University of Cambridge Foundation Year (CertHE in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences) Qualification Information Profile
Purpose and background
The Cambridge Foundation Year in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is designed to bridge the gap between A Level (or other Level 3 achievement) and highly selective Higher Education for students with the potential to achieve admission to highly selective Higher Education but who as a result of educational disadvantage or disruption, do not have the level of attainment or access to qualifications required for entry.
It is unusual in the UK context as a Level 4 Foundation Year programme with a standalone qualification (CertHE). The academic entry requirement is also comparatively high as all students need a minimum of 120 UCAS Points for entry. The course is also fully embedded within the University of Cambridge: we are not a private education company.
Education context
Upon completing the programme, students will achieve a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), a qualification aligned with Level 4 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). It is worth 120 Credits at Level 4.
The key focus of the Foundation Year Programme is:
- Degree readiness: preparation for the teaching and learning environment at Cambridge (or elsewhere)
- Deeper learning skills: preparation for the academic demands of HE study
- Subject-specific skills appropriate to the degree subject
The course aims to:
- enable students to fulfil their academic potential by equipping students with the cognitive, academic and transferable skills to ensure they are ready to progress to a high-tariff university;
- provide the opportunity to develop these through a holistic, coherent curriculum that delivers knowledge, understanding and skills in a fully integrated way and is distinctive from both A level and undergraduate study;
- utilise a multidisciplinary approach to present students with the opportunity to study within the context of subjects they may not have had the opportunity to experience;
- align the curriculum, as appropriate, with the needs of degree courses to ensure that students are prepared to study for a degree in a specific subject at a high-tariff university;
- encourage students to value their life experiences and to develop the ability to learn from them;
- give students the confidence that they can succeed and to identify as university students.
Awarding organisation
University of Cambridge
Subject areas
The curriculum is multidisciplinary across the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Students may select options most relevant to their degree ambitions, but they are also encouraged to explore other approaches.
For example, one optional module takes Richard III as a theme to consider history (Wars of the Roses, medieval Leicester), History of Art (representations), Archaeology (exhumation and oestroarchaology) and Land Economy (heritage tourism).
Level
Level 4 – Certificate of Higher Education
Structure
The curriculum consists of four streams. Students take eight modules from the options available across these streams. Full module descriptions are available here.
Term 1:
Students take three modules from:
- Education, Policy and Politics: Examining the British Education System (Working with Textual Sources)
- Poetry and Generation Windrush (Working with Textual Sources)
- The King in the Car park: A study of Richard III and the 2012-13 excavations (Working with Material Sources)
- The history of English: from a local Germanic dialect to a global language (Working with Languages)
- Advanced Language option (Modern Language or Latin) (Working with Languages)
- Data and Policy-Making in the COVID-19 Pandemic (Working with Data)
Term 2:
Students take three modules from:
- Perspectives on History and the Law (Working with Textual Sources)
- Exploring the Religions of South Asia (Working with Textual Sources)
- ‘Something magical, something sublime': an interdisciplinary approach to King's College Chapel (Working with Material Sources)
- Teaching English to Newcomers: English language learning for new arrival children in English schools (Working with Languages)
- Advanced Language option (Modern Language or Latin) (Working with Languages)
- Environmental Change and Societies: data and assumptions (Working with Data)
Term 3:
Students take two modules from:
- Romanticism, Revolutions, and the Search for the Sublime (Working with Textual Sources)
- The human body in visual art, from prehistory to the present day (Working with Material Sources)
- Language in the Information Age (Working with Languages)
- Sport and Society: measuring success? (Working with Data)
Grading and marking criteria
A final grade of 40% or above is a Pass. Our full marking criteria can be reviewed here.The Board of Examiners can also award Pass with Merit (a mean score of 65 or above) and Pass with Distinction (overall mean score of 70 or above OR a median score of 70 or above and a mean score of 65 and above).
For progression to degree courses at Cambridge (which require A*AA at A Level or equivalent), the level required is 65% (Pass with Merit).
Assessment
Students complete formative assessments for all modules (c. 1,200 words, usually essay based in format). These do not contribute to the final mark.
Three of the eight modules are assessed through summative assessments (coursework). Each of these is worth 10% of the final mark (30% in total). These will require students to produce a structured piece of writing of approximately 2,000-2,500 words (excluding any footnotes, citations and bibliography).
Students also complete an Extended Project module worth 30% of the final mark. This work is produced with greater independence and reflects written work in a longer format (c. 4,500-5,000 words).
A final synoptic assessment by examination of three hours in the final term is worth 40% of the final mark. It is a closed-book, in-person, handwritten examination. This is in two sections. The first is a close reading exercise involving textual analysis and the second consists of writing two essays.
Some students taking advanced language options (Modern Languages or Latin) are assessed through written work, presentation and translation exercises in place of some of the summative assessment options.
Contribution of assessment components to overall grade
The overall grade is based on:
- 30% summative coursework
- 30% Extended Project
- 40% synoptic 3-hour examination
Resit arrangements
Students who fail the programme (i.e. attain under 40%) will be offered one opportunity to resit the final examination.
Guided/notional learning hours
The total learning hours are 1,200. Students take the same load regardless of the stream/module combination.
The curriculum offers c. 356 hours of contact time (around 120 per term) plus approximately 844 hours of semi-structured and independent study.
Timing of assessments/results for learners
There are summative assessments in term 1 and term 2, and an examination in term 3. Final grades are confirmed after moderation by a Board of Examiners, including an External Examiner.
Results and transcripts are usually issued by early August and are made available by email.
Further information
Contact: Foundation Year Course Director – foundation.year@admin.cam.ac.uk