UK Education System

The school year runs from September to July, with student ages taken from 1^st September each year.

Children normally start school at the age of 5 and this is therefore classified as Year 1.

• In Years 1 and 2, students attend Pre-Preparatory School.
• Pupils attend ‘Preparatory/Junior School’ from the ages of 7 (Year 3) to 13 (Year 8)
• Senior School begins with Form 3 at the age of 13 (Year 9).

The two most important sets of examinations in the UK are:

(i)           GCSEs [Years 10 and 11]

(ii)          A Levels or the IB (International Baccalaureate). [Years 12 and 13].

• The standard GCSE programme is spread over two years (Years 10 and 11)
• It is not possible for students to enter Senior School Form 5 (Year 11) as this is half way through the GCSE programme.
• It is possible to join Taunton School International at this time as we offer a One Year GCSE Programme.
• Students are usually required to pass at least 5 GCSEs (Grade C or above) to enter an A Level or IB Programme.

After GCSEs, students aged over 16 enter Senior School Form 6 (Year 12) and begin the two-year A Level or IB Diploma.

A-Levels

• In the first year of A Levels (AS Level), students usually take four subjects. 
• In the second year of A Levels (A2 Level), students may drop one subject, thus taking final examinations in three subjects in May/June.
• It is normally the case that A Level subject choices are based on subjects being taken at GCSE level, although there are a number of A Levels that can be selected without the need to pass the corresponding GCSE, e.g. ICT, business studies, psychology.
• A Levels are best taken by students who have a clear understanding of the career they wish to follow in the future. 

For those students who are perhaps less certain of their future career, or for those that would prefer to study a wider variety of subjects at an

advanced level, the International Baccalaureate may offer an ideal solution.

The International Baccalaureate

• Students study six subjects; three at higher level and three at standard level.
• The standard subject choice is English, Mathematics, a language, a science, a humanities subject and an art or another subject from one of the other groups.
• An integral part of the IB programme is the course on Theory of Knowledge (ToK). In addition they will write an Extended Essay of 4000 words (EE), and participate in the Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) programme.

 

Post-Secondary Education 

• Students apply to Universities in their Upper Sixth Year (Year 13) and in the vast majority of cases, students are offered a conditional place, based on attainment of satisfactory A Level/IB results.
• If the required grades are obtained, a place at University is guaranteed.

The education system in the UK– Overview

Age	School year	Level
17-18	Year 13	Senior School: A Level / International Baccalaureate
16-17	Year 12
15-16	Year 11	Senior School: GCSE
14-15	Year 10
13-14	Year 9	Senior School
12-13	Year 8	Preparatory / Junior School
11-12	Year 7
10-11	Year 6
9-10	Year 5
8-9	Year 4
7-8	Year 3
6-7	Year 2	Pre-Preparatory School
5-6	Year 1