Colleges
| Colleges |
GCSE |
GCE A-levels |
Foundation |
Diploma |
| Abbey College |
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| Ashbourne College (London) |
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| Badminton School (Bristol) |
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| Bellerbys College |
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| Bromsgrove School (Worcestershire) |
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| Buckswood School (Hastings) |
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| Cambridge Education Group |
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| Cambridge Tutors College |
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| Caterham School (Surrey) |
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| Chichester College |
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| City College Brighton and Hove |
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| Concord College (Shropshire) |
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| GEMS Bolitho School |
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| Hartpury College |
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| Highbury College |
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| Moira House Girls School |
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| Newcastle College |
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| Princess Helena College (Hertfordshire) |
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| Queen Ethelburga's College |
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| Rossall School (Lancashire) |
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| St. Dominic's Sixth Form College |
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| Stevenson College, Edinburgh |
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* |
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| Wiltshire College |
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| Wycliffe College (Gloucestershire) |
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| York College |
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√* University of Edinburgh Foundation
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the name of a set of English qualifications, whose exams are taken by students at the age of 16 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Virtually all candidates take GCSEs in English, Mathematics and Science. Students can then fill the remainder of their timetable (normally totalling nine different subjects) with their own choice of subjects. There is the choice of over 40 academic and eight 'applied' subjects. The applied subjects are related to a broad area of work, such as engineering or tourism. Schools usually offer about twenty subjects.
GCSEs are usually assessed by exams at the end of the course while the students complete coursework during the course. Some modular GCSEs are assessed by regular end-of-module tests.
At the end of the two-year GCSE course, each student receives a grade for each subject. The pass grades, from best to worst, are:
A*
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Those who fail a course are given a U (unclassified) and the subject is not included on their certificates.
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GCE A-levels
A levels matter and are regarded as the 'gold standard' of secondary education, a passport to top universities. Three A-levels, with good grades (in addition to at least one AS- level), are now needed to get into most top university courses. A levels consist of AS (advanced subsidiary) and A2 units.
On both AS and A-level courses, students receive classroom and laboratory tuition, and are also encouraged to work independently and undertake research for topical projects, frequently outside school hours. Educational visits may be part of the timetable.
In the first year (usually year 12), students choose to study up to five subjects and sit AS level exams. In the second year students usually study three A levels.
There are some 40 A-level subjects, both academic and vocational; most sixth forms in the book offer 20-25. There are A-levels in all the traditional school subjects (English, history, chemistry etc) as well as many others such as business studies, classical studies, media studies and psychology.
Assessment is based on a mixture of 70 per cent written exams and 30 per cent coursework. For subjects such as Science and Art practical skills are also evaluated. Examinations are independently marked and graded.
AS and A levels are graded A-E. Most results are announced in August with a minority of results coming out in March of each year.
Most schools help match A-level choices with what the student wants to do after school, as well as their aptitudes. It is worth finding out which subjects and - most important - which combinations of subjects are available; some schools have an arts or science bias.
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