UK Education System Explained

The UK education system is tiered in five Key Stages before reaching university or other post-18 options.

These five Key Stages are tiered by age and year group as seen below:

Key Stage 1 – Foundation Year (age 4) and Years 1 to 2 – ages 5 to 7
Key Stage 2 – Years 3 to 6 – ages 7 to 11
Key Stage 3 – Years 7 to 9 – ages 11 to 14
Key Stage 4 – Years 10 to 11 – ages 15 to 16
Key Stage 5 – Years 12 to 13 – ages 17 to 18

At Queen Ethelburga’s, the Key Stages and year groups are split as follows:

Chapter House – Foundation Year to Year 5 – Key Stage 1 and 2
King’s Magna – Year 6 to Year 9 – Key Stage 2 and 3
Faculty and College – Year 10 to Year 13 – Key Stage 4 and 5

Queen Ethelburga's students in class

GCSE, BTEC and A Levels are available at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate.

UK Qualifications

Queen Ethelburga’s students complete their UK qualifications in Key Stage 4 or Key Stage 5 as either a Faculty or College student.

These qualifications are:

GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) - Key Stage 4
GCSEs are the standard qualifications completed by Year 10 and 11 students across England. Students must complete English, Mathematics and Science GCSEs to continue their education or to begin employment. GCSEs can vary in the way they are assessed but are predominantly exam-based with a small number of courses needing practical or written assessments. GCSEs are graded by numbers 9 to 1, with 9 being the highest and 1 the lowest. At Queen Ethelburga’s, any student wanting to take their GCSEs at College must be predicted Level 7 or higher to be accepted to the school.
BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council) - Key Stage 4 and 5
BTEC qualifications are high-quality, career-related qualifications that combine practical learning with theory and subject content related to the world of work. BTECs are perfect for students interested in a particular industry as the qualifications are more practical and subject knowledge is applied to working in a specific sector. We recommend applying for The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga’s if you are interested in taking BTEC qualifications.
A Level (Advanced Level Qualification) - Key Stage 5
A Levels are the next level up from GCSEs and are subject-based with formal examinations. The qualification used to be split into AS Levels and A Levels with half of the examinations taken in the first year and the second half taken in the second year. However, the UK government has recently changed the qualification to have all the examinations taken in the second year. Both universities and employers regard A Levels highly. You should consider taking A Levels particularly if you want to apply for Oxbridge or a highly selective university.

International Foundation Year - New for September 2024!

Queen Ethelburga's College has affiliated with NCUK to offer a one-year International Foundation Year. The course is designed to prepare international students who have completed the equivalent of UK Year 12 for studying at English-language universities.

The International Foundation Year is comparable to GCE A Level, Australian high school (SSCE), American high school (AP), and Hong Kong high school (HKDSE) qualifications. The qualification is designed by NCUK and a selection of universities to prepare students for undergraduate degree courses.

Find Out More

Quick Links

Faculty IEP

For students entering Years 10 to 13, The Faculty of Queen Ethelburga’s offers an Intensive English Preparation Course (IEP) that is designed to help international students access the regular school curriculum and move forward in their education at the Collegiate.
King’s Magna’s IEP

King’s Magna Middle School offers an Intensive English Preparation Course (KMIEP) that is designed to help international students in Years 6 to 9 access the regular school curriculum and move forward in their education at the Collegiate.
College AIEP

For students entering Years 10 to 13, Queen Ethelburga’s College offers an Advanced Intensive English Preparation Course (IEP) that is designed to help international students access the regular school curriculum and move forward in their education at the Collegiate.
UK Education System Explained

Learn how the UK education system is structured and what qualifications are available at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate. The page comprises UK's Key Stages and year groups, the collegiate structure, and GCSE, BTEC and A Levels.

UK Education System Explained

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