Elective Classes

[vheggie at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 25795

[snip]
> 
> Hmm, well, judging from his exam schedule, Harry and Ron took:
> 
> 1. Transfiguration
> 2. Charms 
> 3. Care of Magical Creatures 
> 4. Potions
> 5. History of Magic
> 6. Astronomy
> 7. Herbology
> 8. DADA 
> 9. Divination
> 
> Since it's rather unlikely for them to have an odd number of 
classes, 
> they might have taken a 10th class that they apparently don't have 
an 
> exam for.


The RL equivalent to OWLs in the UK are GCSEs [two year course with 
big exams at 16].  It's not unusual to take an odd number of these; 
in the UK, your qualifications are subject specific, rather than a 
general ability 'score', like a GPA.
9 GCSEs was the standard number for pupils at the school I attended 
at 16, and 9 qualifications definitely seemed to be the 'mode' number 
of GCSEs amongst my peers at university.
AFAIK most children get between 5 and 14 GCSEs - dependent on 
ability/interests.  If the figures in canon add up to 9, there's no 
real reason to 'round this up' to 10; any free time in their schedule 
could easily be filled with Prep lessons/'Free' periods [ie free time 
set aside for homework/smoking behind the bikesheds ;)] which is not 
unusual for 14 - 16 y.o in UK schools.