Harry Not Sitting His Tests

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 167104

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Janette <jnferr at ...> wrote:

Tandra:
> > And if he is skipping all these tests, how is he being passed onto the
> > next grade? Just something I noticed.

montims:
> In Britain, at least in the 80s - I don't know if this has changed recently
> - students move up each year regardless of the results of their tests/exams
> - nobody redid the same year.

Geoff:
In  England and Wales, a pupil is never held back in a year except 
under exceptional circumstances - for example if the student has 
been off school because of illness or an accident.

Just to draw parallels between UK education in the real world and 
Hogwarts as we see it in canon, the following may help.

There are usually exams at the end of the summer term in the UK, 
certainly in higher years just to look at a pupil's performance. They 
may have a bearing on which class the student goes into in the 
following year because, although most classes are mixed ability, 
some subjects such as Maths or languages are set according to the 
pupil's ability. Hogwarts holds similar end of years tests but since 
classes seem to be taught in house groups without any sub-division, 
presumably they are just to test the students' ability and failing 
students can be identified for help by Professors Snape and 
McGonagall etc.

In the last few years, there have also been Government set targets 
- SATS - which are taken at specified ages to give a standardised 
check on the progress of pupils and also give a snapshot of how 
the school is coping.

When it somes to public exams, UK pupils take General Certificate 
of Education (GCSE) subjects at the end of Year 11 (The old Fifth 
Year). These correspond to OWLs at Hogwarts and, like wizarding 
pupils, results will have a bearing on what they can take if they 
stay into the Sixth Form. It is not currently mandatory for pupils to stay 
beyond Year 1.

A level GCE papers are taken at the end of the Upper Sixth and 
results in these will affect the student's choice for further 
education such as university in the same way that, in the Wizarding 
World, someone seeking Auror training would have to reach specified 
targets in NEWTs.