Fred and George...

[June Diamanti]

No: HPFGUIDX 70613


> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Lee" <dee_dolly7 at y...>
> wrote:
 > Sorry if this has already been brought up, but it occured to me
> that
 > there's a bit of a loophole concerning Fred and George.
 >
 > We know they started their second year of school the year Harry
 > started school. They are in their 6th year when Harry and Co are
 > taking their O.W.L.S, Mrs. Weasley states when we meet her in SS
 > that
 > they are in second year and in Goblet of Fire the Weasley twins
> are
 > upset that 16 year olds aren't allowed to put their names in for
 > the
> Triwizard tournament. This, and everything else we've seen, puts
> them
 > in 5th year in GoF.
 >
 > Lee
 >
It might be helpful for someone who has been through the English education
system to offer a few points, since it is obvious to me that JKR based much
of the schooling detail on the English system.  See if what I say about  the
english examination system seems right to you.

1.  Hogwarts is the equivalent to the english secondary school (whether
state run or private boarding school in the majority of cases) in that
children start secondary school in the academic year after they have their
11th birthday.  This academic year runs from 1st September to 31st August,
so if you are 11 on 31 August 2003 you will start secondary school (or
Hogwarts) on 1st September 2003.   If  you are 11 on 1st September 2003 then
you will have to wait until 1st  September 2004.

 2. The english system has exams in the fifth year of secondary school
called GCSE's (General Certificate of Secondary Education -  formerly GCE O
Levels - O means ordinary) which the majority of children  take  in the
academic year in which their 16th birthday falls.  In short  they will be
15+ when they take them.  Most kids take between 8 - 12 subjects.

3. After GCSE's children have the option to stay on into the sixth and
seventh year.  In the 7th year, most children take Advanced levels in
between 3 - 5 subjects which are graded A - E and the  grades of these
results usually determine University entrance.  These exams are normally
taken in the academic year when the student has their 18th birthday.

The exception to these rules are the very dim, or the very bright.  The dim
ones usually don't take these exams as they are largely academic in content.
The very bright child may be advanced by a  year or so by their school and
might therefore take their exams early.

I hope this is a help.  I think Fred and George are in Third year when Ron
and Harry start and the timeline works.   I hope the parrallels to Hogwarts
exam curriculum are reasonably clear.

June