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Can someone explain GCSEs and A-levels to me?

Hey I'm from Scotland and the English school system just confuses me a lot so could someone briefly explain it to me?

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GCSEs are for secondary school - from year 9 or 10 to year 11 aka students who are 14-16 . its a level 1 or 2 qualification that ultimately decide what u do in 6thform or college after secondary school
A-Levels are for post 16 ( after the age of 16 ) in 6h forms or colleges - they are level 3 qualifications that ultimately get u into university
hope that helps... if anyone could add to this - thatd be great
Original post by Goobybo
Hey I'm from Scotland and the English school system just confuses me a lot so could someone briefly explain it to me?


People take a range of GCSE age 15/16 (the number and the subjects varies) and then choose 3 or 4 subjects to study in more depth at A level taking exams when 17/18. Universities typically require 3 A level passes for entry aged 18+
Original post by Goobybo
Hey I'm from Scotland and the English school system just confuses me a lot so could someone briefly explain it to me?


Oh I had no idea GCSEs and A Levels don't exist in Scotland. Well GCSEs are a exams for typically 9-12 subjects involving core and non-core. And this is graded from 9-1. 9 being the highest equivalent to A**. 1 being a U.

A levels don't exist anymore, there used to be one exam in year 12 and another in year 13 for your 3/4/5 chosen subjects for A levels but now there are just longer and more exams all at the end of year 13 known as AS. I hope you found it useful. However you need to use your GCSEs to get back into sixth form for A levels other wise you can do BTECs, an apprenticeship or something else .The exam boards this country uses are:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/ - AQA
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html - EDEXCEL
http://www.ocr.org.uk/ - OCR
http://www.wjec.co.uk/ - WJEC (a welsh board but still used here)
http://ccea.org.uk/ - CCEA (some subjects dont run in this country I wanted to health and social care for a levels next year turns out this is only applicable in northern ireland)
Original post by dipper_19
GCSEs are for secondary school - from year 9 or 10 to year 11 aka students who are 14-16 . its a level 1 or 2 qualification that ultimately decide what u do in 6thform or college after secondary school
A-Levels are for post 16 ( after the age of 16 ) in 6h forms or colleges - they are level 3 qualifications that ultimately get u into university
hope that helps... if anyone could add to this - thatd be great



Thank you!

Original post by gdunne42
People take a range of GCSE age 15/16 (the number and the subjects varies) and then choose 3 or 4 subjects to study in more depth at A level taking exams when 17/18. Universities typically require 3 A level passes for entry aged 18+


Ahh ok, A-levels are similar to a qualification we have in Scotland then called an Advanced Higher!
Original post by PrazzPrazz
Oh I had no idea GCSEs and A Levels don't exist in Scotland. Well GCSEs are a exams for typically 9-12 subjects involving core and non-core. And this is graded from 9-1. 9 being the highest equivalent to A**. 1 being a U.

A levels don't exist anymore, there used to be one exam in year 12 and another in year 13 for your 3/4/5 chosen subjects for A levels but now there are just longer and more exams all at the end of year 13 known as AS. I hope you found it useful. However you need to use your GCSEs to get back into sixth form for A levels other wise you can do BTECs, an apprenticeship or something else .The exam boards this country uses are:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/ - AQA
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html - EDEXCEL
http://www.ocr.org.uk/ - OCR
http://www.wjec.co.uk/ - WJEC (a welsh board but still used here)
http://ccea.org.uk/ - CCEA (some subjects dont run in this country I wanted to health and social care for a levels next year turns out this is only applicable in northern ireland)


This is mostly correct but you got slightly much fed up with the new A levels. It used to be that you did AS in year 12 (lower sixth) and then the A level in year 13. The year 12 exams counted towards your final grade but you could drop the subject at the end of year 12 and leave with an AS (half an A level)
Now you can sit the exams in year 12 but they do not count towards the final A level grade. This final grade comes entirely from your year 13 exams (and coursework if relevant) this means it is harder to get any qualification if you drop in year 12 as most schools don’t enter pupils for the AS papers they just use internal mocks.

