What American High School Students Need To Know About A Levels

For American high school students considering continuing their education abroad, there are a few significant differences they’ll need to be aware of. While American high schools and those in the UK both practice forms of standardized testing, the process is different in each place. Here in the US, high school students must pass one generalized test covering all courses of study in order to graduated from high school. In the UK, however, after students have passed their GCSE examination, in order to be accepted into a university they are required to take A level courses, generally three, and pass the related A levels examinations.

Generally taken in the last two years of a secondary education, which would be the junior and senior year here in the United States, a level courses are basically the equivalent of high school courses here in the US. The chief difference of course is that A levels are studied continuously across two years, while high school classes are one year in length. Both A levels and high school courses are offered in the same subject – mathematics, language, science, music, etc. Most students in the UK taking A levels in order to be accepted into a university will take three closely related A levels – for example, mathematics, physics and chemistry.

This is due in part to university requirements in the UK. Many courses of study require three related A level subjects; the three mentioned above are often required for certain courses of study such as medicine. Many students apply for admission to university while still studying their A levels, and if accepted by a university, it is generally on condition of him or her receiving a minimum grade in each course. Sometimes grades are converted into numerical scores, and students are required to meet a certain grade score on their A levels in order for their university acceptance to go through.

What all of this means for American high school students is that in order to study abroad, you’ll want to begin talking with the international university you want to attend as early as possible. Each university will have different requirements for international students, and some may accept an American high school degree in lieu of A levels. This of course is going to depend on the University, so you’ll need to begin planning early in order to attend college overseas.