Is the cambridge GCE "O"levels education level?

Question

yes i know its the british examination thing after yr secondary school education i need to know - what is the equivalent of the american system or education level in america e.g like college or high school?

Answer 1

1. It was probably something like the equivalent of graduating from high school. However there are a number of qualifiers that need to be stated. These will give you a better idea of the equivalence.

a) SCHOOL YEARS
The British school system is not based on successfully completing a year to continue to the next one. At the age of 11, pupils leave primary school in July to commence the first year of secondary school (high school) in September. So all that year's intake have their 12th birthday between 1st September and 31st August (inclusive). Continuation to the next year is automatic, regardless of performance, and this means that all pupils in the same class are of the same age, year after year.

b) O LEVELS
Performance was assessed at the age of 16 (year 11, previously called 5th year) by examination only. The examinations were called Ordinary Level of the General Certificate of Education (or GCE "O" Level). When I took my "O" Levels, it was conventional at my school to sit 8 examinations (as an example, mine were 4 compulsory subjects: English Language, Mathematics, French, Religious Knowledge and 4 personally chosen optional subjects: History, Biology, German, English Literature). However teachers could advise pupils to take fewer subjects, if they were not gifted academically (but note that English Language and Mathematics have always been considered of utmost importance in the UK). Note also that all pupils taking "O" Levels for the first time were 16 or almost 16.

c) EXAMINATION BOARDS
There were various examination boards (that set the examination questions and marked the completed papers), and they were connected to universities. My school used the University of Cambridge normally, but occasionally used others for special case pupils (Cambridge's examinations were considered to be the hardest). I only have a sketchy memory of what the others were (possibly Associated Board and Northern Universities?). Here are some mentioned in Wikipedia (and you will see that the Cambridge examination board subsequently was amalgamated with others).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCR_(examination_board)

d) GRADES
When I took "O" Levels, Cambridge graded them from 9 to 1 (1 being the highest). Only a grade of six or higher was considered a pass.

e) OTHER MATTERS
(i) GCE "O" Levels are no more. They were replaced several years ago (possibly 1970s) by the General Certificate of School Education (GCSE). This was probably around the time of the introduction of comprehensive (secondary) education. Prior to that, the UK had a 2-tier system where the clever pupils, at the age of 11, went to Grammar School and took GCEs at age 16, whilst the less gifted went to Secondary Modern School and took the less demanding Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE). Modern GCSEs also include coursework during two academic years as part of the assessment. Letters are used for grades (A,B and C are considered passes, and an A* is given for distinction).
(ii) School leaving age. When I was at Grammar School 1966-1973, it was still legal to leave school at 14, and thus with no examinations having been taken. School education is now compulsory to the age of 16 (so it is still possible to legally drop out before examinations if your birthday is September to May).
(iii) Continuing (discretionary) school education. It's possible to continue school education (either in the same school or in a separate Sixth Form Centre) for another two years in the UK, and then take GCE "A" Levels (at the age of 18). These are the General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examinations, and have remained unchanged in name for decades (even though "O" Levels were replaced).
(iv) University (degree level) education normally starts at the age of 18, and is three years in duration.

2. In summary, what you have quoted is antiquated (both the examination and examination board having been replaced). An "O" level was just one examination. I passed all mine at grade 6 or higher, so I have 8 "O" levels. As stated before, there was (and still is) no concept of failing a year in the UK system, so, if I had failed some examinations, it would not have meant an overall failure. However, it tended to be the case that good employers expected prospective job seekers to have a minimum of 5 "O" Levels, including English Language and Mathematics (this was a requirement for basic level entry into the Civil Service). Also few schools would allow a pupil to continue through to non-compulsory education, at A Level standard, having passed fewer than 5 examinations (this would be the nearest UK equivalent to the concept of passing a year in order to continue to the next).

3. Phew! That was long, but I hope you now understand what the equivalence is.