Grades K-12 Equivalents in England - American to English

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SUMMARY

The discussion clarifies the equivalence of American K-12 grades to the English education system. In England, primary education consists of Year 1 to Year 6 (ages 4-11), followed by secondary education from Year 7 to Year 11 (ages 11-16). After Year 11, students take GCSEs, previously known as O levels, and can pursue A levels in Years 12 and 13 (ages 16-18). The term "K-12" encompasses all schooling prior to university, with "K" representing kindergarten, a concept originating from Germany.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of the English education system, including primary and secondary school structures.
  • Familiarity with GCSE and A level examinations.
  • Knowledge of the American K-12 education system.
  • Basic comprehension of educational terminology and age ranges associated with school years.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the differences between GCSE and A level qualifications.
  • Explore the historical origins of the term "kindergarten" and its educational implications.
  • Learn about the transition from secondary education to higher education in the UK.
  • Investigate the educational systems in other countries for comparative analysis.
USEFUL FOR

Students, educators, and parents seeking to understand the equivalencies between American and English educational systems, particularly those involved in international education or relocation.

liz
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what are the equivalants to grades k-12 in england?

im presuming this website is american, and I'm english which is my excuse for being so ignorant. thanks
 
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When I lived in England, I would have been in grade 7 in Canada, so the placed me in year 8. So Kindergarten would be 1st year, then grade n would be (n+1)th year, but when I was there, I remember it only going up to year 11 (it was a long time ago though, I might be wrong), which would mean it only went up to grade 10. Then, if I remember right, there were something like O levels and A levels after that...?
 
well it starts with year 1 aged 4-5, year 2 aged 5-6 up to year 6 aged 10-11 for primary school. secondary school is year 7 age 11-12 to year 11 age 15-16. 6th form is years 12 (age 16-17) and 13 (aged 17-18). o levels are now called called GCSE's are are done in years 10 + 11. A levels are split into AS levels done in year 12 and A2 levels in year 13 (so and AS eg in physics and an A2 in physics = an A level in physics). done that help? i was just wondering as I am in year 11 and i was wondering where i should post questions relating to my schoolwork.
 
Yeah, I remember hearing about GCSE's now. Year 11 would put you in grade 10 I believe, which would be K-12. Also, since your options on this site are either K-12 or College, unless you're in college, you should post in K-12.
 
Hi Liz.

Welcome, fellow Brit. Don't worry about all that K-12 nonsense, I still haven't figured it out and they haven't got rid of me yet.

Anyway, you didn't say. What year are you in?
 
Anyone from Québec, Canada? I'd also would like to know what's the equivalent of K-12 here.. ;)
 
If you're in high school or not yet in college, post your queries here. Don't worry about what grade/form/class/year you need to be in.

If you've gotten yourself into College/University, head over to the other section.

Oh, and if you're not 13 yet, don't tell us...I mean, make sure your parents approve of your visiting a really great science forum where you can have doubts cleared, questions answered, and in general engage in conversation with professors, researchers, students and other interested folk from all over the world.

Welcome to PF ! :smile:
 
To simplify all the explanations provided, K-12 refers to primary and secondary school. In other words, anything prior to university (college doesn't mean the same thing to Brits and Americans; in the US, college is synonymous with university).

Your year 13 is probably about the same as our year 12. If you're in grade 11, you're in the right place.

Welcome to PF Liz. :smile:
 
thank you for the welcome from everyone, its apprecaited.
im in year 11. but I've only got 5 weeks left. well, kind of, i have all my exams from 24 may to 24 june. but that won't be too hard (i wish). brewnog (unusual name by the way- any particular reason for it?) i read what you wrote about rude words you can get away with saying if your an engineer. every so slightly immature but very funny. can't that be seen as abusing your profession or something like that?
 
  • #10
liz said:
well it starts with year 1 aged 4-5, year 2 aged 5-6 up to year 6 aged 10-11 for primary school. secondary school is year 7 age 11-12 to year 11 age 15-16. 6th form is years 12 (age 16-17) and 13 (aged 17-18). o levels are now called called GCSE's are are done in years 10 + 11. A levels are split into AS levels done in year 12 and A2 levels in year 13 (so and AS eg in physics and an A2 in physics = an A level in physics). done that help? i was just wondering as I am in year 11 and i was wondering where i should post questions relating to my schoolwork.

That sounds ridiculously complicated. Years, forms, O levels, GCSEs, A levels. What a mess. All we have is grades. Grade 1, grade 5, grade 12 etc. Or if you're American you say 1st grade, 5th grade, 12th grade etc. And K is kindergarten. I have no idea where the name comes from, but it's the year before grade one, sort of like a grade zero. Grades K-12 correspond to ages 5-18.

As for the guy wondering about Quebec, I think everything is the same up to grade 10. Your CEGEP is like our grade 11 and 12.
 
  • #11
Ok. It's finally dawned on me that "K-12" covers a range, from K to 12. I can almost hear the cogs whirring in my brain.



ek said:
That sounds ridiculously complicated. Years, forms, O levels, GCSEs, A levels. What a mess. All we have is grades. Grade 1, grade 5, grade 12 etc.

Don't be silly. Just replace "grade" with "year" and you have a parallel (year 5, year 13 etc). O levels are obsolete, GCSEs and A levels are just different levels of exam, nothing to do with school years.



liz said:
thank you for the welcome from everyone, its apprecaited.
im in year 11. but I've only got 5 weeks left. well, kind of, i have all my exams from 24 may to 24 june. but that won't be too hard (i wish). brewnog (unusual name by the way- any particular reason for it?) i read what you wrote about rude words you can get away with saying if your an engineer. every so slightly immature but very funny. can't that be seen as abusing your profession or something like that?


Haha, 'Brewnog' is a semi long story involving brewing our own cola (Devil's Brew), and speaking like Brian Blessed.

Abusing my profession? I'm a student, not a professional! I can abuse whatever I like!
 
  • #12
brewnog said:
Ok. It's finally dawned on me that "K-12" covers a range, from K to 12. I can almost hear the cogs whirring in my brain.

Oh dear! That interpretation never occurred to me. :smile: I can see why this might all seem confusing. Yes, yes, yes, K-12 means K through 12 or K to 12, it's the entire range of schooling prior to university! :biggrin:
 
  • #13
ek said:
And K is kindergarten. I have no idea where the name comes from,

It's German and translates literally as "children's garden". The idea of a year that comes before "real school" originated in Germany in the mid 1800s.
 
  • #14
Good luck with your GCSEs liz! :smile:
 
  • #15
yes it was a rediculously long time before i realized that the K-12 is the range of school years. i apologuise but I am hopeless with computers and i can't work out the quoting thing. so:
brewnog- ok maybe not abusing your profession, but there definitely is a much more elegantly worded saying a bit like that.
nylex- thank you for the good luck. it's very much needed. I am hopelessly behind with revision.
 

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