What are secondary schools in the UK like?

Question

I need to know about their system, i.e. how many years, what age do you start, do you have to be a certain age to do GCSEs and A Levels, what grades are there, what are the names for the different years, what are the uniforms like, how many points do you need to get on your A Levels, are they difficult exams, is it a good educational system etc..

I need to know EVERYTHING!!

thanks :D

Answer 1

It depends where abouts in the uk. You say you know about GSCEs but scotland doesn't do them

Answer 2

Rite, well when your about 12 years old, you start secondary school, which is a completely different school.  You usually stay in secondary school for five years, till your 16.  In my school, Year sevens (first years) and Year eights (second years) was called lower school, Year nines,were classed as middle school. When you get to the last years, 10 and 11, this is when you study your GCSE`s more, and when you complete coursework and exams ect. Its about 10 - 11 exams you take.  The uniforms are quite smart,depending on which school. After year 11 ( final year) Yhoo go to whats called collage, which is in a completely differnent building. MOst people do about 4 A-Levels, which is over a 2 year period. About 280-360 points for University is needed, depending which university you go to. They can be hard, but if you study well for them, you will do fine. :D   ANything else you need to know, just let me know ;)  

Answer 3

you start in year 7 at age 12, you then do 5 years compulsary education untill year 11. (so the years are year, 7,8,9,10 and 11)

In year 9 you have to study for SAT exams in Maths English and Science, these exams are asy and hve no effect on yourself they are only used to judge the school)

In year 11 you have to study for GCSEs in all of your chosen subjects (GCSE's are also easy compaired to a-levels and everyone is capable of passing if the revise) You are graded from A* to U, anything from the A* is considered a pass, you need 5 A* to C grades to do A levels.

Once you have complited the compulsary five years there is the option of higher education which is an extra two years, these exams can be done at a colladge or sixthform. In the forst year of a-levels you do your AS exams which is half of your total grade, in the second year you do the A2 exams, these are the second half of the exam.

A-levels are very hard and everyone iv'e asked says that there even harder then universty.

The grades to get into university vary, the better ones like two a's and a B but others will take 2 B's and a C it just depends.

Every school has a differant uniform but most schools have a blazer (normally black) with a white shirt black trowsers or skirt with a tie in the school colours)

Most schools are divided into houses and they compete in sports e.t.c

It is a very good educatinal system however some argue that it is rasist and discriminates other students as it it based around white middle class values.

The education system may soon be changes so it is compulsary to stay in education until your 18 (like in the US)

I hope this helped:)

Answer 4

You start secondary school when you are 11. The academic year is between September and July, when we break up for a six week 'summer holiday'. We have a two week holiday for Christmas, two weeks for Easter and one week off every half term ( a week in October and a week in February). Most pupils take GCSEs when they are in the last year - Year 11, when they 15 or 16. If you are doing extremely well in a subject, the teacher may enter you to do the exam before you get to Year 11.

The schools year groups are :

Year 7 = 11 - 12 years old

Year 8 = 12 - 13 years old

Year 9 = 13 - 14 years old

Year 10 = 14 - 15 years old

Year 11 = 15 - 16 years old

Some school have a Sixth Form which includes,

Year 12 = 16 - 17 years old

Year 13 = 17 - 18 years old

Some schools call the year groups 'forms' or '1st year, 2nd year' etc.

Most school have a uniform. They usually consist of black shoes, trousers/ skirt, shirt, tie, jumper and, in some schools, a blazer. In a lot of schools now it is also acceptable to wear polo shirts and trainers.

Most GCSEs consist of coursework (mainly essays) and a final exam/s. Pupils have a choice of subjects to take, such as French, Geography, Catering, Child Development, History, Hairdressing, German, Spanish, Latin , Italian, Design Technology, ICT, Textiles, Additional Sciences, Statistics, Graphic Design, Art, Resistant Materials, PE, Music, Music Technology etc. In some schools where there are a lot of foreign pupils they may be allowed to take an exam in their own language, eg, Polish. English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and Science are compulsory subjects. In faith schools, Religious Studies may also be compulsory. Also, in Wales - especially Carmarthenshire - Welsh is a compulsory subject.

