Friends may have heard of the proposed Pre-U exams, designed by Cambridge International Examinations, to be offered in 2010 as a replacement for A-level or as part of the IB.

The syllabuses can be taken as standalone alternatives to A Level; or together in a Diploma structure as an alternative to the IB. The syllabuses, specimen papers and mark schemes are online at: http://www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/academic/uppersec/preu/subjects. There are also syllabus outlines, giving an overview. Cambridge can also send hard copies.
The examinations looks far more rigorous than current A-level, but may cause difficulty for Latin and Greek because classes are usually too small to allow a school to split them into Pre-U groups and A-level groups. Many schools may well opt for Pre-U alone. That could put pressure on the O and C Board (also run by Cambridge International) to drop Latin and Greek A-levels, which would not be good for classics.

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