OWLs & NEWTs vs US system

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 8778

Simon wrote:

> Charmain wrote: "OWLs and NEWTS:  Someone told me that they're the
> equivalents of the O and A levels, which are kind of like the AP or IB
> exams. How many of these can one get (because they did give the number that
> Crouch Jr. and Percy, I believe, got)?"

Okay, I'm probably best qualified to answer this as an American educated in
the UK boarding school system :) Yes, OWLs are taken at the same age as
GCSEs (O-levels if you took them before 1984) and NEWTs at the same age as
A-levels. Only difference is that Wizarding qualifications don't seem to be
graded, just decided on a pass/fail basis, unlike the Muggle system.

> I don't know what AP or IB exams are so cannot answer that question but can
> do the others. O-levels don't exist anymore - they have been replaced by
> GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

An AP (Advanced Placement) exam is what clever Americans take for university
entrance. The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is so unbelievably basic (it's
multiple choice, for goodness' sake!) that decent colleges want more than
that. I have friends doing APs in World History, English Lit, etc. My
university (St Andrews, which has a large proportion of American students)
counts an AP as half an A-level. IMHO it's more like a third of an A-level,
especially considering that a British student with A-levels can usually
enter into Year 2 of an American BA program.
 
> Most people take nine or ten of these in the school year in which they turn
> 16 (I have 10 of them - no not twelve as I believe at least one person has
> said I have). A few people take twelve (and I believe there are cases of
> even more than this - though they are very rare) and some people take some
> subjects early.

I have 10 as well, one of which I took in the November preceding the June
exams (French, and I then proceeded directly to some modules of A-level
French for Professional Use) and one of which I took as a subsidiary during
the Lower Sixth (Year 6 at Hogwarts).

It should be noted that up to a third of students at state-run schools leave
after their GCSEs at 16 -- those are the only qualifications that, for
instance, my Mum has. Ditto Richard Branson (Mr Virgin) and Diana, Princess
of Wales. It would, however, be most unusual for a pupil at a boarding
school to leave after GCSEs.

Most good universities will require at least a pass (C grade) in GCSE
English, Maths and a foreign language.

> Not everyone takes A-levels (I have no idea of the percentage that do). Most
> people take three, but it is fairly common for people to take four -
> especially those applying for the top universities (I have four A-levels).
> There are also As-level's (Advanced supplementary (?)) which are equivalent
> to half an A-level (and strangely I also have one As-level).

Yes, AS-levels are/were Advance Supplementaries. I have three A-levels and
two modules of French for Professional Use AS-level.

It should be noted that there are no compulsory A-levels -- I did English
Lit, Politics and French -- the only limit is the teaching capacity of your
school.

> To confuse things slightly - the A-level system has changed recently and I
> am not totally sure what know happens (it does not make any difference to
> me - so I have made no effort to find out).

Yeah...from what I hear from teacher friends, you now take six subjects in
the first year of A-levels and then specialise to three. Daft idea -- I
enjoyed not having to do nasty things like Maths or Science for A-level!

Interestingly, many independent schools (aka public schools aka private
schools) are now considering using the IB (International Baccalaureate)
rather than this new A-level system.

To conclude and draw comparisons with the US system:

1) There are two sets of hard exams in the UK, as opposed to the SAT and
only possible APs.

2) UK exams are graded: GCSEs on A-B-C (Pass) D-F-N-U (Fail); A-levels on
A-B-C-D-E (Pass) N-U (Fail) ((N stands for Near Pass and U for Unclassified,
ie Appalingly Dreadful))

3) OWLs are taken at the same time as GCSEs (the Exams Formerly Known as
O-levels); NEWTs as A-levels (currently being phased out).

Hope this helps -- don't hesitate to yell with more questions.

--John

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John Walton     john at walton.to

Disney gave us Mickey. Florida gave us Dumbo.
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