A-level
The A-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational authorities of British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education. They were introduced in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 1951 to replace the Higher School Certificate. The A-level permits students to have potential access to a chosen university they applied to with UCAS points. They could be accepted into it should they meet the requirements of the university.
A number of Commonwealth countries have developed qualifications with the same name as and a similar format to the British A-levels. Obtaining an A-level, or equivalent qualifications, is generally required across the board for university entrance, with universities granting offers based on grades achieved.
A-levels are typically worked towards over two years. Normally, students take three or four A-level courses in their first year of sixth form, and most taking four cut back to three in their second year. This is because university offers are normally based on three A-level grades, and taking a fourth can have an impact on grades. Unlike other level-3 qualifications, such as the International Baccalaureate, A-levels have no specific subject requirements, so students have the opportunity to combine any subjects they wish to take. However, students normally pick their courses based on the degree they wish to pursue at university: most degrees require specific A-levels for entry.
In legacy modular courses, A-levels are split into two parts, with students within their first year of study pursuing an Advanced Subsidiary qualification, commonly referred to as an AS or AS-level, which can either serve as an independent qualification or contribute 40% of the marks towards a full A-level award. The second part is known as an A2 or A2-level, which is generally more in-depth and academically rigorous than the AS. The AS and A2 marks are combined for a full A-level award. The A2-level is not a qualification on its own and must be accompanied by an AS-level in the same subject for certification.
A-level exams are a matriculation examination and can be compared to matura, the Abitur or the Baccalauréat.
Current usage
Several countries use A-levels as a school-leaving qualification. However, A levels are mainly taken in the UK. The A-levels taken by students in other countries may differ from the A-levels taken in the United Kingdom.International usage
Many schools in countries world-wide offer A-Levels through international cross-border exam boards, which include Cambridge International Education, Pearson Edexcel, Learning Resource Network and OxfordAQA.United Kingdom
A-levels are a college or sixth form leaving qualification offered in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. These are not compulsory, unlike GCSEs. In Scotland, A-levels are also offered by some schools as an alternative school-leaving qualification in place of the Scottish Advanced Higher. The main examination boards which administer British A-levels in the UK are:- Assessment and Qualifications Alliance
- Oxford, Cambridge, and RSA Examinations
- Edexcel
- Welsh Joint Education Committee
- Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment
- Cambridge International Education
- Learning Resource Network
The British variant of A/AS-levels is also taken in many Commonwealth and former Commonwealth countries, as well as in examination centers worldwide. British international schools in foreign countries generally offer the British A-levels as offered through Edexcel or Cambridge International Examinations. At select examination centers, the British A-level exams may also be available to private candidates.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, the GCE AS and A-level are offered by Cambridge International Education and Pearson Edexcel after completion of IGCSE or Cambridge O-Level, and is conducted by the British Council. GCE Advanced Level qualifications are offered by some of the private, public, and international schools as an alternative to HSC offered by the Government Board of Education. It has become a popular choice among students, but due to financial implications, its reach is limited to the middle and upper classes in major cities such as Dhaka and Chittagong.Brunei
In Brunei, the A-level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge International Education. Some subjects are unique to Brunei or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Brunei.Cameroon
The Advanced Level of Cameroon is based on the Cambridge International Education and similarly, conducted by the government of Cameroon in collaboration with Cambridge University. All the courses taken are related to what the candidate is willing to pursue a career in university and these courses are on a recognizable international standard for university entrance; as they are major relevant courses.Hong Kong
The British A-level qualifications such as GCE A-level and International A-level are widely accepted in Hong Kong as an alternative to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education for both admission and employment purposes. It is one of the most popular qualifications used for university admission via the non-JUPAS channel. For example, average non-JUPAS offers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology require one to three A*s. Since the introduction of the high distinction grade in 2010, the British A-level examination has regained its power to differentiate the very top levels of ability. According to the British Department for Education, in the academic year 2014/15, approximately 7.3%, 2.7%, 1.0%, and 0.3% of all the candidates from the GCSE cohort achieved one to four A*s or a better result in the GCE A-level examination. This percentile rank is one important input for equating the levels in both examinations. On the sole basis of percentile ranks and the grade statistics from HKEAA in 2017, a score of 29/35 from the best five subjects in Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education is comparable to 1A*2A in the best three British A-levels, 32/35 to 2A*1A, 33/35 to 3A* and 34/35 to 4A*. In deriving inferences from these statistics, it is important to note that slightly more than a third of the GCSE candidates can go on to study in the sixth form before applying to universities via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service while almost all Hong Kong students can study Form 6 before sitting the HKDSE examination.Relevant authorities such as the Hong Kong Examination and Assessment Authority and UCAS also sought to connect the results from both exam systems to open doors for the holders of these qualifications who wish to study locally or overseas. Officially, the top distinction levels, A* in A-level and 5** in HKDSE, are currently recognized as broadly equivalent. In particular, in the light of statistical evidence, the 1% cut-off line is often set by admission offices at 2A*1A as compared to a score of 43/45 in the International Baccalaureate Diploma but the Uniform Mark Scale instead of the letter grades would be used in many cases to offer a much more subtle view of the candidate's academic potential. Typical offers from Cambridge Medical School require 2A*1A and Oxford University Medical School require 1A*2A whereas those from the medical and dentistry schools of the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong require 4A* and 3A* respectively in A-level due to fierce competition.