Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs)
)
)
Bedales Assessed Courses (BACs) are two-year programmes taken in Blocks 4 and 5 (Years 10 and 11), designed to offer a broader, more intellectually challenging and flexible alternative to GCSEs. Emphasising creativity, collaboration, problem-solving and research, BACs move away from the rigid, content-heavy structure of traditional qualifications.
Unlike GCSEs, which rely heavily on end-of-course exams, BACs are assessed throughout, giving teachers the freedom to shape the curriculum around current events and students’ interests. This results in a more dynamic and personalised learning experience that better prepares students for A Levels, university and life beyond school. BACs are recognised by UCAS and widely respected by universities and employers.
Building on their success, we are expanding BACs to include new courses in sciences and languages. This will broaden subject choice and expose students to more advanced material than typically found in the GCSE curriculum. By offering a flexible approach, varied assessment and a focus on real-world application, BACs deliver a well-rounded education that reflects the demands of a rapidly changing world.
BACs are offered in a wide range of subjects, encompassing both traditional academic areas and more specialised, creative fields. BACs are designed to foster critical thinking and creativity, making them a natural progression to A Level study.
)
The English Literature BAC provides greater stimulus for imaginative students than the narrow GCSE syllabus, enabling them to develop and pursue a wider interest in literature, and preparing them fully for A Level study and higher education.
Most Bedales students would have encountered the GCSE set texts in Years 7 or 8. Our BAC students study eight texts compared with just three for GCSE. Our course covers pre-1900 and post-1900 prose, poetry and drama, with recent texts including Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, James’s The Turn of the Screw, David Hare’s Racing Demon, and poetry by Daljit Nagra and Simon Armitage – both of whom have visited Bedales to read their work.
As well as an exam at the end of each year, each student’s best four completed essays count for final assessment – as with most arts and humanities degrees. There is also an oral presentation, or viva,
on a chosen topic, that students take at the end of the year.
Find answers to some of the questions we're most often asked about BACs, covering everything from how they differ from GCSEs and their recognition by universities to our plans for future development.
We developed BACs in 2006 because we were dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional GCSEs, which were becoming increasingly centralised and left little room for innovative, tailored teaching approaches. We felt that the rigid, content-focused structure of GCSEs, particularly in the arts and humanities, stifled creativity and critical thinking.
Our aim was to create an alternative that gave teachers greater autonomy in designing a curriculum that would best serve their students’ needs and prepare them for the academic and conceptual challenges of A Levels and higher education.
See our detailed prospectuses to understand our innovative curriculum, vibrant school life, and supportive community.