As the new specifications [as we must all learn to call them] arrive in schools and colleges, we must all grapple with the concept of a new qualification - a new AS representing an intermediate standard. What does AS involve? In what ways does it represent progression from GCSE? Angela Leonard describes some of the rationale adopted by the development team of one awarding body - Edexcel. She uses examples from an AS paper to develop an analysis of the progression that must be achieved as the student moves from GCSE to AS. She argues that whilst some progression is found in the selection of sources and the questions asked, it is discerned chiefly in the examiners' expectations of candidates' responses. These must move beyond GCSE to show greater range and depth of responses allied to powers of analysis, reasoning and argument. Candidates will have to achieve a more complete coverage of the issue than that expected at GCSE, a recognition of the scope of the enquiry and a discussion of the strength of the evidence advanced.