English Audio Request

The British education system may seem rather complicated. It consists of two parts: the state schools and the non-state schools. The state schools form the public education system, which is free.
Schooling is compulsory between the ages of five and sixteen. For under-fives there are playgroups and nursery schools, both private and state-run.
The first stage of children’s education is from the age of five to eleven, and is known as primary education. The primary school is divided into Infants (for ages 5 – 7) and Juniors (for ages 7-11). At eleven, children begin secondary education. At sixteen most pupils take national examinations at ordinary level (O-level) called GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). The GCSE is not an overall qualification: pupils pass or fail in individual subjects. Some might have one, five, or ten GCSEs, meaning they have passed examinations in that number of subjects.
If pupils want to continue their schooling after the age of sixteen they become sixth formers. They will take advanced level (A level) courses in two, three or four subjects for two years. At the age of eighteen they take the A level examinations: national examinations at a higher level. Good grades at A level will qualify pupils for entrance to higher education or improve their job prospects.
Most state secondary schools are comprehensive schools: they admit local children of all abilities. However, there are still a few old-style grammar schools, which accept only pupils who do well at school.
The private sector in education is small but socially important. Private secondary schools are known by the confusing name of public schools, of which the most famous are Eton and Harrow. Many public schools are boarding schools, with the majority of their pupils living in.
Most schools are “mixed” or “co-educational” – they accept boys and girls – but there are some single sex schools in both the private and state sectors.