AS Travel and Tourism

Travel and Tourism
This course offers you an opportunity to follow a two year vocational programme in Travel and Tourism. Being a vocational course, there is a focus on gaining practical skills, such as report writing, customer service and presentation skills that will be beneficial in the work place. The course is offered as a Single Award (1 AS/A Level qualification) programme of study. In year 1 you will follow the AS programme and in year 2 the A2 programme is followed. The combination of the AS and the A2 leads to a full A Level in Travel and Tourism.

The syllabus followed is that offered by OCR examination board.

What Will I Learn on this Course?

This course will include a variety of approaches such as: assignment planning and preparation; presentations; groupwork, external testing and the development of research skills.
You will have the opportunity of visiting travel & tourism facilities to assist with completing coursework. Trips are self funding and form a valuable enrichment aspect to the course.

Each unit of study will have clear outlines of the required learning that you must cover in order to produce assessment evidence. A proportion of the class time will be given to discussion, personal research, coursework completion and provision of feedback.

Courses Content and Method of Assessment

The AS and the A2 programmes are taken as a Single Award (1 AS/A2 qualification). In the 1st year, all students will work towards a Single Award AS (3 compulsory units of study). Upon successful completion of the 1st year students can progress to the A2 Award programme, which follows a similar structure to that of the AS programme.

Assessment is by portfolio and examination. For each 3 unit AS/A2 qualification, 2 coursework/portfolios and 1 examination will be completed. Grades are awarded from A-E. The qualifications carry the same UCAS points as traditional Advanced Level qualifications.

It should be noted that due to the portfolio nature of the course, students are required to work independently on their coursework. A focused attitude is essential for this course, together with commitment, dedication and the ability to plan ones time effectively. Research skills, report writing and public speaking skills will be developed during the course of the programme. Students will have an opportunity to take part in a work placement. Some of the subject areas studied are: Introducing Travel & Tourism; Travel Destinations; Customer Service, The Guided Tour, Tourism Development & Event Management. Second year students will have an opportunity to study for the Level 2 Certificate in Airline Cain Crew.

After the Course

This Vocational GCE allows progression to Higher Education or employment. Higher Education opportunities include a degree or diploma course in areas such as; Tourism Management; Tourism & Business; Tourism Studies; Hospitality Management and several related areas.

The vocational nature of the course provides a good basis for employment opportunities in travel & tourism facilities such as travel agencies, visitor attractions, tour operators and transport providers.

Subject Combinations

This Vocational GCE Award allows an effective combination with a range of Advanced Level subjects. It should be noted that the course is 60% coursework so careful consideration should be made to the coursework requirements of other subjects that you are considering taking. Especially good combinations include Business Studies or a Foreign Language. Past students have combined the course with Geography, Photography, Dance and Art.

Entry Requirements

To obtain a place on the course you will need to have a minimum of five GCSEs at Grade C or above. These should include English Language and Mathematics.