English School Qualifications Explained:

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Students in the UK take GCSE exams at 16 after 11 years of schooling. Compulsory subjects are English Language, Mathematics and Science. Most students take 9 or 10 subjects which are graded A*ABC / DEFGU. Universities consider A*ABC passes for university entrance. GCSEs are normally taught over a two year period.

If you have come to the UK at the age of 14 or younger you will take GCSEs in the same way as English students at the age of 16. You will then go on to study A Levels..

If you come to the UK at age 15 and English is not your first language, you will be able to do a reduced number of GCSEs which should include Mathematics, Science and English ( 1, 2 or 3 GCSE subjects). You may also be able to take the International GCSE exam in English as a Second Language (IGCSE ESL). There are two types of college which accept students to do GCSEs in one year:

• International Study Centres
• Tutorial Colleges

You will not be at a disadvantage when you apply for a UK university if you have a small number of GCSEs. They will be more interested in your A Level results. They will however be very interested to know the level of your English.

Advanced Levels: A Levels

A Levels are taught over a two year period. The U.K. system of school leaving exams are very different from the rest of the world. In England and Wales, students take four subjects at A Level from a choice of over 40 subjects.

A Levels have two components:

• Advanced Subsidiary = 50% of the whole A Level and usually taken at the end of the first year of study
• A2 Levels = 50% of the whole A Level and taken at the end of the second year.

Typically, international students will take 3 or 4 A Levels. They may take an A Level in their own language e.g Russian, Mandarin, German, Italian, French or Spanish. Most English students take 3 full A Levels and one AS subject which they drop at the end of the first year of study.

English Language

You will not be able to achieve good grades at A Level unless your English is of an advanced level. Your English will improve very quickly once you are studying in English but you will need to have English of an Upper Intermediate level or 5.5 IELTS score to start an A Level course. You must also make sure that your A Level course includes a course to prepare you to sit one of the examinations suitable for university entrance in English as a foreign language.

If you are not sure of your level of English, click here for to do an English Language Assessment Test: www.tesol-course.org/placement/

If your English is yet of a higher intermediate level, you are advised that you should go to a language school before you start your A Levels. Gabbitas is able to advise you about which language school would be the best for you. Please click here for further information about English Language Schools

English Language Exams

All U.K. universities require international students whose first language is not English to have passed one of the following English Language exams:

• IELTS: http://www.ielts.org/
• Cambridge Advanced: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/general-english/cae.html
• Cambridge Proficiency: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/exams/general-english/cpe.html
• TOEFL: www.ets.org/toefl/

Click here for a more information about A Levels: A Levels Explained