Hogwarts Schooling (was: Hogwarts Housing

[John Walton]

No: HPFGUIDX 29691

Heather Moore wrote:

> You know, I've wondered once or twice why, if there is indeed do tertiary
> magickal education, do the students have to undergo *two* sets of exam levels?
> This is based on my perception is that school leavers who don't intend to
> continue their education rest on their O-levels, and A-levels are undertaken
> by those who want to go on to further schooling after compulsories are over.

That might have been true a few years ago, but nowadays, in the days of
university degrees being easy to get (you need one E at A-level for Tourism
Studies or perhaps Gender Studies in some "new universities"),
school-leavers are more likely to have A-levels in addition to GCSEs (the
replacement for O-levels), especially since one can now take A-levels at a
Sixth Form College rather than a School. Many people also take vocational
degrees such as an HND (Higher National Diploma, I think).

> I have a strong suspicion that Hogwarts is more like a Scottish school (with
> their traditional "Generals, Highers, and Sixth Year Studies" - as I
> understand it, everyone has to do both the Generals and the Highers, and then
> a lot of kids go on to do 'Higher Stills'), than like a standard English
> public school - at least as far as I understand the differences. Hogwarts
> being in Scotland, though, it would make sense?

My Scottish friends and I disagree -- the OWLs and in particular the NEWTs
seem to be taken all at the same time, whereas Highers tend to be taken over
multiple exam periods. IMO the system is based on the British education
system when JKR was a child -- without modular A-levels, AS-levels, HNDs
etc.

> Yeesh, I wonder if all the magickal schools are based on tweaked versions of
> their home countries' school systems. Do Swedish wizards have gymnasiums?
> 
> (I'm drawing a blank -- which comes first, the OWLs, or the NEWTs?)

OWLs at or about 16, then NEWTS at or about 18.

On another note -- though it's great to see this topic again (I could go on
for hours about the British Education System and why it's similar to the
Wizarding one), there is quite a bit in the archives. Take a look at both
this list and the HPforGrownups-Archives list, and try searching the
Messages Section for "Education" or "School". You can get to the Archives
group (and all our other groups through the Portkey:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/files/%20%20Portkey.htm

--John
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*"Quidditch Through The Ages" by Kennilworthy Whisp: 14 Sickles 3 Knuts
*New Firebolt Broom: just over 100 Galleons
*Watching Draco Malfoy being bounced up and down
after being turned into a ferret: Priceless

The best things in life are free. For everything else, there's Harry Potter.

John Walton -- john at walton.vu
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