British Muggle/Wizarding schooling (was re: OWLS)

[GulPlum]

No: HPFGUIDX 53585

I've just come home from a night out and have been a bit surprised by some 
of the comments made about OWLs and similar issues.

I've been thinking about putting together a comprehensive overview of how 
JKR has modelled Hogwarts on the British (actually, more specifically, 
*English*) education system that might be able to be included in the FAQ 
(or indeed in the Lexicon; there is currently a short article on O and A 
Levels but it's incomplete).

This was going to start off as a quick overview, but has ended up a lot 
more detailed. There's not a lot of canon, and it's also very, very long 
(I'm writing this sentence while proof-reading) but it might be of interest...

I would suggest that folk interested in the background of the current UK 
system might want to read these:
http://www.know-britain.com/general/education_in_england_3.html, and/or 
http://www.kbr30.dial.pipex.com/educ19.shtml
the latter is more complete and includes references to all relevant 
education legislation, but it is written from a staunchly left-wing 
perspective, so if you're touchy about politics, you may not want to read 
about the modern stuff.

OK, on with it... This is how real-world school students prepare for the 
end of their schooling.

Aged 14-15, pupils select which subjects they will be taking at GCSE.

GCSEs are taken in separate curriculum subjects, in complete isolation from 
all others. One subject's results have absolutely no effect on another's, 
or in overall marking. (BTW "GCSE" stands for General Certificate of 
Secondary Education. They replaced the old "O Level" examination which most 
of the Brits aged roughly 30+ on this list will have taken; I won't go into 
detail about O levels which were slightly different, but not different 
enough to require separate investigation.)

One fairly recent implementation is that most GCSE examinations now include 
a proportion of "course work". This means that during the year or two 
(depending on subject) prior to the actual written/oral examination, 
certain projects, minor examinations and other elements of classwork are 
included in the "dossier" which is passed to the examining body. The 
percentage of the final mark which is derived from coursework varies from 
subject to subject, anywhere from 10% to 40%.

Exams and/or subjects for GCSE do not necessarily follow curriculum 
subjects. Thus, the study of languages (English or foreign), say, can 
result in GCSEs in Language, Literature or  Culture, or any combination of 
the three. GCSEs in mathematics can  be taken in Maths, Economics, 
Statistics, or several other branches of mathematics. History can be 
divided into several periods or approaches to historical study (including 
Archeology, etc). However, it should be noted that GCSEs are also available 
in subjects not normally considered "academic": drama, woodwork, metalwork, 
cookery, sewing, just about any sport you might want to mention, or any 
range of arts, crafts or "talents".  Enough examples, I think we get the 
picture.

As a rule (exceptions are possible, and indeed frequent), around June of 
the school year during which they celebrate their 16th birthday (as a 
matter of legal principle and regardless of actual school dates, the school 
year runs 1st September-31st August, hence 1st September being the cut-off 
date for the year you enroll at school), pupils sit an examination session 
in each of their selected subjects. The form of the examination depends, of 
course, on the subject.

The examination papers are added to the "dossier" and this is passed to an 
external examining board. All GCSE results nationwide are announced on the 
same day (it's sometime in August, I can't be bothered to look up the exact 
date). Pupils receive written confirmation of their results in all subjects 
by post at home, schools receive a printout of all their pupils' results, 
and other interested parties (e.g. the government, the press, local 
education authorities) receive full statistical data.

It is usual for students to attempt between 4 and 10 subjects at GCSE. 
However, as students have absolute freedom in which and how many subjects 
they will tackle, the numbers fluctuate wildly. Anyone with decent grades 
in over 10 subjects is considered "above average" and anyone with under 3 
is pretty much doomed to a job in McDonalds, if at all.

Students who show an early aptitude in a particular subject can be put 
forward by their teacher/tutor to take the exam in *any year*. Every year, 
when the national statistics are announced, the press makes a big noise 
about them and analyses them in every direction possible. The press stories 
always include reports of such-and-such an 8 year-old getting A grades in 
such-and-such GCSEs and such-and-such a 12 year-old getting A grades in 12 
subjects. Stories of 14 year-olds (especially those from better schools) 
taking several subjects are extremely common.

Regardless of the subjects a pupil has chosen to take at GCSE, they are 
required to follow a full curriculum until the end of the year in which 
they have the exams. So for instance, even if someone does not consider 
him/herself good enough to attempt Geography, they continue studying it. If 
they suddenly realise they have an aptitude for it after all, as long as 
they have completed the coursework, they can still add the subject to their 
exam schedule.

