In the UK’s unique education system, all students are required to sit formal examinations called GCSEs at around the ages of 15 to 16, after which they are allowed to leave school with no further education requirements. For those who wish to continue their high school education, however, the next step is to study A Levels (Advanced Levels) during the two years between the ages of 16 and 18.

A Levels are designed as a two-year course culminating in exams and a qualification that is superior to a GCSE qualification, but less advanced than a university degree. Indeed, A Levels are an important stepping stone to gain admittance to university in the first place, with universities offering prospective candidates conditional places, dependent upon their achieving certain grades on the final A Level tests. For example, the university may require “three As”, or “two Bs and a C” and it is up to the student to attain these results in their final exams.

Grading

A Levels are graded by letters, ranging from A* (for scores above 90%) through A (for scores above 80%) then B (for scores above 70%) and so on down to E for scores above 40%. Anything under 40% will earn a U, meaning that it was unclassified.

Assessment

Examinations for A Levels happen at the end of the second year of study in one flurry of examinations taking place across several days during the early summer. Certain subjects, such as Art & Design or the main trio of sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry) include a significant coursework element that will be completed before these final exams; nonetheless this coursework component will only be worth up to 20% of the overall grade, making it a significant, but not primary part of the assessment.

Uniqueness

The most remarkable feature of A Level courses, which makes them so unique globally, and so notably different from the American system or the European Baccalaureate, is that there are no mandatory subjects. At the age of 16, students are able to choose the subjects that they wish to study and drop all other subjects. Students may pick a maximum of five subjects to study, but most students study three subjects, which is what most universities expect. It may seem tempting to attempt to study more than three subjects, since this would make a student stand out to top universities; but each course of study is very demanding, and there is a very real possibility of struggling under the workload if one takes on too many courses, potentially causing grades to suffer and having the opposite effect of that intended.

The lack of mandatory subjects may be a good or bad thing for the student’s academic growth. For example, a student who loathes math may well thrive once they are no longer obliged to spend time struggling with a hated subject; at the same time, this subject will get no further support and existing math skills may atrophy during the two years that they study their chosen courses. If they wish subsequently to study at an American university, for example, they may find the compulsory math requirements in the American system to be particularly onerous.

However, the unique feature of A Levels that allows for the student to pick courses that they actually want to study encourages students to choose areas of personal interest that will motivate them to pursue their academic career. Studying only three subjects may result in a narrower academic field, but the courses explore those areas more deeply, beginning at an early age a process of specialization that continues into university and the world of employment beyond. By comparison, most American students follow a broader but therefore less in-depth curriculum throughout high school and into their first years of college, only beginning to specialize at the point that they pick their major.

Choosing A Levels

One issue with choosing A Levels at the age of 16 is that many students don’t know at this point in their lives what they wish to study in the future or what vocation they might want to pursue, and therefore do not feel clear about which subjects to pick, and perhaps more importantly which ones they can safely drop. For example, dropping Chemistry at this point would effectively rule out the possibility of a career in medicine.

With over 80 subjects to choose from, trying to make the ‘correct’ choice of which subjects to study can be overwhelming. It is therefore helpful to consider the end-goal, since most students study A Levels with the intention of moving on to university. Universities are typically looking for students with sufficiently strong grades in three subjects, and they will be looking for subjects that pertain to the college course itself. Thus, for example, a student who wants to study for a medical degree will have to have a chemistry A Level and then another two STEM subjects, such as Biology and Math. On the other hand, someone wishing to pursue Politics at university could happily choose more diverse subjects, but will definitely need to have studied at least one essay-based humanities A Level, such as English literature or History, since the college course will have a heavy essay component.

Therefore, it is sensible to contact universities that you might wish to attend to see how many A Level subjects they expect and also what grades are typically required. Alternatively, you might consult UCAS’s guide to choosing a course. The Russell Group, which represents 24 of the leading UK universities, also offers a website to help students make informed choices. However, if you are not yet sure what you wish to study at university – which is typical for 16 year olds – the top ten subjects that keep your options open are: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, History, Geography, English Literature, and Languages (either modern or classical). These are all ‘safe’ choices. Ultimately, however, the great gift of A Level is the ability to study whatever is of interest to the student, and it is almost always better to choose subjects that the student will enjoy studying and will be motivated to work on, rather than subjects that they ‘ought’ to do.

International A Levels

As well as the regular UK-based A Levels, there is also a variation called the International A Level (IAL). The IAL has fewer course options (about 55 rather than 85), but there is not a significant difference between the content to be studied. The big difference is in how the tests are taken. The regular A Level is assessed at one set of tests at the end of the second year of study. International A Levels are more flexible: you have the option to sit them in the same way as the regular A Level in one go at the end of the second year; or you can sit half of them at the end of the first year, and the other half at the end of the second year. Also, there is more than one opportunity to sit these tests during the same year, meaning that it’s also easier to resit the IAL if need be. This modular approach to test-taking may suit some candidates who do not like to have all the pressure of the exams happen in one fell swoop; but for many candidates it is preferable to spend the full two years studying and developing their knowledge and skills before having to put them to the test. Indeed, by taking half the exam after only one year of studying, there is much less time to prepare and master the material, which potentially makes the process harder rather than easier.

Flexibility and Depth

Ultimately, the appeal of A Levels lies in the authority it places on the learner themselves: the student gets to choose for themselves what to study and what matters to them; at the same time they are empowered to stop studying subjects that they do not enjoy and don’t care to pursue. This personal investment and choice will – ideally – lead to a more focused and specialized student who takes genuine interest in their studies and develops a depth of appreciation in three areas that simply wouldn’t be possible if they were having to study more subjects.

