OOP Spoilers Re: OWLs

[michaelpope2003]

No: HPFGUIDX 63226

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "erniemu03" <roeskyee at m...> 
wrote:
> My question about OWLs is this: 
> 
> What do you suppose happens to the students who do very poorly on 
> their OWLs (ie Crabbe and Goyle in my mind)?  I can't really 
imagine 
> they would be expelled, but that's only because I haven't really 
> heard anything that implies this course of action occurs.  Maybe 
> there really is "Remedial Potions" etc.  I'm curious to hear other 
> ideas.

The O.W.L.s are based on the real-world British "O-Level" (Ordinary 
Level) exams.  I took these exams when I was 16 and living abroad.  
Unless they've changed their system a bit (and they may well have - 
that was 20 years ago) many students left school after their O-Levels 
to get jobs.  Those who intended to pursue higher education would go 
into a two-year program for the A-Level exams - the equivalent of the 
NEWTs. Like the NEWTs, you would typically pursue a smaller number of 
A-Level courses, and would need to already have good O-Level marks in 
those subjects.

Fred and George showed that the Wizarding World experience is 
similar - they were well within their rights to leave school after 
their OWLs and set up shop.  I'd imagine that anyone who did poorly 
on their OWLs might decide advanced schooling isn't for them and go 
into the workforce.  (Perhaps Stan Shunpike followed this course).  
Alternatively, someone who did poorly may go back to try to take the 
OWL exams over again, tho I didn't see any indication of this in any 
of the books.

> Along these lines, I would have really loved to be a fly on the 
wall 
> of some people's career meetings with their heads of house.  I can 
> only imagine Draco saying, "Actually, I plan on just buying 
whatever 
> job I want.  As if I ever plan on working anyway..."  

Heh heh!  


Michael