O.W.L.s and how they're calculated

[meriaugust]

No: HPFGUIDX 89767

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> I've just bought "New clues to Harry Potter: Book 5, by Galadriel 
> Waters. I confess that I haven't yet really tried to read it all 
or 
> understand it, but my eyes were immediately drawn to what IMO is a 
> mistake, or at least an assumption dressed up as a fact.
> 
> Whenever I have read OoP, I have always assumed that the DADA is 
> made up of two parts, the written exam and the practical exam. 
> However, Galadriel Waters states that the 
> 
> "Written exam for a class is worth one OWL;and the pratical exam 
is 
> worth one OWL; so, each subject is worth two OWLS" p. 109.
> 
> Now, it is possible that this is how they're calculated, but it 
> seems unlikely.
snipping
> 
> Possible subjects:
> 
> Divination
> DADA x 2
> Charms x 2
> Transfiguration x 2
> CoMC x 2
> History of Magic
> Muggle Studies
> Runes
> Arithmancy
> Astrononomy x 2
> Potions x 2
> Herbology
> 
> (Apologies if I've forgotten any)
> 
> The subjects I've multiplied are the subjects which seem to have 2 
> separate parts. That would mean Harry could theoretically achieve 
15 
> O.W.L.s, 3 more than both Bill and Barty Crouch Junior.

Meri here: I always thought that you got you got one OWL for each 
passing grade and that some subjects had two exams, a written exam 
and a practical exam where applicable. For example: 
Divination - practical exam (reading tea leaves, etc.)
DADA - written and practical (theory and actual defense techniques)
Charms - written and practical 
Transfiguration - written and practical 
CoMC - written and practical
History of Magic - written exam (essay questions)
Muggle Studies - written exam
Runes - written exam
Arithmancy - written exam 
Astrononomy - practical and written exam would be almost the same 
here
Potions - written and practical 
Herbology - practical 
By my count, I get sixteen OWLs, and 12 of 16 would be very 
acceptable. Harry could potentially get 13, and, if that is the 
normal schedule of exams and classes, then 12 for 13 is excellent. 
Meri (who, as a Yank, has enough to worry about with MCAS and SATs)