WHY GO MODULAR - A REVIEW OF MODULAR A-LEVEL MATHEMATICS

Modular A-level courses, indeed modular forms of assessment in many ar eas of education, have gained in popularity over the past few years. T his research looked at data collected as part of the ALIS (A-level Inf ormation System) project. In particular, the attitudes, future academi c intentions and attainment of students gaining a grade in A-level Mat hematics were compared, by gender, between those who followed a modula r course and those who were assessed at the end of two years of study. The two groups were found to have a similar average GCSE grade, but o verall, the final A-level grades of those assessed modularly were half a grade higher than their linearly assessed contemporaries. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed. The types of teaching sty le employed in modular and non-modular A-level courses were compared. Initial findings suggest that modularly assessed courses are relying e ven more on a didactic approach.