Advanced level
The Advanced Level ( General Certificate of Education Advanced Level ), usually abbreviated as A-level , is, along with the International Baccalaureate (IB), the highest qualification in the school system in England , Wales and Northern Ireland . In Scotland it is the Advanced Higher Grade . The A-Levels, introduced in 1951, can be taken in various subjects . Many universities expect certain minimum A-level grades . The degree can be compared with the German Abitur or the Austrian and Swiss Matura .
Since the introduction of the Curriculum 2000 in 2001, a course consisting of six modules has to be completed in two years to achieve an A-level . The first three modules are assessed after the first year and form a separate qualification as AS level , the three modules of the second year are assessed as A2 level . The A-level is obtained when you have completed an AS and an A2 level in the same subject. It is possible to repeat the courses on AS modules in the second year if the examination results in the first year did not meet the student's expectations.
In the last two years of school, English pupils usually take three to four subjects, which can be freely chosen (there is no obligation, as in Germany, to take a foreign language or a natural science ). Completion of these subjects (the A-Levels) then generally only enables students to study certain subject areas.
The assessment does not take place as in Germany with grades 1–6 (where 1 is the best grade), but from A to E. An A is awarded if at least 80% of the maximum possible points are achieved. You still pass with an E, for which you have to reach 40%. The worst grade is unclassified . A small table to illustrate:
| Grade | designation | Percentage correct | German name |
| A * | Outstanding | 90-100% | Outstanding |
| A. | Excellent | 80-89% | Outstanding |
| B. | Above average | 70-79% | Above average |
| C. | Average | 60-69% | Average |
| D. | Below average | 50-59% | Below average |
| E. | Poor | 40-49% | Weak |
| U | unclassified | 0-39% | unclassified |
From the 2010 exams, there is also an A *, for which 90% is required. The introduction of this “Supernote” was deemed necessary because too many A's had been achieved in recent years, which made it difficult to differentiate between top candidates. This grade is only awarded for A2 and the AS modules do not apply to this.
The IB is now also being offered at an increasing number of schools in Great Britain .