For support with college planning in the US, UK, EU, or Canada, please contact our office.

By Nick Thomas, Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner

In the UK, around the age of 15 to 16, students take public examinations called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). These are the only mandatory public examinations in the UK system, which means that after earning these qualifications, 16-year olds are allowed to leave school altogether; nevertheless 16-year old school-leavers are still required to enrol in some form of traineeship or apprenticeship until the age of 18, even if they start a regular job.

For most students, however, GCSEs are merely a stepping-stone towards A Levels, which in turn are needed for enrollment in universities. GCSEs are designed as a two-year course, though some schools may start teaching the curriculum a year earlier to allow students longer to prepare. The courses culminate in a separate qualification for each subject studied. It is obligatory to study English, math and science, but it is typical for students to study at least five GCSE courses since this is a key metric used by the government in rating schools. However, students who expect to pursue their academic studies to A Level and beyond will likely take 9 or 10 GCSEs, and potentially more.

Other than the mandatory subjects, students have a very wide range of courses that they can choose from, including eclectic choices such as Food Technology or Ceramics. As a result, students can begin to direct their own future trajectory at a young age in the UK system, but choices do need to be carefully made at this stage with one eye on A Levels and University: for example, if a student decides not to study chemistry at GCSE, then they won’t be able to study it at A Level, and then they won’t be able to apply to study medicine at university.

In practice, however, the freedom to choose is usually limited by the options available at the student’s school. For example, “Manufacturing” is a GCSE course that only 50 students took in 2017 since almost no schools have the ability to offer it. Most schools also set their own required courses and typically this follows another important metric – the EBacc, or English Baccalaureate. This is a score – not altogether dissimilar to the GPA – awarded to each individual student based on their exam results in English, Math, Science, a language (either ancient or modern), and either History or Geography. As a result, schools usually expect their students to take all these subjects, and since the English requirement usually involves both English Literature and English language, and the Science requirement counts for either two or three GCSEs, it is not unusual for students to have six or seven courses chosen for them, leaving them with the ability to choose only a few courses for themselves.

Grading

A significant overhaul of the GCSE system in 2017 means that exams are now graded with a number between 1 and 9 rather than with letters. 9 is the highest possible grade, and represents a very high level of achievement, equivalent to the old A* grade. The lowest score to be considered a “pass” is a 4, and any score between 4 and 9 will earn a “level 2” qualification which is almost certainly the minimum needed to pursue further education either at A Level or university. Anything below a 4 will earn a “level 1” qualification and a score below that will earn a U, meaning that it was unclassified.

The new grade system has narrower bands and therefore draws sharper distinctions between students’ relative levels. For example, the old A-grade is now separated between 7 (a standard A) and 8 (a strong A), and similarly the old C-grade is distinguished between 4 (a standard passing grade) and 5 (a strong passing grade).

Universities will almost certainly require a 4 or 5 in English and Math at the very least, but at the upper end it should be noted that more than ten GCSEs will only be beneficial if the grades are consistently high. If studying further courses will overburden a student and cause the quality of their work and the resultant grade to suffer, then doing more courses could easily and unnecessarily backfire.

Assessment

Examinations for GCSEs happen at the end of the second year of study in one flurry of examinations taking place across several days during May and June. Resits – if needed – happen in November. GCSE courses used to contain a lot of coursework until the overhaul in 2017; nowadays there is almost no coursework in GCSE courses and the final examinations are almost entirely responsible for the full grade in almost all subjects.

International GCSEs (IGCSEs)

As well as the regular UK-based GCSEs, there is also a variation called the International GCSE (IGCSE). In the past, IGCSEs were more distinct from the GCSEs, but now that GCSEs have been overhauled and have removed the old coursework requirements, there is really very little to tell between the two tests, and they are certainly treated as interchangeable by universities and businesses.

There are, however, two meaningful differences: first of all, the IGCSE can be sat at multiple sessions throughout the year, in November or January or at the classic end-of-year session during May and June. By contrast the GCSE exams are only sat once a year in May and June, with resits occurring during November if necessary.

The second and more important difference is that the IGCSE is truly an international test. It is offered in over 150 countries whereas the GCSE exam is only offered in the UK and at select schools in a handful of other countries. In other words, someone not based in the UK will almost certainly be looking at taking IGCSEs rather than GCSEs. This will typically be preferable for other reasons too: since the IGCSE course is offered all around the world, it means that an international student whose family moves around the world can continue to study the same course and take the same exam, even when they change countries and change schools.

The IGCSE variant is designed for an international audience, and in some courses it even adapts to different countries. Thus, for example, the UK-centric GCSE requires students in English to study Shakespeare and the GCSE course in History places a lot of significance on British history; meanwhile, the IGCSE in English makes Shakespeare optional, and the IGCSE in History offers more variation in topics and cultures from around the world.

Summary

GCSEs (and IGCSEs) are an important stepping stone in the British system, marking the end of formal schooling for some, and a gateway to further education (at A Level and university) for others. It also marks the first point in the system that a student can begin to pick their own courses, although in practice this ability to exercise choice is typically strongly limited by the school that the student attends. Nevertheless, students start to make plans for themselves and their futures, which is a big hallmark of the UK’s A Level exams and university system. The new system is able to distinguish more precisely between candidates, allowing the best students to shine, while at the same time making it straightforward for almost all students to achieve a solid qualification that they can add to their resumes as they choose their next steps in life.

For support with college planning in the US, UK, EU, or Canada, please contact our office.

By Nick Thomas, Private Tutor, Brad Hoffman, M.S.Ed., Board Certified Educational Planner, and Faya Hoffman, M.A., Board Certified Educational Planner