british education system

[bluesqueak]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "drcarole71" 
<drcarole71 at y...> wrote:
> Hi!  I'm relatively new to the group, and I am an American with a 
> question.  What do OWLs and NEWTs in the HP books represent?  What 
> is an "ordinary level"?  Is it a class, a test, or both?
> Thanks
> Carole

Similar exams used to be taken in English and Welsh (muggle) schools 
at 15 to 16 and 17 to 18. JKR seems to be basing her OWLS and NEWTs 
loosely around these 'O' levels (Ordinary levels) and 'A' levels 
(Advanced Levels).

The 'O' level is now called the GCSE (General Certificate of 
Secondary Education). 

They're public examinations, examined/assessed by teachers outside 
your particular school, judged to a national standard. Like the 
OWLS, they often have a theory and a practical component. The new 
GCSE's also include a coursework section.

The 'ordinary' is because many English and Welsh schoolchildren 
leave school at 16 (though most are going on to some kind of 
vocational work based education, rather than the academic school 
based). So 16 is when 'ordinary' education stops; the final 
two 'advanced' years are more academic and often based on the 
assumption that most of the students will be going on to college.

Pip!Squeak