A level
noun /ˈeɪ levl/
/ˈeɪ levl/
(also advanced level)
[countable, uncountable]- a British exam taken in a particular subject, usually in the final year of school at the age of 18
- You need three A levels to get onto this university course.
- What A levels are you doing?
- I'm doing maths A level.
- two A level passes/two passes at A level
Extra ExamplesTopics Educationc1- He's got A levels in maths and history.
- I did all right in my mock A levels and then failed the real exams.
- She has four A levels.
- She's doing her A levels this year.
- What grades did you get in your A levels?
Culture examsexamsGreater emphasis is placed on examination results in Britain than in many other countries. Most universities and employers still rely mainly on exam results for evidence of a person's academic ability.Children in England complete National Curriculum Tests, (still often called by their former name, standard assessment tasks or SATs) at ages 7 and 11 as part of the National Curriculum. The same tests are taken by children across the country. In a very few areas children take an eleven-plus exam to decide where they will go for their secondary education.In secondary schools exams are usually held at the end of each school year to assess students' progress. The most important exams are the national GCSE exams that children take at 16. Schools are free to choose which of several examination boards they use to set and mark GCSE exams. GCSEs are marked on a nine-point scale, with nine as the highest mark and one the lowest. U, meaning ' unclassified', indicates that the student has not been given a grade. Final grades may also be based on continuous assessment (= marks gained for essays and project work during the course), as well as on a student's performance in the exam, although the new GCSE courses examined in 2018 rely more on the final exam. Many students take GCSE exams in seven or eight subjects, sometimes more. Diploma exams offer an alternative to GCSE and A level exams and are based on more practical work as preparation for particular jobs.BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council) and NVQs (National Vocational Qualifications) are other less academic alternatives to GCSEs and A levels.Students who do well in their GCSEs usually go on to take A level exams two years later. A levels are marked on a five-point scale, A to E, with an additional grade A*, and U for unclassified. Most study four or five subjects at AS level in the first year and then three at A2 level in the second year. They must achieve fairly high grades in order to be offered a place at university.In Scotland students sit Scottish Qualifications Certificate exams which, at National 5 level, are the equivalent of GCSEs. The highest grade is A. A year later students take the higher-level exams, Highers. After a further year some students take Advanced Highers.Students from other countries who wish to study at university in Britain must show a knowledge of English and the most common test for this purpose is an IELTS test.At university students work towards a degree, and most courses end in a series of exams called finals. Many take an honours degree which is awarded in one of several classes (= grades). The highest class is a first. The second class is often split between upper second and lower second (a 2:1 and a 2:2), and below that is the third class. If a student does not meet the standard for an honours degree, he or she may be awarded a pass degree.In the US there are no national exams like those in Britain but many states have their own assessment tests that vary from state to state. Students at school and university usually take one or more exams as part of their grade assessment (= a mark A to D, and F for 'fail') which shows how well they have done in each class. At colleges and universities these exams are often called midterms or finals, and during the year students have exams in all or most of their classes.People who wish to study at a US university usually have to take one of several standardized tests. Students going to university for the first time may take the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Test). People who want to do a higher degree may take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), LSAT (Law School Admission Test) or MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), depending on what they want to study. Students from other countries must usually show a knowledge of English and the most common test for this purpose is the TOEFL (= Test of English as a Foreign Language). Standardized tests often do not test how much people know about a subject, but how strong their skills are in areas like reading and solving problems. People do not pass or fail but instead each college or university decides on the lowest score it will accept. Test scores are never the only factor to be considered in deciding whether to offer a place to a student.Some professions require people to pass special exams before they are qualified to practise. Lawyers in the US, for example, must pass the bar exam in the state in which they wish to work, to show that they know the laws of that state.