New GCEs for 2008
GCE Critical Thinking (2770)
New Continuing Professional Development course available for booking now!
Our CPD courses help you to sharpen your skills, pick up excellent teaching tips and improve your career prospects.
For further details, dates and locations and to book your place, visit our on-line booking service.
Introduction
Introducing AQA's new course specification for Critical Thinking for AS and A Level.This new specification using real life source material has been designed to:
- develop skills and encourage attitudes which complement other studies across the curriculum
- prepare candidates for the academic and intellectual demands of higher education, as well as future employment and general living
- introduce concepts, terms and techniques that will enable candidates to reflect more constructively on their own and others' reasoning.
The following information and specification outline will enable both practising Teachers and Subject Heads to be better informed and supported in the teaching of this subject, particularly if attending one of AQA's Teacher Support meetings.
Classification Codes
Every specification is assigned a national classification code indicating the subject area to which it belongs. The classification code for this specification is 7830.
Centres should be aware that candidates who enter for more than one GCE AS/A level qualification with the same classification code will have only one grade (the highest) counted for the purpose of the School and College Performance Tables.
Centres may wish to advise candidates that, if they take two specifications with the same classification code, universities and employers are very likely to take the view that they have achieved only one of the two GCE AS/A levels. The same view may be taken if candidates take two GCE AS/A level specifications that have different classification codes but have significant overlap of content. Candidates who have any doubts about their subject combinations should check with the university to which they wish to progress or company they wish to join, before embarking on their programmes.
Assessment Objectives
The Assessment objectives are common to AS and A Level.
AO1 - Analyse critically the use of different kinds of reasoning in a wide range of contexts
AO2 - Evaluate critically the use of different kinds of reasoning in a wide range of contexts
AO3 - Develop and communicate relevant and coherent arguments clearly and accurately in a concise and logical manner.