Edit:honestly have now clue what happened to my English in that first sentence! Should have said mixed up not much fed up. Although to be fair I am fed up with a levels by this point!!
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by PrazzPrazz
Oh I had no idea GCSEs and A Levels don't exist in Scotland. Well GCSEs are a exams for typically 9-12 subjects involving core and non-core. And this is graded from 9-1. 9 being the highest equivalent to A**. 1 being a U.

A levels don't exist anymore, there used to be one exam in year 12 and another in year 13 for your 3/4/5 chosen subjects for A levels but now there are just longer and more exams all at the end of year 13 known as AS. I hope you found it useful. However you need to use your GCSEs to get back into sixth form for A levels other wise you can do BTECs, an apprenticeship or something else .The exam boards this country uses are:
http://www.aqa.org.uk/ - AQA
https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html - EDEXCEL
http://www.ocr.org.uk/ - OCR
http://www.wjec.co.uk/ - WJEC (a welsh board but still used here)
http://ccea.org.uk/ - CCEA (some subjects dont run in this country I wanted to health and social care for a levels next year turns out this is only applicable in northern ireland)


Wow! so many exam boards haha. In Scotland we only have 1, its called the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority). Our system is so different from yours its so interesting!
Original post by Snoozinghamster
This is mostly correct but you got slightly much fed up with the new A levels. It used to be that you did AS in year 12 (lower sixth) and then the A level in year 13. The year 12 exams counted towards your final grade but you could drop the subject at the end of year 12 and leave with an AS (half an A level)
Now you can sit the exams in year 12 but they do not count towards the final A level grade. This final grade comes entirely from your year 13 exams (and coursework if relevant) this means it is harder to get any qualification if you drop in year 12 as most schools don’t enter pupils for the AS papers they just use internal mocks.


**** sorry im only in year 11 so didnt know
And I heard that there are two separate subjects for English, can someone explain this to me?
Original post by Goobybo
Wow! so many exam boards haha. In Scotland we only have 1, its called the SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority). Our system is so different from yours its so interesting!


oh yes SQA ive heard of that known as national 5?
Original post by PrazzPrazz
**** sorry im only in year 11 so didnt know


It’s fine, the new changes have been made super confusing to a lot of people since there’s not that much information about it. You had the correct idea though!
Good luck with GCSE’s (or whatever other qualifications you’re doing!)
So while Nat4s and 5s are one year courses each with exams at the end of the year, GCSEs are two year courses in a similar range of subjects that you begin in Y10(=S3?) and take at the end of Y11/S4

Then A-Levels are the two year course afterwards (start in Y12/S5 and take exams at the end of Y13/S6) which roughly equates in a similar way to the Highers and Advanced Highers. Generally Highers are a similar standard to the first year of A-Level work (AS Levels) hence why English universities generally don’t accept Highers alone
Advanced Highers are often harder than the full A Level/second year of A-Level work so if you go to university in England you will probably be a bit ahead, however they are similarly matched.

For GCSEs, you generally take a similar number of subjects to Nat5s or a few more (I took 11 but generally people take about 9-12) and then at A Level the standard number of subjects taken is 3 but a number take 4 and very few take 5 or 6

For GCSE it is generally compulsory to take two English exams (Language is comprehension and creative/persuasive writing, Literature is analysing texts), Maths and usually all three sciences in some way, although this isn’t compulsory
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Goobybo
And I heard that there are two separate subjects for English, can someone explain this to me?


Yeh there is English language and English literature.

Language is more dealing with poetry, short texts, unseen comprehension and creative writing sort of stuff.
Literature is the analyse a book (usually 2) in great depth, know about all the characters, memorise quotes know the themes, know how it relates to the time it was written.

Hope that helps
Original post by PrazzPrazz
oh yes SQA ive heard of that known as national 5?


