GCE Advanced Level

(Redirected from A-level)

The Advanced Level General Certificate of Education, universally referred to as an A-Level, is a qualification offered by education institutions in England, Northern Ireland and Wales and by a small minority of institutions, typically private, in Scotland. (In Scotland, students usually take Highers and Advanced Highers of the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead). A-Levels are usually studied over a two year period and are widely recognised around the world.

A-levels are also taken Commonwealth countries and British Overseas Territories, including Bangladesh, Ghana, The Gambia, Pakistan, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka,Cameroon,Singapore,^[1] Zimbabwe, Malawi, Gibraltar, Brunei, New Zealand, Malta, Zambia, South Africa and India. Due to respective changes in the systems, these examinations differ both in terms of content and style from the A-levels taken in the United Kingdom. The most extreme case is observed in Hong Kong; the British A-level is accused of grade inflation, and thus over time the HKAL has become more strictly graded compared to its British counterpart, as shown by NARIC research.^[2] There could be statistically 0.0 %(i.e. less than 0.05%) candidates who score an "A" in a single examination in the Hong Kong Advanced Supplementary Level Examination [1]. The British GCE A-levels are taken all around the world, as many international schools choose to use the British system because the examinations are widely recognised. Furthermore, students may choose to sit the papers of British examination bodies at education centres around the world, such as those belonging to the British Council. According to the British Council, A-levels are similar to the American Advanced Placements^[3] which are themselves equivalent to the first year of America's four year bachelor degrees.