Discovering the UK 2022

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is designed as a two year course of study for students in years 10 and 11 (age 14-16) to prepare for GCSE testing. GCSE testing is used as a stepping stone exam for job placement and higher education. GCSEs are open to anyone and over five and a half million GCSE entries, or about 22 million papers, are marked by the awarding bodies each year. The exam timetables vary according to examining body. There are two sittings each year, with most students taking the exam in the summer when all subjects are on offer. In most subjects, the exams are held from mid-May until the end of June. The second sitting more commonly used for “re-sits” is in November. Most GCSEs include coursework in addition to exams and the marks for coursework count towards the final result. The Advanced Level (A level) examination is the flagship of the education program for those aged between 16 and 18 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. “A-levels” enable those who wish to remain in school or in college after the age of compulsory schooling to continue their education for another two years. The curriculum 2000 initiative was designed to introduce an element of breadth into A-level subjects that would be studied over two years to complete the qualifications. Whilst this system was the envy of many countries in terms of the depth it allowed, many were aware that the subject combinations studied where often too specialised and narrow, lacking the breadth that was desirable for general education at this level. From September 2000 students have been offered the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) level qualifications in the first year of the course and students normally study four and sometimes five subjects. The number of subjects then reduces to two, three, or four in the second year of the course (called A2), which are then to be carried on to the full A-level. + All Schools in the U.K.- www.schoolswebdirectory.co.uk/leasearch.php. + Private Education: Details of Independent Schools may be obtained from the Independent Schools Directory www.indschools.co.uk + National Education Standards: All schools are inspected by The Office for Standards in Education (tel: 0207 421 6800). The reports for every school may be seen at www.ofsted.gov.uk + Performance tables for all schools may be seen at the Department for Education: www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance + National Curriculum information may be obtained at the Department for Education: www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum For more information on schooling in the U.K., please visit one of the resources listed below:

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Discovering the U.K.