Discovering the U.K.

The school year comprises of three terms, running from September to July. State schools generally open early in September, but there are some geographic variations. There are holidays of two to three weeks at Christmas and Easter, and five to six weeks during the summer with a half-term break in late October, February, and May. Independent schools usually open in mid or late September and have longer holidays at Christmas, Easter, and summer although the half term break is seldom more than a week long. Some independent schools for boys have lessons on Saturday mornings during the term. The academic year for the universities runs from early October to early June. 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 5.5 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.

© 2016 Dwellworks

Page 26

Discovering the U.K.