So I know it is not the same as the U.S. We go grade 1 - 12. And I know that England goes by years. But do they just call them years in stead of grades? So somebody equivalent to being in 9th grade will be like year 9? So what year will you be on when you are at the age of 14? Also how does the grades work? In the U.S. We have GPA's (Grade point average) 4 being the best and 0 being that you are stupid. How will it work in England?
Other - United Kingdom - 2 Answers
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1 :
Our whole schooling system works in a completely different way to the US one. Year 9 for us, would be your 8th grade. Our compulsory school years only go up to Year 11, the school year in which everyone turns 16. During Year 10 and 11 (Grade 9 and 10), we complete our GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). GCSEs involve both exams and Controlled Assessments. These are similar to exams, but we are told what we will be answering before we enter, and in some subjects you are given notes or a dictionary to help. After Year 11, you then have the option to stay on at school for Year 12 and 13 (Grade 11 and 12) to complete A-Levels, or a qualification similar to this, such as a BTEC. After that of course, those who attain good A-Levels can go on to study at University. We don't have GPA's here. From Year 1 to Year 9, we get given National Curriculum Levels. These range from Level 1 to Level 8, Level 8 being the highest possible that you can achieve. However, you can only work your way up these levels as you progress through school. So, you wouldn't be able to get a Level 8 for a subject when you are only in Year 3 (Grade 2). Each of the levels is categorized into letters. A, B and C. A means that someone is achieving well at this level, and is almost ready to move onto the next level (from Level 7 to 8, for example), B means that you are in the middle, and C is what you usually get when you've just moved up to a new level. These levels then help our teachers to see the improvements we've made over our school years, and, at the end of Year 9, it helps them to predict our grades for our GCSEs. Level 8 - A* Level 7 - A Level 6 - B Level 5 - C Level 4 - D Level 3 - E Level 2 - F Level 1 - G And, answering the other question, aged 14, you would be in: Year 9 - If your birthday is between 1st September 1996 and 1st September 1997 Year 10 - If your birthday is between 1st September 1995 and 1st September 1996
2 :
Yes, we call them years, not grades. Primary school (the equivalent of elementary school) consists of 'reception' class (like kindergarten), year 1, year 2, year 3, year 4, year 5 & year 6. Secondary school (equivalent of middle school) is year 7 through to year 11. year 11 in England is eqaul to 10th grade in the US. This is because in England we start school at the ages 4-5 whilst in the US you start at the ages 5-6. If you'll 14 you'll be in year 10 (or nearing the end of year 9). After year 11, when most people are ages 15/16 we are legally allowed to leave school and basically be done with our education for good, however many do go onto further education - such as college, or to sixth form' which for years 12 & 13, to complete A-Level exams. After you've taken A-levels or have some other form of qaulification from college or whatever, you can apply to go to university, which is a different thing from college in England (I think they're more similar in the US?) We don't have GPA's. We are graded on our peices of work but year 7-9 they're only real purpose is for teachers and the school to keep track of how you're doing and your ability level at a subject etc. Grades only really start to matter in year 10 and 11, which are the years you do GCSE exams (these exams are needed to go into most forms or further education e.g. most sixth forms require at least 5 A*-C grades in order to get into them . . . some can be pickier) In year 10 you pick the subjects you want to study for your GCSE's (you generally take about 9 I think, and doing English, maths and science is compulsory). Your final GCSE grade in a subject is usually a combination of your final exam grade, and the grades of your subject coursework (essays and other projects) you've done over the year (some subjects don't require any coursework). Each grade of a piece coursework is a percentage of your final grade (e.g. in English one essay might be 35% of your over all grade, a presentation may count towards 10% and the exam may be 55% of your overall grade. This percentages varies depending on the subject and exam board). The grades range frm grade A - U. Anything above a U is officially considered a pass but like I said, most sixth forms and colleges require you have a certain number of grades C and above. When you take A-levels, in year twelve you take AS exams and in year 13 you take A-level exams. Both equal half of your overall A-level grade. Some subjects require coursework, but not many. In year 12 you generally take about 4 subjects of your choice and so take 4 AS exams. It is common and reccomended that you drop one of these subjects and take only 3 A-level exams in year 13. Most leave sixth form (or college, as you can also take A-levels there) with 3 A levels and 1 AS level. The grades range from A*- U and the grades are then converted into tariff/UCAS points, when appying to university to take a degree. E.g. A university may require you to have at least 300 points in order to take their English course. I believe an A* = 140 points, A= 120, B=100, etc.
