Archaeology GCE A Level

Archaeology GCE A Level

Qualification: AS/A2 - 2 year course

Course type: Level 3 (advanced)

Entry requirements:
4 x GCSE B Grades or above. It would be helpful if you had a C grade in Sciences.

Head of Department: Mr Martin Charlesworth

Course assessment:
At AS level, you will be assessed by two exams ARCH 1 (Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt) lasts 1 hour 15 minutes. ARCH 2 (Archaeological Skills and Methods) lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is a source-based paper, and covers survey, excavation, dating and post-excavation analysis and interpretation.

At A2 level, you will be assessed by one 2 hour written exam, and by a personal study/project. For the exam, you will be required to write 3 essays from a total of 13 questions. The Personal Study is 4000 words long. It can be on any archaeologically-based subject of your choice, past subjects including Iron Age hillforts in the Wirral, prehistoric burials on Anglezarke Moors, St. Cuthbert's church in Churchtown, and museum collections.

What can this course offer me?
We have excellent results for this subject. The average pass-rate for AS is 92%; for A2 it is 100%. It is taught by an archaeologist with 40 years' experience, much of it in the Middle East, providing the course with a very varied background. In the second year, there is an opportunity to conduct your own field project.

What will I learn?
How do archaeologists discover, excavate and analyse ancient sites and societies? This course in effect takes you behind the scenes at Time Team. It is a very visual subject, with varied lessons, combining more traditional teaching with group work, videos, handling materials, and computer-based studies. There may be an opportunity for fieldwork at the end of the AS year.

Enrichment activities include museum trips (including the British Museum), the local Sites and Monuments offices, and a chance to visit local excavations if any are in progress during the year. The department ran a very successful visit to Egypt in March 2008, and may run another one in 2010.

What Makes a good Archaeology student?
Archaeology is taught from scratch, assuming no prior knowledge. If you watch Time Team or other archaeology-based programmes, and find them interesting, then this course will suit you. An ability to think widely is an advantage.

Which other courses link well with this subject?
Virtually any subject will fit with Archaeology. For example, Classics, History and Art have an overall appeal; Geography Geology and Science subjects (including Maths) fit in well with Arch2; Philosophy and Religious Studies with ARCH1.

Future Opportunities
At university: archaeology (both in the UK and overseas) and related subjects (e.g., archaeological sciences and forensics), environmental studies, art and architecture. Other career paths include the National Trust and English Heritage; local government (e.g., environmental and archaeological services, town planning); Museum careers (national and local); and Tourism. However, the data-collection and analytical skills you learn are transferable to any employment area.

Is there anything else I need to know?
If you are interested in Archaeology, it can make a very good fourth AS subject because of its links with so many other courses.