Once a pupil has taken their GCSEs, they are free to leave full-time 
education and seek permanent employment. Most people's resumes start with a 
statement of how many GCSEs they obtained. This is usually expanded into a 
listing of which individual subjects one passed, and the grades obtained. 
No employer will even look at someone unless they have pass grades in 
English Language, Basic Mathematics and at least one other relevant subject.

Again, it is important to note (for the benefit of those from other 
countries or educational traditions) that the important thing anyone is 
ever interested in, is the number of subjects you have (and, secondarily, 
the list of subjects). It doesn't matter how eclectic the list is, you 
still start off saying "I have X GCSEs". For instance, someone with 
English, Geography, Cookery, Music, Drama, Needlework and Football still 
has six GCSEs. However, any prospective employer will note immediately the 
absence of Maths or any other scientific subject from that list and ask 
appropriate questions, but it's unlikely that someone with a mix like that 
would be going for a job in a bank or to work with computers. :-)

OK, that's GCSEs. What happens next? Anyone wishing to go on to university 
will be required to sit A Levels (the A stands for "Advanced" and is a 
throwback to the old system which included O - "Ordinary" - Levels; see 
above), sometimes (rarely) referred to as GCEs (General Certificate of 
Education). Peripherally, I will note the existence of the AS Level, which 
I will overlook in this essay because it doesn't seem relevant to Hogwarts.

Anyway, A Levels. The system is very similar to GCSEs, with just a few 
specific differences. Pupils choose which subjects they will take to A 
Level after their GCSEs and they attend classes in ONLY those subjects. 
Most A Level exams require two years preparation, hence real-world schools 
used to call the last two years of school "lower sixth" and "upper sixth" 
year/form, rather than "sixth" and "seventh" (the nomenclature changed a 
few years ago, and is now counted in consecutive school years throughout 
one's school career, so you start at age 5 in Year One, and continue 
through to Year 13 when you are 18).  Also, a lot of schools lead only to 
GCSEs and do not actually provide A Level courses, in which case A Level 
pupils move to a "Sixth Form College".

The examination procedure is the same (although, of course, more advanced 
in content) and results are again announced nationally on the same day. 
This is, as I recall, two weeks before the  GCSE results are announced.

Again, as with GCSEs, the only important question is "how many A Levels do 
you have?", the answer is usually between two and four.  Access to 
universities is based on the number of examinations taken and the grades 
achieved. The exact requirements are fixed by the individual universities 
and vary according to the type of degree course you want to follow.

Also, as with GCSEs, there is no age restriction and schools put forward 
gifted children of all ages to sit A Levels (and again, the press makes a 
big story about them).

One VERY, VERY important thing to know, and this is of particular interest 
to HP fanfic writers (I see this all over the place which is why I'm making 
such a big deal about it, and why the next phrase will be emphasised, and 
even shouted) THERE IS NO CONCEPT OF "GRADUATING" SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BRITAIN!

I cannot underline the importance of the last sentence enough. It is *such* 
a CENTRAL part of the whole philosophy of British education that I'm going 
to repeat it again: THERE IS NO CONCEPT OF "GRADUATING" SECONDARY SCHOOL IN 
BRITAIN.

One does not "graduate" secondary school, there is no formal leaving 
ceremony, there are no awards (TBH, some schools have formal leaving gigs, 
but these are not directly related to academic achievement, and are very, 
very rare) . As for the term itself, most Brits reading HP fanfic written 
by non-Brits, bristle at the very use of the word "graduation", as it is 
completely foreign to our experience, and for those with some knowledge of 
the underlying principles of the British system, it is an anachronism. The 
term "graduate" (as a noun, a person) is reserved *exclusively* for someone 
who has completed tertiary education and has received their degree. Indeed, 
the formal term for people studying for degrees is "undergraduate". Those 
studying for PhDs etc are "postgraduates".

After that small digression, on to something which some people may have 
difficulty grasping (NOTE: I am not calling anyone "stupid", I'm just 
saying that this is such a "British" thing that a lot of people have 
difficulty getting around it). Just as GCSEs and A Levels can be attempted 
by any child whose teachers consider them of an appropriate standard, they 
can also be attempted by any adult of any age at any time.

So for instance, if a 20 year-old decides after a couple of years working 
in an office that they know enough about other things (e.g. as a result of 
hobbies etc) that they wish to study them at university but have no formal 
A levels (or not enough), that person can enroll at any one of miriad 
"adult colleges" who inter alia offer out-of-hours tuition, or indeed any 
normal sixth-year college if they don't mind going to school with people 
half their age or less during the daytime, and study up for any A Levels 
they wish (of course, if they can prove a basic aptitude for the subject). 
Having obtained any A Levels they may require, they can then apply for a 
university place.

