If you intend to become a student at a British university, then you are well aware of the long preparation you have to go through before the dream of being a student becomes a reality. Perhaps the most milestone in the entire admission process, one can name the successful passing of the A-level exams.

This is a national British program, under which foreign students are also entitled to study. By A-level program is distinguished by in-depth specialization, as high school students choose 3-4 subjects, which in the future will become their field of study at a university or college. This significantly distinguishes the A-level program from a similar IB course ( International Baccalaureate), where the number of subjects studied is an order of magnitude larger.

Main features of the program

  • As a rule, the course starts in September and lasts two years (6 semesters). Documents are accepted in the spring. Therefore, if you are in 11th grade and want to start in September, you must submit grades for 10th grade.
  • Class sizes in colleges and training centers where training takes place is small and does not exceed 4-10 people.
  • The average academic workload is 20-25 hours per week (plus homework and, if necessary and provided for by the program, individual lessons).
  • Students take exams at the end of each year of study, the results of which are very important for further admission to the bachelor's degree.

Requirements for entering the A-level

  • completed secondary education with a high score of the certificate;
  • IELTS result not less than 5.5;
  • age from 16 years;
  • letters of recommendation from the previous place of study.

The A-level program in the UK includes 45 subjects from various areas knowledge. The student chooses his specialization already at this stage. Successful completion of the first year of study leads to an As-Level degree. Individual universities willing to accept students with such a degree, but this is the exception rather than the rule. In this case, a prerequisite is to obtain the highest scores for the exams.

After passing the classic two-year program, exams are taken, the results of which are evaluated according to A-E scale(desc) Different universities in England have different requirements for A-level grades, but their level is key for admission. The results are recognized in many countries around the world.

The cost of the A-level year starts from 5-6 and ends with 40-50 thousand pounds, depending on the provision of a boarding house in addition to training, as well as the prestige of the educational institution itself.

The education system in England has been developing for many centuries and today is one of the best in the world, meeting high quality standards. Streamlining was achieved after the adoption of the first important legal act in this area, namely the Law on Education in 1944. From this began a glorious story.

Education in England today is compulsory for all citizens of the country at the age of five to sixteen. In structure educational system two sectors are distinguished: public and private ( paid training). In general, two systems function in the state, on which educational process: one of them operates directly in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and the second - in Scotland.

Secondary education

Schools in England are very diverse. Boarding schools are common, where students not only receive knowledge, but also live. Such educational institutions appeared in Britain in the period early medieval, mainly they were opened at monasteries. And from the twelfth century, the Pope introduced the obligation for all Benedictine monasteries to create charitable schools. Later, they began to charge a fee for training.

At first, in aristocratic families, the belief prevailed that it was better for children to study at home than in monastic schools, but then the understanding came that, regardless of origin, it is better for children to acquire knowledge together with their peers. This opinion became the foundation for the formation and development of privileged boarding houses, some of which function to this day and have been teaching and nurturing the elite of British modern society for more than a thousand years.

Classification

The education system in England includes:

1. Preschool institutions.

2. Full cycle schools for children aged three to eighteen.

3. Institutions for junior schoolchildren, which are divided into Junior Schools and Primary Schools.

  • Junior Schools cater for children aged seven to thirteen. They are taught a special general initial cycle of subjects, and ends with an exam, the successful passing of which is necessary in order to enter the high school.
  • Primary Schools accepts children between the ages of four and eleven. In the second and sixth years of study, SATs are taken - they, as in the previous case, are needed for admission to high school.

4. Institutions for senior students are divided into Senior Schools, Secondary School and Grammar School.

  • Senior Schools are for children thirteen to eighteen years old. In such schools, teenagers first study for two years, then take the GCSE exams, after which they go through another two-year training program.
  • Secondary School provides an opportunity for education to children from eleven years old.
  • Children from the age of eleven also study at the Grammar School, but there are in-depth programs here. In such a school, you can even get a full preparation for entering a higher educational institution.

