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Whats the difference b/w GCSE and GCE O Level?

Hi I am from Pakistan and we only have GCE O Levels here. I wanted to know what are GCSE's? And are they easier or difficult than O Levels? And what is A* in GCSE? (hope im not sounding too silly) :smile:

Reply 1

kellywood_5

17

We used to have GCE O-levels here too, but we got rid of them in 1988 and replaced them with GCSEs. Grades C and above at GCSE are equivalent to GCE O-levels. A* is the highest grade you can get (one above an A). Hope that's helped :smile:

Reply 2

username5154

15

Why are GCE O-levels still exist in other countries? I think other countries should change to GCSE and get rid of GCE O-levels to avoid confusion and stuff like that.

Reply 3

Munna

OP

kellywood_5

We used to have GCE O-levels here too, but we got rid of them in 1988 and replaced them with GCSEs. Grades C and above at GCSE are equivalent to GCE O-levels. A* is the highest grade you can get (one above an A). Hope that's helped :smile:

Thanks! Although i didnt understand what u meant by Grade C or above in GCSE is equivalent to GCE O Level. What grade of GCE is grade C of GCSE equivalent to? Can u elaborate it please?? Thanks

Reply 4

JrW

14

I think the standard of O Levels is greater than GCSEs purely because GCSEs were introduced to amalgamate the old O Levels and CSEs

Reply 5

kellywood_5

17

Munna

Thanks! Although i didnt understand what u meant by Grade C or above in GCSE is equivalent to GCE O Level. What grade of GCE is grade C of GCSE equivalent to? Can u elaborate it please?? Thanks

At GCSE, there are 8 different grades: A*, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. A* is the best and G is the worst. Technically they are all passes, but only grades A*, A, B and C are considered worth having and only these grades are the equivalent to O-levels.

Reply 6

EconLou

12

O Levels are still offered by cambridge international (www.cie.org.uk) In general, they are more challenging that GCSEs and *i think* dont involve coursework.

Reply 7

PQ

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

21

Roughly the two compare as:
Grade A O level = grade A GCSE
Grade C O level = grade B GCSE
Grade E O level = grade C GCSE

A* was originally introduced as the top 5% of scores in a GCSE subject.

Reply 8

username5154

15

The equivalents are quite big of a gap for grade C in O-level and grade E in O-level.

Reply 9

usa1981

15

So what would a B and a D grades be at O-Level / GCSE ?

Reply 10

Godmaster

7

trev

The equivalents are quite big of a gap for grade C in O-level and grade E in O-level.

I think it really depends on the subject and content covered to be honest..for example i would argue that english language is definitely harder at GCSE level than at O level from a personal point of view at looking at both papers..however because you cannot compare the academic ability of both cohorts then the grade boundaries and thus grades cannot be compared

A good example of this would be in maths... Edexcel GCSE maths is very very hard (at higher level) but because the cohort isnt ready to answer AS type questions (last 2-3pages of the paper) they leave it blank! (even A* ppl) and the boundaries for A*/A were around 70% for A* 55% for A. However when you look at GCE O level maths for Edexcel, there is more AS level content included but the cohort handle it well so even an A grade would require more than 70% to get. Its not really how hard the exam is..its how well you prepare for it to be honest. GCSE's focus more on how much you know whereas GCE O levels were always about what you are missing in your knowledge...(negative marking is absent at GCSE whereas at O level they actually cut marks off for errors)

Reply 11

toodadoo

Sorry to bring this thread back from it's grave but I'm wondering the same thing right now.

I got 3 A's and 3 B's for my GCE O' Level (and 1 A* GCSE)

So is that:
1.) Great
2.) Good
3.) Bad

I understand that it isn't easy to answer my question so let me rephrase it.

Are my GCE O'level grades good enough for the more competitive universities?

Thanks

Whats the difference b/w GCSE and GCE O Level?

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