O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s

[jenfold at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 30031

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., hp_lexicon at y... wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at y..., Heather Glude <res0icpa at v...> wrote:
> > I haven't been able to find much on these, despite a search of 
all 
> of 
> > the web (I kept getting info on birds and salamanders, so I could 
> have 
> > missed something legitimate in there), and a site search of the 
> Lexicon. 
> > All I was able to find is what they stand for, and that Percy and 
> Bill 
> > both got 12s on their O.W.L.s.
> 
> I have had this whole business explained to me at least once and I 
> still don't get it. How can you "get" a certain number of levels of 
> these things? Here in the States we get a score on tests like the 
> SAT, but that's apparently not the same thing. Or is it? If someone 
> would like to write a nice, concise explanation of what O levels 
and 
> A levels are and by extension what NEWTs and OWLs are, I would be 
> eternally grateful. I might even publish it in the Lexicon so that 
> the next person who goes looking won't have to come back here to 
the 
> list and say that the Lexicon failed them...
> 
> Steve (who scored really, really high on the SAT about 25 years ago)

 Well O'Levels/Ordinary Levels (now GCSEs)are the bog standard exam 
taken at English, Welsh and Irish schools at the age of 16 (the Scots 
have their own system), and after that it's legal to finish your 
education. Each GCSE covers a different subject e.g Maths or Biology 
and is graded from A*(extra good A)-F (N and U if you do really 
badly.)
 So I would assume that Percey gained OWLs in 12 different magical 
subjects, rather than getting a grade of 12. And we don't know his 
exact grades.

 A'Levels/Advance levels are taken at sixth form if you decide to 
stay on at school and are harder and therefore advanced. For this 
reason less subjects are normally taken, its usually between 3-5 
subjects and again grades are given from A-F (with N and U for those 
really bad results). And again I think the number of NEWTs got by 
percy is just the number of magical subjects he passed his exams in 
rather than his grades.

 Hope this helps

 Jen

Proud posessor of 11 GCSEs, 4 A'Levels and a brand new shiny degree.