UK education system

There are 4 stages to the UK education system. Students are assessed at the end of each stage:
The first significant assessment occurs at the end of Secondary level with GCSE exams (General Certificate of Secondary Education). Students are then able to progress to Sixth Form. On completion of their Sixth Form studies, most students can progress straight to University.

Secondary Education

UK students usually begin a 2-year GCSE programme at age 14, with exams that test knowledge and skill. In secondary schools, GCSE courses are taken in a variety of subjects, which are usually decided by the students themselves in Year 9 (age 14). Typically, study of chosen subjects begins at the start of Year 10 (age 15), and final examinations are then taken at the end of Year 11 (age 16). The number of subjects a student studies at GCSE level can vary. Usually somewhere between eight and ten subjects are studied, though it is not uncommon for more, or fewer, subjects to be studied. Virtually all students take GCSEs in English, mathematics and science. In many subjects, there are two different 'tiers' of examination offered:

• Higher, where students can achieve grades A*–D
• Foundation, where they can achieve grades C–G

Further education

Receiving five or more A*–C grades, including English and Maths, is often a requirement for taking A-levels in the school sixth form, at a sixth form college or at a further education college after leaving secondary school. An A-level consists of six modules studied over two years. Normally, three modules are assessed at the end of the first year, and make up a stand-alone qualification called the "AS-level". Another three modules are assessed at the end of the second year, which make up the "A2". A2 modules do not form a qualification in their own right; the satisfactory completion of the AS and A2 modules in the same subject is required to constitute a complete A-level.
Modules are assessed by exam papers marked by national organisations and internally-assessed coursework. The number of A-level exams taken by students can vary. A typical route is to study four subjects at AS-level and then drop down to three at A2 level, although some students continue with their fourth subject. Three is usually the minimum number of A-levels required for university entrance, with some universities specifying the need for a fourth AS subject.

University admissions

Because A-level students often apply to universities before they have taken their final exams, British universities consider predicted A-level results when deciding whether applicants should be offered places. The predictions are made by students' teachers and can be unreliable. Thus, the acceptance of a student onto a course will normally be conditional on him or her actually achieving a minimum set of grades (for example, conditional offer of three A-levels at grades B-B-C). Universities may specify which subjects they wish these grades to be in (for example, conditional offer of grades A-A-B with a grade A in Mathematics).

LIST OF GCSE SUBJECTS
LIST OF ADVANCED LEVEL SUBJECTS