Education in the uk

The general educational policy in the United Kingdom is under control of the department of education and science.

Education in the UK is presently divided into three stages: primary, secondary, and higher education.

At all stages the following grading scale is applied: from “A” to “G”, “A” being the highest on the scale and “G” being the lowest.

The British society considers education very important for the whole country’s development.

Maybe that’s why the duration of compulsory education in the UK is 11 years from the age of 5 to the age of 16 years.

In the UK, “compulsory” actually means that there is a law requiring all children to go to school after they get 5 years old.

Schooling consists of two stages: primary and secondary.

Primary education consists of infant school lasting for two years and junior school lasting for four years.

Since the primary school lasts for 6 years, most pupils go on to the secondary stage of school education at the age of 11 years.

I would like to note that most secondary schools in the UK are comprehensive.

Schools of this type are open for all pupils no matter their abilities and results from the primary school.

Also, there are so called grammar schools in the UK which have a very selective procedure of admitting pupils who have to pass an entrance exam checking their abilities.

At this school, a pupil get a rather academic education.

Unlike grammar schools, secondary modern schools provide more technical and practical education.

At the age of sixteen, pupils take examinations leading to GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education).

After they pass GCSEs, they have to decide what they want to do: to start to work or to continue their studies.

Pupils may stay at schools for two years more and finally take an A-level examination and be awarded a General Certificate of Education Advanced Level.

Higher education is provided by colleges and universities.

When we think about British university education, Oxford and Cambridge are the names that come to our mind first. This is probably the best universities not only in the UK, but also in the world.

At least, they have such a reputation. Oxford, for instance, consists of 40 separate colleges, the oldest being University College established in 1249. These two universities are very prestigious.

Only the elite can afford to send their children to these universities. To refer to both of them people often use the word “Oxbridge”.

All universities are fully independent in deciding what courses to include into their curriculums.

At the university level, there are three stages: the undergraduate stage, the postgraduate or Master’s degree and Doctor’s degree. The undergraduate stage usually lasts for four years.

Interestingly enough, the education in the UK is structured so that it is very common for a student to change his or her department of study if they realize the first choice does not satisfy their needs.

At the end of this stage, a students is awarded a Bachelor’s Degree: BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BS (Bachelor of Science).

Next level of university studies is the Master’s Degree.

To be awarded this degree, one has to study from one to two years after the Bachelor’s Degree.

At this level, students write a project on their area of specialization.

The third level is characterized by concentration on completely scientific work and research in the chosen field. This level usually lasts for three years.

Candidates for the Doctor of Philosophy degree have to present the result of their research in the form of a thesis, that is a dissertation containing original research. The Doctor of Philosophy, or PhD degree, is awarded after the candidate successfully defends his or her thesis in front of distinguished experts of their field of research.