Archaeology is available as a subject at GCSE, AS and A level. Some schools teach archaeology where they have the staff expertise, but it is available mostly through colleges of further education. The A level can also be studied by distance learning (contact CBA for details). The qualifications are administered by the AQA examinations board, which incorporates the former Northern Examinations and Assessment Board (NEAB). The Cambridge University examinations board, now part of OCR, offers an AS/A level in Classical Civilisations, which contains some archaeology options.
Archaeology does not exist as a separate subject in the Scottish Certificate of Education, either at standard or higher grade. Highers are currently in the process of being replaced by the new National Qualification, with various levels from access through intermediate and higher to advanced higher. The new higher level award in Land and Environment consists of a core of 12 credits with a further 8 credits to be taken from optional units, one of which is Field Archaeology (worth 1 credit). The unit is also available at intermediate level. The new advanced higher qualification in history, which replaces the Certificate of Sixth Year Studies, retains the option of studying Roman and early medieval history.
GCSE history specifications based on the Schools History Project include two coursework assignments, totalling 2,500 to 3,000 words. One of these is entitled history around us, accounting for 15% of the total GCSE marks. One of the purposes of this unit is to help students become aware that the visible remains of the past are as important as documentary sources. Candidates must study a site in the context of one of nine topics: prehistoric Britain, Roman Britain, castles and fortified houses, country houses, churches, rural landscape, town development and domestic architecture since 1700, industrial archaeology, and aspects of a locality's historical development.
The Advanced GNVQ in leisure and tourism awarded by EDEXCEL has additional units which centres can opt to teach. One of these is heritage tourism. This consists of three elements: investigating the scope and structure of heritage tourism, examining the operation of heritage tourism venues, and assessing the operation of a heritage tourism venue. The interpretation and presentation of archaeology to the public can be a key part of this unit, which covers the preservation of, and access to, buildings, environments and sites, and the preservation and display of artefacts. Advanced GNVQs are to be replaced in the near future by vocational A levels.
This currently consists of two exam papers and two assignments. The specification is being revised and a new syllabus will be issued shortly.
40% of the total marks
There are five questions (two compulsory): practical OS map work, an aerial photograph question, a choice of questions using drawings, excavation reports, photographs, artefacts etc. Based on material from any period, covering understanding principles of detection, excavation (including fieldwork, excavation, recording, publication) and dating.
40% of the total marks
Archaeology of the British Isles in four sections. Three questions must be answered.
early prehistory - palaeolithic & mesolithic - environment,
diet, tool making, occupation sites
late prehistory - neolithic to Iron Age - agriculture, ritual
& burial, stone tools, metals, pottery, fortifications,
linear monuments, land use, domestic activity, settlements,
trade, art
military sites, roads, civilian sites, religion, burial, industry, inscriptions, coins, arms & armour, mosaics, pottery, tools
migration - continuity, settlements, burials, linear monuments,
religion, art, transport, arms & armour
medieval - domestic tools, rural settlement, towns,
ecclesiastical sites, defensive sites, arms & armour, trade,
pottery, water power, agriculture
rural landscape, industry, transport, towns, domestic building, military structures, graveyards
20% of the total marks
4,000 words made up of two assignments chosen from groups A and B.
description or interpretation of urban or rural landscape
description or interpretation of a current excavation
description or interpretation of a feature or monument
practical experimental work
identification and interpretation of artefacts
identification and interpretation of environmental material
This is a two stage modular qualification. There will be six units, the first three of which can be taken as a separate qualification, the AS level. The final three units form the A2 stage of the qualification and will be combined with the AS level to form a full A level. The A2 stage cannot be taken as a separate qualification but only as part of the full A level.
35% of the total marks (17½% of the A level) A 1¼ hour exam paper on archaeological sources and methods: survey and excavation. There will be two five-part questions covering:
35% of the total marks (17½% of the A level)
A 1¼ hour exam paper on archaeological sources and methods: post-excavation,
dating and interpretation. There will be two five-part
questions covering:
30% of the total marks (15% of the A level)
A 1 hour exam paper covering the archaeological theme religion
and ritual. There will be two questions taken from one out of
four sections:
Topics to be covered include belief, mortuary practices and related structures, funerary monuments, structure of ritual performance, specialist religious/ritual organisation, ritual locations and structures and landscape, art and symbolism.
