ELI5: What are GCSE's?

Formal education is begun one year earlier in the UK than in the US as far as I'm aware, so it actually goes up to Year 13, not 12. The UK education system is split into five 'key stages':

  • KS1 (Years 1-2)
  • KS2 (Years 3-6)
  • KS3 (Years 7-9)
  • KS4 (Years 10-11)
  • KS5 (Years 12-13)

Each key stage was traditionally terminated by examinations: 'SATS' terminating KS1, KS2 and KS3; 'GCSEs' terminating KS4; and 'A-Levels' (aka 'GCEs') terminating KS5. The only exams that actually matter though are GCSEs and A-Levels, and the KS3 SATS have been abolished.

Regarding schools, it depends. Primary Schools always cover KS1-KS2 (i.e. Years 1-6, and generally also a Nursery and Reception for children below Year 1).

Secondary Schools will almost always cover KS3-KS4 (i.e. Years 7-11). Some Secondary Schools also have a 'Sixth Form', which covers KS5. However, some do not, which means that students either need to go to a school that does have a Sixth Form, or go to a special college, which may or may not be a Sixth Form college. 'Sixth Form' generally has an academic connotation in the UK - 'normal' colleges might offer more vocational qualifications as an alternative to A-Levels. But to clarify, when people in the UK talk about college, 99% of the time they are referring to a school for students in Years 12-13.

University is completely separate from the secondary education system. Your A-Level (and to a lesser extent, GCSE) exam results have a big influence on which universities you can get into, but it doesn't affect your grades once you're at university.

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