GCE Advanced Level
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The Advanced Level (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level), usually abbreviated as A-level, is, along with the International Baccalaureate (IB), the highest qualification in the school system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, it is equivalent to the Advanced Higher Grade. A-levels, introduced in 1951, can be taken in a variety of subjects. Many universities expect certain minimum A-level grades. The degree is comparable to the German Abitur or the Austrian and Swiss Matura.
Since the introduction of the 2000 curriculum in 2001, a course consisting of six modules must be completed over the course of two years in order to obtain an A-level. The first three modules are assessed after the first year and form a separate degree as AS-level, the three modules of the second year are assessed as A2-level. A-level is awarded if you have completed an AS-level and an A2-level in the same subject. It is also possible to repeat AS module courses in the second year if the first year examination results did not meet the student's expectations.
→ Main article: the English General Certificate of Education (GCE)
English students usually take three to four subjects in the last two years of school, which can be chosen freely (there is no compulsion to take a foreign language or a science as in Germany). The completion of these subjects (the A-Levels) then also generally only qualifies students to study certain subject areas.
The assessment is not done with the grades 1-6 (where 1 is the best grade) as in Germany, but from A to E. An A is awarded if at least 80% of the maximum possible points are achieved. One still passes with an E, for which one has to reach 40 %. The worst grade is unclassified. A small table for illustration:
From the 2010 examinations there is an additional A*, for which 90% is required. The introduction of this 'super grade' was considered necessary because too many A's had been achieved in recent years, making it difficult to differentiate between top candidates. This grade is only awarded at A2 and the AS modules do not apply to this.
The IB is also now offered at an increasing number of schools in the UK.
