A LEVELS
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UK SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

Starting school aged 5/6 years old, students must remain for approximately 11 years until they are 16. Most students will have experienced ‘pre-school’ education for some or all of the time between the ages of 2 and 5 years old. Most students will sit for the GCSE (general certificate of education) or Key Stage 4 (see next paragraph) exams at the age of 16.

Before they enter university, students will normally pass through a series of 5 Key Stage examinations: KS1 at 7 years of age, KS2 at 11, KS3 at 14 KS4 (GCSE) at 16 and KS5 (A levels) at 18.

A levels are thus the final stage of education before starting university where students will normally study for 3 years before gaining their undergraduate degree qualification.

Students will normally study for 2 years at A level, although Ashbourne and a few other private colleges in the UK, offer more flexible course for 18 months (beginning in January) or 1 year (beginning in September).

A levels are unique because students need only study 3 or 31/2 subjects. For most teenagers this is a real benefit because they may focus on the subjects which interest them and avoid subjects which don’t. No other country offers this degree of specialization so young.

This focus notwithstanding, students have a vast array of subjects from which they may choose:
Mathematics, sciences and computing
Economics, business studies, accounting and law
English literature and modern languages including Japanese, Russian and Chinese
Humanities including, history, politics, geography, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and classical civilization
Art and Design, including, painting, 3D design, graphic design, film, photography, fashion and textiles, history of art and media studies.

It is this choice and focus which distinguishes the UK system.