a question about exams

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 83175

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "jwcpgh" <jwcpgh at y...> wrote:

Laura:
> In OoP we saw what O.W.L.s are like.  Is this comparable to the 
> exams English kids take in the RW?  That is, the WW exams had essay 
> and, where relevant, practical components, but were not 
standardized 
> multiple choice or other non-essay formats.  
> College entry exams 
> here, are exactly that, although the SATs will soon be moving to an 
> essay structure.  And would we expect N.E.W.T.s to be the same sort 
> of setup as O.W.L.s?
> 
> I'm not entirely sure this is an appropriate list question, though, 
> so feel free to respond to me offlist if you'd rather.
> 
> Thanks for your help-
> 
> Laura (another ignorant American-sigh)


Geoff:
The OWLs of the wizarding world appear to be rather similar to the 
now obsolete English/Welsh GCE (General Certificate of Education) 
Ordinary Levels (O levels) which were usually taken by brighter 
pupils in Grammar Schools. The Hogwarts system does seem a little old-
fashioned to me as an ex-teacher and has a bit of a late 1950s-early 
1960s feel to it. The system was paralleled from about 1966 or 
thereabouts by the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) and the 
two merged into the GCSE about 1987 - this is not paralleled in the 
wizarding world. Standardised tests etc. have become increasingly a 
part of the system since then.

The wizarding world's NEWTs obviously represent a higher grade; this 
is echoed in the English (& Welsh) GCE Advanced (or A) Levels which 
are more academic than O Levels or GCSE. If there is a link between A 
Levels and OWLs, then the OWLs will have a fair bit of written 
material plus practicals where relevant. (In Scotland the system is 
different but that's another question).

Geoff