Scholarship Level

The GCE S-level, Scholarship level, or Special paper was a British public examination taken by the most able A-level students. The S-level was typically used to support UK university entrance applications though in practice it was directed almost exclusively to Oxford or Cambridge applications. Results were graded 'Distinction' (1), 'Merit' (2) or 'Unclassified' (U).

Although it was a separate paper, marked and graded in isolation from the A-level, it was not commonly a standalone qualification and was usually attempted only by candidates who were also sitting an A-level in the same subject at the same time and who were likely to obtain an "A" grade (the top grade) in that examination (and results only given to candidates who had actually achieved an "A" or a "B"). Given the very small, selective entry for the papers, the S-level was only offered in a small number of mainstream subjects.

History

The State Scholarships were abolished in 1962 and the exams were then re-named Special Papers. These were last set in 2001 and then superseded by the Advanced Extension Awards and to some extent by Sixth Term Examination Papers.