The O-Level (Ordinary Level) is a subject-based qualification awarded as part of the General Certificate of Education. It originated in the United Kingdom and has been adopted, often with modifications, by several other countries.

Beginnings

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, it was introduced in place of the School Certificate in 1951 as part of an educational reform alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous

A-Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...

(Advanced Level) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Those three jurisdictions replaced O-Level gradually with

General Certificate of Secondary Education The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a range of subjects taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, having been introduced in September 1986 and its first exams taken in 1988. State schools ...

(GCSE) completely by 1988 and the

International General Certificate of Secondary Education The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognisin ...

(IGCSE) over time. The Scottish equivalent was the

O-grade The Ordinary Grade (commonly known as the "O-Grade") of the Scottish Certificate of Education is a now-discontinued qualification which was studied for as part of the Scottish secondary education system. It could be considered broadly equivalen ...

(replaced by the

Standard Grade Standard Grades were Scotland's educational qualifications for students aged around 14 to 16 years. Introduced in 1986, the Grades were replaced in 2013 with the Scottish Qualifications Authority's National exams in a major shake-up of Scotland's ...

). The AO-Level (Alternative Ordinary Level) was formerly available in most subject areas. Sometimes incorrectly known as the Advanced Ordinary Level, the AO-Level syllabus and examination both assumed a higher degree of maturity on the part of candidates and employed teaching methods more commonly associated with A-Level study. The AO-Level was discontinued, with final qualifications awarded in 1988. The O-Level qualification is still awarded by CIE

Cambridge International Examinations Cambridge International Education (abbreviated CIE, informally known as Cambridge International or simply Cambridge and formerly known as CAIE, Cambridge Assessment International Education and CIE, Cambridge International Examinations) is a pro ...

, the international counterpart of the British examination Board OCR (Oxford, Cambridge & Royal Society of Arts), in select locations, instead of or alongside the

qualifications. Both CIE and OCR have Cambridge Assessment as their parent organisation. The Cambridge O-Level has already been phased out and is no longer available in certain administrative regions. There are some differences between O-Levels and IGCSE. The lowest achievable grade in O-Levels is E, whereas in IGCSE, G is the lowest. Compared with IGCSEs, fewer O-Level syllabuses have a coursework component.

Current usage

Pakistan

The GCE O-Level qualification is offered in Pakistan by the CIE and conducted by the

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

. The passing criteria of O-Levels are to have passes in 8 subjects, including Maths, English, Pakistan Studies, Islamiat, Urdu and any three optional subjects. Students can also study more than these 3 subjects.

Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the International GCSE (IGCSE) qualification is offered, which is colloquially known as O-Levels, with examinations conducted by Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE) and

Pearson Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board in the United Kingdom. It ...

, both under the board of

the British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

. Both Pearson Edexcel and CAIE offer International GCSE qualifications. O-Level qualification has become a replacement for the matriculation qualification (SSC) offered by the Government boards of education. However, due to the high costs associated with

IGCSE The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based secondary qualification similar to the GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising ...

qualifications, their reach is limited to middle to elite class families.

Brunei

Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...

, the O-Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by Cambridge Assessment International Examinations (CAIE). Several subjects: English Language, English Literature, Bahasa Melayu (Malay language), Malay Literature, Islamic Religious Knowledge, Ulum al-Quran, Hafaz al-Quran, Tafsir al-Quran (Asas), History, Geography, Pure sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology), Arabic, Art and Design offer exam papers and syllabuses unique to Brunei. Additionally, the Mathematics (Syllabus D) subject previously offered an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Brunei, but this has since been retired, and the regular syllabus used worldwide is offered. This is equivalent to secondary education now.

India

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(CIE) GCE Ordinary-Level qualifications are offered at private and international schools as an alternative to the conventional Indian School Certificate (ISC).

Malaysia

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, the O-Level qualification is offered as the ''

Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia The Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), or the Malaysian Certificate of Education, is a national examination sat for by all Education in Malaysia#Secondary education, Form 5 secondary school students in Malaysia. It is the equivalent of the Genera ...

