6 ms·

What are A levels, by the way? I hear this a lot on British television but have no context.

• nicoburns 2y ago
  The highest qualification you'll get from a school in the UK. Typically studied for between ages 16-18. They are the most common qualification used for university entry by students who go through the UK school system. Unlike some other systems where students stud a broad spectrum of subjects (with core subjects like maths, english and science being compulsory), students typically only study 3 (or maybe 4) subjects a A level (with subjects being things like "maths", "geography", "chemistry", etc), with no compulsory subjects.
• marcus_holmes 2y ago
  Britain used to have "Ordinary level" (O levels) at age ~16 and "Advanced level" exams (A levels) at ~18. Students usually studied 5-8 O levels and then either left school to pursue a career or went on to study (usually) 3 A levels and go to university. O levels got replaced back in the 80's. A levels never got renamed.
  • giobox 2y ago
    This was certainly the case in most of Britain. Scotland has a separate education system from England and has today and historically offered different high school level qualifications ("Highers" etc).
    • marcus_holmes 2y ago
      Sorry, yes, my bad. Thank your for the correction
• SamBam 2y ago
  Kind of like APs, except that you typically study only 3, sometimes 4 subjects for the final two years of high school and then take final exams. So for my final two years of high school, I only studies math, physics and bio. In the same way that an AP can sometimes give you a semester's credit at a university, an A-Level can sometimes give you a full year's credit. (Only in US universities, though. In the UK you're expected to have done them, so you don't get extra credit. Though, for the same reason, a bachelors degree in the UK is typically only three years, not four.)