5. University preparation schools are for older teenagers between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.

In addition, in the United Kingdom, schools are classified according to the gender of the students. There are separate schools for boys and girls, as well as mixed schools. There are many supporters of separate education for children of different sexes in the country, who argue their position by the fact that boys and girls develop differently physically and emotionally, and in the case of separate education, they do not have to adapt to each other.

in England

It can be obtained from both private and public schools. Often, the British send their children to nurseries and kindergartens at the age of three or four years. Preschool education in England, it continues until the child reaches the age of seven and includes learning to read, write, and count. As a rule, the development of children occurs in game form. Many private schools in the country have preparatory classes for children from the age of five. Upon graduation, children continue to receive primary and secondary education in the same educational institutions.

Primary School

As already mentioned, most parents send their children to school as early as five years old (preparatory classes). In general, in England, it begins at the age of seven and continues until the children reach the age of eleven. After that, the children go to classes high school usually within the same institution. In this sense, education in Russia and England is not much different. The kids study mathematics, English, music, geography, history, art and industry technology. Required Items parents choose themselves.

high school

It should be noted that education in England is in English, and for children under the age of sixteen it is mandatory. Secondary schools educate teenagers between the ages of eleven and sixteen and prepare them for the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) or National Certificate of Excellence. professional qualifications(GNVQ).

Secondary education in England, as one of its most important tasks, is responsible for the formation of independent, self-confident, creative people. At school, students master a general special cycle of training in various subjects, followed by exams. In order to successfully pass the exams (in seven to nine subjects), which is necessary for admission to high school, students begin preparing for them from the age of fourteen.

University Preparation School

Upon completion of the compulsory education cycle, sixteen-year-old boys and girls can either go to work or continue their education in sixth form- a school where preparation for entering a university is carried out. Those who wish are invited to master the two-year A-levels course, which involves passing two exams: after the first year of study - AS, and after the second year of study - A2-levels. In the first year, four or five subjects are studied, and in the second, three or four. At the same time, their students choose independently from fifteen to twenty proposed options, there are no compulsory disciplines. Thus, young people determine their future specialization, to which they will devote three to five years of study at a higher educational institution.

Foreign students usually begin their education in England with a two-year A-level course.

Vocational and higher education

Great Britain has more than six hundred private and public universities and colleges where young people can find a profession. Educational institutions offer the most different Walkthrough A-levels preparatory course gives students the opportunity to receive either professional or higher education in England. The first is to take the course. vocational training in the chosen specialty, and the second already includes undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and MBA programs.

Tuition payment

Education in England is paid both for its citizens and for foreigners, but for the latter its cost is much higher. Citizens of the country have the opportunity to study on credit, and the state requires its return only if, after receiving a diploma, a person can get a job with a salary of at least 21,000 pounds a year. Otherwise, you don't need to repay the debt. IN Lately in the English parliament, disputes about whether or not to increase the cost of education do not subside, and many deputies are inclined to believe that it should be increased.

International assessment of the quality of educational services

Conducted international studies show that in the last decade the quality of secondary education in England has a negative trend in relation to the preparation for universities of school graduates. As far as higher education is concerned, international rankings higher educational institutions Great Britain traditionally occupies the second or third position.

Why do we need an advanced level in schools in England? The fact is that in the UK students study according to the secondary education program - General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) ) from fourteen to sixteen years of age. In fact, from this moment on, students can consider their basic education completed. It is enough to work as a driver, a factory worker, to perform the simplest functions social worker etc. However, those students who, after leaving school in England, would like tocontinue their studies at a UK universitytake a two year course Advance Level (Advanced level),which, in fact, is preparatory foruniversity. At this stage, the student determines whichspecialty he would like to study at the university, anddeeply studies in the first year ( AS-Level ) four items, and on second (A - Level ), usually 3 items. There are alsoexceptions. For example, for admission to medicalspecialty and in the second year they study 4 subjects. Foreconomic specialties at the university are chosen,usually history, economics, foreign language, mathematics, for natural science - physics, chemistry, mathematics,history, for medicine -biology, chemistry, mathematics,literature, history, etc.