'' (''SPM'', Malaysian Education Certificate), with examinations conducted by the Malaysian Examination Syndicate (''Lembaga Peperiksaan Malaysia''). The examinations were formerly conducted by the

University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate The University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES), branded as Cambridge Assessment, was a non-teaching department of the University of Cambridge. It merged with Cambridge University Press to form Cambridge University Press and A ...

(UCLES), which still advises the national examination board on standards. The English Language subject was previously offered with an exam paper and a syllabus unique to Malaysia, but this Malaysia-specific qualification has since expired, and the regular English Language exam paper and syllabus used worldwide is now used within the country. The English paper is separately graded by the national examination board and UCLES, and both grades are displayed on the result slip.

Mauritius

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

, the O-Level qualification is awarded as part of the School Certificate, which is awarded upon successful completion of Form V in

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

. The O-Level examinations are jointly conducted by the

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate The Mauritius Examinations Syndicate is the examinations board responsible for administering school exams in Mauritius, run by the Government of Mauritius. Primary school exams, leading to the award of the Primary School Achievement Certificate (PSA ...

and the

(UCLES). The

from

Edexcel Edexcel (also known since 2013 as Pearson Edexcel) is a British multinational education and examination body formed in 1996 and wholly owned by Pearson plc since 2005. It is the only privately owned examination board in the United Kingdom. It ...

is also offered as an equivalent alternative qualification, for which exam registration may be done through the Mauritius Examinations Syndicate. A number of subjects, including English Language, English Language (Syllabus B), History, Mathematics (Syllabus A), and Mathematics (Syllabus D), offer exam papers and syllabuses unique to Mauritius. Additionally, the subject of Art and Design, the offering of which is restricted to a limited geographic region, is available in Mauritius.

Seychelles

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

, the O-Level qualification is offered, with examinations conducted by

(CIE). Some subjects are unique to Seychelles or have a format, curriculum, or syllabus that is unique to Seychelles.

Singapore

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the O-Level qualification is offered jointly by

(CIE) and the

Singapore Ministry of Education The Ministry of Education (MOE; ; zh, 教育部; ) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies related to the education in Singapore. Organisational structure The ministry curre ...

. The examinations are mainly conducted by CIE, with select subject examinations conducted by the Singapore Ministry of Education, including select

mother tongue A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongue'' refers ...

subjects, such as Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, and the humanities subject of Social Studies. Several subjects previously offered exam papers and syllabuses unique to Singapore, but these have since been retired or are planned to be phased out. After taking O-levels, some Singapore students go on to

GCE Advanced Level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational a ...

exams, which are also marked by

. In 2027, the O-Levels as well as the N levels will be phased out for a new local examination known as the Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC).

Sri Lanka

The GCE Ordinary-Level qualification is currently administered by the British Council of Sri Lanka Schools (BCS). In the past, this qualification was jointly offered by

and the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka. The examinations in Sri Lanka are taken very seriously, and the exam is considered a starting point to a student's higher education. This is why, in recent years, Sri Lanka has produced high-scoring batches holding this qualification.

Zimbabwe

The GCE Ordinary-Level qualification is offered by the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC). Before, this qualification was jointly offered by Cambridge International Examinations and the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

in Zimbabwe.

Former usage

Caribbean

The O-Level qualification was previously awarded in the Caribbean. However, many Caribbean countries have now switched to awarding Caribbean Secondary Education Certification (CSEC) qualifications based on successful completion of examinations administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

Hong Kong

The O-Level qualification was previously awarded in Hong Kong, along with the Hong Kong version of the

qualification. However, the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) was established, but it was eventually replaced by the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE). The HKCEE was previously benchmarked against the O-Levels for comparable subjects; since its introduction, the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) has been the benchmark for the equivalent local qualification (again, where comparable).

United Kingdom

The GCE O-Level qualification originated in the

, where it was awarded as the secondary school-leaving qualification. It was primarily an examination-based qualification, with a grading system that changed over the years. In the

, O-Level qualifications were replaced in 1988 with the

(GCSE) and the

(IGCSE).

References

{{Education in England Educational qualifications in England Educational qualifications in Northern Ireland Educational qualifications in Wales Secondary education in England Secondary education in Northern Ireland Secondary education in Wales Secondary school qualifications