Yes, I actually just did my national 5 exams. I finished on the 22nd of may and have just finished my first week back at school!
Original post by Pastelx
So while Nat4s and 5s are one year courses each with exams at the end of the year, GCSEs are two year courses in a similar range of subjects that you begin in Y10(=S3?) and take at the end of Y11/S4

Then A-Levels are the two year course afterwards (start in Y12/S5 and take exams at the end of Y13/S6) which roughly equates in a similar way to the Highers and Advanced Highers. Generally Highers are a similar standard to the first year of A-Level work (AS Levels) hence why English universities generally don’t accept Highers alone
Advanced Highers are often harder than the full A Level/second year of A-Level work so if you go to university in England you will probably be a bit ahead, however they are similarly matched.

For GCSEs, you generally take a similar number of subjects to Nat5s or a few more (I took 11 but generally people take about 9-12) and then at A Level the standard number of subjects taken is 3 but a number take 4 and very few take 5 or 6


Ahhh ok! thank you so much for that I was always so confused as to why they had so many subjects and exams and when they took them!
Original post by Goobybo
Ahhh ok! thank you so much for that I was always so confused as to why they had so many subjects and exams and when they took them!


No problem! I lived in Edinburgh for 11 years and moved after P6 to England so I still have a few friends back in Scotland who inform me of the very different exam structureπŸ˜‚ Something that’s interesting between Scotland and England is that because your exams are earlier you have to go back to school after Nat5s, while after GCSEs most students will have an extended holiday!

What are you Highers choices then?
Original post by Goobybo
And I heard that there are two separate subjects for English, can someone explain this to me?


English Literature - Exam about poetry, novellas and stories you have read beforehand , there will be a series of questions on theme and characters. E.g. theres paper 1 and paper 2
I do edexcel and Paper 1 was about a book called An inspectors calls and Macbeth. Paper 2 was about dr jekyll and hyde which I think you know, seen poetry and unseen.

English Language - Tested on our analysis and evaluative language skills.
Paper 1 - One extract and a bunch of questions of analysis and writers purpose and affect. 40 markers next asking to write a short story.

Paper 2 - Two extracts around 4 questions on each and 2 questions on both and transnational writing. Tech we need to get a 5 which is C grade and above to carry on in sixth form
Original post by Goobybo
Yes, I actually just did my national 5 exams. I finished on the 22nd of may and have just finished my first week back at school!


Oh reverse here I'm doing my GCSE exams at the moment and will be finished this week!
Original post by Snoozinghamster
Yeh there is English language and English literature.

Language is more dealing with poetry, short texts, unseen comprehension and creative writing sort of stuff.
Literature is the analyse a book (usually 2) in great depth, know about all the characters, memorise quotes know the themes, know how it relates to the time it was written.

Hope that helps


Oh English here is just all clumped into 1 subject.
There are 4 parts:
Spoken language is a pass/fail (really easy) so you basically do a talk on something
you have a portfolio with 2 writing pieces (creative and discursive) that get sent off to be marked by the exam board and thats like 30% of your grade

Then the exam is:
a RUAE (reading for understanding, analysis and evaluation paper) where you are given an unseen text and you have to analyse it and answer questions

and a critical reading paper where we have to study some form of literature (movie, novel, documentary, poem, play e.c.t) and write a 20 mark critical essay from an unseen question

Then you have to study Scottish texts. So last year I had to study 6 poems from a famous Scottish poet and only 1 would come up in the exam so you answer some questions on it and then I would have to link it to another poem I had studied. But there are many different forms of literature such as plays e.c.t
Original post by Goobybo
And I heard that there are two separate subjects for English, can someone explain this to me?


English literature is, well, literature. You study a few books/ plays, one of which is usually Shakespeare, often with a bit of poetry thrown in too (though it all depends on your exam board) I studied Macbeth, A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls, along with 15 poems that all revolved around a certain theme.
GCSE English language everyone actually needs, which focuses more on on-the-spot english rather than pre-planned essays and context. There's a spoken component that's separate to your actual grade and is graded separately. In the exam, you're given an unseen text (both fiction and non fiction, one for each paper), and told to analyse structure and language along with testing comprehension skills, and there's also a creative writing element that makes up 50%. A level English language is quite different as I think it revolves more around linguistics, but I'm not too sure
(edited 5 years ago)

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