Getting into Varsity: Comparability, Convergence and Congruence ...

taken by students are designed and administered by awarding bodies (examination boards). The English awarding bodies—namely the Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA), Edexcel, and Oxford, Cambridge and RSA [Royal Society of Arts] (OCR)—are regulated and have their qualifications accredited by Ofqual; in Northern Ireland, CCEA is both the awarding body and the regulator; and in Wales, WJEC (formerly the Welsh Joint Education Committee) is regulated and has its qualifications accredited by DCELLS. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) is the national body in Scotland responsible for the development, accreditation, assessment and certification of qualifications other than degrees.

Currently, school attendance is compulsory until the age of 16 (although, under Government plans, young people in England will, by 2013, be required to stay in school, training or workplace training until the age of 18). At age 16, pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland take their General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations, whilst most pupils in Scotland take the equivalent ‘Standard Grades’. Both types of examination are available in traditional subjects as well as more modern and vocational ones.

Should young people remain in education beyond age 16, a variety of academic and vocational qualifications are offered by various institutions. Students continue their studies at the sixth form (Year 12) level in high schools or Sixth Form Colleges or at Colleges of Further Education. The latter tend to offer a greater range of vocational qualifications than the sixth forms, which tend to focus on academic qualifications. The vast majority of students pursuing academic qualifications in further education follow a 2-year programme of study for the General Certificate of Education (Advanced Subsidiary Levels [AS-Levels] followed by A-Levels), although a small minority may study for alternative qualifications such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Cambridge ‘Pre-U’. Some vocational qualifications, such as BTEC Nationals and the Advanced Diploma, also serve as preparation for higher education. In Scotland, the equivalent of GCEs—Highers and Advanced Highers—are offered at sixth form in school, whilst Scottish