NEWT Classes Question

[nb100uk]

No: HPFGUIDX 69091

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "darrin_burnett" 
<bard7696 at a...> wrote:
> Pip!Squeak: 
> > Dumbledore has obviously allowed Snape to specify grade O, and 
> > has apparently never overruled him when he's refused to take a lower 
> > graded student. This suggests that Snape has an argument with 
> > some validity. For all we know Snape may have hauled out a set of 
> > statistics from the previous Potion's teacher's results 
> > supporting his case. ;-)
> >
> Darrin: 
> I agree with the junior college/advanced placement analogy, but I 
> wonder if just some old-fashioned apprenticeship is involved as 
> well.


I know there's no iron-clad canon reference to how the NEWTS work, 
but I think it's accepted that JKR has always based her school around 
the British system of O and A levels (now no longer in operation 
after the move to modular courses for GCSE, AS and A2 levels).

With the class moving into NEWT level, the time has come for them to 
select the 4 or 5 subjects that they will study for 2 years with 
their final exams in Year 7 only.  If Ron decides not to do Potions, 
well, thats Potions finished for him.  He doesn't have to do a lower 
grade course for any reason.

n real life for many British students, a lot will take subjects in a 
certain area - for me that was the Sciences and Maths; other friends 
studied the Arts, Languages or Humanities without much cross-over 
between the suject areas.  The aim for most A level students was to 
study the right combination of subjects to get the grades set by each 
university (straight A's for Oxford/Cambridge, poss. combinations of 
B's and C's for less fussy unis)!

As Book 5 has clearly explained exactly what is needed for an Auror, 
I think it's likely that those will be the exact subjects that Harry, 
Ron and Hermione will study.  Other students (maybe Neville) will 
drop Potions and concentrate on Herbology or other subjects.

Mind you, my Book 6 prediction is that Neville proves why he's the 
son of TWO Aurors, and follows in their footsteps.