Pupils can take one of two forms of the exam - Foundation Tier or Higher Tier. Foundation Tier is mainly aimed at less able students and Higher Tier is aimed at more able students.

Foundation Grades are D - G

Higher Grades are A* - C

To do A Levels you must be in college or sixth form - 16, 17, 18, (although people over these ages may also attend college). College usually lasts for two years and most people choose to take 3 or 4 subjects - 1 can be dropped after the first year if you wish. At the end of the first year you take AS Level exams and at the end of the second year you take A Level exams - these are what you need to get in to University.

I believe that it is a good educational system because it gives everyone a fair chance to achieve the grades they need to succeed.  

Answer 5

I know this doesn't answer your question and will receive thumbs down but I don't care.

The UK is made up of 4 different countries, all of which have a different education system.

I hate people who think that it is one country.  Like once I was on holiday and I told someone I was from Scotland, they didn't know where that was so I said the United Kingdom and they said, oh England grrr ...  And I was like no scotland. there is a difference people.

Answer 6

At the age of 16 you would take the certificate of secondary education after this you may go to college or take a another two years of high schools. The systems of the school is a : preschool, primary school, secondary/public school, career and vocational training & university. You must attend school from 5-15 years old. The education is free except for the unverties. To my knowledge only private school require uniforms. The school years lasts 39 weeks.

Answer 7

The Northern Irish secondary schools are quite different to the ones in Scotland and England.

Schools in N. Ireland get some of the best results in the UK, so that's a good thing!  

SCHOOL TYPES: Quite a lot of the schools religious (catholic or protestant usually) but there are some exceptions and you don't have to be religious to attend one of them. There are grammar schools which select students rather than taking anyone. Those students are chosen by the results on a test called the 11+. Apparently, the grammar school system won't be around for much longer though.

AGES: Most secondary schools start at age 11, but I have heard of some starting as late as age 14! People are allowed to leave school at age 16, but lots stay until they're 18.

Year 8 - age 11 - 12 (in England year 8 is called year 7. Confusing...)

Year 9 - age 12 - 13

Year 10 - age 13 - 14

Year 11 - age 14 - 15

Year 12 - age - 15 - 16

Year 13 - age - 16 - 17

Year 14 - age - 17 - 18

The last 2 years (year 13 and year 14) are called the 'Sixth Form'.

EXAMS:

GCSEs are commonly taken from age 14 - 16. It's a 2 year course. For GCSEs, most people do about 8 or nine subjects. There are people who do more, but I wouldn't reccommend doing more than 11 because it'll be too much work. Compulsory subjects are English, Maths, Science, Religious Studies (although you don't always have to do a religious studies exam) and a language like French or German. You can then choose between a list of subjects, including:

Art or Art and Design

Music

P.E - Physical Education

History

Geography

Another language e.g. Spanish, Latin

ICT - Information Communication Technology

Design Technology - This includes things like Textiles andFood Technology

Business Studies

Drama

Media Studies

At GCSE, the grades go from A - G (a U is a fail and it means 'Unclassified') If you want to do well, you should really get between a C and an A*. These are the grades from highest to lowest:

A*

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

A Levels are a bit harder than GCSEs. They are not compulsory and people usually do them in the sixth form, after their GCSEs (ages 16 - 18). AS levels are done in the first year of sixth form. They are seen as 'half an A-level' and therefore 2 AS levels are equivalent to 1 A level. People usually take about 4 AS levels. At the end of the first year, students can leave with just AS levels or continue into the second year (A levels). Most people drop 1 subject and do 3 A levels, but some still do 4 subjects. Second year of A levels is sometimes called A2 levels. The grades are:

A

B

C

D

E

Again, it's best to have C or above. You are also graded out of 300 on something called the UMS (uniform mark scale) and out of 600 marks for the a level. 'Points' are mostly only important if you want to go to university or college and different places ask for a different number of points. Here is how many points you get for each A level grade:

A - 120 points

B - 100 points

C - 80 points

D - 60 points

E - 40 points

There are other types of qualification including vocational certificates and stuff, but most schools just do this.

