The standard of excellence in North American education

Established over 40 years ago by the College Board, the academically challenging Advanced Placement (AP) courses are designed to expose able and motivated High School students to college-level academic material.

The AP functions as a cooperative educational endeavour between secondary schools and colleges and universities. Secondary schools lay the foundation by offering their students AP courses taught by dedicated and committed teachers. High School students who successfully complete these courses, in turn, demonstrate to colleges and universities that they have mastered the subject material by taking AP Examinations. By assessing and evaluating the AP examination grades, colleges and universities award prospective students either credit or placement (e.g. sophomore standing) for the subject.

The AP is considered the standard for academic excellence in the US, where more than 50% of secondary schools currently participate. AP students demonstrate to universities and colleges that they have learned a subject in greater depth, are motivated to take challenging courses, and have acquired the type of study skills necessary for successful study in college. AP course completion can also lead to significant financial savings, since more than 1,400 US colleges and universities award up to a full year’s credit to students presenting successful grades on AP exams.

The AP at ACS

The AP has been a permanent part of ACS’s broad and challenging academic programme since the early 1980s. For a current listing of AP courses offered at ACS Cobham, and ACS Hillingdon please see below:

The AP at ACS Cobham	The AP at ACS Hillingdon
I. Languages	I. Languages
English Literature and Composition	English Literature and Composition
Spanish Language and Composition
French Language and Composition	II. Sciences
German Language and Composition	Physics B
	Chemistry
II. Sciences	Biology
Physics
Chemistry	III. Mathematics
Biology	Calculus AB
III. Mathematics	IV. History & Social Studies
Calculus	Microeconomics †
Statistics	Macroeconomics †
	US History
IV. History & Social Sciences	Psychology
Microeconomics	Comparitive Government
US History
European History	V. Electives
Psychology	Studio Art
Geography
V. Electives
Studio Art	†  Available on alternate years

The school reserves the right to add or delete courses according to student demand and staff availability. There may be an extra charge for certain national language courses.

University recognition & college credit

The AP is fully recognised in the United States and Canada, where approximately 3,000 colleges and universities take part in the programme. The vast majority of universities that receive AP grades grant credit or advanced placement for successful examination results. Students can earn anywhere from one college credit hour to sophomore standing, depending on the number of AP exams they have taken and the grades earned on them. AP students who are applying to universities are advised to inquire directly at the university concerning its respective AP policy.

AP courses are important acceptance criteria for selective universities in North America who are looking for able, motivated students. By taking an AP course, students demonstrate to university admissions officers that they have developed the advanced study skills that are required in higher education.

The AP is increasingly recognized as a university entrance qualification in Europe and throughout the rest of the world. Students who have earned the Advanced Placement International Diploma or achieved successful results on at least three AP exams, fulfil university qualification requirements for numerous selective universities in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

AP examination grades, scholar awards, and Diplomas

The AP Examinations, developed each year by professional educational committees appointed by the College Board, are administered in May at ACS.

AP Examinations are designed to accurately test the material students have covered in their AP course. They are graded by experienced AP teachers and college professors on a scale of 1 (no recommendation) to 5 (extremely well qualified) and are a weighted combination of the student’s score on the multiple-choice section and the free response or essay section. The results of the examinations are sent by the College Board to candidates, ACS, and any colleges or universities the student specifies.

AP Scholar Awards

Award	Requirements
AP Scholar	Grades of 3 or higher on three or more full-year AP Exams
AP Scholar with Honour	Grades of 3 or higher on four or more full-year AP Exams; avg. exam grade of 3.25
AP Scholar with Distinction	Grades of 3 or higher on five or more full-year AP Exams; avg. exam grade of 3.5
AP International	The one male and one female student in the world with the Scholar highest grades on the greatest number of full-year AP exams. Student must attend a school outside the US.

Each year the AP programme confers awards to High School students who have demonstrated outstanding achievement on their AP examinations. The criteria for scholar awards differ for each level of achievement.

The Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID)

The APID certifies the achievement of successful AP candidates and is recognized by a number of universities around the world. It was designed to accommodate American and international students at High Schools in the US or abroad who are applying to a university outside the US.

To qualify for the APID, students must earn AP grades of 3 or higher on four AP exams in three of the five subject areas listed below. Students must take a total of two exams in two different languages (Subject Area I), either a Science or Mathematics exam (Subject areas II & III), and one or more exams from any subject area not already used.

Subject Area I :	Languages
Subject Area II:	Mathematics
Subject Area III:	History & Social Sciences
Subject Area IV:	Sciences
Subject Area V:	Electives

Students do not formally apply for the APID. It is automatically awarded to any AP student who successfully completes the Diploma criteria and resides outside the US. Students who meet the criteria and live in the US will be awarded a Diploma certificate if they request their AP examination results to be sent to a university overseas.

* ACS Cobham and ACS Hillingdon only