Introduction

British education has a strong reputation, especially for the quality of the teaching standards. The British education system follows a slightly different model than many other countries. In Britain, the secondary school system is completed in 13 years. In many countries, the school system is 12 years.

The standard academic year starts in September or October and runs until June or July. Some courses are more flexible, however, and offer a range of start dates.

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Primary School

Junior School Junior School - Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6
Primary education is for children aged four or five up to 11 or 13. Terms you might hear are primary school, infant school, junior school, pre-preparatory school and preparatory school. The terms ‘pre-preparatory’ and ‘preparatory’ (or ‘pre-prep’ and ‘prep’) are most commonly used in the independent sector such as boarding School.

In the UK Boarding school system, begins with Junior school (still within the Primary education system) and this sees pupils start at age 7 in Year 3 and progress until age 11 (Year 6).

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Secondary School

Secondary School Senior School - Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9
Secondary education is for pupils aged 11 or 13 to 16. Terms you might hear for this level of education are secondary school, high school and senior school. The term ‘senior school’ is more commonly used in the independent sector such as boarding School.

The age of 11 is the youngest that boarders can join the first year of the Senior School, is good as it builds a strong foundation for later on. It gives students a chance to experience many subjects, adapt to the UK educational system, make friends and achieve native level English with fantastic pronunciation.

GCSE Pathway GCSE Pathway - Year 10 and Year 11
In the last two years of secondary school (age 14 to 16), most pupils study for GCSE qualifications. Year 11 is an important year in the British Education system as students take their GCSE exams. Students are usually aged 15 or 16 in Year 11 and it is the last year of compulsory secondary education in the UK. GCSEs are usually taken over two years but the special Year 11 Pathway allows students to take five to seven IGCSEs in one year only, contact us for more details.

Sixth Form Sixth Form - Year 12 and Year 13
A Level
The A Level, is a school leaving qualification offered by educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the British Crown dependencies to students completing secondary or pre-university education.

At sixth form level, most pupils at the end of Year 13, take Advanced Levels (A levels) exams, often in three or four subjects. The two years are often called Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth.

Boarding schools offer a wide range of subjects – including maths, sciences (physics, biology and chemistry), history, geography, drama, IT, literature and foreign languages – in addition to extra-curricular activities.

A-levels are unique in providing an unrivalled depth of study in a few, specialist subjects. After two years, students will have developed the kind of subject knowledge which is often only acquired during the first year at university in many other countries. A-levels also develop students’ broad study skills and their ability to think and argue critically. They prepare students fully for the challenge of studying at world-class universities. Advanced Level courses are the only possible route for students to study Medicine and Dentistry in the UK.

Advanced Level course is divided into two years of O-Level (the first year) and A-Level (the second year). Students usually learn 5-6 modules in depth which would give them the possibility of entering higher ranked universities in the UK based on the mark they achieve.

International Foundation Year (IFY)
International student who normally are 17 years and have successfully completed 11 or 12 years of school education with satisfactory passes in their leaving examinations are eligible to do an International foundation programme.

This program is designed and intended for those international students who have the potential and motivation to succeed, but who do not yet have the formal qualifications required for entry to level 1 of a university undergraduate degree programme.

Usually students with 11 years of academic education are suitable to study International Foundation Year and then progress to the university level. In addition, mature students and those with an educational gap can study International Foundation Year.

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Higher Education

UK universities offer thousands of excellent courses, leading to qualifications that are respected by employers and academics worldwide, entry to British universities is based on competitive entry. Every UK higher education course sets its own entry requirements. These entry requirements are there to ensure that you have the right skills and knowledge to successfully complete the course.
We can help you with all the information you need, please contact us now.

International Year 1 International Year 1
The International Year One is a carefully designed course for students who are overqualified for a foundation year, but under-qualified for direct entry to the first year of an undergraduate degree. It aims to provide you with the academic knowledge, study skills and the English language ability to succeed as a second-year undergraduate degree student. There are very limited choices of subjects available as this route has been introduced in the UK education system only 5 years ago but thousands of students benefited from this intensive course to enter the second year of university directly. This course is 12 month and usually 9-12 modules are covered during this course.

Bachelor’s or undergraduate degree Bachelor’s or Undergraduate Degree
The Bachelor degree is designed to help you gain a thorough understanding of a subject. Full-time, this normally takes three years to complete (four in some cases). There are different titles of degree, such as: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Education (BEd) and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng).The International Year One is a carefully designed course for students who are overqualified for a foundation year, but under-qualified for direct entry to the first year of an undergraduate degree. It aims to provide you with the academic knowledge, study skills and the English language ability to succeed as a second-year undergraduate degree student. There are very limited choices of subjects available as this route has been introduced in the UK education system only 5 years ago but thousands of students benefited from this intensive course to enter the second year of university directly. This course is 12 month and usually 9-12 modules are covered during this course.

Pre-Master Pre-Master
This course is designed for students planning on undertaking a Master’s degree; the course offers a unique experience which combines English language training, research, presentation and study skills with optional GMAT classes. This course is usually 3- 6 month based on the student requirement and have three to four entry points during the academic year. In most cases when the student studies this course at bespoke college, academic tutors will help them choose and apply for the right postgraduate course and university. However, universities will review these applications on a case-by-case basis and progression is not guaranteed.

Master or Postgraduate degree Master or Postgraduate degree
A master’s degree can be a viable option for those who want to further their knowledge of a particular subject, explore other areas of interest after having completed an undergraduate degree, or improve their career prospects. Master’s degrees typically take one year to complete, most master's courses lead to an MA (Master of Arts) or MSc (Master of Science) qualification, but there are also subject-specific qualifications including MEng (Master of Engineering), MFA (Master of Fine Arts), LLM (Master of Laws), MArch (Master of Architecture), and more.

Pre-PhD Pre-PhD
At the moment, this course is being offered at very limited institutions. The Pre-PhD Program offers comprehensive preparation for international students pursuing a PhD or Doctoral degree in the UK. The program consists of intensive English classes combined with research methods, study skill training and PhD authoring to ensure optimum achievement at university. Students receive the best possible preparation for your PhD with highly structured exam training for IELTS and a wide range of specialist modules in their specialization. The PhD authoring module also allows them to develop their research field, which will ultimately benefit students in their thesis. The course can be 6 or 9 month based on students’ preferences and needs.

UK Educational System