The choice of subjects is the key to successful admission to the university. There are subjects that are indicators of the overall intellectual development of the student. Such as mathematics, higher mathematics, history, foreign language. Therefore, if a student, for example, wants to get a law degree, the choice of mathematics and higher mathematics is a good one, since mathematics is a subject that objectively reflects the student's level of achievement.

Additional subjects are selected based on the specialty of the student. This is usually general subjects- literature, economics, history, etc. Schools in England offer up to 45 subjects A-Level from which the student can choose the most suitable for him.

Requirements for admission to A-Level.

  • Age 16;
  • Knowledge in English(preferably at least 6.0 IELTS);
  • Average score of the certificate of secondary education GPA (Grade Point Average) ) is approximately 3.0 on the British scale.

We pay attention that if a student is 16 years old, then theoretically, one can be accepted to A-Level , even if there is no secondary education in Russia or the UK, and even an official English test. Everything depends on the position of the school, its interest in the student, his prospects, etc.

This material is useful to everyone who enters the "sixth form" (6th Form) in private school England. Recall that the 6th form is a two-year pre-university training program for children aged 16 to 18. In other words, these are the last two years of study (12th and 13th year) at school before entering the university.

In this article, we pursue the following goal: to explain to parents and their children what is the main difference between the A-Level and IB programs. Which program to choose A-Level or IB and why.

Let's start by reviewing each program.

A Level

A-Level program is enough for a long time served as the "standard" for pre-university preparation and British school education. In order to get into this program, English students had to be in without fail complete the GCSE program (13-15) and pass many exams (from 9 to 12) in various subjects.

At the A-Level itself, students are offered several disciplines to study (from 4 subjects), which children must choose with the expectation of future profession and a specific direction of further study at the university (specialization or course / faculty). For example, children who are inclined towards exact and natural sciences can only study physics, mathematics, biology and chemistry. Children prone to the humanities can learn languages ​​(English, French, Russian, Spanish, etc.). Or, children who are interested in an economics major should study math, economics, politics, and English.

It should be noted that this specificity of the course differs markedly, for example, from Russian program from 10th to 11th grade, where children study more than 4 disciplines and can be said to be "scattered" on subjects they do not need. The purpose of the A-Level is to give children the opportunity to study their chosen subjects in more depth, because we are talking exclusively about a narrow specialization (4 subjects). And, on the one hand, this should be a certain advantage when entering a university (narrow and specific specialization). But, on the other hand, over the past few years, this program has been criticized by many. This is due to its relative simplicity and at the same time with excessive "specialization" (children may not study subjects important for later life: give up mathematics or English, or natural sciences). Still, children should receive the most "versatile" education at school and in no case should they refuse (as A-Level allows) from specific disciplines. And all because such objects allow you to develop intellectually. And if, for example, at the age of 16 you refuse to study mathematics (even at the standard level), then, alas, this may entail the loss of future career opportunities.

On the other hand, the number of subjects that can be studied at the A-Level is not limited. Therefore, a student can always combine in the program the subjects necessary for intellectual development and for admission to a university.

Private schools in England generally recommend making a balanced choice of subjects on the A-Level program. In the first year (it is called AS), children are recommended to take 4 subjects. Pass exams at the end of the year (usually the exam session begins in mid / end of May), get the results in August and then decide which subjects to study in the second year. In the second year (it is called A2), private schools recommend leaving only 3 subjects that will be studied further and in which the child showed the best (usually) results (or which are easy for the child). At the end of the second year, the student takes exams in the subjects of the second part, the grades are combined (together with the first year) and the total score for each discipline is displayed.

It is worth noting that children submit results for the first year of study (AS) to the university (through UCAS), on the basis of which the school puts predicted grades.

It happens that some schoolchildren study 4 or (sometimes) even 5 subjects in two years. This can be very difficult for some children, so this can be regarded as somewhat of an exception.