A 1½ hour exam paper covering the archaeological theme settlement and social organisation. It will consist of one two-part stimulus response question and one 45 minute essay from choice of three. Topics to be covered include:
15% of the total marks
A 1½ hour exam paper covering the archaeological theme material
culture, technology and economics. It will consist of one
two-part stimulus response question and one 45 minute essay from
choice of three. Topics to be covered include:
20% of the total marks
A 3,500 to 4,000 word study with the focus on a local
environment, and archaeological methodology. This should be based
on fieldwork or personal research on the remains of any period of
the past, `in situ' or in museums. Primary and secondary sources
should both be used. There must be some element of reflection on
archaeological methodology, evidence of interpretation and the
study must be well presented. The study title should be in the
form of a question to direct investigation of an archaeological
question, issue or problem. Group projects will not be
acceptable.
The unit deals with the structure of heritage tourism; ownership, objectives and funding of heritage venues; trends in heritage tourism; the operation of heritage tourism venues. It is taught through three elements:
heritage venues (eg historic houses and museums), historic buildings, historic towns, historic sites, countryside, artefacts, organisations (including central government, English Heritage, local government, National Trust)
sources of funding, preservation of buildings, environments and sites, provision of access, preservation and display of artefacts, provision of education and information, impact of technology, entertainment at venues
historical significance of the venue and/or its artefacts, explain its current appeal, ownership and objectives, operation, interpretation for visitors
The unit, which is worth one credit, is designed to enable students to describe Scotland's archaeological heritage, and the methods used for its location, identification and protection. Unit content is taught through four intended outcomes.
settlements, ritual and burial sites; sites in varying states of preservation; sites on unimproved, improved and cultivated land; neolithic to post-medieval; changing site use over time; evidence used to interpret sites
early and current ordnance survey maps, archaeological maps and aerial photographs, ground survey, dating techniques (eg radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology), analysis of pollen, bones, shells and soils, experimental work, eg reconstructions
relative importance of different bodies (number of staff, duties and responsibilities), protection of known and suspected sites, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 and other legislation, scheduled sites
methods used by bodies such as Historic Scotland, the Council for Scottish Archaeology, local authorities, local trusts, the Forestry Commission, local landowners; use of interpretation boards, leaflets, guide books, illustrations, reconstructions, audio-visual presentations, visitor centres; suggest improvements in the presentation of local sites
The unit, which is worth one credit, is designed to give students an understanding of aspects of human activity in the past, and of how archaeology is integrated within the framework of current land use. Unit content is allocated to four intended outcomes.
scheduled and unscheduled sites, the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979, planning and development, conservation areas, forestry and agriculture, the Natural Heritage Act 1991
prehistoric to post-medieval sites - domestic life, worship, burial, defence, agriculture, manufacture; artefactual evidence; museums; Butser experimental site
changing interactions with other land uses over time, the need for positive management and striking a balance between land uses, links with wildlife and landscape conservation, visitor access for leisure and tourism
a site representative of the local area - location, size, type and chronology; comparison with other sites; function of the site; contribution to archaeological knowledge; artefacts from the site; the role survey and dating techniques in interpretation
Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA)
Northern Examinations and Assessment Board
Devas Street
Manchester
M15 6EX
tel 0161 953 1180
fax 0161 273 7572
email history@neab.ac.uk
website http://www.aqa.org.uk
EDEXCEL
Stewart House
32 Russell Square
London
WC1B 5DN
tel 020 7393 4500
fax 020 7393 4501
email enquiries@edexcel.org.uk
website http://www.edexcel.org.uk
Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations (OCR)
1 Regent Street
Cambridge
CB2 1GG
tel 01223 552552
fax 01223 552553
email helpdesk@ocr.org.uk
website http://www.ocr.org.uk
Scottish Qualifications Authority
Hanover House
24 Douglas Street
Glasgow
G2 7NQ
tel 0141 248 7900
fax 0141 242 2244
email helpdesk@sqa.org.uk
website http://www.sqa.org.uk
Some centres only offer GCSE or AS/A level, details vary from year to year. The list of centres also changes, and information, along with addresses and telephone numbers, is available from the CBA Education Officer, tel 01904 671417.
