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

Further Education (FE) colleges. FE colleges offer post-compulsory education primarily below but also at the HE (higher education) level, and they include general tertiary colleges, Sixth Form Colleges, specialist colleges (e.g., agriculture and horticulture, drama, and dance), and adult education institutes; Scotland's FE colleges provide education for those following a vocational route after the end of compulsory education. The Government has a target of reaching 50% full-time participation for 17- to 30-year-olds. In 2006–2007, the reported rate was 40%, with 6% part-time participation. Within the full-time student population, the participation rate was 35% for males and 45% for females.

The Transition From School to University

English public examinations in schools have their roots in the first University of London matriculation examination, held in 1838 with 23 candidates. The early public examinations were devised by universities for the purpose of fair admissions, and subsequently, many schools began to look to universities for guidance on how to prepare their students for university or a profession. Over time, examinations that began as entrance tests for particular universities became general school-leaving qualifications. Although a primary function of the Advanced Level (A-Level) is still as an entry qualification to higher education, the universities and colleges no longer set the syllabi and the examinations. They are, however, included in the consultation process when subject criteria for qualifications are revised or new qualifications are developed, for example, the new diplomas.

The United Kingdom today has a uniform education system with the exception of Scotland, which operates its own education (as well as legal) system. The subject criteria for all general qualifications in England are determined by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) and by its equivalents, the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland, and the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales. The particular syllabi studied and examinations