There is therefore no need for "equivalence" exams or anything of that ilk. 
If your schoolwork suffered in a particular area and as an adult you wish 
to "better yourself", all you need to do is to take the very same A Levels 
that everyone else is taking.

A concrete example of a currently 39 year-old friend of mine who was 
seriously ill at the age of 16 and thus had poor O Levels (as they were at 
the time) and no A Levels to his name. When he fully recovered from illness 
at the age of 19, he got an office job thanks to a family friend, which he 
did for 15 years or more. However, he's always had a fascination for and 
great interest in ancient history, and so over the last 3 years he sailed 
through A Levels in English, Latin, Greek, History, Ancient History (and 
another subject I've forgotten) and is currently a full-time student at a 
London University. He has, of course, given up his job (which he hated). 
:-) Not only that, but he got involved with and last year married one of 
his fellow A Level students, a 19 year-old (at the time). :-)

Enough of Muggle schools. How does this translate to the Potterverse?
A few observations:
1) OWLs appear to be the equivalent of GCSEs. GoF says they're taken at 15 
(chapter 5, UK ed. p. 52) , but Harry will be taking them in his 5th year, 
i.e. the school year in which he turns 16, which is just another way of 
looking at it.

2) The important element of the exams is how many one has (e.g. "They [F&G] 
didn't get as many OWLs as she [Molly] expected.", ibid; "My son has 
recently gained twelve OWLs, most satisfactory....", GoF Ch. 28, UK Ed. p. 
482 )

3) The results are announced after the formal end of the school year 
("Percy had got his top-grade NEWTs; Fred and George had scraped a handful 
of OWLs each.",  last chapter of PoA)

3) NEWTs are taken during one's last year at Hogwarts and thus are the 
equivalent of real-world A Levels. However, JKR has said that there are no 
universities, so what it is the point of a NEWT? "Percy was getting ready 
to take his NEWTs, the highest qualification Hogwarts offered. As Percy 
hoped to enter the Ministry of Magic, he needed top grades." (PoA Ch. 16, 
p. 231)

4) The most OWLs we know someone to possess are 12 for Barty Crouch Jr. (I 
have a vague recollection that Percy got 13, but I can't find it in my 
canon!). We know of 13 subjects thus far: Astronomy, Ancient Runes, 
Arithmancy, Charms, COMC, Herbology, DADA, Divination, Transfiguration, 
History of Magic, Flying/Quidditch, Muggle Studies and Potions, and our 
heroes are entering  their OWL year, which means that there shouldn't be 
any new subjects and although some subjects could be liable to sub-division 
(History of Magic into periods, for instance), it seems like 13 is perhaps 
a maximum. BartyCrouch Snr's proud attitude towards his son's achievement 
of 12 is a fairly good representation of any Muggle's getting 12 GCSEs.

5) Hermione has not taken any OWLs ahead of the curriculum. Either the 
Hogwarts curriculum hasn't yet covered enough material, or the wizarding 
world's education philosophy is different, and they want everyone taking 
their exams at the same time, regardless of talent.

6) Of peripheral interest to the "Hogwarts is the only wizarding school in 
Britain" controversy: it is perfectly possible that Hogwarts is the only 
school which offers a *complete* curriculum, from 11 to NEWTs at 18. Other 
schools might specialise in one area or another and be known for their 
Potions or Transfiguration curriculum to NEWT and beyond; other schools 
might provide a limited curriculum only up to OWLs. It is possible that 
some pupils might attend Hogwarts purely to sit OWL or NEWT exams there, or 
to study for them for a limited time. Personally, I consider this unlikely 
as Harry *probably* would have noticed an older student he'd never seen 
before, not to mention that such students would *probably* need to be 
Sorted; no non-11 year-olds have ever been noticed at the Sorting ceremony.

7) I know I had another observation to make, but I've forgotten what it 
was. :-)

God, this has got long enough (I've been writing it for almost four hours) 
so I'll stop here. I'm sure other issues will crop up, but I leave them for 
any possible discussion anyone might want to have. I'm aware that this is a 
borderline case of topicality (canon isn't mentioned until the very end), 
but I think it might help some people understand what we're likely to 
expect in terms of the academic year at Hogwarts in the firth book, and 
perhaps beyond. It might also encourage one or two fanfic authors not to 
refer to "graduation". :-)

I would suggest that this essay and resulting discussion may want to be 
made into an item for the FAQ/Lexicon, as some of these subjects rear their 
heads fairly often.

Of course, some of the details just might be disproved with the publication 
of OotP... :-)

--
GulPlum AKA Richard, putting off replying to the Marauders thread for a 
third day...