Local Authority Schools and Centres
Adams School, Wem, Shropshire
Beauchamp College, Leicester
Bilston Community College, Rugby
Blue School, Wells
Bridgemary Community School, Gosport
Brockhill Park School, Hythe
Brune Park Community School, Gosport
Carlisle Adult Education Centre
Challney Community College, Luton
Childwall School, Liverpool
Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School
Churchfields School, Swindon
Cleeve School, Cheltenham
Colchester Adult Community College
Collenswood School, Stevenage
Corfe Hills Adult Education Centre, Poole
Dover Grammar School for Girls
Edensor High School, Stoke on Trent
Emmbrook School, Wokingham
Ernest Bevin School, Wandsworth
Farnham Adult Education Centre
Firth Park School, Sheffield
Frome Community College
Glossop Adult Education Centre
Hailsham Community College
Hessle & Wolfreton Adult Education Centre
Highsted School, Sittingbourne
Ivybridge Community College, Devon
Kineton High School, Warwick
King Edward VII School, Kings's Lynn
King Edward VII School, Sheffield
King's Norton High School, Birmingham
Lancaster Adult College
Lewisham Community Education
Louth Adult Education Centre
Meridian School, Royston, Hertfordshire
Mid Essex Community College, Brentwood
Millom School, Cumbria
Minehead Community Education Centre
Newquay Adult Education Centre
Newtown High School, Powys
Ossett School, Wakefield
Outwood Grange School, Wakefield
Peterborough College of Adult Education
Prince William Upper School, Oundle
Purbeck Adult Education Centre
Redbourne Community College, Bedford
Regent House School, Newtownards, N. Ireland
Rochester Adult Education Centre
St Albans Girls School
St bede's Grammar School, Bradford
St Clare's Adult Education Centre, Seaton, Devon
St Philip Howard School, Bognor Regis
Soar Valley Community College, Leicestershire
Southend Adult Community College
Southlands High School, Chorley
Sowerby Bridge Adult Education Centre, Halifax
Sprowston High School, Norwich
Stanley Technical High School, Croydon
Theale Green School, Newbury
Trinity & St Aldans Education Centre, Carlisle
Ullswater Community College
Urmston Grammar School, Trafford
West Somerset Community College
Grant Maintained Schools
Bishopshalt School, Hillingdon
Collingwood College, Camberley, Surrey
Heckmondwicke Grammar School, West Yorkshire
Petersfield School
Royal Grammar School, Clitheroe
William Edward's School, Grays, Essex
Independent Schools
Ardingly College, Hayward's Heath
Birkdale School, Sheffield
Christ's College, Brecon
Christ's Hospital, Horsham
Edinburgh Academy
Ellesmere College, Shropshire
Eton College
Leeds Grammar School
Sacred Heart Covent, Swaffham, Norfolk
St Edward's School, Oxford
St George's School for Girls, Edinburgh
St Mary's College, Southampton
Further Education Colleges
Abingdon College
Amersham & Wycombe College
Barnsley College
Basingstoke College of Technology
Blackpool and Fylde College
Boston College
Bracknell & Wokingham College, Berkshire
Bridgwater College
Brighton College of Technology
Calderdale College, Halifax
Canterbury College
Chippenham College
Cirencester College
Cornwall College, Redruth
Craven College, Skipton
Croydon College, Heath Clark Centre
Darlington College of Technology
Dearne Valley College
Dewsbury College
Dudley Technical College
Eastleigh College
Exeter College
Fareham College
Farnborough College of Technology
Farnham Sixth Form College
Filton College, Bristol
Franklin Sixth Form College, Grimsby
Gateshead College
Godalming Sixth Form College
Gorseinon College, Swansea
Grantham College
Guernsey College
Guildford College
Halesowen College
Hartlepool College
Havant Sixth Form College
Hereford Sixth Form College
Huddersfield Technical College
Manchester College of Arts & Technology
New College, Telford
Newark & Sherwood College
Newcastle College
North Devon College, Barnstaple
North East Surrey College of Technology, Epsom
North Tyneside College, Wallsend
Norwich City College
Oldham Sixth Form College
Pembrokeshire College, Haverfordwest
Peterborough Regional College
Pontypridd College
Priestley Sixth Form College, Warrington
Reading College of Arts and Technology
Richard Collyer Sixth Form College, Horsham
Richard Huish Sixth Form College, Taunton
Richmond upon Thames College
Rother Valley College
Rowley Regis Sixth Form College, Warley
Royal Forest of Dean College, Coleford
Runshaw College, Leyland
St Austell College
St Vincent Sixth Form College, Gosport
Salisbury College
Selby College
Sheffield College
Shrewsbury College of Arts and Technology
Sir George Monoux Sixth Form College, London
Somerset College of Arts & Technology, Taunton
South Birmingham College
South East Essex College, Benfleet
South Kent College, Folkestone
Stoke on Trent College
Strode College, Street, Somerset
City of Sunderland College
Sutton College of Liberal Arts
Swindon College
Swindon New College
Trowbridge College, Wiltshire
Truro College
Tynemouth Sixth Form College
West Cheshire College, Chester
West Kent College, Tonbridge
Weymouth College
Wigan & Leigh College
Wilberforce Sixth Form College, Hull
Wulfrun College, Wolverhampton
Yeovil College
Yale Sixth Form College, Wrexham
York Sixth Form College
Ystrad Mynych College, Hengoed, Glamorgan
City Technology Colleges
John Cabot College, Bristol
Distance learning courses
Ron Wilcox, freelance tutor, Bath
Factsheet content last revised September 2002
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Today's date: 5/7/2008
This page last updated:
3/2/2003 17:27