Useful:

  • Mathematics A-Level - all modules: Core, Mechanics, Statistics and others. Individual lessons with a tutor, aimed at the maximum result. average rating A.
  • Chemistry A-Level: classes with a professional tutor in chemistry in English. Detailed knowledge of all Edexcel exam boards, AQA, OCR and AS/A-Level chemistry nuances.

IB (International Baccalaureate)

IB or International Baccalaureate similarly, A-Level is also a two-year pre-university preparation program. Over the past decades, the program has competed very strongly with the A-Level and may someday even supplant the A-Level. In private English schools, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is considered a full-fledged program for Form 6. Moreover, children with an IB diploma are accepted into British universities and colleges.

The IB Diploma program is a very meaningful alternative to the A-Level, and all because it is built on completely different principles. The system is based on a set of international ethical values ​​that permeate all elements of the program (disciplines, teaching methods, educational plans and approaches).

The IB program involves the study of 6 subjects from 6 different thematic groups: foreign languages, humanitarian sciences, natural Sciences, mathematics, art and native language. Instead of art (Arts), you can choose another item from another group. Due to the fact that items are collected from various thematic groups, this allows you to get a good intellectual development and broaden your horizons. An important addition is the fact that 3 subjects are studied at elevated level difficulty and 3 on the standard.

In addition to 6 academic subjects, IB also has compulsory study base program (Core). Core is 3 additional "courses":

  1. Writing a course (research) work (essay) on the chosen topic. Essay length - 4000 words.
  2. Study the theory of knowledge course (Theory of Knowleadge or TOK) - a course on "how to learn" (the mechanism for obtaining new knowledge and analyzing it).
  3. CAS = Creativity, Action and Service (Creativity, Action and Service) - a course in order to make the student active.

Thus, children at IB will have to study 6 subjects (3 at the Higher level, 3 at the Standard level) and 3 courses (TOK, CAS, Extended Essay). Maximum amount points that a student can get are 45 points (42 for 6 subjects) and 3 for Core. Maximum score one subject is 7 points. Exams for IB are held at the end of training (at the end of year 13). But children apply to the university based on the results of their studies at school (for 1 year) and Mock exams (preliminary exams held at the school on the examination sheets of previous years). Mocks are also written at the end of the first year. Based on these results, the school puts predicted grades (the expected grade that the student will receive), a total score is displayed and entered into the application for UCAS.

A-level is a preparatory program for entering universities in England, to which foreign students can also enroll. According to its results, applicants can enter universities without additional entrance exams. Usually, A-level program lasts 2 years and is intended for teenagers 16-18 years old. Russian students for admission to the A-level require grades for last years studying at school (at the same time, grades for tenth grade are the most significant. Why not for 11? Because documents are submitted in the spring, at the end of grade 11, when there are no grades for it yet). In addition, proof of English proficiency at IELTS 5.5-6.0 or higher and letters of recommendation from the school are required. The course of study includes in-depth study 4 subjects of students' choice. It can be mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, business, psychology, politics, literature, etc. Important point: Recently, A-level training can be completed not only in the UK, but also in Moscow. These courses offer some language schools and organizations involved in study abroad. Education in Moscow, of course, is a very profitable and convenient option, because the child stays at home, and his parents do not have to pay extra for accommodation, meals and flights and worry about the child in another country.

A-level exam

At the end of each year of study, students take exams. Their results are very important, because it is according to their results that universities in England accept foreign students. High marks in the A-level exam are especially important when applying for a bachelor's degree in law, engineering and medicine. Some colleges offer abbreviated A-level exam preparation for a year of study, but this is more the exception than the rule.

A-level certificate

The A-level certificate - the Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, is a recognized qualification certificate with which you can enter english universities and universities in some other countries. To do this, you must pass at least three disciplines, having received grades from A to E (U is an unsatisfactory result). You can take up to 5 disciplines. Thus, students are initially focused on a certain specialization, which they will deepen at the university. As you can see, this is fundamentally different from the approach of the Russian education system, in which in the last grades, students still study a full set of subjects - perhaps some deeper than others.