UNIFORMS: Most schools have smart uniforms e.g. skirt and tights/trousers, a shirt, school jumper, tie etc.

Here are some good websites that explain things:

UCAS (a good site for university applications) http://www.ucas.com/

http://www.qca.org.uk/default.aspx

Answer 8

Heyy..

Ok so in the UK theres primary school, which does years 1-6 (ages 5-11).. after that you join a secondary school which does the compulsary years of 7-11 (ages 11/12-16), then you get to choose if you wish to stay on to do A-levels in the 6th form for another two years 12-13 (ages 16-18). You start a new year at the beginning of september, and have 3 'half terms' throughout the school year (these are a week long, and you have one at the end of october, one during february and one at the end of may). You break up for the Christmas holidays a couple of weeks before christmas, and go back at the beginning of January. You also have 2 weeks off for Easter (exact dates vary). The school year ends around the end of July, and you have a 6 week holiday (summer holiday), until you must return back to school again in september.

Ok so lets break down secondary school into different years and what you do during each one:

Year 7: Ages 11-12: This is your first year at secondary school. You will spend the year settling in and learning a basic curriculum.

Year 8: Ages 12-13: Most people say this is the best year of secondary school as it is probably the easiest - there are no exams to revise for, and you will have settled in by now.

Year 9: Ages 13-14: This is the year you will take your Key Stage 3 SATs. You only take the SATs in the three compulsary subjects of English, Maths and Science. The SATs are graded by 'levels' which range from 3-8. (level 3 is the lowest, and level 8 is the highest). The average 13/14 year old in the UK should be scoring at least level 5 or 6 in their SATs. Before you sit your SATs, you have to choose subects you wish to do for your GCSEs (your choice of subjects excludes maths, science and english, as it is compulsary to do these). The number of subjects you get to pick varies from school to school (i have just completed my GCSEs and was only allowed to pick 3 subjects !).

Year 10: Ages 14-15: This is where the work for GCSEs begin ! Your timetable will be a lottt more specialised in certain subjects, as you will not longer have lessons in the subjects tht you did not pick to do for GCSE.

Year 11: Ages 15-16: This is your final year in compulsary school, and it is the year in which you will actually take your GCSE exams. The year is cut short, as instead of finishing in July with the other years, you will finish at the beginning of May to go on 'Study leave'. This is where you no longer go to school, and instead get time to study and revise for your exams at home (its great haha). You sit your GCSEs in May - June.

GCSE Grades: The grades for GCSE range from A*- U (A*, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, U). A* is the highest, and U is the lowest. the grade 'U' stands for 'Ungraded', and means that you have done so badly in the exam that it doesn't even count to get a grade. The pass mark is C.. so anything grade D or below is counted as a 'fail'. To be able to carry on to go into the 6th form to do A levels, you must get AT LEAST 5 A*-C grades (passes). You get the results for your GCSEs on the 3rd thursday of August (this year im getting my results on the 21st of August.. eek !)

Okkk.. now onto A levels. I don't know as much about these as i am doing these next year, and therefore not experienced them yet, but so far what i do know is that you only take 4. You no longer have to do the compulsary subjects of English, maths or science if you do not wish to. There is also no longer A* in A level.. the highest you can get is an A. There are 2 parts to A levels.. there is the AS level, and the A level. You take the AS level in each subject at the end of Year 12, and if you wish to carry on to get the full A level you take it at the end of year 13. You need A levels to get into university.

Hope this helps ! :) x