offering the AQA Bacc - often as a means by which talented students may differentiate themselves from an increasingly large plateau of candidates attaining the highest A-Level grades. d'Overbroeck's College is pioneering the qualification here in Oxfordshire, and Sami Cohen is eager to offer his brightest students the chance to benefit.

The college has a well-established Oxbridge Programme, and typically sends around ten per cent of its Upper Sixth to Oxford and Cambridge universities. The AQA Bacc, says Cohen, "is consistent with all our efforts to stretch our brightest students and prepare them for university entrance."

Furthermore, Cohen sees a synergy between the AQA Bacc and the unique character and appeal of d'Overbroeck's Sixth Form, with its individual-centred, collegiate atmosphere. The college seeks to prepare students for the transition to university, combining close staff-pupil interaction and small teaching groups with academic rigour. The AQA Bacc - with its emphasis on self-direction, initiative and individual responsibility - tallies well with such an educational ethos.

Mt Cohen said: "We have always considered individualism to be one of the college's greatest strengths - our focus on the potential of every student. It is for us to find the best means by which to translate that potential into results - without compromise.

"I think the AQA Bacc ties in with this perfectly. Potential isn't always easily timetabled, or contained within a syllabus - in fact, it may only be when students take the initiative and direct their own work that their full potential comes to the fore."