Could someone clarify "A Level"?

[bangmai]

I see this in a lot of teaching job ads. Is this the equivalent of AP or IB? Is it country specific? Is it about your qualifications as a teacher or the types of classes you would be teaching? Are many of these ads simply full of themselves, as in nothing about the job should be called "A Level"? THX!

[lostinisaan]

​ A level= Advanced level. You usually take it when you're 17/18 and universities judge you by them.

[bangmai]

​ A level= Advanced level. You usually take it when you're 17/18 and universities judge you by them.

Is it a UK thing? If a school in Thailand or China are specifying it; does that mean they will prefer teachers from the UK? Does it involve any special type of certification, here or there?

[MaeJoMTB]

​ A level= Advanced level. You usually take it when you're 17/18 and universities judge you by them.

Is it a UK thing? If a school in Thailand or China are specifying it; does that mean they will prefer teachers from the UK? Does it involve any special type of certification, here or there?

Yes, it's a UK qualification.

But the exams can be taken in many places around the world.

No special qualifications needed to teach it.

But it's quite an advanced level, not like normal high school teaching.

[gerryBScot]

A-level is the standard final year exam taken by students in schools in England & Wales the results of which usually determine university entrance. I think there are also international versions of these qualifications too so their curriculum is taught in national and international schools. They are equivalent in this respect to IB but not necessarily the same. Both will secure university entrance depending on level of pass.

[lostinisaan]

​ A level= Advanced level. You usually take it when you're 17/18 and universities judge you by them.

Is it a UK thing? If a school in Thailand or China are specifying it; does that mean they will prefer teachers from the UK? Does it involve any special type of certification, here or there?

Yes, it's a UK qualification.

But the exams can be taken in many places around the world.

No special qualifications needed to teach it.

But it's quite an advanced level, not like normal high school teaching.

You gotta be careful saying it's a UK qualification. Scotland isn't part of it.

Please see: http://filestore.aqa.org.uk/subjects/specifications/alevel/AQA-2650-2660-2695-W-SP-14.PDF

http://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/languages/as-and-a-level/german-2660/teaching-and-learning-resources

[bangmai]

It is a form of bragging by the school to say their students are "A Level," or does it just mean that the students will be prepping for the A Level Exam?

[gerryBScot]

Well that's a good question. it is undoubtedly promotional because if it is a Thai school they are likely to do the Thai national curriculum as well as A-level or IB but only the most able students will do the latter.

[bangmai]

In America, it was always "AP" this and that (Advanced Placement). The most senior teachers would take the brightest kids+the one's whose paren't had clought. They would even give a little extra weight on your GPA. Then, they realized that many weren't even taking the AP exams, and my experience was, like the "gifted and talented" programs, it was simply a way to appease parents. A lot of the schools shifted to "IB" programs, and I wondered if that had to do with them not standing a chance of passing the AP exams.

[GanDoonToonPet]

In England & Wales, students study 6 years in primary school & 5 years in secondary. They then leave 'school', at 16 years of age, after which they have the choice to start their working lives (usually attending a vocational college on day release for example), attend a vocational college full time for 1-2 years, or go onto 'sixth form college'.

It is at the latter that students study a small number of specialist academic subjects, or 'A-levels', for 2 years in order to prepare them for university.

The name is a hangover from the old UK system, where school students were awarded 'O-levels' instead of GCSEs. 'O' for ordinary & 'A' for advanced...

[Suradit69]

In America, it was always "AP" this and that (Advanced Placement). The most senior teachers would take the brightest kids+the one's whose paren't had clought. They would even give a little extra weight on your GPA. Then, they realized that many weren't even taking the AP exams, and my experience was, like the "gifted and talented" programs, it was simply a way to appease parents. A lot of the schools shifted to "IB" programs, and I wondered if that had to do with them not standing a chance of passing the AP exams.

I was briefly an administrator at a somewhat prestigious/pretentious school in the UAE. Most foreign students, whether American, British, Asian or UAE nationals did O' Levels early on with little problem, mostly just for the exam-taking experience. Beyond that, preparation was aimed at AP or A' (or AS) Level exams with the expectation that most students would use them to qualify for university admission and/or even for some partial first year credit (at US universities.)

The school had a great performance record both in terms of exam results and university placement in US, UK or wherever, but then the school would not permit anyone to sit those exams unless they felt assured the student would do well, so the prospect of failure was almost nil. Other students would write exams that were suited to their home country's national curriculum and university admission requirements, sometimes administered via their embassies.

In fairness, most students who survived in the school long enough did well on exams, often choosing to write some of both AP and A' level exams, but those who were unlikely to do well usually made the strategic choice to complete their schooling elsewhere ... with some encouragement if needed.

In general, I would say the level of instruction & curricular content required for either AP or A' level courses would be at least equivalent to first year college/university course work in the US ... which is why they supposedly entitle students to "advanced placement" when they matriculate.

Edited August 17, 2015 by Suradit69

[SheungWan]

One international equivalent of the English 'A' level system is the International Baccalaureate. Some English schools are reported to have moved over to delivering IBs.