<P> Edexcel and Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) also offer international versions of the British A Levels in the United Kingdom and worldwide . </P> <P> The British variant of A / AS levels are also taken in many Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries, as well as in examination centres worldwide . British international schools in foreign countries generally offer the British A Levels as offered through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations . At select examination centres, the British A Level exams may also be available to private candidates . </P> <P> Between 2015 and 2018 (first assessment Summer 2017), A Levels in England are being reformed, transitioning from a modular to linear structure (initially across 13 subjects). This means all A Level exams must be sat in one sitting as a set of terminal exams (3 exams for the majority of subjects), and there is less emphasis on coursework . An example of this can be seen in Edexcel's new English Literature A Level, reformed in 2015, which reduces the amount of coursework to 20% (from 40% in the old modular specification). Additionally, A Levels are no longer separated into units, and students must resit all of their exams if they wish to resit the qualification . While these reforms were expected to be complete in 2017, this has been extended to 2018 to include the reforms of less common languages such as Modern Hebrew, Bengali among others . </P> <P> The AS Level is now a separate qualification and is not required for an A Level award, although still encompasses the first year of the full A Level content . However, unlike AS Levels in the old modular courses, they are now worth only 40% as many UCAS points as a full A Level (from 50% in the modular courses), likely due to the fact that content from the second year of A Level is considered more academically challenging than that of the first year . </P>

What is the difference between a level and gce a level