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Key Stages in the British Education System
We know that whilst the British education system is very familiar to us at Perrott Hill British School Prague it can be unfamiliar to many of our families from around the world.
The first thing to understand is how the British system is divided into Key Stages. In Secondary Schools these usually look as below, although in some schools Key Stage 4 begins in Year 9.
| Student Age in September | British Year | British Key Stage | British System Examinations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Year 7 | Key Stage 3 | |
| 12 | Year 8 | Key Stage 3 | |
| 13 | Year 9 | Key Stage 3 | |
| 14 | Year 10 | Key Stage 4 | |
| 15 | Year 11 | Key Stage 4 | (i)GCSE |
| 16 | Year 12 | Key Stage 5 / Sixth Form | |
| 16 | Year 13 | Key Stage 5 / Sixth Form | A Level |
As you can see, formal external examinations are taken at the end of Key Stage 4 (GCSEs or IGCSEs) and Key Stage 5 (A levels).
What does studying IGCSEs look like as a student?
During Key Stage 4 students continue to study a broad range of subjects as they have in earlier years. All students study the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science, as well languages, Global Perspectives and Physical Education (PE, which is not examined). However, they are able to begin to focus exercise some choice based on which subjects they enjoy by choosing a number of optional subjects and dropping some subjects which they are less interested in.
Students are continually assessed throughout their studies to inform their teachers, the students and their parents of their progress and areas where they must focus their efforts to improve. However, students’ final IGCSE grades are awarded based on their achievement in the examinations which they sit at the end of the course, which are set and marked by the examination board, not the school. In the case of PHBS the examination board is the world renowned Cambridge International Examinations.
And what about A levels?
A levels are the usual graduating qualification for students in the UK and at British schools around the world. As students begin studying A levels they need to make a decision about what area they wish to focus on for their degree. Do they want to focus on Science? On Business and Finance? Or in another area. The reason for this is that students generally only study three or four subjects at A level (and in addition second language English speakers are likely to continue studying English).
This focus on an area, via a small number of subjects is a key aspect of the British A level system. It means that students are studying the subjects in great depth and enables UK universities to offer degree courses which are three years long and focus immediately on one, or at most two subjects.
The need to focus can make some students and parents nervous, but I have generally found that if students don’t yet know what they want to study as a degree they should simply choose subjects which they enjoy. The choice of degree subject will generally resolve itself in their minds during the first year of the A level course. This is what I did and it did me no harm at all. In addition, it is worth remembering that the same choice of A level subjects can lead to a broad range of different degrees. For instance Maths, Physics and Chemistry (my A level subjects) could have led me to degrees including (at least) Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering or Computer Science.
Students are continually assessed throughout their A level studies to inform their teachers, the students and their parents of their progress and areas for further development. Students’ final A level grades are awarded depending on their achievement in the examinations which they sit at the end of the course. These are set and marked by the examination board, not the school. In the case of PHBS the examination board is Cambridge International Examinations.
Given that A level grades are recognised and accepted by 1000s of universities all over the world, for many students it is the grades which they achieve on their A level examinations which will determine their final university entrance and destination.