Message #289079

[Trijhak]

57054

In Britain, the first seven years of school are in Primary School, where you are in one class for all of the day learning about various things, with others of various ability. Key Stage One is the first three years. (Reception, Year 1, Year 2.) Key Stage Two is the next four years. (Year 3, Year 4, Year 5. Year 6.)

Then you go onto Secondary School. The first year there you have much of the classes with people the same age and of various abilities with the exceptions of English and Math, which are split into several sets of abilities. (usual is 4, below-average, lower-average, higher-average, and above average)
In the second years, Science, IT, History, Geography, and whatever Languages the school does are split into several several sets like English and Math.
In the third year, stuff like Music, Drama, Food Tech are split into sets.

Which means that gradually you are sorted into the set that your ability is closest to. These three years make up Key Stage Three. (Year 7, Year 8, Year 9.)

The next two years in secondary school make up Key Stage 4. Years 10 and 11. In the middle of Year 9 you get the option to pick GCSEs and you drop some lessons depending on what you take once you reach Year 10. Years 10 and 11 are pretty much your GCSE years. In Year 11 you take the final exams for GCSEs, and depending on what you get, you get a certain level of qualification. GCSE grade D is level 1, GCSE grades A*-C are Level 2. (Level 2 > Level 1)

As I have recently finished year 9 and started Year 10, that means I have picked my GCSEs. My GCSEs are Geography, BTEC ICT, History and Triple Science. The compulsory subjects for GCSE are English, Maths, Science (if you took Triple Science it is split into three separate lessons, if you didn't you do BTEC Science.), Citizenship, ICT (BTEC ICT does not replace this, they stay two separate lessons.) and I do believe there is one I am forgetting.

Also, due to being able to pick GCSEs, some of them have separate sets for different levels of ability, and some are mixed. And I got lucky. By PURE COINCIDENCE my IRL best friend happened to pick the same GCSEs as I did. I did a double take.