What are the differences between the education systems of the three islands when studying in the UK?

England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland implement compulsory education between the ages of 5 and 16, and Wales implements compulsory education between the ages of 4 and 16. Although education is compulsory, the education systems in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are different from those in Scotland.

1. Pre-school education (Pre-schooleducation/Pre-preparatory education)

Many British children begin to receive preschool education when they are 3 to 4 years old, which is equivalent to kindergarten education in China.

2. Primary education (Preparatory/Primaryeducation)

Like China, the primary schooling system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 6 years, but children start school at the age of 5 (children in Wales are 4 years old), and must participate in key education at the age of 7. Stage 1 (KeyStage1) examination, take the Key Stage 2 (KeyStage2) examination at the age of 11 and complete primary school education. The primary education system in Scotland lasts for 7 years, with students graduating at the age of 12.

Many overseas (including our country) students receive primary school education at the age of 7 and can enter British private schools, usually boarding schools. In this case, students will graduate from primary school at the age of 13 and attend various stages of education in the future. The age of completion is postponed by two years.

3. Secondary education (Secondary education)

British secondary education lasts for 7 years and is divided into two stages, the stage before the age of 16 and the stage after the age of 16. 16 years old refers to the educational age for students in the UK.

Education at this stage can also be called general education, which is relative to higher education. It is inappropriate to call the 2-year Alevel education for British students after they are 16 years old as university preparatory education. In fact, the graduation level of the 2-year Alevel education in the UK is higher than the 3-year high school education graduation level in China. Therefore, it is also It is not difficult to understand why the academic length of universities in England and Wales is three years.

British students must study a wide range of secondary education courses before the age of 14, and take the Key Stage 3 exam at the age of 14. Starting from the age of 14, students need to study four to five elective courses in addition to core courses such as English, mathematics and science. Two years later, when they are 16 years old, they will take the Key Stage 4 exam. That is, take the Intermediate General Certificate of Education (GCSE: General Certificate of Secondary Education) exam, or take the International Intermediate General Certificate of Education (IGCSE: International GCSE) exam, or take the General Scottish Certificate of Education (SCEStandard Grade: Scottish Certificate of Education) exam.

After completing compulsory education stipulated by national law at the age of 16, you can continue to study or choose to work. Of course, most students still choose to study, and there are two directions of study: academic and vocational. If you want to study a degree program in the future, that is, you want to study in an academic direction, you usually need to study for two years, and finally take the Advanced General Education Certificate (GCEAlevel) exam or the International Baccalaureate (IB: International Baccalaureat) exam, and complete secondary school at the age of 18. educate. In Scotland, 16-year-old students only need to study a one-year Scottish Certificate of Education Higher Grade (SCEH-grade: Scottish Certificate of Education Higher Grade) course and take the exam. If they pass the exam, they can be admitted to a Scottish university. If their grades are not ideal or they want to go to a university outside Scotland, they can Study for another year, improve your grades on your original course or sit for the SCEA Advanced Higher Grade exam.

Generally speaking, China’s primary education time is the same as that of the UK, which is 6 years, while China’s secondary education (3 years of junior high school + 3 years of high school) is one year less than that of the UK. This explains from one aspect why Chinese high school graduates must first study British university preparatory courses.

4. Vocational Education (Vocational Education)

After taking the Key Stage 3 exam at the age of 14, students who do not want to study in an academic direction can also study in a vocational direction, that is, they can receive vocational education training , to prepare for working after completing compulsory education at the age of 16. Regardless of academic education or vocational education, education for 14 to 16 years old is still compulsory education. Vocational education after the age of 16 falls under the category of continuing education. For information on continuing education, please see the introduction to continuing education institutions in Chapter 3.

Vocational education and training has a wide range of contents and is mainly divided into four categories: general vocational qualifications, higher vocational qualifications, professional qualifications and vocational further education.

(1) General Vocational Qualification Category

If students over 14 years old do not choose to study in an academic direction, they can choose to study in a vocational direction, such as studying the national general vocational qualifications The qualification certificate (GNVQ) course, in Scotland, is the Scottish General Vocational Qualification Certificate (GSVQ) course, which is highly practical. The standard of the Foundation GNVQ is equivalent to four GCSE courses with grades from D to G; the standard of the Intermediate GNVQ is equivalent to the standard of four GCSE courses with grades from A* to C. The level is equivalent; the level of the advanced GNVQ course is equivalent to that of the Advanced General Certificate of Education (A-Level) course. In other words, as long as the results are qualified, students who choose the GNVQ course can also apply for university. Starting in September 2000, a vocational Alevel course appeared in the UK, with the English name AVCE (Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education). It is gradually replacing the advanced GNVQ course, and its level is equivalent to the academic A-level course.

(2) Higher Vocational Qualifications

Courses are open to students over 18 years old. There are mainly two courses: Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND). The former is studied The duration is one year, and the latter study duration is two years, which are equivalent to the first and second years of a university bachelor's degree program respectively. After graduating from the program, you can transfer to a bachelor's degree program, sometimes directly into your sophomore or junior year, depending on the circumstances.

The level of a few higher vocational qualification diplomas can reach the level of graduate students.

　(3) Professional qualifications

The UK can provide some professional qualification certificate courses that are widely recognized around the world, such as business studies, computers, engineering, art and design, hotel management, and tourism. and fashion design, among others. The ones that everyone is familiar with are the Institute of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) qualifications and the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) diploma.

　(4) Vocational Continuing Education

The UK has corresponding courses for almost any occupation you are interested in, such as catering, beauty and hairdressing, advertising, tourism, photography, and golf. management, film production and sound technology, etc.

5. Higher Education (Higher Education)

After passing the Advanced General Certificate of Education examination or equivalent examination at the age of 18, British students' study will enter the Higher Education stage. Higher education refers to course education and training above undergraduate level. At the end of most courses, you can obtain a bachelor's, master's, doctorate or equivalent qualification. More than 30% of young people in the UK are in higher education. There are more than 1.8 million full-time and part-time higher education students in the UK, 5% of whom are from the EU and 6% from other countries around the world.